I Am

Three tracks make this album worth a buy. For the first time since 2009,Amit Trivedi creates two layered and substantial songs Baangur (Mame Khan-Kavita Seth) and Issi baat pe (sung by KK as only he can). Amitabh Bhattacharya,known for dark songs coated with phonetically-impressive Urdu,makes a good combo with him,but one hopes that they also show range in their films to come. Vivek Philips Aankhen (Kartik) is nice to hear and very pleasantly orchestrated and Wundoo yeredoo written,sung and tuned (we cant use the word composed) by Rajiv Bhalla is so crazy that it can only be situational.

Sarhadein

Saregama,Rs 199

Barring the last track,incidentally the title-track of the album,that is sung by all the Indian contingent of singers on this Indo-Pak album,the other compositions by Mayuresh Pai are dull,lack punch and only possess negative virtues like being raag-based and non-gimmicky. From these,Usha Mangeshkars Khula hai dar and Suresh Wadkars Aap ke husn ka are nice. But Mehdi Hasans only composition Tera milna bahut accha (with Lata Mangeshkar) makes a mark.

Geetmala Ki Chhaon Mein

Vols. 21-25 Saregama,Rs 545

The 1964 to 1966 series features the now-established pattern of Geetmala hits on Ameen Sayanis famous radio show,interviews with the music and film celebrities of and about those times and flashes of many more songs. For the old music buff it is a treasure-house and the songs are a mix of those by established stalwarts,small-timers as well as early R.D.Burman,Laxmikant-Pyarelal,Kalyanji-Anandji,Usha Khanna and Sonik-Omi.

Ragini MMS

Saregama,Rs 170

There are two original tracks here,one a bland but pleasant re-creation of Bappi Lahiris You are my chicken fry (Rock Dancer) by Zoheb Khan with the original singers and the original Raat akeli hai from S.D.Burmans Jewel Thief. Raaj,an Adnan Sami clone heard last year in Click,drawls Itne kareeb aao which has a languorous retro nightclub feel to it and is nice while it lasts. The theme track Ragini is written,sung and composed by Faizan Hussain and Agnel Roman and is interesting even if nothing to write home about.