Dum is a make or break film for a lot of the people involved with the project. For director E. Niwas who had earlier received National Award recognition for Shool, Dum will have to prove that he hasn´t lost his touch after the not so happening Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega. For actress Diya Mirza, the film is a chance to make up for a dismal few first films. And with lead Vivek Oberoi´s Saathiya still up in the air as far as box office success is concerned, Dum may prove to be an important step in the career of this potential superstar. Fortunately for the film, Sandeep Chowta´s soundtrack is catchy and well composed enough for many repeated listens.

The soundtrack kicks off with the awesome title song, "Dum," sung by Sandeep himself. The tune features an upbeat tempo and rock-inspired melody. Chowta´s trademark heavy electric guitars guide the song along with some really strong percussion. Chowta´s vocals are incredible here, adding a cool sense of grit and toughness to the song. And Abbas Tyrewala´s lyrics about having courage are excellent and fit well with the fast music. The track is repeated later in the album with vocals by Sonu Nigam, but Nigam´s voice lacks the edge that makes Chowta´s rendition so good.

Next is the romantic duet, "Jeena," sung by Sonu Nigam and Somya Raoh. While the lyrics are no great shakes, the music is actually quite different from the average Bollywood love song and makes the track good enough for repeated hearings. Sonu and Somya glide through the number with ease and sound very fresh and youthful, which is another plus for this breezy, sweet track.

The soundtrack then switches gears from duet to item number with "Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo," rendered by Sonu Kakkar and Sukhwinder Singh. An upbeat track with constantly changing refrains, this number takes some getting used to. But after one or two listens, it´s bound to get stuck in your head. The tune is infectious and the instrumentation is unorthodox but very well done. Sonu Kakkar´s raspy vocals are especially effective, adding a sultry touch to the song and Sukhwinder Singh is in his element as well. A remix of this track called the "Bijli Mix" also features later in the soundtrack, and is a pleasant listen as well. The sleek remix adds a constant drum riff in the background and makes the song sound a lot more like a club dance track.

Next is "Someday," which has Leslie Lewis and Anuradha Sriram crooning to its Hindi-English lyrics about assessing feelings of love. Unfortunately for Sandeep, a good composition with a nice guitar melody and drum beat is wasted on Nitin Raikwar´s pedestrian lyrics. Thankfully, the vocals somewhat make up for the poorly conceived lyrics. Leslie and Anuradha handle the Hindi-English transitions well and Anuradha adds extra zest to the song with her sensual vocals.

"Dil Hi Dil Mein" repeating the team of Sonu Nigam and Somyra Raoh is next. It´s another love duet, and once again, it stands apart from most run-of-the mill romantic tracks because of Chowta´s melody and instrumentation. The melody is very light and sweet and the instrumentation uses very desi instruments - a break from Sandeep´s usual style. Sonu and Somya sound great, and though the lyrics are somewhat situational, the song is very pleasant on the ears and certainly warrants repeated play.

"Suntaja" with Sukhwinder Singh, Somya Rao, and Jolly Mukherjee closes up the album. It´s another fast-paced number with inspirational lyrics about standing up in the face of adversity. The vocals by Sukhwinder and Jolly are a treat for the ears and the call-response style of the song mixes things up and makes the track more interesting. The instrumentation stands yet again, with Sandeep mixing western drums and Indian woodwinds to come up with a very unique and cool sound. An excellent way to close up a very good album.

Overall, Dum is a very good soundtrack with enough good songs to make it worth a CD purchase. It features a variety of great songs from a number of different genres, and each track is fresh and pleasant on the ears. The music is bound to climb charts and will definitely help Dum make an impact at the box office when it releases.