Ever since Neil Nitin Mukesh, grandson of the legendry Mukesh and son of the brilliant Nitin Mukesh, made his debut as an actor, music enthusiasts have been dying to hear his singing debut. Finally, the wait is over. Neil has lent his voice for his next action thriller, Aa Dekhen Zara co-starring Bipasha Basu. However, the excitement is short-lived because the neil-eyed newcomer has only sung one of the eight tracks in the album. With Pritam and Gourav Dasgupta in-charge of the music department, crashing Neil-Fans dreams (of him serenading them with countless songs) are Shaan and Dibyendu Mukherji, supported by Aakirti Kakkar ('Move Your Body Now' – Kismat Konnection) and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Made under the banner of Eros Entertainment, Aa Dekhen Zara is directed by debutante Jehangir Surti and will hit the silver screens on 23rd of March 2009.

The album starts with Gazab, a trendy slash desi track composed by Pritam. An energetic number with an equally energetic Shaan and Sunidhi behind the mic, this composition is one of Pritam's best compositions in a long time. Unlike his last three dance numbers in Billu Barber, this track does not sound like a whole lot of sounds clustered together without a tune or melody. Do not get the wrong idea, 'Gazab' is not chartbuster material, but you do not feel like pressing the skip button or changing the radio channel when it comes on. This is partially due to Shaan and Sunidhi doing such an excellent job singing it, the catchy chorus and the infectious na na na na na gibberish interspersed during the course of the song. Irshad Kamil's lyrics are not award-winning, nonetheless, they are effective and do not sound too run-of-the-mill. 'Gazab' also appears as a remix at the end of the album. Mixed by DJ Sanj, the remix steps on the tempo, infuses a little techno and surprisingly sounds better than the original.

The next track, Rock the Party, is a total let down. Composed by Gourav Dasgupta, this sad excuse for a party number could not be even saved by the talented Sunidhi Chauhan. The mediocre lyrics (Avishek/Ravi) combined with the life-less music invokes a mood far from that of partying. Sadly, the album does not even have a remix to try and do damage control.

Power, now this is the type of track one looks for in an action-thriller. Gourav Dasgupta redeems himself with this pumped up, exciting and slightly superficial number on the power of money. Dibyendu Mukherjee does an awesome job. His vocals have so much conviction, as if he is really on a power trip. Syed Gulrez and Prashant pen some great lyrics for this track. They stay away from clichéd money phrases like 'paisa phekh tamasha dekh' and 'sabse bada rupaiya' and have come up with an original track. Dasgupta's clever mix of techno and rock make the feel of the song even more potent. The track's remix, Power Club Mix, proves to be better than the original with more tempo, more beats and more oomph.

Aa Dekhen Zara (Lounge) is a slowed down version of the 1981 R D Burman hit of the same from Sanjay Dutt's launch vehicle Rocky. Originally sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, this version is sung by Dibyendu Mujkherjee and Shewta Vijay. The lounge music for the track has been re-created by Gourav Dasgupta and he does a fantastic job of it. Dibyendu and Shewta's vocals are outstanding too. The track is great all around but for a song with edgy and challenging lyrics such as these, it sounds out of place for a slow lounge number.

Mohabbat Aapse, a cute little love song sung by Aakriti Kakkar and composed by Pritam, seems a little too sweet for an action-thriller. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful track, well written by Irshad Kamil. Not an award-winning track in any case but it is still easy on the ears and Kakkar's sweet vocals are worth it.

After the remixes of 'Gazab' and 'Power', comes the track that has everyone has been waiting for: Neil Nitin Mukesh's debut as a singer. Neil sings a re-vamped version of the yesteryear hit Aa Dekhen Zara, which serves as the movie's title song. Neil, who is an avid Kishore Kumar fan, has just the right amount of himself in and just the right about of Kishore in his rendition. Like the lounge version, the music of this track is again re-created by Gourav Dasgupta. All comparisons with Burman aside, Dasgupta does a good job. The music is fast-paced, very disco meets techno. He has kept the signature dramatic music which gives the remix a nice 80s touch. Sunaina's additional vocals singing Sheershak Anand's additional English lyrics (which are not bad at all) is a nice touch but could have been done without. More of Dasgupta's well composed music would have been better. Nevertheless, the track is a knockout and Neil's vocals live up to expectations. Hopefully we will hear him singing a lot more in the future.

In conclusion, Aa Dekhen Zara is not a bad album. Neil's debut song, while not an original song, is a still a hell of a debut. Like the re-creation of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' for Ranbir Kapoor, 'Aa Dekhen Zara' is a classy re-creation that refrains from butchering this R D Burman classic. The hot video to the song, that is currently making rounds on music channels, will surely make the track extremely popular in the days to come. In addition, 'Gazab' and 'Power' are good songs with even better remixes that are bound to become popular. Romantics would love 'Aapse Mohabbat', while 'Aa Dekhen Zara's lounge mix' might have a chance as well. Aa Dekhen Zara is a product of honest effort. At the end of the day it is up to the audience to decide. Whether they think it worth a chance or not...Aa Dekhen Zara

Rating: