Hindi album reviews

Naqaab (OST)
Various artistes
Composer Pritam Chakraborty does a good job of composing a music score befitting a thriller. Ek Din Teri Rahon Mein, the opening track featuring Javed Ali's distinct high-pitched voice, is a good number. The music and the lyrics complement his voice and add an element of suspense to this song.

However, the remixed version of the same song sung by Zubin Garg sounds much better, and as expected, is making waves on the music charts.

In contrast, Aa Dil Se Dil Mila Le, sung by Krishna and Alisha Chinai, is a passable party number and does not raise the bar. But the romantic track Aye Dil Paagal Mere with its low-pitched refrain redeems the album.

The male version of this song by Sonu Nigam is better than the female one by Sunidhi Chauhan. The same tune features again in the thematic instrumental piece Disguised Intentions.

Another highlight of the album is the way in which Chakraborty has artfully fused Eastern musical genres such as sufi and bhangra with Western rock and pop to create an enjoyable soundtrack. It's a interesting mix and is worth checking out.

Life In A ... Metro (OST)
Various artistes
In this soundtrack Pritam steers away from his usual style. There are many guitar-based moody melodies and all of them make their mark with imaginative compositions and good lyrics. Soham's In Dinon Dil Mera, KK's Alvida, James' Rishtey, Adnan Sami's Baaten Kuchh Ankahi Si and KK and Sohail's O Meri Jaan are worth a listen.

Maah-e-ru
Jojo
In this album, Jojo combines his skills with composers Prakash Ashish and lyricist Faaiz Anwar to create an album comprising romantic and sentimental ballads. Combining sufi, Indian folk and Western musical styles, the album presents some good songs such as Maaheru, Kaise Jiye Hain Hum and Tere Chehre Ka Noor.

College Classics Vol.2
Various artistes
This album contains some evergreen romantic classics from the 1970s and '80s. Kishore Kumar song's such as Dilbar Mere, Kitne Bhi Tu Kar Le Sitam and Koi Roko Na dominate the compilation. Preeti Sagar's My Heart Is Beating and Shailendra Singh's Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun are the other interesting picks.