Post the producers exhibitors strike, Kambakkht Ishq was the first big film music release and hence the expectations and anticipation have been extremely high especially with a cast like Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. And even though Anu Malik hasn't churned out the greatest songs in recent times, he has given a few gems like Jaanemaan and Main Hoon Na so we had reasonable expectations from this album. The problem with the music of Kambakkht Ishq is that the songs which are good are good enough to be chart toppers and the ones which aren't, are bad enough to make you cringe. So there is no 'the music grows on you' or even any middle ground in terms of a decent song; it's either really good or really bad.
The album starts with Om Mangalam composed and performed by RDB. This will no doubt be the signature tune of the film at least in terms of its promotional campaign and it is one of the best tracks of the album in terms of being a good song with wide appeal. It also helps that it captures the spirit of the film and it instantly gets your foot tapping and body swaying, making you want to get up and dance. The mantra's followed by English lyrics "you're my baby but you're driving me crazy crazy" and "don't wanna a love, don't need no love" gives a nice effect and the short antra's keep the tempo of the song up. This is one song which is extremely catchy and is bound to be an instant super hit.
Neeraj Shridhar and Akshay Kumar together usually spell hit on the music charts and Lakh Lakh is no exception. It is a full blast Punjabi number which offers nothing really unique and yet remains catchy, pacy and like Om Mangalam, it will make you want to get up and dance. The accordion adds an ethnic touch while lyrics like "mere hi jaisa tujhe jajda kaminey" remind you that some things can only be pulled off when the picturization is on Akshay Kumar. The rap portions however are ineffective and actually take away from the tempo and flavour of the song
With lyrics like "Bebo main Bebo, dil mera lelo, dil dene aayi, le lo ji le lo" there is only so much that Kareena Kapoor will be able to do on screen to make this a bearable watch because it definitely isn't a pleasant listen. Anu Malik and Alisha Chinoi have teamed up earlier for some really memorable numbers and some extremely forgettable ones, and unfortunately Bebo definitely falls into the second category. Of course Kareena's seduction dance may make it a watchable number once we see the visuals, but yet it remains a pretty bad song in terms of composition, lyrics and sadly even singing. You will find yourself hitting skip much before the song is even over.
You would expect the title track to be the best of the album but this one is so cliche ridden that it leaves you praying that the song is not an indicator of what to expect from the film. Once again the lyrics make you cringe 'Kambakkht Ishq cheez hai hi aisi, ek baar jo ho jaye, kar jaye aisi ki taisi' which has not been sung but rather screamed, especially the words Kambakkht Ishq, by a usually dependable K K. After penning the lyrics for films like Tashaan, Bachna Ae Haseeno and Dostana, one wonders what has happened to Anvita Dutt Guptan that she's has gone from beautifully poetic lyrics like "Khuda Jaane" to these. Hopefully the picturization will make it an interesting watch by pitching the two leads against each other but as an audio, it's an instant skip.
The next song, starts out as though it doesn't even belong in this album as it is the only melody based track and begins with a romantic piano tune a la Pehla Nasha from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. Sadly Kyun is not at all in the leagues of Pehla Nasha nor is it even as melodious as Tere Naina from Akshay's recent debacle CC2C. In fact it is one of those songs that you may not feel the need to skip on the CD but nonetheless you won't really remember the song either as it is unable to create any really strong positive impression. Sadly, both Shaan and Shreya have been wasted in this number.
Welcome to Hollywood is a saving grace for this album that starts with a bang and then fizzles out badly in the middle. It's a hip hop, R&B number which is very likeable even though its tune is a bit reminiscent of "I'm still Jenny from the Block", the popular Jennifer Lopez number. It has a very Western feel, with only English lyrics and is a short number which sets up the location of the film i.e. Hollywood, Los Angeles. Catch mentions of Beverley Hills, Malibu, Rodeo Drive, Jimmy Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando etc. which when heard on the matching visuals will give the song a nice scale. A marked departure from the earlier songs and when you see the credits, you realize that this number has been composed by Salim Sulaiman which explains the drastic difference. Anushka Manchanda is fabulous in this song which may not find mass appeal like Om Mangalam, but it is one of the best tracks of the album.
The album also had remix versions of all the songs expect Welcome to Hollywood Overall Kambakkht Ishq has 3 really good songs and 3 really forgettable ones. Compositions range from good to very bad and the lyrics from passable to really bad.
