By Ruchika Kher
Film: “99″; Music Directors: Ashutosh Pathak, Shamir Tandon, Roshan Machado and Mahesh Shanker; Lyricists: Vaibhav Modi, Shabbir Ahmed, Sita Menon and Amitabh Bhattacharya; Singers: Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK, Bonnie Chakraborty, Raja Hasan and Labh Janjua; Rating: ***

Another film to cash in on the trend of bringing together multiple composers and lyricists is “99″, which stars Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu and Cyrus Broacha. It boasts of four composers and four lyricists behind the soundtrack.

The music exudes melody and gives a heads up to the film. The songs of “99″ sure exceeds everyone’s expectations.

The “Theme song” of the film crooned by Bonnie Chakraborty of “Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah” (”Jodhaa Akbar”) fame gives a good start to the sound track. The western musical arrangements and predominant use of the electric guitar pumps up the rhythm and makes it a foot-tapping number.

Next up is “Delhi destiny” in the voice of former reality show contestant Raja Hasan. The track has a long, engaging prelude and the new singer doesn’t disappoint with his rendition either. It is quite hummable.

The song also has a remix version, but it seems forced into the album. The original is much better and didn’t require another version at all.

A romantic number with Shaan behind the mike generates expectations and “Kal ki tarah” fulfils all. Sunidhi Chauhan gives ample support to Shaan and together they create magic with their soothing and free flowing vocals. The track is one of the best in the album and is sure to make music buffs sit up and take notice.

A requisite of most music albums today is a song with a Punjabi flavour. “Punjabi size”, which has a hip-hop feel to it, is sung by KK and Labh Janjua. But the song may not hold the interest of listeners for long.

Next in the line is “Soch mat dobara” - another song in Bonnie Chakraborty’s voice. This one has a very heard-before feel and has nothing new to offer. It seems similar to popular numbers like “Cash” from the film “Cash” and “Move your body” from “Johnny Gaddaar”.

“What’s up” by KK and Sunidhi Chauhan is just another song and doesn’t stand out. Can be billed as just an average number. It also has a remix version, but it does no good to the song.

On the whole, the album is a robust mix of different styles and doesn’t disappoint the listener. With four composers behind the soundtrack, a little more experimentation would have made the album stand out more.

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