2003 is turning out to be a very average year for music. Personalities like Mr. Fine and Ms. Excellence have both been kidnapped and tied up in a closet somewhere. This leaves Mr. Average to enjoy his reign as the numero uno of the year. The workers in Bollywood are deaf to the pleas of the desperate Mr. Fine and Ms. Excellence who are screaming their heads off in the closet (Mr. Average could not tie Ms. Mediocrity up because she is toxic to touch so he gave up). This is because Average carries around with him a special spray, which he sprays into the eyes of anyone who becomes suspicious. The spray has a hypnotic quality to it and anyone who comes into contact with it starts creating average work (whilst believing that he or she is actually making an excellent work of art).

It must be assumed then that Anu Malik is one of the many victims of Average´s dastardly deeds. He claims to have worked really hard on the album of "Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost". But, for all the nice swishy music and interesting beats, the soundtrack ends up being average. Which is okay except your average joe out there does not want to listen to an average album, they want something that is fine or excellent. They will probably buy it anyway as the tunes are hammered into their ears by various MTV-style music channels and they become addicted. Mr. Average must be laughing all the way to the bank.

"Shaher Ka Jadoo Re" (Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam) starts off interestingly enough with a very brief violin intro. Then it leaps off into gaon-gaana territory with a lot of traditional dholaks. The female chorus is harmonious to listen to. The lead singers do a good enough job particularly Alka. The track has a mid-nineties feeling to it. For some reason, it reminds me of "Chori Chori Chal O Gori" from Raam Jaane. The tune begins to test your patience with a directionless portion where Alka and Sonu just sing randomly (sort of like "Mela Dillon Ka Aata Hai..." from "Mela" where the song just carries on and on and seems like it is never going to end). Mercifully, it soon ends with a cheerful refrain of "Mumbai se aaya mera dost!" This part is catchy but it is not used as the main part of the tune simply because it is a lift off of Bappi Lahiri´s track "Bombay Se Aaya Mera Dost" (in the film "Aap Ki Khatir").

Anu claims the music of "Mujhe Tune Jo Dekha" (Alka and Sonu again) is ´innovative´. And to his credit, it is quite melodious and a little different. It has a Rajasthani touch to it contrasted with Bollywood melody. The composer uses a similar chorus effect at the beginning that decorates the previous track. Unfortunately, mediocre lyrics by Sameer completely ruin any hard work that Anu did. Words like "main teri deewani bani kab se... ohh kya keh diya" are boring and predictable. Yawn. The vocabulary causes any interest that was held earlier to completely evaporate as the song goes on. Come on, Anu, you had potential for a really good song here, surely you could have made a bit more effort to make it memorable? And Sameer, you should buy a Hindi thesaurus to find new words to express yourself with.

Sunidhi Chauhan is given the obligatory dance number in the form of "Saiyan". There is an Ila Arun soundalike accompanying Sunidhi but she is not credited on the album cover. The dance track is lively enough to listen to but somehow it never manages to lift itself above the ordinary. Sunidhi´s sensuous singing is wasted in a forgettable pop song wannabe.

Things brighten up with "Koi Bheega Hai Rang Se", a Holi song. It´s nice to see that the Holi genre is going through a revival (Aadesh Shrivastava also has a Holi song in the upcoming "Baaghban"). Sonu ´s rendition is commendable. He sings with a real raging passion in his voice. Alka gives adequate support. The number has a few boring slow portions, which will most likely grate on the nerves of those who are looking for an out-and-out Holi track. This is where the likeable song falls apart. The tempo seems uneven because of the mixture of slow and fast parts.

Ranjit Barot turns up to lend a helping hand with "Jeetenge Baazi Hum" (Sonu Nigam, Mahalaxmi). Ranjit´s influential touch is appealing to listen to but, sadly, most of the song sounds very uninspired. This track has his signature beat, which was also prevalent in some of the songs from "Aks" and "Sandhya". Apart from the beat, the rest of the tune has nothing to offer. Sonu and Mahalaxmi do their best to infuse energy but to little avail. Ranjit´s music arrangement is just a way of covering up what is essentially a poor track.

Amar Mohile´s instrumental piece "The Journey" is nicely composed. The tense style of music helps create an air of suspense but also a sense that we are listening to an epic unfolding. Hopefully, this instrumental will be used effectively in the film.

All in all, "Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost" is a very average album. The film may be a comedy or a spoof but that is no excuse for not fulfilling a possible potential. It´s one of those great ´couldabeens" where you wonder that if Anu (and even Ranjit) had spent a bit more effort and time on it, we could have got a really good album on our hands.