By Ruchika Kher
Film: "Bodyguard";
Music Directors: Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam Chakroborty;
Lyricists: Shabbir Ahmed and Neelesh Misra;
Singers: Salman Khan, Ash King, Clinton Cerejo, Mika Singh, Amrita Kak, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Alam Gir Khan and Shaan;
Rating: **
After his brief acting spree, music director Himesh Reshammiya returns to composing with Salman Khan-starrer "Bodyguard". The composer, who has collaborated with Salman after six years, has churned out all the songs for the album except one that has been composed by Pritam Chakroborty. The album is out and out commercial, but its 12 songs offer nothing extraordinary or unique.
The first song of the album is the title number -- crooned by Salman himself. What starts with a few dialogues soon begins to sound too much like "Dhinka Chika" from "Ready", again starring Salman. Nonetheless, this one too is catchy and is a blend of Indian and western beats. Not a bad start to the album. It also has a remixed version.
Then comes in the Pritam number. The mushy outing "I love you", sung by Ash King and Clinton Cerejo, is a typical Pritam love song, which is actually his forte. It is light, simple and easy on the ears. There is nothing new or different that the song offers. It's just a decent hear.
This too has different versions, including a remix and an unplugged version where Shaan replaces Ash King. Shaan's apt and effective vocals make it more appealing and likeable.
"Desi beat", crooned by Mika Singh and Amrita Kak, brings the Punjabi flavour to the album. High on energy, strong orchestration and loud beats describe the song. It's a total dance number.
This too comes with versions. One is a remix and the other a Punjabi hip-hop mix where Alam Gir Khan takes Mika's place.
Next is "Teri meri", a poignant love song by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal. High on Sufi touch, the song scores on vocals but offers nothing new or fresh as a composition. It is moderately paced and is quite average.
This too has a reprise and remix version.
Finally, the album ends with an instrumental theme song, which is the music of the song "Teri meri", but with psychedelic beats.
On the whole, the album is quite average. Though none of the songs is very bad, there isn't any that really stands out and grabs attention.