Panivizhum Malarvanam

Song : Panivizhum Malarvanam
Movie Name : Ninaivellam Nithya
Singer : S P Balasubramanyam
Music Director : Illayaraja

Ninaivellam Nithya has two of my all time favourite songs of Illayaraja (Ha ha..I could write this about so many more songs of Illayaraja). Seriously, it is every South Indian light music band's dream to play songs of Illayaraja and songs like this are so simple sounding and yet so complicated! SP Balasubramanyam and Illayaraja combination hit another sweet spot with "Panivizhum" and "Neethane Enthan". If I were given the option of stepping into someone's shoes right now, I would have a real tough time choosing between SPB and Illayaraja!!

Listen to this song at

Panivizhum from Musicmazaa

Kambangadu & Gundu Soodi

Song : Kambangadu & Gundu Soodi
Movie Name : Vaaname Ellai & Chatrapathi
Singer : Keeravani & Chitra, Keeravani & Sunitha
Music Director : M M Keeravani

Keeravani reused the exact same tune of a song "Kambangadu" from a 1992 movie Vaaname Ellai in the new movie Chatrapathi. The songs are identical in terms of prelude, pallavi and charanams but eh orchestrization is very different. The lesser said about the lyrics of the new song, the better but the orchestrization stands out in the newer version and Keeravani's voice is a lot better. I tried very hard to find the original 1992 version of the song and am happy to have found it.

Listen to the original song


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Listen to Gundu Soodi

Gundu Soodi from Musicmazaa

Emani Ne Cheli Paduduno, Adaganide

Song : Emani Ne Cheli Paduduno, Adaganide
Movie Name : Mantrigari Viyyankudu, Shiva 2006
Singer : S P Balasubramaniam & S Janaki, Sunitha & Vijay Prakash
Music Director : Illayaraja

The song "Emani ne.." was reused in Shiva 2006. I like both of these versions. Ofcourse, I cant say enough about Illayaraja.

When I look at the new version, here are my thoughts.

What I miss from the old version:
1. The beautiful prelude.
2. The magic in SPB's voice
3. Much better charanams ( for both music and lyrics). The newer version has very lame lyrics.

What I didnt miss
1. The chorus going "awww...aww...", but the replacement "I Love You..." is not good either.
2. Janaki's voice. I personally prefer Sunitha's voice.
3. The percussions. The newer version has a lighter feel to it and it was my main reason to like it.


Listen to this song at

Emani Ne from Musicmazaa

Adaganide from Musicmazaa

Aaj Ki Raat

Song : Aaj Ki Raat
Movie Name : Don - The Chase Begins
Singer : Alisha Chinoy, Mahalakshmi, Sonu Nigam
Music Director : Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy

The new Don movie has some real good music. The remixes are being lapped up very well these days and the new additions have been really good. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have decided to go with a techno theme to the movie and it has paid off really well. Aaj Ki Raat has a nostalgic Bappi Lahiri feel to it. Alisha makes a fabulous comeback and Sonu Nigam and Mahalakshmi have chipped in well. I was going to write that a beautiful song has been wasted in this movie due to a ridiculous picturization (a DON, a serious-karate-knowing-girl and a proper vamp dance for this one!) but, what else could anyone do with this song ? I guess they could have picturised it without anyone actually singing aloud or dancing to this song!

Listen to this song at

Aaj Ki Raat from Musicmazaa

Maataltho Swaraale

Song : Maataltho Swaraale
Movie Name : Amma Cheppindi
Singer : Pranavi
Music Director : M M Keeravani

"Maataltho swaraale shikarukelthe geetham
Andamga nishabdham tala vanchukunte sangeetham
Sangeethamtho chesthe sneham palikindala geetham"

Keeravani has the knack of making melodious songs with very simple orchestrization and instantly hummable tunes, making this song sound so easy! Its this quality that differentiates him from others. Another song in this movie - "The largest circulated weekly" is probably about the hero trying to prove that he can fit any words into this tune, and doing a fairly good job of it!
Pranavi sounds a lot like Sunitha and this makes me wonder why we need another person who sings like an already existing singer ?? It has the quintessential violins of Keeravani, which remind you of Madhumaasam from Manasu Mamatha days.

Listen to this song at

Maataltho Swaraale from Musicmazaa

Munbe Vaa

Song : Munbe Vaa
Movie Name : Jillendru Oru Kathal
Singer : Naresh Iyer, Shreya Ghoshal
Music Director : A R Rehman

This song has everything thats currently hot in the movie industry - Naresh Iyer, Shreya Ghoshal, A R Rehman, Surya, Jyothika! To all those who say that Rehman reserved the best song in the album "Ney York Nagaram" for himself, I have to just play this song. The instrumental prelude is so beautiful that it will drag you to listen to this song many times. Just when you get into the groove of this song and would rather listen to the music over any vocals, comes Shreya's voice and its just perfect! Naresh Iyer seems to be replacing Karthik in Rehman's songs and is doing a fantastic job.

Naresh sings:

En nalathil un ratham nadikul un satham ...Uyire...Ohh..

Listen to this song at

Munbe Vaa from Musicmazaa

Neetho Cheppana

Song : Neetho Cheppana
Movie Name : Athadu
Singer : S P Balausbramaniam, Chitra
Music Director : Mani Sharma

SPB and Chitra - the melodious combination which has surely sung more melodious songs than any other pair I know, do it again. I have been meaning to post this song for a while, as it has been on my mind. One of the good things that Mani Sharma has done in this movie, is giving a complete duet to SPB and Chitra and they definitely rule the roost here! The picturization for this song is just plain amazing, and has elevated the song definitely - paving way for Gala gala parutunna godari from Pokiri.

Chitra sings with a smile :

Inkonchem anukunna..ika chaalle annaana ?
Vadalamante emiti ardham ? vadili pommana ?

Listen to this song at

Neetho Cheppana from Musicmazaa

Srirasthu Shubhamasthu

Song : Srirasthu Shubhamasthu
Movie Name : Pelli Pustakam
Singer : S P Balausbramaniam, P Suseela
Music Director : K V Mahadevan

I am not going to write much as I am going to look back at this post and laugh at how cheesy it was. The situation is quite obvious and I cant get this song out of my head! Bapu is great! He has immortalized this song, and has made it a common theme for everyone heading for/in marriage!

Listen to this song at

Srirasthu from Raaga

Ramachakkani Sitaki, Andamgalena, Uppongene

Song : Ramachakkani Sitaki, Andamgalena, Uppongene
Movie Name : Godavari
Singer : Gayathri, Suneeta, SPB
Music Director : K M Radhakrishna

"Edama chetanu Sivuni villunu ettina aa Ramudae..
Ettagalada Sita jadanu tali katte velalo ?"

When I saw Anand, I instantly thought to myself that the music director should get atleast 50% credit for the movie's success. Well Godavari is on the same lines too, the other 50% going to Godavari and the Papi Kondalu! I didnt like the songs too much on the first listening, but now I cant get them off my head, and Andamgalena is a clear winner! KMR has clearly grown as a Music director and is showing that there's much more to come from him. One step at a time and he will do good for the industry.

Listen to this song at

Andamgalena from MusicMazaa

Manasa Adagavaa..

Song : Manasa Adagavaa..
Movie Name : Shiva 2006
Singer : Shreya Ghoshal
Music Director : Illayaraja

Rajanna Raja thaan! How can you match the brilliance of Illayaraja ? When Varma decided to remake Shiva, he couldnt have really thought of a better music director! In this era of fast-paced songs, this song arrives as a welcome change. Shreya Ghoshal is her usual self, cruising through effortlessly, her pronunciation is near flawless! As Shreya reaches the end of first charanam

Kunuku undadela ? Kuduru undadela ?
Mati pote ila .. Batikedi ela ?
Ani atani kesi kallu erra chesi mari...
(words split, to make it easier to read)

you are already transported into Raja's territory and are probably singing like me (Manasa .. Adagavaa ?)

Listen to this song at

Manasa Adagavaa from MusicMazaa

Andagaada Andagaada...

Song : Andagaada Andagaada...
Movie Name : Gharshana
Singer : Harini
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj

A nice song from Harris' peak time. This album had two new songs while compared to its Tamil cousin - Kakha Kakha and both of them are really good. Harini sounds lot more younger than her other albums, where the strong carnatic mood made her sound lot more mature. The vocals flow alongside the guitar strum and produce melodious results!

Listen to this song at

Andagaada from Raaga

Jarugu jarugu jarugu...

Song : Jarugu jarugu jarugu...
Movie Name : Bangaram
Singer : Tippu, Manicka Vinayagam
Music Director : Vidyasagar

Vidyasagar at it again! This is by no standards a "Gillie" or a '"Thaimaasam", but its catchy in its own way! I am sure Pawan had something to do with it too. A typical hero-elevation song, with messages strewn around. The USP of this song is "Jarugu jarugu jarugu jarugu..." in the beginning! "We gonna rock you Andhra style!" is the saving grace of "Jai sambho" which resembles "Chandrullo unde kundelu" of Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana in a few places, and ends up being likeable.

Listen to this song at

Ra ra Bangaram from Raaga

Maranittum

Song : Maranittum
Movie Name : Randam Bhavam
Singer : Jayachandran, Sujatha
Music Director : Vidyasagar

This is a melodious song by Vidyasagar. His trusted aides - Sujata and Jayachandran, sing this one out mellifluously, doing complete justice to the tune. Vidyasagar's talent has been exploited much better in Malayalam, while he has probably gained more fans in Tamil. Maranittum is among those songs, which makes me feel that Vidyasagar is one of the few people we have today, who can match Illayaraja's melodies. This one is not as intricate as any of Illayaraja's but it will surely strike a chord.

Listen to this song at

Maranittum from Raaga

Rab Ne Mere

Song : Rab Ne Mere
Movie Name : Aryan
Singer : Shreya Ghoshal & Kunal Ganjawala
Music Director : Anand Raj Anand

This is a really nice song. It has an arabic feel to it, but is definitely not stereotyped that way. Shreya Ghoshal makes a big difference to this song, and it can be seen how she breezes through easily. There isn't much I can say about this song. Its nice :)

Listen to this song at

Rab ne mere from Raaga

Ninaithu Ninaithu

Song : Ninaithu Ninaithu
Movie Name : 7 G Rainbow Colony
Singer : Shreya Ghoshal
Music Director : Yuvan Shankar Raja

Shreya Ghoshal is a lucky person. She has walked away with a song, which will probably be remembered for a long long time. A song, that every singer would love to sing. I thought the director and his crew were nuts to make this movie (and I still do). I dont know how Yuvan got his inspiration, but I would call him the saving grace for this movie. In my opinion, this movie marked the transition of Yuvan from upcoming to hotshot music director. Coming back to this song, I belive this song is the answer to the questions asked in the male version (sung by Kay Kay). Its a tough job to come up with a sensitive song such as this, as you have to be borderline cheesy (in lyrics and in music). Yuvan comes with an absolute winner and shows why he rules!

Listen to this song at

Ninaithu Ninaithu from Raaga

Hoo Halla Hoo

Song : Hoo Halla Hoo
Album Name : Nazuk Nazuk
Singer : Anaida

If you havent heard this song in a while, its sure to being a smile to your face, as it did to mine. If you havent heard this song ever then you might wonder who Anaida is. Anaida was one of the first female popstars in India, who made it big. She had big hits in "Oova Oova", "Hu Halla Hu" and later resurfaced, singing tracks in Bombay Boys and "Split Wide Open". This particular song is the typical sweet song, that you would have expected out of Anaida, and is what she is remembered for I guess.

Listen to this song at

Hoo Halla Hoo from Anaida's Website

Innisai

Song : Innisai
Movie Name : God Father
Singer : Naresh, Mahathi
Music Director : A R Rehman

There is this rare quality to Rehman’s songs. You listen to them a couple of times, and as the song grows on you, you will just wonder as to how this song sounds exactly the way it should! Lots of music directors have tried to ape Rehman’s style of makign songs (incl an extremely poor attempt by Harris Jayaraj in Anniyan), but Rehman shows why he is the master of the game. The rich orchestrization in this song, is something that Rehman excels at. Naresh seems to be a rising star, Rehman is very fond of him too. Surprising how a KS Ravikumar movie can have a song like this. I hope the song is placed well in this movie. As always, listen to a good quality version of the songs, before judging them (else you cant tell the difference between a Shankar’s movie and a Maniratnam’s movie!)

My other pick from this movie is “Theeyil” sung brilliantly by Rehman.

Listen to this song at

Innisai from musicindiaonline

Om Namah Shivaya

Song : Om Namah Shivaya
Movie Name : Sagara Sangamam
Singer : S Janaki
Music Director : Illayaraja

Prakruti Parvati neetho nadachina edu adugulae..swara saptakamayi

This is a song about Lord Shiva. I am not completely familiar with all the attributes of Shiva being described here, and would love to go through each of them. The language used in this song is more Sanskrit than telugu. What I like about this song, is that it is so unlike Illayaraja, and more like Vishwanath, and is yet brilliant. A quality that most music directors dont seem to have these days. In the drive to make music the way the director or producer wants them to, most music directors seem to go haywire, and lose their originality. Coming back to this song, the lyricist (Sri Veturi) has chosen an interesting way to proceed in this song. The first stanza mentions pancha bhootamulu, aaru ruthuvulu, swara saptakam, ashta dikkulu, nava rasas, and in the second stanza goes to Trikalamulu, Chatur Vedamulu before narrowing to Advaitham. Last but not the least, notice the beautiful use of Hindolam below

Sa Ga Ma Da Ni Sa ... ( –> Aarohana (Hindolam))
Da Ga Ma Da Ni Sa Da Ma Da Da Da Sa Sa Sa Ni Ga Ma Da ...
Sa Ni Da Ma Ga Sa ( –> Avarohana (Hindolam))

Listen to this song at

Om Namah Shivaya from Raaga

Gundello Emundo

Song : Gundello Emundo
Movie Name : Andhrudu
Singer : Ranjith, Sahiti
Music Director : Kalyan Malik

Ee manasudi.. egasi pade... alala gunam...
Idi nijam nijam...nilavade kshanam!

So true. This is a great song from the not-so-great movie, Andhrudu. Kalyan Malik is Keeravani's brother, who composed the solo song in Aithe, and sang a song in Sye. The songs in Andhrudu are good. This particular song is picturised in a typical way, the hero and heroine exchange sweet nothings, walk , job along, laugh at jokes, while the song runs in the background. I think its the rhythm which makes the song good, more than the tune.

Listen to this song at

Gundello Emundo from Raaga

Nanu Brova Neekintha

Nanu Brova
Ragam : Abhogi

Karaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 G2 M1 D2 S
Av: S D2 M1 G2 R2 S

Taalam: dEshaadi
Composer: Tyagaraja
Singer : M Balamurali Krishna

I admit I didnt just chance upon this great composition. It was the song "Konjam Neram" of Chandramukhi (also composed in Abhogi Ragam), which drove me to this. I cant write about Tyagaraja, it would be an insult. The simplicity of the Ragam is amazing.

Listen to this song at

Nanu Brova Neekintha from musicindiaonline

Kalayo Maayo

Song : Kalayo Maayo ..
Movie Name : A Film By Aravind
Singer :
Music Director : Vijay Kuraakula

Kalayo Maayo is a fantastic song from a good movie. It comes in at an unexpected time, doesnt disrupt the pace of the movie, but makes a lasting impact. This song is so short that it left me craving for more of the song, and I hope to find it one day and listen to it. A great job by the music director although I can see how it must not have been difficult to find inspiration for giving good music for a good movie. Unfortunately I havent been able to find the name of the singer for this song, who does a good job too.

Listen to this song at

Kalayo Maayo (Song 2) from andhravilas

Poosindi Poosindi

Song : Poosindi poosindi ..
Movie Name : Seetaramayya gari manavaralu
Singer : S P Balasubramaniam, Chitra
Music Director : Keeravani

When I learnt to play keyboard, I used to always start at the beginning of this song, and as I imagined how I would play the later parts of this song, I used to think "Wow! This song is simple and intricate at the same time!" and then thought that the song would get "simplified" for me over time. Today, after about 8 years from the first time I tried this song, I have renewed respect for Keeravani as a composer. This song is meant to be a pleasant, breezy song and is definitely that, but then more than that, it is an evergreen song, and thats where Keeravani shows why he is different from others ... by a mile!

Listen to this song at

Poosindi Poosindi from musicindiaonline