Film: "Talaash"; Music Director: Ram Sampath; Lyricist: Javed Akhtar; Singers: Suman Sridhar, Vishal Dadlani, Sona Mahapatra, Ravindra Upadhyay and Ram Sampath; Rating: ***

Ram Sampath, who entertained music lovers with the quirky and peppy numbers in "Delhi Belly", has composed for "Talaash" five original tracks and one remix, with the lyrics being penned by Javed Akhtar.

The album starts with a bang with a jazzy and groovy number "Muskaanen jhooti hai", crooned by Suman Sridhar, the voice behind hit tracks "Hawa hawai" and "Khoya khoya chand" in the film "Shaitan". She paints a sexy and suave picture with the track, which features Kareena Kapoor. The composition is neat with some fine experimentation, and the singer gets the number kicking.

Next up is "Jee le zaraa". It is edgy thanks to Vishal Dadlani's distinct baritone and high-pitched voice, which provide the song good energy, duly combined with a technically sound composition with great beats. The lyrics, penned by Javed Akhtar, are easy on the ear. It also has a remixed version, with a quicker pace. It tries to reverberate club energy with good techno and thrashing beats. However, when compared to the original, it fails to captivate the listener beyond a point.

"Jiya laage na" brilliantly mixes elements of Indian classical and electronic music. Sona Mahapatra and Ravindra Upadhyay are good behind the mike. Despite the positive energy, the song just tries too hard to fit in one particular genre, and in the end, it fails to get a position anywhere. Something's amiss here, a vital ingredient that could have made this track a hit with the listeners.

Retaining the electronic flavour is "Hona hai kya", which has Ram Sampath himself behind the mike. The song builds up nicely and has a dark kind of feel around it. The lyrics are effective and manage to hook the listener. It would be interesting to see how it has been used in the film.

Rounding up the album is "Laakh duniya kahe", a rock ballad sung by Ram Sampath. It tugs right at the heartstrings with romantic lyrics, coupled with the singer's soothing voice. The chorus too is nice with good use of instruments like drums and the guitar to get the desired result.

Overall, the soundtrack is not out-of-the-box, but the overdose of electronic music doesn't bother either. Thus, it's an album which may not top the charts, but some songs could definitely make their way into many people's personal playlists.