Rating: **

First thing that strikes about the soundtrack of Ru Ba Ru is that it comprises of as many as 12 songs and that too all being originals with not a single remix version. Phew!

Now that's something new in the current times when even a hardcore musical like Karzzzz is coming with only 9 songs (though there are 10 remix versions to boast). This makes one wonder about what exactly does the music of Ru Ba Ru have to offer?

With 'Speed Of Sound', Satyadev Burman and Sameeruddin contributing to the music of Ru Ba Ru, one expects quite some variety in the offering.

It's a mighty impressive beginning to Ru Ba Ru the moment Jaspinder Narula flexes her vocals chords for the title song 'Ru Ba Ru'.

A number which brings everything from 'sufi' to rock to conventional Bollywood melody to 'rap' to 'bhangra' under one roof, 'Ru Ba Ru' is a highly catchy composition by 'Speed Of Sound' that comes naturally to you within first couple of hearing itself.

A love song written by Shuja Haider which reminds one of 'Mitwa' (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna), it sounds even better once Haider decides to come behind the mike himself. His is a fresh voice which ensures that 'Ru Ba Ru' is a number which has in it to do quite well for itself if promoted aggressively.

Lyricist Aditya Narayan, composer Sameeruddin and singer Vijay Prakash come together for an altogether different song, though with the same title, 'Ru Ba Ru'.

A track which befits a lounge setting, it is not something which a core Bollywood music buff is used to hearing. However, for those looking who like their music to be unconventional, modern and not so filmy, 'Ru Ba Ru' makes for a decent hearing.

An even better song arrives in the form of 'Tham Jaa Ruk Jaa' which has singer Ranjit Barot (yes, he sings here while leaving Satyadev Burman to take care of the composing part) having only a guitar as his partner.

Written by Soumik Sen, it is a soft rock track which comes with a punch though without making it all so obvious on ears. A number about expecting time to stand still, 'Tham Jaa' works yet again as a soft number.

Soumik Sen and Satyadev Burman come together again for 'Mitti Ki Khushboo' which could have turned out to be a conventional Indian melody had the arrangements not being as subtle as they are here. In fact the conversational duet between Sunidhi Chauhan and Kunal Ganjawala reminds one of 'Kuch To Hua Hai' (Kal Ho Na Ho) though the similarity just ends there as overall the composition stays on to be easy on ears but that's about it.

Director Arjun Bali gets his writing pad on for getting the lyrics of 'Na Dekho' in place which comes so close to the feel of numbers like 'Tum Ho To'/'Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein' (Rock On) that one senses if the compositions were almost created back to back.

Suzanne D'Mello sings this slow paced number in such a relaxed manner that one gets an impression as if she is totally oblivious to the surroundings around her and is just following the tune that Sameeruddin created.

The semi-rock mood continues pretty much into the remainder of the album as well with 'Tera Woh Pyar' which has Shreya Ghoshal going solo for a number written by Shuja Haider and composed by 'Speed Of Sound'.

A situational track with a sad undertone to it, 'Tera Woh Pyar' has a passionate feel to it and should look (and sound) further impressive in the film's narrative.

Written and sung by Akshay Verma, 'Ye Jo Pal' isn't really arresting in nature even as it is seeded into the film's genre of prominently rock music. With Sameeruddin responsible for composition, 'Yeh Jo Pal' is about a man living every moment of his life and appreciating everything brought by things around him.

Surprisingly, the song which follows next, 'Tere Bina Hori' doesn't quite get a 'wow' response as well even though it isn't bad.

Yet another situational track which has Satyadev Burman fusing Indian classical with Western feel, 'Tere Bina Hori' by Sunidhi Chauhan along with the kids Sneha Suresh and Shravan Suresh comes and goes without making any impression.

Ditto for 'Manchali' by the same team (minus the kids) which again stays on to be hardcore Indian in feel with a slight classical touch to it. However, the peppy feel still remains which keeps the listener's attention on.

A better song, though yet again unconventional again in the Bollywood scheme of things, is heard next with the arrival of 'Jogi'.

Written by Arjun Bali, 'Jogi' is a Punjabi number and sees Sameeruddin rope in Krishna to come up with some intense rendering. However, unlike a 'Jee Karda' or a 'Bhootnike' from Singh Is Kinng, this one is mellower and doesn't take a frivolous approach.

A bona fide English number brings Ru Ba Ru to a close with Chester Misquitta singing 'Beautiful Day' for Sameeruddin.

So authentic is the number to a Western sound, be it lyrics, music or singing, that if only this song wouldn't have placed in a Hindi movie, it could well have passed off as a number belonging to a Western album. It's a pity that it lasts only 2 minutes though.

Ru Ba Ru starts off exceedingly well with its title song creating an instant impression. A couple of other songs which follow continue to enhance the momentum though after a while, things become stable.

Towards the end there is a slight dip as well though overall Ru Ba Ru still manages to keep its head high. This one is those for those who want music in Hindi movies to be served differently with a touch of Western influence.