Thank God Lucky Ali got out of the oil rig. The green-eyed, blue-eyed boy of benchmarked balladry, who clothed soul afresh with his O sanam, let celluloid descend on him slowly with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.Gori Teri Aankhen is a meeting point between relentless langour and moment of reckoning. Lucky is at the helm here, and creates a clutch of will-definitely-hum-along melodies, with Koko and Sajid Ali for company. The three are clearly on a picnic, as they put together a multilayered experience - right from the fiesty to the sublime, all in the space of eight tunes. Now, that`s the stuff "tweet" dreams are made of!

Listen to Gori teri aankhen, and your attainment of nirvana is almost seamless. Lucky his bordering on the impish here, as he sheds his usual guard to paint the rainbows. The accomplished Kavita Subramaniam (credited as Kavita K), goes on a raga roll, as this eye-do-I-do-not melody takes its own course. Lucky`s voice is delightfully rough-hewn, but it adds to the charm of the song. I think this is the best of Lucky Ali I have heard since O sanam.

The album boasts of a power line-up, so you have Hariharan and Alka Yagnik making an appearance for the all-in-a-day`s work duet, Aaye jabse woh meri zindagi mein, which is a great soul-clenser. It lets go and clings on, part by part. The duo at the helm border on a velveteen frivolity, which gently coats your innards.

Anyone for Elvis? Well, we have that too, with Remo assuming a dandy-like nonchalance in Dekho yeh jo hai ada. He has his scutting tools in fine shape, as he peppers the length of the song with his own brand of charm. Kavita is on a high octave party in Kuch aisa woh meri zindagi, and, for once, you wish she were a little more restrained.

Gori Teri Aankhen gives treehouse Indipop endeavours a defiant nudge. It is the best in the genre we would have heard since... my memory fails me! Lucky Ali couldn`t have "Aks"d for more!