Makathika

Song: Makathika
Movie Name : Mahesh Khaleja
Singers : Karthik, Saindhavi
Music Director : Mani Sharma

    As I was driving recently and listening to this song, I realized how upbeat and positive the songs of Mani Sharma sound.  Case in point, the usage of guitar in this song. Makathika was one of the first songs I liked in this album when it released. The other songs are beginning to catch on slowly, but I really love Makathika and its build up to

Adire andam mafia

Arere matthuna padipoya

Galilo bongaram ayipoyaa..

Aakasam...anchullo...nenunnaa...

The same energy carries through to the charanams and leads to another fav portion of mine in the song

Chandana lepanamavutha...meni ki

Andina jabilinavutha ni chetiki...
Tada badi tabbibaipoya... 

Galilo bongaram ayipoyaa... 

Aakasam anchullo nenunnaa...

Karigalan

Song: Karigalan
Movie Name : Vettaikaran
Singers : Surchith, Sangeetha Rajeswaran
Music Director : Vijay Anthony

  This is the first song that I discovered, thanks to my newborn son :) There are a lot of interesting things you end up watching on night-time television when you are forced to do something to keep yourself awake. One of the things we did was catching up some music videos of songs, on Sun TV during early hours of the morning. This particular song stuck with me as my wife found "Thuli thuli thuli" from Paiyya. Vijay Anthony has a weak track record, but some of his songs have been a huge hit from me. There seems to be a brimming positivity and cheerfulness in his songs, not to mention a unique sound. This is a typical Vijay dance number, sung in Anuradha Sriram-style by Sangeetha. Its the cuteness in the voice, along with the winding high-pitched tune in the charanams that caught my attention. Special mention also goes to the awesome intro music 

"Hey come on and get me with your loving machan

Undress me and then caress me aththan
And I'm feeling the sikkal and show me your love
Nananana"  - courtesy http://tamilyrics.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/karigalan-vettaikaran-lyrics-new/

Have been humming this song in my head for the last couple of days now, and finally found time to write about it!

Pothi Vecha Mallige

Song: Pothi Vecha Mallige
Movie Name : Manvaasanai
Singers : SP Balasubramaniam, S Janaki
Music Director : Illayaraja

  When I used to listen to songs, I used to make the mistake of equating bad sound quality to bad song. And why not ? Given my limited time and patience for listening to new songs, I used to hurry through them, unless it came highly recommended or I did not have access to the music player's "forward" button. With Illayaraja's songs, it meant that I "knew" many songs but did not get to know/enjoy the intricacies of the song as they were meant to be. The plus side of that is that I go through an exhilarating feeling every time I re-discover a song. This weekend, I watched "Chennai 600028" which had Illayaraja devotees at the helm. (Interesting co-incidence that I saw Vaaranam Aayiram recently, which played "En Iniya Pon" a couple of times in the movie). Anyway, at one point in the movie, Yuvan (surely on the director's behest) used this song as the background for a scene. The quality of the song was awesome, and I of course immediately recognized the song. As I started singing, I once again realized how awesome Raja is. Talk about being unconventional. This song is full of great moments where the tune takes off in an unpredictable yet pleasant way. Sample the first two lines

"Pothi vechcha malliga mottu 
pooththiruchchu vetkaththa vitta"  (courtesy: TFMpage)

  Now, if you did not hear this song before, you would be completely taken aback by the high notes that follow this introduction. Sample a completely identical beginning from MM Srilekha's composition - 

"Kallakunna kaatuka choodu

Kaatukunna kallanu choodu"

  from the movie "Adirindayya Chandram". Now I dont hate Srilekha and in fact liked many of her songs and rooted for her earlier. But the way she follows up these opening lines, is exactly how a mortal composer would have chosen to go. But Illayaraja is a twisted genius who sets the bar for this song with his high notes for

"Pesippesi raasi aanathe yehehe 

maan perach cholli cholli 
aalanathe romba naalanathe" (courtesy: TFMpage)

  Then there are those brilliant interludes. Could have been straight out of a Vamsy movie, these are trademark fast-paced notes that unmistakably separate a Raja song from others. Which leaves us with the charanams. The charanams once again begin at an unexpected note, and take off leaving the listener mesmerized but also guessing how they would make their way back to the start of the pallavi. That's where Raja delivers his masterstroke. In a relatively short span, the notes descend multiple levels to meet the pallavi right where they should! 

And that's how I spent my entire Sunday - this song looped in my head!

Annul Maelae

Song: Annul Maelae
Movie Name : Vaaranam Aayiram
Singers : Sudha Raghunathan
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj

  Nothing should deter you from going through this entire song at least a couple of times, not my spelling or the opening lines of the song. One of my most frequently played songs in the last few days, I am glad that I got to listen to this song in entirety while working on something else (and was hence far away from the "forward" button). The song begins to pick up tempo towards the end of the pallavi with 

" Imai irandum thani thani

Urakangal urai pani

Edarkaagha tadai nee"

    In my opinion, the heart of this song is its two charanams which are so much more spirited than the pallavi.  Starting from the interludes, the song gets a hindustani touch which I absolutely loved! Sudha Raghunathan does a fantastic job, but the main credit goes to Harris Jayaraj for crafting this song.

Kilimanjaro

Song: Kilimanjaro
Movie Name : Enthiran
Singers : Chinmayee, Javed Ali
Music Director : A R Rehman

  The much awaited next album from Rehman is now out! Chinmayee always seems to find interesting songs in Rehman's movies. They are either a lot of fun (like this one) or are extremely soulful (like Tere Bina in Guru). Kilimanjaro starts off on a high note which seems unconventional but extremely catchy. My favorite portion is in the first charanam where Chinmayee beautifully shapes the lines

Naan oora vaitha kani – 

Ennai mella aara vaithu kadi!

Excellent improvisation from the dynamic Chinmayee!

Murali lola

Song: Murali lola
Movie Name : Prasthanam
Singers : Saindhavi, Kalyani, Rahul Nambiar
Music Director : Mahesh Shankar

  This song is going to stay as one of my longtime favorites and a big reason for that is atiny portion of the song. Saindhavi once again shines under Mahesh and lends a soothing touch to this song, which goes with the theme of the song. This is a voice that oozes kindness and a warmth that makes you smile as you close your eyes. Sample this portion of the song where she sings

Nalupekke cheekati lona nee navvule vevela taaralayi

Naluvaipullo velugulu ninde deepaalu ga veligenu ee vela

 This song is explaining the importance of Naraka Chaturdasi, as narrated by a mother to her son. The format of the song will remind you of "Kukka Kaavaali" from Chitram, however it sounds a little classier in my opinion. With a ballet-song like flow, this looks like a song that was tuned after the lyrics are written. The only complaint I have with the song is that the male portion seems to have drowned in the percussions.

Powerstar!

Song: Powerstar
Movie Name : Puli
Singers : Vijay Prakash, Tanvi Shah
Music Director : A R Rehman

 Like every other fast-paced Rehman song that I have heard in the past, this one too has left a lasting impression upon the third or fourth listening. Starting from thinking that it sounded like garbage, I now am in love with this song! Right from the tribal chants at the beginning of the song, Rehman makes an attempt to sound grand, mysterious, intoxicating and powerful! The psychedelic nature of this song is excellent given the nature of its lyrics and is accented by the Cher-like singing by Tanvi Shah.  My fav portions of the song are the beginning when the drums and chords take off after Vijay's "Your star" and the middle of the first stanza when Tanvi asks

 "Emiti emiti naa neram

Arey enduku ee dowrjanyam"

to be followed by Vijay's answer

"Adharaallo heroin unde

Kulukullo cocaine unde

Andamlo RDX-e nindunde"

"Nayanaallo nicotine undi

Chirunavvullo steroid undi

Allarilo alcohol-e daagundi"

Very cheesy lyrics but made like-able by the singers!

Bommali

Song: Bommali
Movie Name : Billa
Singers : Hemachandra, Malavika
Music Director : Mani Sharma

 Congratulations to Hemachandra for landing yet another catchy number. Mani Sharma, may your tribe increase! This is the kind of songs that Mani Sharma got popular for, initially and he shows why in this peppy tune.  The soul of the song is the chords in the background for "Bommali..." and "Yaadundi taali ?" Mani Sharma gets credit for one and Hemachandra gets it for his pronunciation on the second one.

Dochey

Song: Dochey
Movie Name : Komaram Puli
Singers : Shreya Ghoshal, Lady Kash n Krissy
Music Director : A R Rehman

  First of all, Shreya Ghoshal -Wow! Secondly, Lady Kash n Krissy add a fantastic touch to this song. Coming to Rehman, this is not going to be among his best compositions by any means but I love how he has tackled this song, and added some interesting layers on it. Take for instance, this masterstroke towards the ending of the charanam - 

"Sudigundamoyi...jalagandamoyi...

Palu aapadale aapesinaa...

Aa aasalatho"

and a smile escapes your lips as you hear the echo for "Aa aasalatho". I think the genius of Rehman is that he has created a market, where songs like this will be appreciated and not just treated as fillers in an album. 

Gaalamesi

Song: Gaalamesi
Movie Name : Pravarakhyudu
Singers : Ranjith, Bhargavi Pillai
Music Director : MM Keeravani

  I have heard this song multiple times and thought it was a really neat song, but did not get to write about it. To say, Keeravani is an awesome composer, is like saying <insert obvious statement here>. It is always interesting to see how Keeravani keeps with the fellow composers, while keeping his style of music. This song has a lazy feel to it, which is amazing, when it climaxes with lines like 

"Bangaaranni kaaladanni pingani ne korukunna tingara danni choodavayyo! "

If you dont love this song immediately, pay attention to the lyrics the next time, and notice how hilarious it is when the style of the song blends with the lyrics.

 

Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya - The Album

Songs: Aaromale; Hosana; Anbil Avan; Mannipaya; Vinnaithandi; Omana Penne; Kannukkul Kannai
Movie Name : Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya
Singers : Alphons Joseph; Vijay Yesudas, Suzanne; Devan Ekambaram, Chinmayi; AR Rehman, Shreya Ghoshal; Benny Dayal, Kalyani Menon; Naresh Iyer
Music Director : A R Rehman

First of all; shame on all of you who wrote your reports two days after the album released and gave it a lukewarm review!

After Arya-2, this is my first complete album review. A R Rehman shows yet another significant improvement in his standards with this album. This album, together with the background score goes to show what a good director and a good story can do to inspire the music director. After listening to the songs a bunch of times, I saw this movie and was amazed at how the songs were subtly introduced in the movie at various places. The music leading to the songs was tantalizing and made me crave for the songs even more. My mind had registered the preludes to the songs so well that I could not focus on parts of the movie, as the song had already started playing in my head.

Aaromale has a beautiful guitar prelude which is used brilliantly in the movie. Hosana is the instantly likeable song in this movie and it stays with you for a while. My favorite portion of this song is the rap interlude (done by Blaaze ?) Anbil Avan with its innovative use of church organ and sannai sounds is indicative of a wedding and a celebration. However the tune reminds you of "Illamai" from Godfather (also be Rehman). Mannipaya is all about Shreya's voice and what a voice it is! The prelude to the song is one of my favorite vocal preludes to a song, although Rehman decides to go a different way with the actual song. Karthik goes solo with Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya and carries the delicate tune with minimal instrumental support. Naresh does his own solo with Kannukkul Kannai which fits in very well in the movie. My favorite of this album is Benny Dayal's Omana Penne. The song makes me feel like I am gently bouncing off a cloud while falling asleep. I could not be more happy that Benny gets a fantastic song to show his talent once again. Take a bow, Benny.

With expectations rocketing since his Oscar win, Rehman delivers a humble soundtrack that keeps with the director's script. One of the questions everyone had was if Rehman would be able to establish some chemistry with Gautam Menon in Harris Jayaraj's absence. Rehman makes this project his own and moulds the way the movie impacts audiences. That, I think is a powerful statement!

Sundari

Song: Sundari
Movie Name : Dalapathi
Singers : SPB, S Janaki
Music Director : Illayaraja

If I have not said it before, let me say it now. And If I have said it before, let me say it again. I don't think I will see a composer who is better than Illayaraja in my lifetime. If this is a bias, I am happy that I am biased towards Illayaraja's music. The word genius can be used for a few music composers in the Indian film industry - Illayaraja, R D Burman and now A R Rehman.

When you talk about Illayaraja's greatest songs, you cannot help mention Sundari. What makes this such an awesome number ? Why is it among the greatest songs every composed in the Indian movie industry ? I am no expert, but let me try and elucidate. The song starts with a brilliant string prelude - one of Illayaraja's trademarks and strengths. The strings begin as if they are uncertain, and as if they do not wish to dominate the flute, that is about to join in. The flute prelude then sets the mood of this song. You immediately know that this is going to be a sad melodious song. Once the flute dies down, the violins take over and establish a royal command over the mood. This is a sad song but it is still a strong emotion. Now, as the prelude comes to an end, Illayaraja knows that the heart of the song is the vocals, and you have to hand it over to two great singers - SP Balasubramaniam and S Janaki. So as he wraps up, he makes you leave the violins in the background and progresses to silence, with a gentle rhythm as SPB starts off strongly "Sundari kannaal oru saedhi..". As he ends his first line, Illayaraja is not done squeezing the most out of this set up. He follows it with a melodious flute piece, to hand it over to the next line "...solladi innaal nalla thaedi" and now he wraps up with another flute interlude to hand it over to the female vocals from Janaki following the same format. And now is the time for the crescendo, the vocals rise with "Naanunnai neengamaatten neenginaal toongamatten". Now if you are Illayaraja, you have set yourself up brilliantly with this rise in vocals, the strings have found something to follow and so they do. The strings in the background that are looking for just this opportunity and as SPB goes to "saerndhade nam jeevane" they rise in the background to be heard again, and to garner attention. It is at this precise point that you realize the genius that is Illayaraja. You go back and listen to this song again and realize that the strings have always been in the background. That he has been creating a song within the song. The strings tell a completely different story, albeit in the background. He has chosen a moment when the vocals die down, to reveal the beauty of these strings. And you listen joyfully now, paying more attention to the strings and you marvel at the wicked genius that is Illayaraja. Granted that he came up with a brilliant tune for the vocals. Granted that he wanted to introduce strings in the background as violins bring out the sadness in a song like no other instrument. Now sit back and think what anyone would do with this set up and look at what Illayaraja has done. And as you listen a third and a fourth time, a wonderful feeling takes over as you think you have finally understood what this song is about. The music just fills you up like no other song you have ever heard.

As I listen to this song,I can picture Illayaraja and his humble harmonium. I can picture the genius with his eyes closed reading out notes as a nervous assistant tries to keep up with him and writes it down. It is not a small group of musicians mind you, this song needs a grand orchestra. Illayaraja has collected around 120 musicians to be in sync for this song. The orchestra is not sure what they are up for, as they listen to Illayaraja dictating the notes. As he is done, he turns towards them in an unassuming manner as they get ready to play. On cue, the violins start and as the music is played out, it is perfect. The musicians are astonished to hear what their instruments are churning out. They stand up and applaud at the end of the first prelude, tears rolling down some of their eyes. Every note has found its place and a masterpiece is born!

Innalluga

Song: Innalluga
Movie Name : Prasthanam
Singers : Mahesh, Sahiti
Music Director : Mahesh Shankar

I had my doubts when I started listening to the songs of Prasthanam. Mainly because of the movie's serious sounding title. However, Mahesh Shankar was the name that dragged me to its music. Once again, he comes up with a funky breezy tune which belongs to his own genre. I like how Mahesh Shankar has created a nifty genre for himself and continues to find interesting tunes within that category. You start to follow the tune and Mahesh breaks the monotony by introducing rapid changes in the flow, that surprise you in a pleasant way! He sings this one, and he does an average job as a singer. Sahiti does a fantastic job and gets the best parts of the song.

A side note: Everyone has their own biases, including reviewers. I am yet to come across a reviewer who has not shown his/her bias in some form or the other. The only thing that differs across reviewers is the extent of their bias - some people stick to their favorite music directors/directors/lyricists/genre and downright criticize other kinds of music. Some people can tolerate other forms of music, but rarely praise others, and make it a point to definitely point out the best in their own favorites. I am the second kind and Mahesh Shankar, Devisri Prasad, Illayaraja, Rehman, Sri, Vishal Bharadwaj, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vidyasagar and a few other music directors are among my favorites. I really get a kick out of finding amazing songs from these people. That said, I know that I have my biases and hence do not do music reviews of albums, especially if I do not like some music. Music appreciation, like any other art form, is highly subjective and I don't think anyone should claim themselves to be a reviewer unless they can truly look past their biases.

Chandrakala

Song: Chandrakala
Movie Name : Adurs
Singers : Hariharan, Rita
Music Director : Devisri Prasad

Chandrakala is my latest favorite song from this movie. Hariharan and Devisri Prasad don't team up usually and you can see why. Their styles rarely go together. This song has quite a bit of range and Hariharan in apt choice for that reason. Devi takes Mani Sharma's route slightly as he introduces a western beat to a classical song. I felt the song was great without the Western beat mixed in, but I guess this is how you get more people to listen to your song these days. I like this song because Devi takes a path that he doesn't usually tread on and pulls of a very nice song.