Dhoom 2 Music Review: Dhoom 2 is for those who love the dance floor

Dhoom became a musical rage thanks to the rocking Dhoom Machale, sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and picturized on Esha Deol and of course the Tata Young version with a special music video featuring Abhishek, John Abraham and Uday Chopra. However in retrospect we realize that Dhoom had 2 other numbers which not only made for great listening but are still heard in clubs today around the country, namely Dil Bole Shik Dhum and Salaame. It goes without saying that the expectations from Dhoom 2 are immense; if Dhoom was the dark horse which surprised everyone, then Dhoom 2 is a film which people have their eyes set on and hence the expectations from the music are also quite high. On a first listen, you feel slightly disappointed with the songs of Dhoom 2, most probably because the expectations are sky high. However, with a second listen, you realize the songs have great variety and are the perfect songs to put you in the dancing mood. The music of Dhoom 2 seems to have been composed with a very specific audience in mind and in that respect the music hits the mark completely.

The album starts with the bang with Crazy Kiya Re, sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. The song starts off by giving a bit of an Arabian touch with the underlying lyrics ?She is sexy? and then ?Sexy lady on the floor, keep you coming back for more? by the chorus takes over. The use of the tablas is also well integrated in the song which is definitely set to be a chartbuster and the new favourite to get people onto the dance floor. The song mixes the Arabian tone with a bit of Hip Hop rap and makes great use of percussions. Sunidhi is flawless in her slightly throaty rendition and considering that the song is picturized on Aishwarya Rai, this song is a sure fire hit. The electric guitar and tabla jugalbandi is also well composed by Pritam. Although the lyrics of the song are nothing innovative, they work perfectly for a composition like this which is more dependent on the music and the singing.

The mood completely changes over from Arabian to Spanish, in Touch Me which begins with a strings solo, and has been picturized on Bipasha, Abhishek and Udayand sung by KK and Alisha Chinai. After the super hit Kajra Re, this time the Alisha sings for Bipasha and sets a completely different mood, as Touch Me is a sizzling, fun number again with two guys and one girl. Although the strings remain the dominant instrument, throughout the song, the bongo drums and flute are also mixed in, proving that Pritam is at his best when he uses a mix of instruments in his composition. If Kajra Re was ?Teri kaare kaare naina? then Touch Me has got ?Teekhi teekhi teri aakhiyan?. KK and Alisha match each other note for note in this number which will surely get people grooving on the dance floor.

After two great numbers, the listener can not help but be disappointed with my Name is Ali. Although there is really nothing wrong with the song, it just is too reminiscent of Dilbara from Dhoom and takes away from the tone set by the previous two songs. The number is clearly picturized on Uday Chopra and Bipasha Basu as can be made out by the lyrics. Even Sonu Nigam seems a bit bored while singing this song as the usually flawless singer does not seem to be near his best for this one. The song starts off almost exactly like Dilbara and that feel remains throughout. Lyrics like ?Excuse me too please? make the listener cringe, but it is possible that being a situational song, it may pick up more post release. This time Pritam makes use of the saxophone while Bipasha accompanies Sonu; not by singing but rather with a few words throughout the song. Even this song adds a bit of Spanish flavour too but it fails to excite in the same manner as Touch Me.

Get your dancing shoes back on because Dil Laga Na is another number which will have people burning up the dance floor. After an Arabian and Spanish flavour, this one use the strings and dhol to give a Punjabi feel, but make no mistake, it is not a bhangra number. Dhoom Dhoom is back with lyrics like ?Dhoom Dhoom just take my life, Dhoom Dhoom just break my heart?. A perfect mix of singers from the throaty Jolly Mukherjee, to the soulful Mahalaxmi Iyer, to the sensuous Suzanne and Sukhbir and Soham joining in as well. The Dhoom theme music is heard for the first time in this album, followed by a great mix of English lyrics mixed with Hindi. This song is picturized on all 5 of the main characters (Hrithik, Abhishek, Uday Chopra, Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu) and is sure to be a hit.

Crazy Kiya Re already seemed perfect but when you hear the remix version, you?ll get to hear something even better. The mood and flavour of the song have not be changed at all and yet the remix by Bunty Rajput makes this number even more enjoyable especially for those who love to turn up the volume and listen to numbers which make you want to dance.

Dhoom Again starts off with heavy, metal based percussions but the whistling tune mixed in is extremely enjoyable and has already become the theme music for the film through its promos. Then a little reminder of the original Dhoom, and you realize this song is more similar to the Tata Young version and is completely in English except for ?Dhoom Machale Dhoom Machale Dhoom?. Somehow no matter how hard Pritam has tried, whether through the metals percussion or overall composition, this song is no where as endearing as the original. Dominique is no comparison to Sunidhi or Tata Young although it is nice to hear Vishal Dadlani in a less deep voice, as opposed to how he normally sings (remember Sholon Si from Shabdh). This song will mostly be used in the background and probably for the special music video being shot on the stars by Arjun Sablok

The songs defiantly grow on you with each listening (except for My Name is Ali which irritates even more with each repeat), but one can?t help but notice that the songs follow a graph very similar to the original Dhoom. Crazy Kiya Re is what Dhoom Machale was, whereas My Name is Ali is exactly like Dilruba and even Dil Laga Na reminds you of Salaame because they both share the same situation. The songs seem similar not in composition but in terms of the situation and one wonders if this has been intentional.

This album is clearly more for the younger generation who will have these songs blaring from their car audio systems with the windows rolled down and will also be a hit at all of the local discos and nightclubs.