Mausam

T-Series,Rs160 Pritam is back in form,given a subject up his street and having a committed director like Pankaj Kapur. There is a hitch though: there could have been greater variety with at least one female track,but all we get is Hard Kaur rapping a bit in one version of Mallo malli with Lehember Hussainpuri. Leave aside the Karsan Sargathia composed and performed Garba,Aag lage uss aag ko and the score would not be out of place in a Punjabi film! Pritams grasp of the Punjabi idiom,most evident earlier in films like Jab We Met,Singh Is Kinng and Kismat Konnection,is clearly seen in tracks like Mallo malli (Tochi Raina) and the lead (and best track) Rabba main to mar gaya oye (Shahid Mallya) with a second version by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans returns to films for the beautifully-written (Irshad Kamil) Ek tu hi tu hi,which also has two more versions by Shahid Mallya and Wadali Brothers. Rashid Khan makes his own impact in another well-written number,Poore se zaraa sa kam hai. Yet another infectious number,superbly orchestrated,is Saj dhaj ke sung by Mika Singh with inputs from the films director Pankaj Kapur. A special note is in order for the Punjabi feel that is enhanced by some really wholesome and cleanly-balanced Punjabi orchestration. With this film,for the umpteenth time,Pritam once again defines the clear demarcation between those who compose songs and those who make extended jingles. In the absence of the levels of the stunning film soundtracks of last year,this is certainly,as of now,the most accomplished music score of the year. Ae Dosheeza. Times Music,Rs 150 Kshitij Tarey comes out with an album that spotlights his variety as a singer. If on the one hand we have a traditional thumri like Yaad piya ki aaye,we also have other traditional songs like Bulleh Shahs Bulleh nu samjhawan and also songs specially written for the album like Ae dosheeza and O meri jaan-e-jaan. Tarey sings well,though he seems a shade out of his depth in Yaad,but full marks for daring to explore fresh ground in such an album in addition to the tried-and-tested patterns of pop songs.