Saif is back to doing a light entertainer after ‘Love Aaj Kal’. For ‘Cocktail’, he joins hands with the people who complemented him in ‘Love Aaj Kal’, Imtiaz Ali, Deepika Padukone and composer Pritam. This Illuminati Films’ presentation hits the screens on July 13^th. On to the music review now.

Tumhi Ho Bandhu...  
Kavita Seth & Neeraj Shridhar

A rocking number to kick start the album.  There is a slight touch of pathos in Kavita Seth’s voice which absolutely complements Neeraj Shridhar’s ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ refrain. The beats are racy and it is sure to rock the dance floors in the country. Pritam is becoming an expert at such pacy numbers. The trailer has already made this song hugely popular.

Daaru Desi...
Shalmali Kholgade & Benny Dayal

This song has a classy guitar presence and moves at a good pace. Very relaxing number with the 2 singers perfectly complementing each other. The female singer’s voice (of ‘Pareshaan’ from ‘Ishaqzaade’ fame) in particular is sexy.The musical arrangements are also trendy.

Yaariyan...  
Mohan Kanan & Shilpa Rao

This is a beautiful soft rock number with soulful vocals by Mohan Kanan. A totally poignant number that is high on feeling. Mohan shifts pitches very easily. This is one song where the vocals are a bit Hindustani while the arrangement of the song is totally western. A superb attempt at fusion with Shilpa Rao making a nice little contribution as well. The ending is terrific as well.

There is a reprise of the same song which is mellow and mushy with the piano taking over. Sunidhi Chauhan and Arijit Singh do the honors. Sunidhi’s versatility comes to the fore yet again. Arijit sounds like A.R.Rahman at parts and his range is wonderful. This one is a winner as well.

Second Hand Jawaani...
Miss Pooja, Neha Kakkar & Nakkash Aziz

This one sticks out from the rest of the songs in that it is totally desi and local. An item number with prominent use of the magudi / punji (used by snake charmers). Like other item numbers, this will make you groove and shake your head. But the tune is nothing great.

Tera Naam Japd iPhiran...  
Javed Bashir, Nikhil D'Souza & Shefali Alvaris

This is a beautiful fusion between soulful Punjabi and ‘Aqua’ style bubblegum pop. Tastefully done, upmarket and experimental.

There is a version 2 of the same song which has been made for the dance floors. This one sounds better than other remixes going around. The fusion is just too good that even a remix can’t take the sheen away from it.

Luttna (Saif UlMalook)...  
Masuma Anwar, Anupam Amod & Sahir Ali Bagga

This is yet another delightful number which is highly indigenous. One of Pritam’s best efforts. The sound effects in this song are random, heavy and psychedelic. There is a small ‘sufi’ touch as well to this song. All said, it is the vocals that do the trick. It is pretty uplifting.

There is a version 2 for this song as well. The instrumentals for this one are much sober and pleasant with a slight rock touch. The vocals are terrific yet again.

Jugni...  
Arif Lohar and Harshdeep Kaur

This song featured in Coke Studio Pakistan is basically a Punjabi folk song. Pritam has reused it. It is addictive, foot tapping and will give you a high. Such is the passionate nature of the song. Both the singers are ‘A-Rate’. What a finish to the album.

Verdict: A smashing album from Pritam. After ‘Love Aaj Kal’, the Saif - Pritam combo has come up with another album that will rock the charts for some time to come. Scores high on variety and innovation.