Vishal Shekar are back with a bang, and this time they have taken over the entire album as they are the only male playback singers and Vishal has also penned the lyrics for all but one of the songs. Guess after their last few debacles, they wanted to ensure a hit.
The title track Cash, has Vishal Shekhar back to their hip hop style which makes you want to hit the dance floor from the word Cash. Sunidhi is at her huskiest best and once you hear the song, you realize why Vishal and Shekhar decided that they were best suited to sing it, as it suits their youthful style to the tee. Although this one won't be as much of a rage as Dus Bahane, the brass combined with the drums makes for an interesting composition along with a little inspiration from the themes of a couple of English films. But it's a fun song with minimal lyrics (the lyrics are often repeated) and will have you mumbling "Cash to the left of me, cash to the right of me". Also an interesting point of the song is Sunidhi's husky voice transforming into a sweet romantic one for the "ye nasha kya nasha" lines. Note that the Cash Extended Mix isn't anything different from the original and is just a bit longer but with the same singers, and feel as the original.
Mind Blowing Mahia keeps up the tempo as this time Vishal and Shekhar both disappears and leave the singing to Sunidhi and she definitely doesn't disappoint as she moves from two different pitches and feels flawlessly and her wide range is evident in this rendition. This one has more electronics as it begins as a trance number and Sunidhi's transition from Hindi to English in almost every line is perfect. The subdued dhol beats in the background of the verses to give it a slight bhangra feel is an unusual touch for such a number and adds to the flavour of the song. Mind Blowing Mahia is the best of the album and a sure fire hit.
For Naa Puchho this time Vishal joins Sunidhi and he starts out with a rap which sounds a little bit like Anu Malik's style which makes the song start a little unappealingly but the moment Sunidhi's voice joins in again with a different sound, the songs tempo changes and the song has a variety of sounds including brass, percussions, and even in some places an oldies feel to it which when mixed with the newer electronics gives a surprisingly enjoyable listen. The R&B feel is also there throughout making it an overall interesting composition, although Vishal sounds best with his more natural voice rather than this Anu Malik imitation.
In Rehem Kare Sunidhi's voice again changes this time oozing of sensuality as that seems to be the mood of this number and the song also starts on a very different tempo as though there is a slight mysterious tone to the song. The rap by Vishal is much better than what it is in Naa Puchho. A very lounge, trance feel to it which adds a bit of variety to the album. The techno, electronics and percussions are all combined to add to the trance as well as the almost seductive sound of the song. This one has such a distinctive sound that it is sure to heat up the charts and hats off to Vishal Shekar for their experimentation.
Naughty Naughty surprisingly starts with a sitar and slightly Arabian sound which quickly gets into a Punjabi rap(almost) this time. Anushka Manchanda is in full form as this number is very different from her recent hit Golmaal showing her versatility as well. In spite of all the attempts to infuse something different into this number, the composition has nothing great to offer and hence it fails to truly impress in comparison to the earlier ones.
The last track is Zara Bach Ke Jee which has Vishal and Shekhar both joining Anushka. Again the number starts of differently starting with the strings and quickly bringing in the hip hop beats in spite of lyrics like "Zara Bach Ke Jee" which then quickly moves into a hip hop rap. Throw in a little Punjabi, a bit more rapping, a constant hip hop beat and this number proves to be a very unusual composition which has Anushka joining in with the English lyrics at a pitch higher than what she has in Naughty Naughty. Unconventional and hence may not appeal to all but a very interesting number and worth a listen.
This album is one of the better albums to hit the markets recently and although not high on melody or poetry, the songs will stay with you and are sure to set the music charts on fire.
