Tum hi ho bandhu is a tune that sticks in your mind. Composer Pritam wraps Kavita Seth’s earthy vocals around an energetic electronic bed, ropes in Neeraj Sridhar for a catchy chorus and designs an extremely likeable dance track. Irshad Kamil’s words offer a delightful take on friendship. A sure-shot chartbuster! Ditto with Desi daru, a lighthearted, cheerful track by Benny Dayal and the effervescent Shalmali Kholgade. The opening acoustic guitar sets the mood for this carefree number that’s also an ode to friendship. Kamil’s lyrics deserve special mention.

If you ignore the fleeting resemblance to Coldplay’s In my place, especially in the opening drum portions, Yaariyan is brilliant. Mohan ‘Agnee’ Kannan is gritty and soulful in his rendition of the rock version, which features a brief cameo by the amazing Shilpa Rao. But it’s the reprise version – an acoustic number with Sunidhi Chauhan taking centre-stage – that’s arresting. Chauhan is outstanding in her rendition and Pritam plays it beautifully by using only the piano as the accompanying instrument. Arijit Singh puts in a small but soulful appearance in this gorgeous track.

Apparently, Pritam has credited Kray Twinz (UK) for using their chartbuster Someboy and has given it a new twist in Second hand jawani – a fun fusion of Punjabi dholaks and hip hop, that will have you tapping your toes. The singers, Miss Pooja, Neha Kakkar and Nakkash Aziz, are all high-pitched, which works well for a cheeky, masti number like this one.

Tera naam japdi phiran starts badly with cheesy English lyrics I’m a bad, bad girl… I’m gonna rock your world. But Javed Bashir’s entry thankfully changes that.  Pritam creates an enjoyable Punjabi techno club track by contrasting Bashir’s earthy vocals with Nikhil and Shefali stylish chorus. For a change, the remix too is quite enjoyable.

However, the best tracks are saved for last. Pritam takes Jugni (Harshdeep Kaur and Pakistani singer Arif Lohar), the classic Punjabi folk track from Coke Studio Pakistan, and thankfully doesn’t tamper with this gem very much. Luttna (Masuma Anwar, Anupam Amod, Sahir Ali Bagga) is a fantastic mash-up of Sufi, rock, dubstep and some outstanding vocals. Pritam layers this marvelous number with riffs, reverbs and a haunting chorus – the kind of song you will listen to on a loop.

Cocktail is Pritam’s best album in recent times.

Verdict: Worth a buy!