Music: Nitin Raikwar, Sanjeev-Darshan, Shree-Isshq & Kary Arora Lyrics: Nitin Raikwar, Kumaar,…  

<B>Music: </B> Nitin Raikwar, Sanjeev-Darshan, Shree-Isshq & Kary Arora<BR> <B>Lyrics: </B> Nitin Raikwar, Kumaar, Moied Elhaam. Sonny Ravan, Shree D & Kary Arora<BR> <B>Music Label: </B> T-SERIES</B><BR><BR> <B>Expectations: </B><BR><BR> Ram Gopal Varma has come a long way from his <i>Rangeela-Satya</i> days when his films had decent music. So we have no expectations. <BR><BR> <B>Music: </B><BR><BR> The album seems to be rich in tributes to older songs - done quite brazenly and overtly, to leave little doubt! '<B><i>Tu Nahin</i></B>' (Leonard Victor-Shweta Pandit) is a pleasant ditty if you can overlook the ordinary words 9music and lyrics by Nitin Raikwar) and a <i>mukhda</i> that is a clear hark-back to the A.R. Rahman classic '<i>Tu Muskura</i>' from the 2008 <i>Yuvvraaj</i>. <BR><BR> '<B><i>Special</i></B>' (Payel Aditya Dev) takes the derivation even further. It begins by replicating the complete structure of '<i>These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things</i>', the evergreen from the Hollywood classic <i>The Sound Of Music</i> and then mingles that with the<i> desi 'Yeh Mera Dil</i>' from <i>Don</i>, complete with the music riff that follows the first line! <BR><BR> ''<B><i>Taaqat</i></B>' (Hricha Narayan-Jolly Mukherjee-Sanjeev Rathod) lifts the beat and rhythm of the rabble-rousing item song '<B><i>Tez Chale</i></B>' from <i>Department</i> to spin out a vastly inferior number compared to that folk ditty. <BR><BR> '<B><i>Maangne Se Kab Milta / Chhin-ne Se Sab Milta</i></B>' (Sanjeev Rathod-Darshan Rathod-Argha Banerjee) is written by Kumaar and is in the typical mould of songs from Ram Gopal Varma's films, with manic chants and dark words, and will go down in history as probably the most cynical and anarchy-laden <i>mukhda</i> ever. The lyrics that follow aren't 'inspiring' either - unless one is bent on becoming immoral or amoral! <BR><BR> '<B><i>Palkon Se Chand Kaat Ke</i></B>' (Shweta Pandit-Rishi Singh) is full of silly, incomprehensible metaphors (<i>Palkon Se Chand Kaat Ke</i>) that get weirder in the <i>antaras</i> (<i>Baadalon ko noch ke tera</i> / <i>Aks bunti rehti hoon</i> / <i>Paaniyon ke haathon pe tera </i>/ <i>Naam chunti rehti hoon</i>). Seriously, what does that mean? While Shweta is okay, Rishi puts in odd nuances in his vocals to signify - we suppose - romantic intensity. There is an attempt to give the song a club ambience with the use of a solo trumpet, but it does not work. <BR><BR> '<B><i>Saathi Re</i></B>' (Rishi Singh-Tishika Jain) gets going with a nice hook but the lyrics and music flounder and the song - despite its unconventional metering - loses track (pun intended). Then we have '<B><i>Control</i></B>' (sung by Sonny Ravan and Shree D, who also double up as wordsmiths and spin out the demonic line, '<i>Jaise Ram naam satya hai waise hi yeh baat satya hai</i>'. The lyrics really seem to be spinning out of control here! <BR><BR> '<B><i>Veerani</i></B>' is another dark song in the RGV style that is kept afloat by Mohd Irfan's soulful rendition. The singer manages to make it sound at least a bit melodious. Co-singer Payal Aditya Dev is functionally used here. The lyrics (Kumaar) and music (Sanjeev-Darshan) are just okay, with the entire song following the same groove. <BR><BR> '<B><i>Satya Is Back Again</i></B>' (Arsalaan Akhoon-Kary Arora) is a ridiculously conceived theme track - a mix of a commentary, hushed intonations of the word '<i>Satya</i>' and some ludicrous lyrics in English like '<i>He is new in system</i>'! <BR><BR> <B>Overall: </B><BR><BR> Time was when top talents - like A.R. Rahman, Vishal Bhardwaj or Ilaiyaraja among composers and Gulzar, Sameer or Mehboob among lyricists - used to work with Ram Gopal Varma. That was another era. This time it is a mélange of music makers coming together for a heterogeneous soundtrack that does not make a mark at all - aesthetically or commercially. <BR><BR> <B>Our Pick: </B><BR><BR> <B><i>Tu nahi, Veerani</i><B>