By Ruchika Kher
Film: “Kurbaan”; Music Directors: Salim Merchant-Sulaiman Merchant; Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar; Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Kailash Kher, Marianne D’Cruz Aiman, Salim Merchant, Vishal Dadlani, Sonu Niigaam, Shruti Pathak and Shreya Ghoshal; Rating: *** 1/2

Salim-Sulaiman have slowly emerged as creators of amazing and impressive music. With their next album for the movie “Kurbaan”, which has Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, they have proved their prowess yet again. The album boasts of songs that grow on you and are not typical.

There are five originals and one remix in the album.

“Ali maula”, brilliantly sung by Salim Merchant himself, has a dark, edgy beginning. The slow-paced devotional number is impactful and has minimal musical arrangements.

The track also has a remixed version, which is faster and introduces more orchestration.

Up next is “Dua” - it exudes freshness and gets an edge with the vocals. Crooned by two very talented singers — Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher — the song begins with English lyrics rendered by Marianne D’Cruz Aiman. It has strong musical backing and a qawwali touch, which makes it interesting.

Then comes title track “Kurbaan hua” that has Vishal Dadlani behind the mike. It reminds of “Nazara hai” from the film “8 x 10 Tasveer”. Nonetheless, “Kurbaan hua” is a power-packed rock number that does create an impact.

Next is “Rasiya”, which is the best song of the album. With the deep and extremely engaging voice of Shruti Pathak, the sensual number instantly strikes a chord with the listener. A semi-classical song like this has come in the forefront after a long time.

Finally there is a pleasing romantic number “Shukran allah” sung by Sonu Niigaam, Shreya Ghoshal and Salim Merchant. Its mellow arrangements make it a soothing and likeable song.

On the whole, the album is worth checking out. Salim-Sulaiman have done a great job yet again.