Hindi music reviews

Johnny Gaddaar
Various artistes
Bollywood's leading musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy has not only composed but also co-produced its latest offering. Surprisingly, however, this happens to be one of the group's weakest musical scores in the last two years. Most of the tunes on this ambitious album sound like background pieces that could enhance the film's visuals but fail to impress as audio tracks.

Nevertheless, they have managed to conjure up a few chart-busters. The title track, Johnny Gaddaar (by Suraj Gagan and Akriti Kakkar), is catchy — a mix of gangster rap and hard rock with prominent electric guitar riffs. The next track, Move Your Body (by Shankar Mahadevan and Hard Kaur), begins with a retro feel and turns into a sizzling dance number. The Tamil and Telugu versions of these songs appear later on the album. Retro once again comes to the party with a '70s-style dance number Dhokha (by Anousha Manim Shankar, Loy and Tarannum), and Bhule Bisre Geet, a medley of three songs that traces the progression of Bollywood music from the '50s to the '70s.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Various artistes
Taking on too many assignments at once is evidently affecting the quality of composer Pritam's work; this album is a perfect example. Songs such as Shridhar's Bhoo, Shaan-Tulsi Kumar's Let's Rock and KK's Allah Hafiz lack novelty. They may enjoy a brief run on the radio but aren't likely to become classics.

Pritam Rocks
Various Artistes
This compilation comprises some of the better composed and more popular numbers of Pritam. James' Chal Chale, Kunal Ganjawalla's Tumse Yun Milenge, Sonu Nigam's Halka Halka Sa, KK's Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai, Neeraj Shridhar's Bhagam Bhag, and Zubin Garg's Jaane Kya are the
best tracks.

Remix Station
Various Artistes
Get ready to experience the standard bag of DJ tricks in this largely predictable yet entertaining album featuring remixes of recent and some not-so-recent Bollywood tracks. Top picks include To Phir Aao, Dhokha, Roya Re, Kiss Me Baby, Ticket To Hollywood, Pyar Hamein Kis Mod Pe and Tanha Tanha.