Sanjeev-Darshan made a very impressive debut just over 3 years ago with Mann and then followed it up with a good soundtrack for Deewane. However, after that they have just gone downhill, and their latest album Talaash is one more step in that direction. S-D haven�t had a release in awhile, and with their current slump they had a chance with his album to bounce back, but it looks like they didn�t take their chance too seriously. There is no creativity at all in any of the songs. Some tunes sound like they were left out of some early-mid 90�s Nadeem-Shravan albums. The way things are going for Sanjeev-Darshan, don�t be surprised if they end up becoming extinct from the world of Hindi film music after a year or two.

The album begins with �Yaar Badal Na Jaana� sung by the ever dependable duo of Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik. The tune is very reminiscent of another Alka-Udit duet from Kasoor, �Zindagi Ban Gaye Ho Tum�. The song is very routine and doesn�t seem to hold interest for too long, given it�s still one of the �better� songs of this stupid excuse for an album.

�Tune Kaha Jab Se Haan� a duet by Shaan and Alka Yagnik is a passable tune, but the often heard arrangements (very similar to �Tanha Tanha� from Rangeela) ruin the song. The singing is competent but the lyrics (�mujh mein jaan aa gayi, dil dhadakne laga..� and �ek pal bhi ab rehna na akele�) are just too ordinary for the song to hold any interest.

�Masoom Chehra� is a solo in two versions, one each by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik. The lyrics are again just too familiar and Sameer doesn�t seem to offer any originality. Maybe he�s just putting together lines from his previous work and passing them off as �new� songs.

Alka Yagnik has three other solos on the album: �Baaga Ma Jab Mor Bole�, �Dil Le Gaya Pardesi�, and �Zindagi Se Ab Jung�. There�s nothing exciting about either of these songs, however, �Baaga Ma Jab�� can be regarded as the better one among the others.

I was excited to see Vasundhara Das� name on the inlay card for �Rabba Pyaar Se Mila De�. However, I was disappointed again. Das does her best to save the song, but the lack of any creativity makes you want to reach for the �skip� button.

�Bhangra Paa Le� is sung by Anuradha Sriram and Udit Narayan, and no points for guessing that this is a Punjabi-style number. Anuradha Sriram has always excelled at these types of songs (�Chunnari Chunnari�, �Prem Jaal�, �Dupatta�, etc). However, this song is ruined by - you guessed it - the lyrics! With lines like �tu hain kudi Amritsarwali, dil hai mera Ludhiana� you can�t help yourself from stopping the song immediately. The composition itself isn�t anything new either, it�s just an ordinary Punjabi song one would find in a Hindi film.

Talaash is a good example of a bad soundtrack. The over-worked Sameer seriously needs to put more effort into his writing instead of just recycling his previous songs. As for Sanjeev-Darshan, this film is just another addition to their continuing list of pathetic scores. Let�s hope however, the film does offer what it promises to: loads of action and excitement.