'Student of the Year' songs peppy, likeable

Film: "Student Of The Year"; Music Director: Vishal-Shekhar; Lyricists: Anvita Dutt Guptan, Vishal Dadlani; Singers: Vishal Dadlani, Shefali Alvares, Shreya Ghoshal, Udit Narayan, Shekhar Ravijani, Salim Merchant, Neeti Mohan, Benny Dayal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shahid Mallaya, Nisha Mascarenhas, Marianne D'Cruz, DJ Kiran Kamath: Rating: ****

"Student Of The Year" is Karan Johar's first directorial venture without his lucky charm Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. With three newcomers - Varun Dhawan, director David Dhawan's son; model Siddharth Malhotra; and Alia Bhatt, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan - he is set out to recreate the magic of his debut film "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai".

With a youthful setting, the film's soundtrack by duo Vishal-Shekhar, who has doled out seven tracks, gels well with the theme.

The album kicks off with "Ratta maar", a perfect song giving the feel of the theme. It deals with anxieties and stress faced by students during exams. The Hinglish (Hindi-English) lyrics are good to the ears and the composition is simple yet redolent. Crooned by Vishal and Shefali Alvares, the song may become an anthem in schools and colleges during exam time.

Next up is "Radha", which begins on a classical note with the melodious voice of Shreya Ghoshal, but surprises listenerswhen suddenly they are greeted with peppy beats raising the tempo. The song fuses both Indian and Western sounds quite well and Vishal gets you grooving with his vocals. Another surprise is entry of Udit Narayan's voice towards the end of the song.

It is followed by "Ishq wala love", a slow romantic number sung by Shekhar Ravijani, Salim Merchant and Neeti Mohan. The composition is quite simple but goes on to create maximum effect. The tabla beats along with the mellow sound of the guitar keep the listener hooked to the track. It defines romantic flavour of Karan's films and is definitely going to be a chartbuster.

Blast from the past is "Disco deewane", which was sung by late Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan. It is used in the film in a modern avatar and titled "The disco song". Portions originally sung by Nazia Hassan have been blended really well with a fresh composition sung by Benny Dayal and Sunidhi Chauhan, who have done a fabulous job by retaining the flavour and yet infusing new energy into the track. It is a winner all the way.

Next on the playlist is "Kukkad", a funny number that mixes bhangra with electronic beats. The track is edgy and grappling and sets the mood right to shake a leg with Shahid Mallya behind the mike. Nisha Mascarenhas and Marianne D'Cruz join Shahid in the song and they have done a decent job, but are not unable to justify the use of English lyrics.

"Vele" has Vishal-Shekhar coming together as singers and they do impress the listener with their grainy voices. Musically speaking, the track combines hip-hop, rap, bhangra, and electronic sounds with elements of dubstep creating an addictive mix for music lovers.

Last but not the least is "Mashup of the year" by DJ Kamath - he mixes all the tracks in the album in one single song. This one breaks the monotony in the remix genre and packs a punch. It will make it to the dance floor pretty soon.

Well there isn't too much to complain about the sound track of "Student Of The Year". It's a good mix with very minor flaws that can surely be ignored to enjoy the music that perfectly describes the mood of the movie.