OtherMusic has a review of Bollywood Funk. A search off the main site also links to the article.
Since I've started working here at Other Music, I have tried, unsuccessfully, to find the distributors that all the Indian groceries and video rental places get their CDs from. There are a slew of great Bollywood soundtracks I've wanted to share. This new CD compilation very nearly makes my search redundant. Right off, at least six of the tracks on "Bollywood Funk" were already stone-cold favorites, and the remaining nine are just as impeccably great. In fact, it starts off with the two best Bollywood songs ever, both composed by the magnificent R.D. Burman (in my mind equivalent to Ennio Morricone in brilliance; outdoing him in quantity). First the theme to "Hum Kisise Kum Nahin", a mixture of Spaceheads (effects-laden trumpet) and "Tusk" (marching band!). The second track, 'Dum Maro Dum', is one of the biggest hits in Indian cinema ever, a funky slap across the head with psychedelic guitar feedback all over it. Most of these are Burman-composed and sung by his wife or sister-in-law (Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, respectively) but I don't understand why Outcaste left off not only the composer's names, but the playback singers' as well. While filmi music can sound strange to some ears, this is the best introduction to the genre yet. [RE]