Review by: Radhika Jit

Music by: Pritam Chakraborty

Lyrics by:  Neeraj Shridhar, Gulzar, Sayeed Qadri, and Ashiesh Pandit

Singers:  KK, Rana Mazumder, Suraj, Ajay Jhingran, Kalpana, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Soham Chakrabarthy, Monali, Abhijeet, Neeraj Shridhar, Tulsi Kumar, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Akruti Kakkar

Whenever Shahrukh Khan is attached to a soundtrack, anticipation and expectations are immensely high, and when you add to it the fact that it's SRK's home production, Red Chilies, that's producing the film, expectations hit the roof!  When I first saw the trailer for 'Billu Barber,' even though I'm a Shahrukh Khan fan, I'll admit, I wasn't too impressed, that is until the item number trailers released!  Listening to the song trailers, my anticipation grew, so did the soundtrack meet my expectations?  Read on to find out!

'Marjaani':  The album gets a great start with this undeniable chartbuster!  Even from first listen you're hooked on the Indian beat and Sukhwinder Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan's vocals is the perfect match.  Even lyrics by Gulzar suit the rip roaring track to a T.  The song is picturised on Shahrukh and Kareena Kapoor and there's no doubt we'll be hearing it everywhere in the next few months to come!

'Love Mera Hit Hit':  The beat hits you and pulls you in, and while the lyrics by Ashiesh Pandit might be pretty funny, the song is on fire!  You can just picture people gyrating to the beat at a party or club.  Sung by Neeraj Shridhar and Tulsi Kumar and will focus on Shahrukh and Deepika Padukone, the song is another out and out chartbuster.

'You Got Me Rockin and Reeling':  This one is picturised on Shahrukh and Priyanka Chopra and starts off with rap and English vocals before going into a smooth beat with vocals by Neeraj Shridhar.  It's a sexy track and while it might not be as much of a party song as the first two tracks, it's still a superb song.  It sounds like something we'd be hearing from Taz of Stereo Nation.  It should be interesting to see how it will be shown on the big screen with the two stars.

'Ae Aa O':  This is the first track we heard from the theatrical trailer.  It's a all out rock number centered on Shahrukh Khan the grand film star.  KK does a great job belting it out and it's another good upbeat number.  While it might not be as great as the item numbers on the album, it's still a good listen.

'Jaoon Kahan':  Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, this track's beat pulls you in at first listen.  It's obviously a sad track that takes you into the village aspect of the film and will most likely be picturised on Irrfan Khan.  No doubt it's a beautiful track that will be interesting to see on the big screen.

'Billu Bhayankar':  Ajay Jhingran opens this hilarious village track that actually turns out to be a fun listen!  It's a purely situational track that you can't really listen to while driving but it's done very well.  The music, the lyrics and the vocals match perfectly to create a song that you can just imagine being blasted in villages!

'Khudaya Khair':  One of the best songs on the soundtrack, this beautifully done song is likable from first listen.  It's a breezy listen with perfect beats and vocals by Soham Chakrabarthy, Akruti Kakkar and Monali, although it would have been nice to hear Sonu Nigam's silky vocals on this one.  It will be centered on Irrfan Khan and Lara Dutta to show the love between the married couple. 

Verdict:  What a wonderful surprise and start to 2009!  Shahrukh Khan's 'Billu Barber' is a great soundtrack that will definitely build more anticipation for the film itself.  The pulsating soundtrack by Pritam promises to be a chartbuster and is it's definitely a CD that's worth adding to your collection!

My picks:  'Khudaya Khair,' 'Love Mera Hit Hit,' and 'Marjaani'

Rating:  4 out 5*