'Raqeeb' is a sound compilation

Album: Raqeeb; Music: Pritam; Singers: Kunal Ganjawala, Gayatri Ganjawala, Alisha Chenoy, Zubeen, KK and Tulsi Kumar; Ratings: *** Music composer Pritam is the toast of the season. His music in "Metro" is already topping the charts and he maintains the rhythm in "Raqeeb".

The album has five songs and opens with "Jaane kaise", a stirring track sung excellently by KK. The song starts with fantastic guitar play and KK's soulful vocals enliven the hidden beauty of the lyrics.

"Channa ve channa" is rendered rather well by Gayatri Ganjawala but the constant English mumbling in the background rankles. The influence of traditional Punjabi folk music is clearly audible. However, the repetitive rendition of 'Channa Ve channa' makes the track somewhat mundane.

Next comes "Dushamana" by Kunal Ganjawala. It is a paradoxical track - the music moves at a fast pace but the vocals are relatively slower. The lyrics are paradoxical as well. It can be called the title track because it's the number where you hear the word 'raqeeb' for the first time. The song ends on a solo note without any background score.

"Qateel" is a sprightly rendition by Alisha Chenoy and her zingy vocals describe the side effects of love - it is truly a killer. Some classic drum play prevails in the background, which gels rather well with the entire rendition. The song is worth listening to for its groovy effect.

"Tum ho" begins with musical notes rendered as vocals. Zubeen croons most of the song rather energetically and Tulsi Kumar contributes with her sweet vocals. It has a touch of the tango and samba. This is a rather fast-paced track.

Of all the songs, "Jaane kaise" is easily the high point of the album with "Qateel" coming second and the others lingering somewhere down. Overall, it's a sound compilation. An above average album.

By Prashant Kaushik, Indo-Asian News Service