'Billu Barber' album is boring

Shah Rukh Khan's "Billo Barber" directed by Priyadarshan sees Pritam Chakraborty encroaching into Vishal-Shekhar's territory. In an attempt to make the most of his big chance, the composer has gone all out in an album that's loaded with 15 tracks; of them eight are remixes of the originals.

The album blends several genres ranging from western styles, bhangra, rap, sufi and folk. The album doesn't lack energy and is high on beats like most of Pritam's songs. However, Pritam sticks to the tried and tested formula.

The first song "Marjaani" is a peppy, fast paced number sung by Sukhwinder Singh along with Sunidhi Chauhan who aptly complements him. Gulzar has penned the lyrics and the song has a Punjabi flavour with western beats. Spelling energy from the word go, this song has all the makings of a chartbuster.

The song has two remixed versions, "Electro House" and "Kilogram's Balkan Mix".

"Love mera hit hit" explores the genre of rap in the voice of Neeraj Shridhar. But in spite of good beats, it is not very catchy. The song is very similar to Pritam's earlier compositions and fails to be experimental and foot-tapping. It has two more versions, "House Mix" and "Remix".

"You get me rockin and reeling" is another song sung by Neeraj Sridhar and entails a hip-hop twist with a few English lines thrown in. But despite a melodious tune, it somehow fails to hold you. It is an average song and doesn't spring any surprise. Even this has two more versions attached to it including a general remixed version and a "Video Edit" where Dominique joins Sridhar.

With a dramatic opening "Ae Aa O" is a completely young at heart, campus feel song with the guitar taking precedence. KK is the right choice to croon the song, which is energetic and high on tempo. Rana Mazumder and Suraj join KK on the vocals. The song can be termed as the rock number of the album.

This song also contains a remixed version.

A poignant number is a requisite for any album and for "Billu Barber", Rahat Fateh Ali Khan does a soulful Sufi routine with "Jaaon kahan". This is the first time in the album that Pritam shows an attempt to experiment. And the results are very soothing to the ears. The song sure has the potential to make a big impact on screen.

"Billu Bhayankar", a song with a tinge of folk, is an energetic, earthy tune, which is pure fun. Ajay Jhingran, Raghuveer and Kalpana generate a rustic feel with their vocals. The lyrics reflect the impression of a small town and keep the fun quotient intact.

A typical Indian romantic number, "Khudaya khair" has lyrics that are poetic. But Soham with his vocals is not very impressive. Even with a melodious tune, the song fails to attract.

"Billu Barber" is very ordinary in its approach to music. In spite of a few hummable songs, the album fails to impress. The overdose of remixes makes it a typical Pritam soundtrack that is not even close to his works in "Jab We Met" and "Race".

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