Yogi: Sarangi Version

Song: Yogi (Sarangi Version)
Movie Name : Yogi
Singers :
Music Director : Yuvan Shankar Raja

The Sarangi version of this song, is an absolute delight. Usually, instrumental versions of a song just slide by us, since we prefer vocals in the song. It might have helped that I heard the instrumental version of this song before listening to any thing else in this album. There is an underlying sadness in the song, which is subtle and not overdone.

Shiva Shambho, Chari

Songs: Shiva Shambho, Chari
Movie Name : Adurs
Singers : Devisri Prasad; NTR & Rita
Music Director : Devisri Prasad

This post should actually be titled "How Devi got his groove back". The soundtrack of Adurs has a major flaw, in that it follows the soundtrack of Arya-2. While, both of them have catchy songs, Arya-2 has a higher emotional value, and the songs are much more situational. That being said, Devi ups the tempo in Adurs. Shiva Shambho sung by Devi, is my pick of this album. It has an unconventional tune for a foot-tapping number, but Devi pulls it off very well. Chari is awesome because of the lyrics. They are funny, but mildly suggestive too. NTR does a decent job of singing it, and I guess the video of this song will be something to look out for.

Arya-2 : The Album

Songs: Baby, he loves you; Uppenantha; My love is gone; Ringa Ringa; Karige Loga; Mr Perfect
Movie Name : Arya-2
Singers : Devisri Prasad; KK; Ranjith; Priya Hemesh; Kunal Ganjawala; Baba Sehgal, Rita
Music Director : Devisri Prasad

I cant remember the last time I liked an entire Telugu album (it was probably Pokiri). I am so happy for Devisri Prasad for scoring a winner with this album. I was too lazy to write a review for this album but I had to, after I read the pathetic review in milliblog for this movie. I loved the songs when I heard them and was blown away when I saw the videos in the movie (which I also liked).

Baby, he loves you is a simple song which emphasizes the lovely lyrics appropriately. My favorite part is the background vocals sung by the kids. Uppenantha ee premaki is one of those really hard to sing songs (with its incredible high pitch) that KK sings perfectly. I love that it has a soulful prelude which is not actively used in the song. My love is gone is my favourite song of the album with its innovative use of techno music for a sober song. Once again, the visuals for this song will blow you away, but my favourite part about the audio is the techno beat. Ringa Ringa is the first instantly likeable song in this movie, albeit the vulgar lyrics. A mass number that is typical of Devi, with his timely vocals in between; this is sure to add to Devi's mass appeal. Another thing to watch in the video; some mind-blowing dance steps by Allu Arjun. Karige Loga is a Illayaraja-styled song; which is probably the weakest link audio-wise. It however blends excellently in the movie. Mr Perfect is another loveable song with peppy vocals by Baba Sehgal. My favourite part of this song is the interlude with Devisri Prasad describing the bad qualities of "Mr Perfect" and the tabla prelude.

Just like the movie, this album has shades of Arya without being a one-to-one copy. Devi had done this earlier with the two Shankar Dada movies, where he scored a better album in the sequel. I love Devi's energy in this album and hope this kid goes more places. Thanks for making a fan happy!

Gundello

Song : Gundello
Movie Name : Ek Niranjan
Singer : Hemachandra, Geeta Madhuri
Music Director : Mani Sharma

Mani Sharma explores familiar territory again and scores well. This song follows the same formula that was used in "Yamuna Nagari" in Choodaalani Vundi. This time it is the Pancharatna Krithi "Endaro Mahanubhavaulu" in Sree Raagam and Mani does delightfully well. My complaint with Mani Sharma is that he always leaves room for improvement. Case in point, the end of the pallavi which I think is very lazily done. That being said, I love the fact that he continues to encourage new singers. Hemachandra has a nice voice and must be groomed for bigger songs!

Interestingly, this is the third song that starts with "Gundello" that I liked.

Top recent listens

1. Song : Muddugaru Yashoda, Aha Naa Pellanta
Movie: Village lo Vinayakudu
Singer : Sooraj, Baba Sehgal
Music Director : Manikanth Kadri

Although both of them are remixes, I have enjoyed them thoroughly. While Muddugar Yashoda reminds you of how much you used to like the version from Padamati Sandhyaragam, Aha Na Pellanta makes you realize what made Baba Sehgal famous. Now, if you want to remix an old song, this is how you should do it.

2. Song : Happening
Movie : Main aur Mrs Khanna
Singer : Sunidhi Chauhan, Farhad, Raja Mushtaq
Music Director : Sajid-Wajid

Thanks to the high publicity this song is having, this song has crept up to my top listens. I am glad that Sunidhi Chauhan is among good songs again. This Qawwali styled number has been compared to Kajra Re but I think it deserves lot more than that. A quite peppy song.


3. Song : Tak Dhina Dhin
Movie : Aladin
Singer : Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan
Music Director : Vishal Shekar

Shankar Mahdevan breathes life into this peppy number with his energetic performance. It would be really awesome to catch a live version of this song some time.

4. Song : Chak de Phattey, Intezaar Aitbaar
Movie : Khosla ka Ghosla
Singer : Kailash Kher, Qadar Niazi Qawwal, Soumya Rao
Music Director : Bapi, Dhruv, Tutul

How can you not love Kailash Kher's unique voice ? While Chak de Phattey does not necessarily need his voice, he gives it a unique twist by singing it in his inimitable style. Soumya Rao makes Intezaar Aitbaar an instantly likeable song. It is one of those soft melodies that you would want to last for a while. I am not sure I like Qadar Niazi Qawwal's interruption in between. Although this is not a recent movie, I just recently heard its songs and liked quite a few of them.

5. Song: Kuru Kuru
Movie: Couples Retreat
Singer: A R Rehman
Music Director: A R Rehman

I dont care whom this CD credits for this song, but it sounds like Rehman. And I love this song. Unfortunately it will probably be reduced to a barely audible background song for an insignificant 10 secs in the movie. I applaud Rehman for gaining so much respect among the international community that he can insert a Tamil song in a English comedy movie!

Su Che

Song : Su Che
Movie Name : What's Your Raashee ?
Singer : Bala Shende, Sohail Sen
Music Director : Sohail Sen

Priyanka should get the credit for this song, for making you consider a second listen. It is tough to make your way through 10+ songs of a new movie without tiring yourself out. I liked "Aaja Lehraate" initially and wrote off the rest of the album. That is, till I saw the video for this song, and a lively Priyanka bouncing along. Given the fact that I did not understand a word of the lyrics, the video gave me some context to appreciate this song better and its now one of my favorite new songs. Bala Shende has a winner following her "Mann Mohana".

Dhan Te Naan

Song : Dhan Te Naan
Movie Name : Kaminey
Singer : Vishal, Sukhwinder Singh
Music Director : Vishal Bharadwaj

Dhan te naaan...yells Vishal and Sukhwinder joins in with "Aaja aaja Dilli chhode". As someone aptly described it 'the two most explosive voices in the music industry' join for this most fun song of the year. You listen to this song, and it grown on you eventually and you begin to like it. Then, you see the picturization and you like it even more. Finally, you see the movie (which you would love, if you are like me) and cant stop tapping your feet and even singing along when the song arrives. I cant believe I was really enjoying even Shahid Kapoor 's acting in the movie, and in this song. I think Vishal Bharadwaj scored big with this movie and this soundtrack. When you think of a song like this, you have to immediately think of singers like Vishal Dadlani and Sukhwinder Singh. But you have to be careful not to overdo the loud pieces, and thats where a skilled music director like Vishal Bharadwaj shows what he can do.

Dheera Dheera

Song : Dheera Dheera

Movie Name : Magadheera

Singer : Keeravani, Nikitha Nigam
Music Director : Keeravani

Most audio reviews that I read for the movie have not been kind to the music. The biggest reason being the remix of Bangaru Kodi Petta. This song escaped attention in almost all of the reviews I had read. While I liked the song during my first couple of listens, after I saw it in the movie, I got hooked to it. I think the weakest link in this song are the two singers. You know your performance is not up to the mark when Keeravani is the better of the two singers. Nikitha's voice seems to lack two things - nativity and strength. Keeravani's voice has both and while it is technically good, its just not a pleasant voice to hear, esp due the nasal touch. Despite this, the tune has all qualities of a winner. It is amazing how Keeravani can still keep up with the young music directors and deliver songs like this that are completely within his style. My favourite part is the second stanza

Shashimukhi tho Simhame janta kadithe maname gaa

Kusumamu tho Khadgame aadagaa

With this song, he absolves himself off the weak remix and his generous use of "O Saaya" in the background of the movie.

O Saathi Re

Song : O Saathi Re
Movie Name : Omkara
Singer : Shreya Ghoshal, Vishal Bharadwaj
Music Director : Vishal Bharadwaj

Oh wow! Another song from Vishal and its not like I went hunting for other songs of Vishal Bharadwaj. Whenever someone writes about the songs of Omkara, the only song I had read about was "Beedi Jalaile". So you can imagine my surprise when I heard this awesome song in the movie. How do you live up to another great song with the same starting words ? Listen to this song to find out. Starting from the very first "Oo..." from Shreya you know that you are going to like this song. I am not normally one to notice the lyrics of a song but I just could not help notice

Ooo...Saathi re

Din doobe na

Aa chal din ko roke

Dhoop ke peeche daude..

Chaanv chue na

Oh Vishal, I just wish you had made as great a movie as this lyric and the music you gave it.

Raat Ke Dhai Baje

Song : Raat Ke Dhai Baje
Movie Name : Kaminey
Singer : Suresh Wadkar, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan & Kunal Ganjawala
Music Director : Vishal Bharadwaj

Its good to see Vishal among the songs again. In this song, Vishal seems to sweeten the tune before it can turn cloying. The singers do their job by giving this song a very sensual feel, without overdoing the melody. It is due to this that the song works mostly. On the one hand it is a foot tapping number, on the other hand it is also a very very good melody. Vishal, if you are reading this, please don't stay away from composing! I wish for a melodious song like this for every good singer out there!

My favourite part of the song

Chauke chauke chauke se Khoye khoye se hum
Aankhein dubi dubi si, Soye soye se hum
Dil ne kaisi durgat ki hai...

Kalavaramaye Madilo

Song : Kalavaramaye Madilo
Movie Name : Kalavaramaye Madilo
Singer : Chitra
Music Director : Sarath Vasudevan

    Chitra is an unusually gifted singer. It is not fair to other female singers that she can sing this effortlessly even at this age. Kalavaramaye Madilo is an intriguing composition. It has been composed in a dreamy way, reminiscent of older movies. The kind of song that makes you imagine a picturization where the heroine is imagining montages of the hero while just smiling to herself (A Kangal Irandal redo ? with Swati again ?). Sarath Vasudevan has hit the sweet spot and 5 on 5 for him for choosing Chitra to sing this song.

Oy

Song : Oy
Movie Name : Oy
Singer : Siddharth
Music Director : Yuvan Shankar Raja

Yuvan hits form again in this soundtrack! If you loved "Cheeky Cheeky" in Saroja and longed for more, here it is. The title track is a difficult one to compose. Its cheesy when you insert the title in a lame way, and its lamer if you stress on it in the song. Yuvan avoids all cliches, by making this a song rather than focussing on the title. The song is credited to Siddharth, and if it is true, then credit goes to him too. My fav part of the songs are the ends of the pallavi, where an uncredited female singer chips in beautifully! 4 on 5 for this song!

Sundari

Song : Sundari
Movie Name : Gopi Gopika Godavari
Singer : Venu, Madhumita
Music Director : Chakri

This is the only likeable track in this movie, and likeable by a mile! This is what we listen to Vamsy's songs for. The unusual choice of words, tunes and beats. Illayaraja will be sorely missed, but this song will have to do for now. With each movie that Vamsy makes, I keep wondering if there will be more, and hence long for more associations with Illayaraja. Meanwhile, not to take any credit away from Chakri, this song is a winner! The flute interludes, the veena strokes and the gentle beat; they are all well captured in this song. Now for a nice visual with the Godavari background will complete the feast!

Nenje Nenje

Song :Nenje Nenje
Movie Name : Ayan
Singer : Mahathi,Harish Raghavendra
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj

Harris Jayaraj and Surya team up again for this movie which has been getting a good response. Most of the soundtrack did not appeal to me in the first few listenings and I did not go back to it for a long time till I heard this song on TV. Harish Raghavendra gets a good song with Harris after a long time (as far as I know) and does an admirable job, but the song's heart is Mahathi. She sings the low pitch notes very well, giving the song its instantly likeable appeal.

Modati Choope

Song :Modati Choope
Movie Name : Boni
Singer : Karunya, Pranavi
Music Director : Ramana Gogul a

When he puts his mind to it, Ramana Gogula can make beautiful songs. Case in point - Pedavi Daatani from Tammudu, Bangala Khatamlo from Badri, Neelaala Neekallu from VVK, Neevalle Neevalle from Annavaram and many others. Joining this list, is Modati Choope from Boni. No review of this song will be complete without a reference to three things - at the top are Pranavi's vocals, expecially in the stanza. She shows an amazing control over her voice as she sings the stanza

Yeda laya merise pilupula valalo mudipadi pothaa... chanuvuga

The last thing that you have to talk about is Ramana Gogula's "rap" in the song. You can hate the guy and the rapping all you want, but to me it all passes just because of the one line in each stanza, the other one being

Okariki okarai vodigina kathalo evaru evarante.... teliyadhe

Bajjo ra na kanna

Song : Bajjo ra na kanna
Movie Name : Moodu Mullu
Singer :  S P Balasubramaniam, 
Music Director : Rajan Nagendra

    There are so many reasons why I love this song. Firstly, it is one of the earliest songs I got addicted to. After I started actively accumulating songs, I searched for this song in a lot of places. No one sold casettes of this movie (not even that one odd store in Hyderabad which sold old Illayaraja movie songs). I thought I had to resort to taping a poor version of the song from the movie some time when it would be shown on TV. You can appreciate how overjoyed I was when I finally found it. There is something about Balu of those years. Perhaps because he is such an amazing icon with humble beginnings. Perhaps it is his association with Rajan Nagendra. Perhaps it is because he was thin. Perhaps it is because he sings with a smile always. Whatever it may be, I enjoyed this song whenever it was shown on TV or radio. Rajan Nagendra were on fire in this movie and in this era. The style of music that they brought with them was melodious, psychadelic,  trendy and memorable. Balu must be greatful to many people in his career for giving him so many wonderful songs. I hope he doesnt ever forget Rajan-Nagendra.  

Aanandama

Song : Aanandama
Movie Name : Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam
Singer : Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal
Music Director : Shankar Ehsaan Loy

   SEL's debut in Telugu is pretty awesome. The trio have been in the news of late for their back-to-back hits and this venture in telugu doesnt disappoint either.  All the songs in this movie grew on me after I watched the movie. I am still disappointed that no one bothered to double check the pronunciations of the singers but all is fair when the song sounds good. Aanandama has a north-indian mujra flavour to it and is quite well sung by the singers. Its a little abrupt I agree, but the pieces by themselves are so well done that they fit in nicely. I love the charanams in the song as well

Top recent listens

This post hopefully covers up my laziness!

1. Song : Sufi
Movie: Jai Veeru
Singer : Tulsi Kumar & Saim
Music Director : Bappa Lahiri

This song is easy to like, esp if you havent watched the video. Saim does as an awesome job with the vocals, while Bappa Lahiri takes a good jab as Sufi music. The instruments in the background are pretty much what you would expect for a song like this. All in all, a package that works.

2. Song : Aasma Oodh Kar
Movie : 13 B
Singer : Shankar Mahadevan, Chitra
Music Director :  Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Shankar Ehsaan Loy are on everyone's lips now, thanks to their last two hit releases (Luck by Chance and 13 B). This song has a very South-Indian-ish touch to it. Chitra adds finesse to this song in a way that no one else can do. The "smile in her voice" is unmistakeable!

3. Song : Masakkali, Delhi 6, Rehna Tu
Movie : Delhi 6
Singer : Mohit Chauhan, Blaaze, Benny Dayal, Vivianne Chaix, Tanvi Shah, Claire & A. R. Rahman, Benny Dayal, Tanvi Shah
Music Director : A R Rehman

While the common consensus seems to be that this is among the best albums of Rehman, I am not sure I will go that far. I love Masakkali for the way Mohit Chauhan sung it almost recklessly. I am pretty much up for anything sung by Benny Dayal after his awesome singing for "Taxi Taxi". Way to go dude! Rehna Tu sums up Rehman's achievement in his career so far. He has succesfully made people appreciate his kind of music! 10 years ago, not many people would have listened to this song a second time!

4. Song : Mundhinam, Yethi Yethi, Ava Enna
Movie : Vaaranam Aayiram
Singer : Naresh Iyer, Prashanthini & Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer, Sol & Karthik  V Prasanna
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj

Mundhinam belongs to Harris Jayaraj followed by Naresh Iyer. Harris has proven once again that he can deliver a breezy song with ease. Yethi Yethi rocks because of Benny Dayal and Benny Dayal alone! Ava Enna is Karthik holding his own against some awesome tracks in this movie. Nice album all the way.