Once in a while you come across a soundtrack that tries to do full justice to your sense of aesthetics, and succeeds to a large extent.
For my money, M.M. Kreem is the finest, most innovative and invigorating composer in Indian cinema today.
That Bollywood hasn't recognized him in spite of exquisite tunes like "Tum miley dil khile"("Criminal"), "Gali mein aaj chand nikla"("Zakham"), "Aa bhi jaa" ("Sur") and "Jadoo hai nasha hai"("Jism") is our misfortune. Kreem's songs in "Rog" are in one word - rocking.
Though you wish he had avoided the thumping dholak in the track "Khubsoorat" just to give it an upbeat north Indian flavor, and though you crave to hear Shreya Ghosal return to "Chalo chalen" and "Jadoo nasha" form under Kreem's careful guidance (she just about scrapes through in "Guzar na jaye"), the album on the whole has a tightly-leashed sound that unleashes a frenzied harvest of virgin harmonies.
Kreem's music always serenades the lilt. Sure enough, once you've heard "Khubsoorat" (in two versions by Kreem and Udit Narayan, the latter being more 'filmy'), you can't it get off your lips ... or hips.
The song is so catchy you want to grab it with both hands and keep it close to your heart. That quality of excellence prevails throughout this album carpeted with exceptionally expressive lyrics.
The album's lingering lyricism makes you wish one more time that Kreem would get the recognition he deserves in Mumbai.