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Split Wide Open - OST 
Various artistes
BMG Crescendo

This is a mix of the hits and the pits, ghazals and pop, traditional and alternative. Now that you're warned, we can get on with the review. 

To start with, there's wannabe crooner Mehnaz and forever young Australian love group, Air Supply, making out on "You Are", a pathetic, typically-orchestrated track written and composed solely to bring in the listeners. Bilingual in Hindi and English, the track tries to identify with young people growing up confused in today's world - but completely misses the mark by a long shot, only proving that old pop groups never die, they simply waste away.

Then there's Asha Bhosle, trying desperately to become a pop singer when the pop singers are trying desperately to become playback singers. "Jaane na koi", the next track, is pure Asha, superb, energetic and lively - but getting BMG fixture Bashir Sheikh to do the lyrics alongside Iilyararaja's son Karthik is a crappy idea totally - the song sinks despite Asha.

Rescue, just barely, comes in the form of Garbage, with their "The trick is to keep breathing" - inventive, folk-esque, alternative and typically classy. After all the band got its name for doing that kind of stuff, not only because lead singer Gwen Stefani wears a bindi. 

Then, to try and assuage the spirit - and push sales some more - there's a load of old tracks. IndusCreed's "Trapped", Silk Route's "Dooba dooba", and recent hit "Would you like to go to bed with me" by Touch and Go, the entire BMG hit roster on display, each of which made the grade ages ago and wore you out with their constant repetitions. 

Two more tracks follow, new ones: "Mera jee nahin laage", by Najam, a new wave ghazal, which is adequate but accented. And there's songstress Anaida,  kicking back with "Black is black", an interesting cover of another old song - which only goes to prove that this is one singer who should do more English. But then, "Quest", her track for Kaizad Gustad's Bombay Boys was a better outing.

Recommend it, we do not, unless you think two tracks are value for money.

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