The Xposé – Music Review (Bollywood Soundtrack)

Ice Cream is essentially a mash-up of a lot of Pancham sounds with some horrible lyrics, some of which is rapped by Yo Yo Honey Singh – the two things effectively negate each other. Composer Himesh Reshammiya’s only real contribution here is behind the mic, where he does surprisingly better than usual, along with Palak Muchhal. The remix is nothing particularly different from the original, in terms of quality. Dard Dilo Ke is a Tum Hi Ho meets the 90s kind of a track, the influence is stark. But it would seem the tune still has some traction, this song is fairly enjoyable, courtesy Mohammed Irfan’s singing too. The reprise version has Neeti Mohan singing some English bits over a jazzed up version of the original. And there is a remix version that adds further dream trance-y elements to the song. Not a bad listen actually. Contrary to what its title would suggest, Hai Apna Dil Toh Awaara doesn’t have much to do with the classic, apart from overall feel good-ness. Which is conveyed quite well by the composer, who also sings the song with Yo Yo Honey Singh. The blues mix with its trippy guitars, adds to the retro flavour of the song nicely.

The only thing differentiating the frenetically paced Catch Me If You Can from the likes of Dhan Te Nan and Cash is the absence of surf guitars. The general gripping quality of the genre makes it worthwhile, the song offers nothing particularly fresh otherwise. It is a high profile lineup on the vocals front though – Mika Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade, Shubhangi Tiwari and the composer. And then we have a song with a title that used to be synonymous with Himesh at one point – Suroor! And it is his singing that is the one blemish in an otherwise good song, delivered very well at the other end by Shalmali Kholgade. Same problem with the Arabic Mix that has some nifty additions in the arrangement. Highlight of the soundtrack is the ghazal-flavored Sheeshe Ka Samandar that impresses in both its versions sung respectively by Ankit Tiwari and Rekha Bhardwaj, Rekha’s being my favourite.

The Xposé. Replete with borrowed sounds, but this is an engaging soundtrack from Himesh Reshammiya after a long time.

Music Aloud Rating: 7/10

Top Recos: Sheeshe Ka Samandar, Hai Apna Dil Toh Awaara, Catch Me If You Can

 

Tags: , , , , ,