Pritam is known to create quite a dhoom with his music. While the music of Raqeeb does not exactly set you on fire, it does make for quite pleasant hearing. No Dhoom this and not even a Metro, but still worth hearing. As his wont, Pritam experiments with different kind of sounds. So we have a Kunal Ganjawala, a Sunidhi Chauhan, KK, Alisha Chinoy and Gayatri Ganjawala all in one album. There is an exciting amlgam of different singing styles, each doing what it is best known to do. Unfortunately, Pritam does not quite manage to exploit the musical talent at his disposal as well as one would have expected.
KK does his usual number with the song Jaane kaise. Pritam gives him the right kind of song. His vocals are so apt for the love ballad. And KK does not disappoint. The song has the right kind of softness and KK's honey soaked vocals give the song the required feel. Definitely a repeat hearing called for. The remixed version too carries some of that feel.
Dushmana has two versions in the album. The first, by Sunidhi Chauhan, packs a solid punch. The song has good, foot-tapping music. Sunidhi has sung many similar songs. But she is one of a kind. Her full throated voice is a delight to hear. It kind of forces you out of inertia, commanding full attention. The version by Kunal Ganjawala doesn't quite command such attention. No fault of the singer. But he fails in comparison. Having said that, Ganjawala still does a decent job with his version of Dushmana. Pritam has a surefire hit here.
Qateel by Alisha Chinoy is a song similar in style to Sunidhi's Dushmana. While there is no problem really with Alisha's rendition of it, one can sense a certain hoarseness, or could it be tiredness, in Alisha's voice. Somehow it detracts from the effect of the song. The music, of course, carries the song through.
One can't say quite the same for Gayatri Ganjawala's number -- Channa Ve Channa, both versions. The song may well catch on with repeated hearing. The weakest link, music-wise, of course, is the song Tum Ho, (rendered by Tulsi Kumar and Zubin). One could well give it a miss and miss nothing. Neither vocals nor the music are worth writing home about.
The music of Raqeeb, like the film itself, has few highs and a few lows. It can take you by surprise in places, and then in others, make you wonder why you felt so.