Chandni Chowk To China Music Review: For Tere Naina and Die Hard Akshay Fans

Akshay Kumar's recent films have all had chartbusters in terms of the songs and so people are looking forward to the music of Chandni Chowk to China. The album is not path breaking nor are the songs the type we will be referring to years from now, but in terms of a contemporary album which is all about having a lot of fun, Chandni Chowk To China fulfils its objective.

S.I.D.H.U seems to be a song which introduces Akshay's character, Sidhu, in the film. The lyrics are more narrative but there is something fun about Kailesh Kher singing a song like this and in spite of there be nothing exceptional in this qawali style song, it somehow is still fun to listen to. Also, the use of a lot of Indian instruments which can be heard as opposed to hard electronics also gives this song a nice touch. Surely with the picturization being on Akshay, the song will gain further popularity when heard with the visuals.

Neeraj Shridhar and Akshay Kumar spell out HIT and this title track is no different. The Chinese flavour along with Shankar Mahadevan's "Jhol Hai Saare Jhol Hai Yeh Pyaare", and the fun lyrics makes this song an instant hit. This song mixes Indian, pop and of course Oriental to create a truly novel fusion Anushka Manchanda has great fun along with Neeraj and Shankar and it's because they seem to be having so much fun singing the song, that we have fun listening to it. The remix version is a more pacy version of the original and it too is a fun listen.

We've all heard Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, Dost Ko Salaam Karo from Aap Ki Khatir and this time Bappida and his son Bappa come up with a version for today's listeners. A lot of Oriental music in this one which although not at all as endearing as the original, Baapida's singing does make this song funny, as it is meant to be. Like most of the songs in this album, the picturization and visuals is what will take the music to another level for the audiences.

Tere Naina hits you immediately as it sounds so different from all the three tracks heard till now and surprisingly it doesn't even have much of an instrumental intro as the lyrics begin within a couple of bars of music. This song is a very unusual composition and has interesting arrangements in terms of the use of the electronics and the overall lounge feel to the song. What's more both Shreya Ghoshal and Shankar Mahadevan have experimented with the way that the song has been sung, making it even more enjoyable. As it is the only romantic song in the album and incidentally the only melody based one, a great deal of attention has been paid on the overall composition and it is a really beautiful song which grows on you with every listen.

Kailesh Kher reappears for Chak Lein De which gives a very action oriented feel on the song that will of course be picturized on Akshay. The flute, percussions and dhol have been used well and it's one of those tracks that is meant to inspire you. It's not a totally unique composition and you do feel in parts that it gives a very "heard this before" feel but the song is still enjoyable nonetheless especially the flute portions specifically towards the end of the song. The remix version is also effective.

When you see Akshay Kumar's name in the credits for singer, you are really expecting something mind blowing but sadly are left disappointed. CC2C is a rap by Akshay, as Akshay Kumar and not as his own character in the film and tells the story of where Akshay has come from. It's likely to become Akshay's new anthem but one wishes it would have been an overall better song.

From the onset you are not expecting any path breaking compositions or music that will stand the test of time, in this album. In spite of that, Tere Naina is a superior composition while the other songs are good fun songs which will be uplifted by the visuals.