Director Mani Shankar is back with yet another thriller, 'Knock Out'. The film has an impressive star cast in Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan and Kangana Ranaut. The film's music has been composed by Gourav DG (Daasgupta) while the lyrics have been penned by Panchhi Jalonvi along with Vishal Dadlani and Shelle, who pitch in with a song each. The film's album has five original tracks with one remix and an encore.
The album opens with the title track, 'knock out', which has been written and sung by Dadlani. Like its name, the song delivers quite a solid punch and is a highly energetic number with a thumping rendition by Dadlani. This rock number is embellished with all the usual guitar riffs and high voltage percussion sounds. In all, a fairly conventional rock number, which should please lovers of that genre of music but unlikely to become the next chartbuster. Nonetheless, a great start to the album.
It seems to have become the norm to have Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sing at least one number in every film. No album these days seems to be complete without the Ustad pitching in with his mellifluous vocals. The singer is on an all time high these days with his numbers reaching out to the masses. This time he sings a track called 'khushnuma sa ye roshan ho' which has been penned by Jalonvi.
The track is on absolutely the other end of the spectrum from the title track. If that was all about energy and verve, this one is a soft flowing number, which speaks of hope and harmony. The Ustad fulfills his end of the bargain, however, despite being very beautifully penned, the composition does not live up to expectations and is quite ordinary actually.
There is another version of the number, 'khushnuma sa woh mausam' which has been penned by Shelle and sung by Krishna. Ironically, this version, has a more Sufiana touch than the original and somehow seems to make more of an impact. Krishna's voice works very well for this number.
The mood shifts yet again with Sunidhi Chauhan making her appearance on the album with the number, 'jab jab dil mile', again penned by Jalonvi. High energy, foot tapping music and a catchy tune, make this number among the more memorable outings in this album. Sunidhi sails through the number with total ease. This track has a remixed version as well which keeps the mood and flavour of the original alive.
KK makes a solo appearance with the next track, 'tuhi meri hum navaa'. While this Sufi rock number has a very familiar feel to it, it is KK's voice which really makes the difference. The singer's range and his ability to being out the subtle nuances in the number, make this a track which calls for repeat hearing. KK actually lifts the song from its moorings and gives it a life of its own. It is, by far, the best in the album.
Sunidhi comes back to add the raunch factor with 'gangubai pe aai jawani'. Continuing in the fine tradition of 'munni badnaam' and scores of other 'desi item numbers', this one too has all the right embellishments, boosted by Sunidhi's throaty vocal power. It is a little typical and lives up to one's expectations. No surprises here.
'Knock Out' promises to be a thrilling watching experience. The film's music, however, is not really so thrilling. It fails to deliver a knock out punch and just remains in the category of a mild jibe. In other words, this is just about passable.