The only songs that touch a chord nowadays are either copies or nostalgia music repackaged as remixes. A list of the best film music during the year just gone by:

1. "Veera-Zaara": When he got the late Madan Mohan's son Sanjeev Kohli to rearrange some of his father's unused tunes, Yash Chopra attempted a unique experiment. The gambit paid off. And with Lata Mangeshkar to sing the songs, the album just couldn't go wrong. It didn't.

Lataji-Roop Kumar Rathod's "Tere liye" is the best love ballad I've heard in the last five years. Lata Mangeshkar's other duet "Do pal" with Sonu Nigam is also a gem meant to sparkle long after "Dhoom" stops at the box office.

2. "Kisna": At yearend came the redoubtable Subhash Ghai's mammoth sounds in "Kisna". The sound design and the epic cadences in this sumptuous feast for the senses fill us with hope for the future of Hindi music. The romantic grandeur of the tracks, plus composer Ismail Durbar's ability to evoke classic images through the brilliant orchestration add up to an album that belongs at the top of the shelf. A.R. Rahman's ballad "Hum hain iss pal jahan" is another one to hold close to the heart.

3. "Murder": Anu Malik gave Mallika Sherawat a grand entry song. The minute she swung her hips to the undulating beats of "Kaho na kaho", a star was born. "Bheege hoont tere" was again a marvellous tune tempting lovers to do forbidden things in their free time.

4. "Mughal-e-Azam": Old, as they say, is gold. It's also better than bold. Don't you prefer to hear Lata Mangeshkar sing "Mohabbat ki jhoothi kahani pe roye" than "Kabhi mere saath koi raat guzar" ("Murder")? Naushad's entire soundtrack was re-recorded in digital stereophonic sound. The cleaned-out harmonies didn't diminish the pleasure of hearing Lata Mangeshkar's voice creeping into a compelling crescendo in "Pyar kiya to darna kya". A gem of an album.

5. "Meenaxi": A.R. Rahman has two major Hindi soundtracks in 2004. While his output in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Swades" was nowhere near his output in the director's "Lagaan", for M.F. Husain's abstract and enchanting journey into a woman's heart, Rahman designed ripples of beauty. From the stunning qawwali to the heart-stopping "Yeh rishta kya kehlata hai", Rahman reaffirmed his place at the forefront of the race.

6. "Phir Milenge": After a spectacular 2003 topped by the chartbusters in "Kal Ho Na Ho", Shankar-Ehsan-Loy had a tame year. None of their soundtracks did well. But "Phir Milenge" where the trio shared compositional credit with Ilaiyaraja's daughter had one track to die for. "Jeene ke ishaare mil gaye", sung with glorious gusto by Shankar Mahadevan. More than the tunes it was Prasoon Joshi's life-sustaining lyrics that stood out in this album. No wonder Sanjay Leela Bhansali got Joshi to write the promotional song for his prestigious "Black".

7. "Main Hoon Na": Anu Malik's tuning acumen may have come under a cloud, thanks to the tediousness that has crept into the music industry. But Malik continues to be a chart-rocker. His songs for friend Farah's film were so feisty, fun-filled and funny that we tended to excuse the lack of forward-thrust in the tunes. The qawwali done to the backbeat sound of Boney M's "No More Chain Gang" was a hoot. But it made us whistle. Sonu Nigam's title song wasn't half as evocative as "Kal Ho Na Ho". But it worked. Ditto album.

8. "Pancham Beats": The only compilation in this year's Top 10...and what a brilliantly devised compilation! The commodious and utterly compelling album features the timeless trio of Gulzar, R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle in conversation on the favourite songs that they created.

And yes, the collection also has the cosy threesome commenting on and listening to the songs that Asha's sister Lata Mangeshkar and Burman's favourite Kishore Kumar sang for Gulzar and R.D. Burman. It all added up to an enchanting journey into the heart and soul of one of the most enduring and endearing musical collaborations in Hindi cinema.

9. "Dev": Aadesh Shrivastava has been doing exemplary work for two years. Last year he gave us much reason to rejoice with his songs in "Chalte Chalte" and "Baghbaan". In "Dev", Shrivastava collaborated with Govind Nihalani who worked with A.R. Rahman in his earlier foray into star-studded commercial cinema "Takshak". "Rang deehni" has Kailash Khar to create a ravishing tune done up in trendy shades of raga Darbari. Sonu Nigam is unrecognisable in "Tujh sang". In the song written by director Nihalani, the versatile singer scales new heights of emotive expression.

Kareena Kapoor turns singer in the quaintly assembled "Jab nahin". Lyricist Nida Fazli's words are like fresh air blowing through a corridor filled with memories and other intangibles. Kareena hasn't just recited a few poetic lines, but actually sung the entire song... and carried the notes with extreme care and delicacy. "Dev" isn't an album about gimmicky sounds. It pulls no punches and yet manages to wallop a smart blow on our sensibilities. The versatile and virile sounds include my favourite track "Allah hoo" where Shrivastava gets vocally ambitious in the seductive company of the inimitable Asha Bhosle.

10. "Paap": Anu Malik's songs were pretty powerful in their impact specially, "Intezaar, intezaar", which had a hugely haunting feel to it. Again like "Murder", a lot of the zingy music was imported from Pakistan. Ali Azmat's "Garaj baras" and Shahi's "Man ki lagan" were not Anu's songs for sure.

The 10 Best Songs Of 2004:

1. "Tere liye" from Veer-Zara; Sung by Lata Mangeshkar & Roop Kumar Rathod. Music by the late Madan Mohan.

2. "Uuf kya jadoo mohabbat hai", title song of film by the same name; Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan; piano by Richard Clayderman; Music by Sandesh Shandilya.

3. "Hum hain iss pal yahan" from "Kisna"; Sung by Udit Narayan and & Madhushree; Music by A.R. Rahman.

4. "Kitne ajeeb rishtey hain yahan pe" from "Page 3"; Sung by Lata Mangeshkar; Music by Shamir Tandon.

5. "Do pal" from "Veer-Zara"; Sung by Lata Mangeshkar; Music Madan Mohan.

6. "Intezaar" from "Paap"; Sung by Anuradha Paudwal; Music by Anu Malik.

7. "Allah hoo" from "Dev"; Sung by Asha Bhosle & Aadesh Shrivastava; Music by Aadesh Shrivastava

8. "Aao na" from "Kyun...Ho Gaya Na"; Sung by Sadhana Sargam; Music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy

9. "Bheege honth tere" from "Murder"; Sung by Kunal Ganjawala; Music by Anu Malik

10. "Bepanaah pyar hai aaja" from "Krishna Cottage"; Sung by Shreya Ghosal; Music by Anu Malik