Music of 2012

Its time to list out my favorite from music of 2012. I am boycotting Hindi music as a protest for Chennai express posters :P Even otherwise, there is nothing much for me there as I have lost interest in Hindi songs :D

This list is based on what sounded good to me and consists of songs only from those films released in 2012. So Kadal, Edhir Neechal et al will feature in next years list only :D

Songs/Albums/Artists are not listed in any particular order.

The SWEET 16 - Melodies that touched my heart

The FAST 8 - Peppy numbers that I loved

The Other Favorites:

From across the borders: From whatever little I had listened :D

Favorite Albums:

• Nanban
• Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal
• Neethaane En Ponvasantham
• 3
• Oru Kal Oru Kannadi
• Naan Ee
• Thuppakki 

Best Music Directors:

• Harris Jayaraj - Nanban, Thuppakki, OKOK
• Anirudh Ravichander - 3
• G.V.Prakash Kumar - Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal, Thaandavam
• D. Imman - Kumki
• Ilayaraja - Neethaane En Ponvasantham

Best Male Singers:

• Karthik
• Vijay Prakash
• Aalap Raju
• Special Mention: Vijay :)

Best Female Singers:

• Chinmayi
• Andrea
• Sunidhi Chauhan

Best Lyricists:

• Madhan Karky
• Na.Muthukumar

Ella Pugazhum Iraivanuke!

From Roja to the red carpet of Oscars, this man's journey has been full of excitement, pride and full of honors. He has made Tamilian proud in Indian Stage, India on the world stage and now he has made the long time dream of every Indian and Tamilian true.. That too twice...

I doubt if any other Indian winning an Oscar would have created so much of a reaction among the country people. But Rahman is one who has associated himself with every nook and corner of India through is soulful music of which no one can deny being a fan.

I feel really very happy and consider myself to be lucky to be living in the same era as him witnessing all these honors. And all I can do is salute his dedication, hardwork and his modesty after all this success...

Jai Ho, Rahman!

New Playlist 2009...

These are songs that get frequent play in my mobile everyday now and most of them run sometimes in infinite looping playlist. In alphabetical order:

1. Song: Aathichudi
Film: TN O7 AL 4777
Singers: Dinesh Kanakaratnam,Vijay Antony
Music: Vijay Antony
Favorite for: Different attempt, very peppy with ultimate fast beats towards the end

2. Song: Atlantic Oceanuku
Film: Laadam
Singers: Suchitra
Music: Dharan
Favorite for: Suchi's unique voice, western composition

3. Song: Chinnan Chirisu
Film: Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puraavum
Singers: Javed Ali, Bela Shende
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Favorite for: Javed Ali(of Guzarish from Ghajini fame), extremely sweet voice of Bela Shende, western style beats in rural song

4. Song: Dheemthanakka Thillana
Film: Villu
Singers: Devi Sri Prasad, Divya
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Favorite for: Peppy music, catchy lyrics and Divya's voice

5. Song: Eppadio Maatikiten
Film: Siva Manasula Shakthi
Singers: Clinton, Nruthya
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Favorite for: Lead vocals, slow paced rhythm, dialogue-style lyrics

6. Song: Honey Honey
Film: Ayan
Singers: Sayarora Philip, Devan
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Favorite for: Sayanora's excellent voice modulation throughout, nice beats

7. Song: Kallil Aadum Poove
Film: Anandha Thandavam
Singers: Benny Dayal, Shwetha
Music: G.V.Prakash
Favorite for: Benny Dayal's brilliance, melodious tune

8. Song: Nalamdhaana
Film: Silambaatam
Singers: Silambarasan, Earl, Suzie.Q
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Favorite for: Silambarasan's voice, supporting vocals, slow beats

9. Song: Oh my love
Film: Ennai Theriyuma
Singers: Achu,Sunitha Sarathy
Music: Achu
Favorite for: Achu's voice which is very simple and sweet as a guy next door singing it, dialogue-style lyrics

10. Song: Oru Kinnathai
Film: Indira Vizha
Singers: Balaji, Yadhish, Priyadharsini
Music: Yadhish
Favorite for: Nice remix, the female vocals

11. Song: Pada Pada
Film: Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu
Singers: Karthik
Music: V. Selvaganesh
Favorite for: Karthik, tune with classical touch

12. Song: Siragugal
Film: Sarvam
Singers: Javed Ali, Madhushree
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Favorite for: Javed's voice, sufi style composition

13. Song: Siru Thoduthalile
Film: Laadam
Singers: Bombay Jayashree, Haricharan
Music: Dharan
Favorite for: First time western avatar of Bombay Jayashree, the flute and the melody

Tamil Duet Songs Tag!!

Since this is about duet songs, I have chosen real duets, that is, songs that have both male and female voices in it. There is a huge list but these are best among the best.

There is no top 10 rating for them, so just sorted them in alphabetical order.

* Ale Ale - Boys

This song captured my senses in first listen itself. "Ale Ale" was a catchy phrase and the rest of the lyrics that speak about the effect of love were simply beautiful. Karthik and Chithra Shivaraman give a lot of life to this song tuned by maestro Rahman. The onscreen picturisation had frozen shots for first time in Tamil cinema, beautifully and grandly shot. May be that’s why my heart freezes every time I listen to this.

* Kangal Irandaal - Subramaniyapuram

The chartbuster of 2008 in voices of Belly Raj and Deepa Mariam, which marked the debut of James Vasanthan as music director. The mellifluous song with carnatic touches was an instant heart grabber for me and I am proud to be one of the first fans of this song(I had set it as caller tune the day I listened to it, when many people were not even aware of it) Yet another song about effects of love :)

* Kannukkul Yeadho - Thiruvilayadal Arambam

I don't know what is so great about this song, but every time I listen to it, I feel so happy and contented. Ever since Revathy sang "Idhuthaan kaadhal enbadha" in pudhiya mugam, everyone is trying to find out what love actually is. And this is yet another song that goes in the way of “kanne soll idhu thaan kaadhal enbadha". The main strength of the song is the melodious voice of Vijay Yesudas with support from Rita's vocals and D.Imman’s music

* Mellisaye - Mr.Romeo

The moment Swarnalatha starts her humming, I would start flying and till the same humming comes at the end I would be simply out of this world. One song that is close to my heart and my all time favorite. Tuned by the one and only Rahman, and sung by Unni Menon, Sujatha, Srinivas, Swarnalatha (at her best)... It can't get lovelier than this!

* Mudhal mazhai - Bheema

Harris Jayaraj has this unique talent of using catchy harmony for most of his songs. This one song in that trend, of course with beautiful lyrics too. The song is tunes so well that it gives you a feel of getting wet in first rain every time you listen to it. Evergreen Hariharan at what he does best-melody and Mahathi as his soulful companion take the song to greater heights.

* Munbe Vaa - Sillunu Oru kaadhal

A popular belief is that people who drench gods in honey during their daily pooja would be blessed with a voice like honey in next birth. Shreya Ghosal is one such singer, who can make fresh honey flow in your ears through music. Yet another beautiful composition from Rahman, lyrics full of love and emotions by Vaali, it is one of the best romantic melodies of Tamil Cinema. Naresh Iyer's sweet voice is yet another icing on the cake.

* Nee kaatru - Nilaave Vaa

One of the best numbers from Vijay's romantic era of late 90's. Golden lyrics from Vairamuthu that makes an exhaustive comparison of He and She to anything and everything around us. Divine music by Vidhyasagar that keeps lingering in ears whenever you think of this song. Brilliantly rendered by Hariharan and Chitra, it is a song that describes the divine form of love.

* Perunthil Nee - Pori

Yet another song that stole my heart just by lyrics. Penned by Vairamuthu again, this describes in th best way what He means for She and vice versa. And the lyricist has promptly chosen the best of everything to describe this. One of the rare compositions from the otherwise junkyard of Dheena, this song is given life by Madhu Balakrishnan and Madhushree, inspite of the latter murering the beautifully written Tamil words.

* Pudhu vellai mazhai - Roja

This is one song which no one can dislike forever. An evergreen melody from Rahman which made Sujatha and Unni Menon known to us. Think of Roja and this song, if you close your eyes, you can feel Kashmir in a moment. Such excellent feel lies in this song which (no matter if others say it is a lift off from any international number) soothes your senses like nothing else.

* Suttum Vizhi - Ghajini

People can forget Ghajini after a decade but definitely not this song. Bombay Jayashree and Sriram Parthasarathy at one of their career bests put to tune by Harris Jayaraj and written by Na. Muthukumar(if I am not wrong) beautifully written, tuned, rendered, picturised and edited, it is one of those landmark songs of Tamil Cinema.

I tag anyone who have read this post and who have not done this tag already, to complete this at their own leisure.

Villu - Audio Review

Vijay's films are known for their foot tapping hit dance numbers. Devi Sri Prasad's hit albums are popular for their peppy tunes. So a Vijay-DSP combo was expected to rock music charts with super hit peppy dance numbers. And Villu is one album that wont let your expectations down even for a minute throughout the listening.

Packed with full of youthful and vibrant songs, this is a real treat for music lovers especially for those who need some refreshing music for the ears.

Hey Rama Rama: (9/10)

The album starts with the introduction song of Vijay as per usual tradition, and this time its Amalraj who sings for Vijay. His powerful voice with a soft touch, gives the right feel for the song especially in lines like "Unga kitta anba keten". Kabilan keeps the lyrics simple and more like the words of common man, even when asking "Agadhi aana makkaluku, amaidhiyana naadu kaepaen". Kovai Sarala's harmony "Villu villu" sounds off note in the song, but may be justified by the visuals.

Nee Kobapattal Naanum: (8/10)

A pleasing melody with a lots of classical orchestration this song takes you into romantic mood. Pa.Vijay's lyrics talking about what a guy would do for his girl and what not is really interesting. Sagar's lilting voice is a perfect choice for the song. The "baby I love you" bit is extremely good, so is the short rendition of swaras by DSP in second interlude.

Daddy Mummy: (9/10)

DSP has used effectively the Aakalesthe from Shankardada Zindabad for this song. Rendered stylishly by Mamta Mohandas, this song is a perfect club number with good beats throughout. Naveen Madhav joins for the male bit in the middle and does a good job too. Lyrics by Viveka is good in parts but on the whole enjoyable.

Are you crazy: (8/10)

This short song running for less than a minute is a funny bit full of scoldings from a girl towards her guy. Sung by Divya, this is one perfect ring tone material to amuse people around you. Prabhudeva's name in lyrics credit is a pleasant surprise.

Jalsa: (10/10)

Same as the tune of title song of telugu film Jalsa, this song has a lot of energy and vibrance that instantly gets on you when you start listening to it. The Spanish lyrics in the beginning and lines like "The dance in the beat prabhudeva, the beat in music is DSP, the girl in the groove nayanthara, and to rock the floor Ilayathalapathy" give the song a very special feel. Most acclaimed Indian rapper Baba Sehgal has done a great job with his singing that too with right diction, and Rita supports him well. Rohini's lyrics also need a worthy mention here... "Nee pirandhadhu Greece ah, Nee valarndhadhu swiss-ah, madhimayakkum un nadayin mugavari thaan Paris ah" Definitely the best of the album.

Vaada Maapilla: (8/10)

This is a folk based song with lot of funny words thrown in between. You get to hear voices of Vadivelu(Dont angry me) and Prabhudeva at couple of places. Tippu and Rita do justice to the song while Kabilan's lyrics are quite ordinary. Indicates more of a visual treat but worth a listen too. "Eppidi Eppidi??? Appidi Appidi" is really cute.

Dheemthanakka Thillana:(9/10)

This is a constantly paced song with fast beats and a good amount of energy. Snehan's lyrics fits the tune perfectly, especially lines like "Kannan... naan kannanukke annan... ada leelaigalin mannan... andha manmadhanin maaman naan thaane" and use of Telugu words like "Okka saari". Devi Sri Prasad joins Divya for this song and both have done a great job in keeping the momentum of the song. Divya's voice has this sexy feel to it which works out very well for this song.

Jalsa Remix: (8/10)

This is a remix version of the other song with DSP singing along with Baba Sehgal and Rita. Neatly done without spoiling lyrics and not too much of rap for a remix. The pleasing orchestration and remix programming is an added advantage. Perfect number for dance floors.

On the whole, its an album that will be readily lapped up by Vijay fans and will appeal to all youth. On top of that, this is an album that will attract every music lover for its clean and neat presentation of songs.

Overall rating: 9/10

Verdict: Hits Right on target

Of music and movies....

My choice of favorite songs is based on the singers who sing the songs and not by the music director or the actors who act in it. I dont like many of the hit songs just because of the fact I don't like the voices in it or by the way it was sung. I feel that a voice that can hold your senses is what is important in a song and then comes the music and lyrics.

On the other hand, favorite movies have a different criteria. Unless I like the actor and actress in the movie, I never even bother to look at the promos of the movie on TV, however good it is and how many ever people recommend me to watch it. A face that makes you feel happy is more important according to me, and the director, story and plot takes a next preferences.

The above tendency makes me meditate on a few songs and movies again and again till I get bored, or till I get a new favorite. This post is just to mention about few of such songs and movies that I enjoyed recently.

I watched just 4 movies ever since I left India, call it lack of time or interest. First one was Horton hears a who, that I watched on my way in flight. Horton was made familiar to me by Vinodh once during a chat and so i decided to watch it. It was a cool animation film with a cute and affectionate elephant as the central character.

Next was Office Space, recommended by Balaji. Its a movie made almost a decade ago but is very much inline with today's corporate scenario, especially in IT world. Should really appreciate the director's forethought.

Then I watched Billa just for the curiosity of what was there in it, that it was hyped so much by everyone. I totally disliked Rajinikanth's Billa and felt there is nothing worth to remake in it. But I was wrong, because this version of Billa was something more inline with today's genre of movies. It was different to watch Ajith with less dialogues and swear lines(which I feel he is very bad at) and Nayanthara was definitely lots better than a plumpy and bad looking Sripriya. There are lot of negatives about the film but it was a good time pass and the cameraman Nirav Shah and the stylists should be appreciated for packaging the movie very well.

Then finally, I watched Taare Zameen Par, a long time pending movie in my list. It was a very emotional and touching movie especially in the second half after Aamir Khan enters. As everyone who watched the movie said, I could not control my tears towards the end. That kid Darsheel has acted extremely well and realistic and deserves lots of awards for his performance. A unique movie in this age of Hindi movies full of sex, violence and horrible comedy.

Coming to new music that I heard in recent past, one album thats lingering in my mind always is Sakkarakatti. I never had any liking towards Rahman's Hindi albums hat had come in past 4-5 years so its exciting everytime a new album of Rahman is released in Tamil. Sakkarakatti is one album that is worth the excitement.

Taxi Taxi is a very peppy and youthful number that opens up with a bang. Lyrics by Muthukumar about friendship are very catchy. Benny Dayal shines in his western avtar and Blaaze's rap is simply cool. The excellent harmony(Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali) with the Latin(or Spanish?) style beats foils well with the song's flow. Inspite of a westernised number with rap, its very pleasing to the ears unlike the efforts on same lines by other music directors. A song that has already gotten into my list of infinite loop numbers :P

Marudhaani is what Rahman is best at. Melody with western beats. Yet another "Ma" series song Rahman-Vaali combo. The interludes by Rahman himself and the harmony are excellent. I wish Madhushree sings atleast a single song without errors, but everytime she gives Tamil words a hindi face. A Sadhana Sargam or Shreya Ghosal would have definitely a better job, but Madhushree is Rahman's constant choice. Inspite of all, this is an outstanding melody number from this album, that reminds us Rahman of the last decade.

I miss you has a different pattern of music like Thazhuvudhu Nazhuvudhu and Maaja Maaja, but this sounded to me a tonnes better than those two. Chinmayi's voice has a sweet innocence attached to it, which gives the song a special feel. The constant paced and simple beats throughout the song is too good and does not eat up the words.

Chinnamma Chilakamma is the tune of the song with same title from Meenaxi. I thoroughly enjoyed this song because I hated the original version by Sukhwinder singh. Benny Dayal is one of those few singers who pronounces words with prefection and does not eat them up in the name of singing. The clarity in his voice is amazing and his voice is as powerful as Sonu Nigam's in Hindi songs. He is a gifted singer for Tamil Cinema. Chinmayi does her part well, but don't know why she was made to sing like Sayanora Philip or Malgudi Shubha in parts? :) Lyrics by Pa.Vijay are pretty ordinary and shows clearly that they are written for the tune.

Elay is of the same genre Roobaroo from Rang De Basanti and has a similar pattern. It has a very pleasing effect when you hear it. The violin and guitar that plays all through is brilliant. Lyrics by Muthukumar is more of youthful imagination(and surprisingly not childish) and enjoyable. Krish and Naresh iyer do a brilliant job.

Naan Eppodhu is the same tune as Yeh Rishta from Meenaxi, sung by same Reena Bharadwaj. Reena has a beautiful voice but an awful Tamil diction. Same thing as said about choice of voices earlier. I wish she sings atleats a single line in the song without mistakes but not a single line till the end :( The dhol beat thats there throughout the song and lots of string instruments used give the song a divine feel. Pa Vijay's lyrics are simple and meaningful.

Overall, its a great experience for any Rahman fan to listen to this album. Full of youthful vibe... Now all that has to be seen is how well these great songs are shot on screen :)

On the other hand, listening to Sathyam was an ultimate boring experience and it is the worst album from Harris Jayaraj I have ever heard. There is not even a single song that I liked to hear once again. A very forgetful album! Same with the case of Jayam Kondan, Thenavettu and Kuselan. Saroja sounded good only for a couple of songs(Cheeky Cheeky and Dhosth Bada Dhosth).

Kuruvi - The Audio Review

It is a very well known fact that Vijay's film songs are 50% audio and 50% visuals. Yet another known fact is that songs of Dharani-Vidyasagar combo are strictly for mass, and it has been proved through films like Dhool, Ghilli and Bangaram. That said, the trio of Vijay-Dharani-Vidhyasagar have delivered in "Kuruvi" more than what is expected out of them - An album that satisfies all Vijay fans and a good time pass for neutral fans.
Peppy, loud and full of energy, it is the right mix for Vijay fans if you leave aside senseless comparisions with things of past. Anyone who listens to the album in a low mood is sure to get an high spirit, to say the least. It is definitely a break away from the usual class-melody routine that Vidhyasagar has been through for the past couple of years.

Now over to the songs....

Happy New Year
Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Yogi B, Dr.Burn
Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar

The album starts with a loud bang with this number which I call in my terms as "Techno Kuthu". Sunidhi singing Tamil folk is something new and she is brilliant as ever. The Tamil Rap by Yogi B and Dr.Burn is equally enjoyable. The heavy percussions provide the perfect accompaniment for the song.

Rating: 8.5/10

Dandaana Darna
Lyrics: Kabilan
Singers: Sangeeth Haldipur

This is the third time in a row we get to hear Vijay's intro song in a different voice than the usual Shankar Mahadevan/Tippu. Use of new voice renders a fresh feel to the song and Vidhyasagar has rightly taken a note of this aspect. Sangeeth Haldipur, the famous Marathi music composer/singer and part of Channel [V] Pop stars 2, does the honours this time. For a first time non-Tamilian singer, he has managed to do a good job and delivered what is required of him - right feel, energy and heavy throated singing. What Pokkiri Pongal is for Pokkiri, Dandaana Darna is for Kurvi.

Rating: 8.5/10

Thaen Thaen Thaen
Lyrics: Yugabharathi
Singers: Udit Narayanan, Shreya Ghosal

Vidhyasagar's melodies always have a unique feel to it and he is at his usual best here too. The hindustani tune with Arabian style of orchestration gives the song a lilting touch. Shreya Ghosal yet again proves that nothing is sweeter than her voice, while Udit Narayanan too does a good job if you can forgive his awkward diction at a few places. This is one song that has the right elements to attract anyone after first few listenings. A slow poison.

Rating: 9/10

Palaanadhu Palaanadhu
Lyrics: Pa. Vijay
Singers: Vidhyasagar, S. Rajalakshmi

If you loved Thottu Thottu Pesum Sulthana(Edhirum Pudhirum) or Ithunoondu Muthathile(Dhool) of Dharani-Vidhyasagar combo, you will surely love this too. Composed in Bhangra style with lots of techno beats mixed with the Punjabi Dhol, this song will leave you dancing for the exitement it provides is magical. Thankfully, Vidhyasagar has chosen the right song for him to sing and Rajalakshmi of "Kokku Para Para" fame does a good job too.

Rating: 8/10

Theme Music
Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar
Singers: Praveen Mani, Dr Burn, Ranina and Suvi

With varying paces, possibly to be used at various situations in the film, this a rocking music bit filled with lots of mass lyrics, that will leave Vijay fans mesmerised. You may get a feel of Kabadi Kabadi of Ghilli westernised, but this song has more than that to offer. The heavy guitar fused with traditional folk percussions does what it is intended to do - rushing up the adrenaline.

Rating: 8/10

Mozha Mozhanu
Lyrics: Pa. Vijay
Singers: K.K, Anuradha Sriram

The least best is saved for the last. This is a song whose success is heavily dependent on the picturisation because the music has nothing great to talk about. Vidhyasagar-KK-Anuradha combo of the unforgettable Appadi Podu has done a mediocre job here. The disappointment leaves you searching for Srikanth Deva or Dheena as Guest composers in the credits. Completely folk in all aspects, this is clearly targetted for front benchers. Nothing without a reason, visuals will speak on that.

Rating: 6.5/10

Pluses: Fresh voices, simple and neat presentation
Minuses: Lyrics are mediocre, songs are targeted only at the youth

Overall Rating: 8/10

Verdict: Good

Save Thamizh.. Save Thamizh Lives!!!

A belated post dedicated for Tamilar oops Thamizhar Thirunaal that was celebrated on January 16th.

உன்னுக்குல் நானே உறுகும் இறவில் உல்லத்தை நான் சொல்லவா(Pachai Kili Muthu Charam)

வெக்கதை மறைதாய் கைகுலே அடைத்தாய் தன்னீரை உட்ரு குலின்திட(Unnale Unnale)

ஒரு செல்லா நாயை உந்தன் பீனால் வால் ஆட்டூறென்...
அட என்னை தவிற எல்ல பென்னும் ஆனை ஆனலும்(Kaalai)

தீபிர்ர்ரை போள் வரும் நக்க கன்னுக்கல்(Pori)

ரெகசியெ கெனவுகல் ஜல் ஜல் என் இமைஹலை தலுவுது சொல் சொல்(Bheema)

ஒர் ஆய்யிறம் ஆண்டுகல் சேம்மித்த காத்தல் இத்து(Sivaji)

சேவிதழில் நுரை அல்லி செம்பாத்தம் வறை கில்லி(Winner)

வாளுக்க்கை புத்தையலப்பா(Anbe Sivam)

கால கால நீ அடங்காத கால(Kaalai)

உன்னை என்னி என்னியே உல்லம் தான் வாடுதே(Vallavan)

ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஜூலை மலர்ஹலே ஊங்கல் எதிரியாய் ஓரு அலஹன் இருக்கிறான்(Bagavathy)

These are just samples of what Thamizh in today's film music is like. May Thiruvalluvar, Kambar, Bharathiyar and all those great Tamil geniuses give dreadful night mares to all those music directors, who, inspite of having an ocean of talents within our own state bring other language singers and make them sing without proper training on diction.

Long Live Thamizh!! :D

Cha... தமிழ் நீடூழி வாழ்க!!! :)

P.S: If you can't read and make out the above lines in Thamizh, consider yourself lucky. Because, I know how unfortunate it is to hear your own being language raped and murdered for the sake of hearing a good voice. :P

Kaalai - Audio Review

Kaalai is the best audio to open 2008's music releases along with Bheema, which got shifted from 2007 to 2008. The film stars Silambarasan, Nila and Vedhika in lead roles. The film's music is by A.R.Rahman's nephew G.V.Prakash Kumar, who already had a great 2007 with musical chart busters.

Prakash impresses once again in Kaalai with a line up of songs that caters to all class of audiences. And as usual, it features a host of popular names in the credits.Kaala Kaala
Singers: Mamtha Mohandass, Benny Dayal

This I would say is the best song in the album, sung beautifully by a beautiful Mamtha. It sounds a little bit similar to "Vallava ennai vellava" in tune and mood. The orchestration is excellent and Benny Dayal's voice is powerful as in power of the hero. There is nothing great in the lyrics though, and its sound slike dialogues tuned into a song. Mamtha starts the song on a melody note and slowly captivates you with her stylish singing. The mandolin bit towards the end is superb.

Rating: 10 - 0.6(for bad lyrics) = 9.4

Gutkha Gutkha
Singers: Lucky Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan

No one would have imagined Lucky Ali's voice in a Tamil kuthu song. Here he along with Sunidhi Chauhan gives us an excellent techno form of kuthu that will leave you dancing in joy, to say the least. The difference in such songs tuned by Yuvan or Imman is that you will still get a keyboard-in-studio effect, where as this song has the feel of a big orchestra. You feel it with very few compositions like Rahman or Harris, and you will feel it here for sure. The singers are both energetic and the drums are rocking.

Rating: 10 - 0.6(for music in few places eating up words) = 9.4

Eppo Nee
Singer: Madhushree

Madhushree is one of the most luckiest singers in Tamil Industry. Inspite of her most horrible tamil diction and a voice which sounds very similar to Sadhana Sargam, she gets to sing a lot of well tuned solo numbers even today. Surely any other singer like Shreya Ghosal would have done more justice to this song, but still it is a very good song. The tune sounds familiar but is well composed. It has a slight folk touch also. The song has some good lyrics in this album, which are unfortunately damaged by Madhushree's diction. Nevertheless, its a lilting melody that demands repeated listeing.

Rating: 10 - 1(for Madhushree) = 9.0

Kutti Pisaase
Singers: Silambarasan, Suchitra

A very fast number sung by Silambarasan and Suchitra with their fullest energy. Silmabarasan sounds really good unlike his previous songs where I always felt touch of TR ;-) It sounds like a combo of Ennasai Maithiliye and Yammaadi Aathadi from Simbu's older movies. The heavy drum beats brings in the mood of the song. There is again nothing great in the lyrics, of course it doesn't matter for such songs. There is a "Dandanakka Danakkunakka" bit which is TR's identity for mimics for a long time. :) The chorus with kids is impressive.

Rating: 10 - 0.8(as there is nothing new, bad lyrics) = 9.2

Veeramulla Eeramulla
Singers: Seergazhi Sivachidambaram, Manikka Vinayagam

A full fledged folk speaking about the spirit of the Tamil soil. The singers have done a good job and the sound of lots of folk instruments like Nadaswaram, Thavil, Urumi, Thappatai(and others whose names I don't remember) create a typical village like feel when you listen to it. There is a somewhere heard feel but the song is very good to hear.

Rating: 10 - 0.8(nothing new, words are masked by music) = 9.2

Vandhutaanda Kaalai
Singers: Rahul Nambiar, Benny Dayal, Silambarasan

The song with the worst possible lyrics, sorry dialogues which are rhyming, as in rhymes of TR. Add to that Silambarasan's full throated shouting that is loud enough to deafen you. Rahul and Benny have not much of a job to do except to sing in harmony a few meaningless lines here and there. The orchestration however is very good and is the only saving grace of the song.

Rating: 10 - 0.7(for lyrics) - 1(Simbu) = 8.3

Overall Rating: 9.1/10
Verdict: Worth a listen. Very Good.

Great talents of year 2007

G.V. Prakash Kumar: This nephew of Rahman is no lesser than his uncle. From the kid who sang "Chikku bukku chikku bukku rayile" he has come a long way and is a talented music composer and singer today. His first venture Veyil was just a sample of his talents where he brought out the flavor of the soil in his songs. Followed a string of hits with Kireedom, Polladhavan and Oram Po, not to forget his good work in the recently released audio of Velli Thirai.

The sound of his music has a Rahman kind of feel though he is slowly coming up with a style of his own. One thing I found impressive about his songs is the way he uses the singers. Be it Sonu Nigam in Vizhiyil(Kireedom) or Suchitra in Naan Alibaba Thangam(Polladhavan) or Sunitha Sarathy and Krish in Neeye Sol(again from Polladhavan) or Jayachandran in Kanavellam(Kireedom) or Alka Yagnik in Idhu enna Maayam(Oram Po), he has brought out a different dimension of their voices in these songs. And of course, Sadhana Sargam's different westernised melody Akkam Pakkam was unforgettable.

He himself is a good singer too as proved by Kaadhal Yaanai(Anniyan) and Hello Miss(Unnale Unnale). With a handful of offers in coming days, he is sure to go places with his immense talents.

Krish: Vijay Balakrishnan aka is a singer with loads of talents and a sweet, wonderful voice. His June Ponaa July Kaatre was the anthem of youth this year. I learnt from TV shows in which he participated that he was brought up in US and came to India in his quest to become an actor and a singer. In spite of this, he has such a vast knowledge of Tamil songs right from very old days, which I doubt not many of the singers have. He has sung many remarkable songs this year under many music directors and hoping that this is the start of a long journey of his voice in the music industry.

Dhanush: Good appearances alone does not make a good actor. A very ordinary looking Dhanush winning hearts with his performance film after film is a good example of this. Call it the luck that his marriage to Aishwarya brought him or the magic that his little son did for him, he is fast moving up the stardom ladder with every film. A good dancer, casual actor with boy next door looks is what makes Dhanush special. Films like Sullan are a thing of the past and now Dhanush is back with a bang with movies like "Yaaradi nee Mohini" to prove himself.

Shriya: Beauty and grace personified and her name is Shriya. One advantage that Shriya had over her contemporaries is that, she had the chance to play the pivotal role in all her films like Mazhai, Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Sivaji and ATM. In the sense, there is a part of the story in all these films that revolves around her. Unfortunately, I would say that she has not made the best use of these chances and has given just adequate performances in all these films. Hope she would make the best use of her roles in forthcoming films next year. She is a brilliant dancer, her expressive beautiful eyes playing an important role. Surprisingly, she is an actress who has always kept low profile unlike some empty vessels who appear in all TV channels giving big hype for their minuscule roles.

Santhanam: Starting off in small screen with his extremely popular Lollu Sabha, Santhanam has moved to big screen starring in a lot a big films as a comedian. In these days when actors do a variety of things sometimes interesting sometime disgusting in the name of comedy, Santhanam's style of providing comic relief by casual way of talking is well appreciated by lot of people. He has also managed to a give a good performance in serious scenes too. He surely has a great future ahead and of course a long career in cinema to prove himself(inspite of the rumors that he has died in an accident :D)

Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : The Music

All lists are sorted on alphabetical order except the Remix songs list

Best Music Directors:

(x) A.R.Rahman : Sivaji, ATM, Guru
(x) Dharan : Sivi
(x) G V Prakash Kumar : Oram Po, Kireedom, Pollathavan, Veyil
(x) Harris Jayaraj : Unnale Unnale, PKMC
(x) Imaan : Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Lee
(x) Joshua Sridhar : Kalloori
(x) Manisharma : Pokkiri, Malaikottai
(x) Vidhyasagar : Mozhi
(x) Vijay Antony : Naan Avan Illai, Ninaithaale
(x) Yuvan Shankar Raja : Deepavali, Chennai 600028, Thamirabharani

Best Music Albums:

(+) Azhagiya Thamizh Magan
(+) Chennai 600028
(+) Kalloori
(+) Malaikottai
(+) Mozhi
(+) Pachai Kili Muthu Charam
(+) Pokkiri
(+) Sivaji
(+) Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam
(+) Unnale Unnale

Best Singles:

(&) Akkam Pakkam - Kireedom
(&) Arabu Naade - Thotaal Poo Malarum
(&) Ayyayo - Paruthi Veeran
(&) Azhagu Kutty - Satham Podaadhe
(&) Idhu Enna maayam - Oram Po
(&) Kaadhal Neruppin - Veyil
(&) Kaadhal Vaithu - Deepavali
(&) Megam Megam - Kannamoochi Yenada
(&) Minnalgal Koothadum - Polladhavan
(&) Naanaare - Guru
(&) Naram Pookal - Urchaagam
(&) Oh Nenje - Sivi
(&) Oru Kalavaani Payala - Lee
(&) Oru Murai Sonnal - Sabari
(&) Ottraikannala - Vel
(&) Para Para Pattampoochi - Kattradhu Thamizh
(&) Perunthil Nee Enakku - Pori
(&) Thaaliye Thevai illa - Thaamirabharani
(&) Uppu Kallu - Karuppasamy Kuthagaikaarar
(&) Yen Enakku Mayakkam - Naan Avan Illai

Best Remixes (From No.1 to No.5)

# Ponmagal Vandhaal : ATM
# Yeh Aatha : Malaikottai
# Ennama Kannu : Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam
# Engeyum Eppodhum : Polladhavan
# Vethalaya Potendi : Billa

Best Lyrics

@ Kaatrin Mozhi (Mozhi) : Vairamuthu
@ Kelaamal Kaiyile (ATM) : Thaamarai
@ Nee Mutham Ondru (Pokkiri) : Pa.Vijay
@ Perundhil Nee (Pori) : Vairamuthu
@ Unakkul Naane (PKMC) : Rohini

Best Singers

Male
~~~~
(!) Benny Dayal:
Discovery of the year. Back to back hits in ATM. Proved that he can sing in different styles in his first few songs itself.
(!) Haricharan:
Most heard voice of the year. Arabu Naade, Megam Megam, Ottraikannala, Sariya Idhu Thavara, Vaikaasi Nilave - His hit list voice too big
(!) Karthik:
Powerful voice of the year. Ennama Kannu, Unnale Unnale, Minnalgal Koothadum, Kanavellam palikkudhe, Kaadhal Neruppin were some hits
(!) Krish:
Sweetest voice of the year. Stole a lot of hearts with most popular June ponaa. Other hits include Neeye sol, Nee Kavidhai enakku
(!) Madhu Balakrishnan:
Melodious voice of the year. Perunthil Nee Enakku and Pesaa Madandhaye are some samples
(!) Naresh Iyer:
Lively voice of the year. Hits like Valayapatti Thavile, Oru kalavaani payala, Then kudicha nari, Kaadhal Konjam
(!) Naveen Madhav:
Most energetic voice of the year. Made us dance with Pokkiri pongal and other hits like Sanda Kozhi, Kandha kadamba, Thiruchendhooru Muruga
(!) Rahul Nambiar:
Stylish voice of the year. Hits like Vasanthamullai, Oh baby, Aayiram Jannal, Para para pattampoochi among others
(!) Ranjith:
Brilliant voice of the year. Dole Dole, Nee mutham ondru, Neruppum kaayum, Uyire Uyire, Theriyaama Paathuputen showcased his talents
(!) Vijay Yesudas:
Most Versatile voice of the year. Kaadhal vaithu, Seval kodi, Sahaana Saaral, Kattabomman Oor enaku, Paarvai mele pattal, Devathaye vaa are few picks from the huge list.

Female
~~~~~~
($) Bombay Jayashree:
Rocked yet again with Unakkul naane, Uppu Kallu and Minnalgal Koothadum
($) Chinmayi:
Excellent work in Kaadhal Neruppin, Mayya Mayya and Sahaara Pookal
($) Ujjayinee:
One Valayapatti thavile was enough to speak for her talents and she rocked in a totally contrast Marilyn Monroe too..
($) Madhushree:
Inspite of her horrible Tamil accent, hit with Vaaji Vaaji, Perunthil Nee, Vaigaasi Nilave
($) Sadhana Sargam:
Her Akkam pakkam became song of girls this year. Another notable song was Naanthaana.
($) Saindhavi:
She can sing anything from vibrant Kadatharen naan unna to Melodious Kelaamal kaiyile with ease
($) Sangeetha Rajeshwaran:
Not only rocked big screen with Yen enakku mayakkam but also small screens with Ennai thedi kaadhal
($) Shreya Ghosal:
Rained honey and sugar with Urugudhe, Endha kudhirayil, Naanaare, Ayyayo
($) Shwetha:
Going higher and higher with songs like Nee mutham ondru, Megam Megam, Oh Nenje, Vizhiyil un vizhiyil
($) Suchitra:
Brilliant performances with Dole Dole, En chella peru, Naan alibaba thangam

Video of the week

Time for another Video of the week. This time its a Kannada song from "Mungaru Male" featuring Ganesh and Sanjana Gandhi. The song and the video are equally rocking. The picturaisation, choreography and editing are excellent and its the first time I am seeing a very stylish Kannada song...

Here is the video:

Rewritten "History" - A Music re-review

I wrote a review of Rahman's music album "GODFATHER" aka "VARALAARU" in my blog more than one and half years back. The problem with me is that I like the songs only if the lead singer's voices sound impressive to me. It takes time to get used to new voices and today, when I read the review, I feel that I have not done justice in reviewing the album as a Rahman fan. Having got used to the new style of Rahman's music in these 18+ months, a re-review here...

Godfather(Tamil): An album tagged with big names like K.S.Ravikumar, Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar, Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu and of course Isai Puyal A.R.Rahman. Expectations were sky high for such a combination and the result was also good. The album had announced that "King is Back".

"Ilamai" was a peppy number repeated once again as Remix version. It was sure a catchy number and was a hit like Maramkothiye(Anbe Aaruyire). A rocking song that had hit top slots in music countdowns and to got repeated all day long in Listener's choices. A very very youthful number in the album, and the duck mix was sure rocking.

"Innisai Alabedaye" was a classical melody with touches of Kuthu in the middle. Some good Tamil lyrics penned by Vairamuthu here but in the orchestration and rendition of the song by the singers, you miss out the beauty in the words. Naresh and Mahathi sounded too good in this classical song, and the chorus was simply outstanding.

"Kaatril Oru Vaarthai" by SPB and Sadhana Sargam was a wonderful melody again with Hindustani touches. The song moves in a emotional pace and the "hey hey Saahiba" chorus sounded very peppy. SPB and Sadhana's voices took you through a pleasant journey of love and emotions with this song.

"Kamma Karayile" had some poor lyrics but a great folk orchestra and chorus. And as I listened to again and again, this song surely grew over me and I started loving it. Naresh and Sowmiya were good, but a better choice of voices would have taken the song to great places. You miss out the "Kuthu" effect in the voices but the wonderful orchestration of Rahman made up for all that. :-)

"Theeyil Vizhundha" by AR Rahman had a pathos mood with Rahman's voice bringing out the painful emotions beautifully. I normally don't like pathos songs so not very impressed anyhow. One average song in the album is "Dhinam Dhinam Deepavali" mainly beacuse of its Northie kinda singers(almost half a dozen of them) with their unusual accents, making it sound like an alien song. It reminded me of Rahman's music from Uzhavan and Kizhkku Cheemayile genre and it surely sounds good in a cheerful mood.

Overall, an album more enjoyable every listening and surely impressed me very much on the whole. For die hard fans of Rahman and those who had grown up listening to him like me, this album was a big solace after listening to lot of SJ Suryah film stuff and it was an announcement for Rahman's comeback to Tamil Cinema.

A really beautiful song....

I came across this song a few days back, thanks to Vikram. Its a beautiful melody with meaningful lyrics in good Thamizh, and most important thing is its not an album from Tamilnadu or even India. Its a Malaysian private album and it really does sound very good much better than most Tamil songs of today.

Song : Kanavellam
Singer : Dhilip Varman
Lyrics : Dhilip Varman

Now, listen to the song here:

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

ATM - All Time Music

When maestros make music, it cannot be questioned. There can be no second opinions. The least that one can rate is ‘quite good’. There was a feel in me couple of years back that Rahman had lost his touch with Tamil cinema. Sillunu Oru Kaadhal and Sivaji changed my mindset. Rahman’s place in Tamil Cinema is irreplaceable. Now, the music of Swargachitra Appachan’s Azhagiya Thamizh Magan(ATM), reinstates this fact very clearly.

Starring Vijay, Shriya and Namitha, ATM has music by Isai Puyal A.R. Rahman. This album will sure be a treat for Rahman fans as well as Vijay fans. Moving away from the typical Vijay film’s music Rahman gives something extra ordinary that will satisfy all class of music lovers. The storm has just begun.

Ella Pugazhum Oruvan Oruvanukke

A.R. Rahman begins the album, packed with all punch and style. An inspirational song for youth interspersed with few lines of praises for the hero, nicely written by Vaali. The chorus that comes throughout the song is nice and the heavy instrumental pumps up the adrenalin. The hero of the song is however Rahman, who with the full throated singing especially towards the end (Maanavan Manadhu Vaithaal) makes a big impression that won’t leave you till you finish listening the album

Verdict: Classy intro for a mass hero

Rating: 9.3/10

Ponmagal Vandhal

Die hard Rahmaniacs may not appreciate this remix work of Rahman very much. But this remix version of the old song from Sivaji Ganesan’s sorgam, is something I feel like Rahman’s answer to those dozen remixes that come up every month in Kollywood. With excellent western mix(by Krishna Chetan) and the subtle rap that doesn’t harm your ears, it makes you realize how well remixes are handled by maestros. Aslam sings it simple and Ember Rap gives the right feel. And very nice mixing of TMS’s lines from the original song in the middle.

Verdict: Remix Reinvented

Rating: 9.2/10

Nee Marilyn Monroe

Completely tuned in western style with lots of English words thrown into the lyrics, this is yet another rocking song. Benny Dayal and Ujjayinee do a great job doing full justice to the tune. Benny's voice modulation is amazing, especially when he sings "Baby un DJ naan" just in the tone of DJs. The female humming in the opening and the second interlude is brilliant. The use of Punjabi style instruments shortly in the first interlude is also a brilliant fusion. The guitar that plays all along the song is simply superb.

Verdict: Western all the way

Rating: 9.5/10

Valayapatti Thavile

This song opens slowly with a nice prelude and then singing by Madhumitha . Slowly it picks up speed continuing at a constant pace. The thavil that beats throughout the song and the mild nadhaswaram bits that play every now and then, gives you the southern flavor which fuses with the well composed North Indian Qawali style of singing by Naresh Iyer and Ujjayinee. There is also a brief jugalbandhi with quite a few instruments and jadhis in the interludes. A cool string instrument, not sure what it is, starts playing in second interlude and continues all along the second stanza. The intelligent use of different Ragas and swaras in the tune as per the lyrics is simply excellent work by Rahman, again a fusion of folk and carnatic. Naresh Iyer is as brilliant as ever.

Verdict: Fusion at its best

Rating: 9.8/10

Kettu Rasitha Paadal

An excellent melody with fast pace and great beats. Well, is that possible? With the maestro’s composing, anything is Its not a straight forward tune like Munbe Vaa, but little complicated like Sahana Saaral of Sivaji or Mellisaye of Mr.Romeo. The chorus of “Paarthum Paaramale Pogum Nerangale” in second interlude is out of the world, typical Rahman. Same with the case of “Kokilam Kokilam” line. Lyrics of Thamarai is an added plus, with brilliant imaginations like "Koondhal ennum yeni yeri muthamida aasaigal undu... Netri mooku udhadu endru irangi vara padigalum undu". The brilliant rendition by Saindhavi and Sriram Parthasarathy are feathers in the cap of Rahman’s great composition. A song that grows over after every listening.

Verdict: Rocking melody

Rating: 9.7/10

Maduraiku Pogadhadi

Listening to this song, one instantly goes back to the days of Kizhakku Chemmayile, when Tamil folk got its techno form from Rahman. Usage of good number of village percussions and instruments like Sitar and nadhaswaram gives this song a very ‘Song of this soil’ feel. You got to believe that it’s the same Benny Dayal of Marilyn Monroe song who has sung this folk song. A very versatile find by Rahman. Yet another surprise is Dharshana whose voice gives this peppy folk a tinge of western. Supporting vocals are very important in such songs and it’s adequately done.

Verdict: The techno folk

Rating: 9.1/10

Go and grab your audio CD right away… It’s worth a buy and listen.

Overall Verdict: Adhiradi Isai Mazhai

Overall Rating: 9.4/10

ATM songs promo!!!

The promo songs of Vijay-A.R.Rahman combo's ATM released in Rahman's official website today with a small trailer. Expecting a great audio on October 22nd. For now, here is the promo:

The link: http://arrahman.com/promo1.html

Watch directly here:

Bheema - Audio Review

Getting Harris Jayaraj's music for a movie is like getting mom's food for lunch. You know it would be something similar something you had before, but still there is something unique and satisfactory in having it. 'Bheema' audio is just an example of the above statement. Every other song will make you think "Oh, it sounds like that one" but ultimately, you will thoroughly enjoy each of them.

The album begins with "Oru Mugamo" by Krish and Naresh Iyer. On the lines of "Karka Karka" from Vettayadu Vilayaadu, it speaks about the hero and his qualities. A very peppy intro song in Harris style. Both singers have sung in style and the full throated rendition sets in a great mood for the rest of the album.
Up next is "Mudhal Mazhai" by Hariharan and Mahathi. An excellent, excellent number that is my personal favorite. Especially the humming in the prelude and at the end is amazing. Yet another meaningless hum from Harris but sounds very very good. And the song is simply superb with both singers doing full justice to it. Mahathi's outstanding voice gives one a feeling of really getting wet in first rain while listening.

"Rangu Rangamma" is a folk based song something like "Andankaaka" in Anniyan. But there is nothing special here except for lot of percussions that reminds you of some temple festival in villages. It would have been better if Vijay Yesudas had sung it with some femlae singer. The combination of Kailash Kher and Swarnalatha sounded odd to me. :P The interlude music and the orchestration was very much like "Raakamma kayya thattu" from Thalapathy.

"Ragasiya Kanavugal" is a divine number that reminds you one of those misty romantic winter mornings. Yet another beautiful song rendered beautifully by Hariharan. Madhushree however is as usual at her best - pronouncing Tamil words like Hindi words and killing Tamil. I wonder why she is made to sing again and again such beautiful songs inspite of having so many talented singers in the industry. Anyways, the song stands out, thanks to usage of lots of typical carnatic instrumental sounds in orchestration.

Karthik effortlessly sings "Siru paarvayaale" with Harini for support. Another peppy number with nice melody. The Arabian style humming in the second interlude is quite odd and distracting from the song's flow. Otherwise, its another good number in the album.

The surprise package is at the last. "Enadhuyire" features Airtel Super Singer Nikhil Mathews along with Sadhana Sargam, Soumya Raoh and Chinmayee. Nikhil does an amazing job with his soft rendition. His deep voice and its quality adds a lot of feel to the song and makes a mark in spite of having relatively more experienced singers along side. The female leads do a great job too.

All in all, an album worth a buy and Worth a listen. The songs are as powerful as Bheema. :-)

Sivaji - The Boss : Audio Review

Nothing could be bigger than this in Tamil Cinema. AVM’s Production, Super Star Rajinikanth, director Shankar and A.R.Rahman’s music. Sivaji is definitely the biggest film in Tamil Cinema. The audio of such a huge film has been released on April 2nd. I expected a lot from this audio, feeling this should be the best, but it sounds just good to me and nothing more.

I rate the songs normally based on how good they sound in FM radio played in my bus. :-D Trust me, many songs I hated have become my favorites after I listened to them in my bus, so that’s my benchmark. :-P

I am writing about the songs in the order of my favorites. And for the claim that Rahman’s music is slow poison and all that, I am writing this review after listening to the songs lots of times in past 3 days.

Vaaji Vaaji – Hariharan, Madhushree

This I would say is the best song of the album and clearly shows Rahman is still around and is not gone as some critics claim. The music, lyrics, chorus and lead vocals are simply excellent. Hariharan is awesome with his energy of rendition while Madhushree is just okay. Though this is much better than dozens of songs where she had muttered and whined in a horrible voice doing a massacre of Tamil, I still feel Sujatha or Sadhana Sargam would have done more justice to this song. Nevertheless, a great song. “Poombaavaai Aambal Aambal; Punnagayo Mowval Mowval” piece is superb.

Sahana Saaral – Udit Narayan, Chinmayi

My next favourite, a brilliant song with its own share of negatives. There is a saying in Tamil “Korangu kaila poomalai”. That is what Rahman has done by making Udit Narayan sing this song. But for Udit Narayan’s voice this would have been a fantastic song. One cannot blame Udit Narayan, only Rahman is responsible for this. Is there lack of good singers in Tamil? Why give such a wonderful song to Udit, who in an attempt to get Tamil pronunciation right and sing in a high scale messes up with both. It looks like he is moaning with pain. Chinmayi on the other hand is awesome and saves the song entirely. Nothing so great about the lyrics. Part of the prelude music is exactly the same as the one in “Kalyaana Then Nila” from Mounam Sammadham.

Sahara Pookal – Vijay Yesudas, Gomathi Sri

This is a pathos version of the above song. Superb again. Vijay Yesudas is undeniably the singer of the year with a lot of hits to his credit and he showcases his brilliance in this song too. It makes me wonder even after hearing this voice, what made Rahman credit the other version of this song to Udit Narayan. Vijay Yesudas would have been really the best choice for the other version too. The song has just a pallavi followed by “Maale Manivanna” Thiruppavai verse rendered by Gomathi Sri. Her voice is not childish as mentioned in the Rediff review. On the contrary, it sounds too matured, that I wonder if it will be filmed on a middle aged Iyengar maami in the film :-P

Balleilakka – SPB, Raihanah

The typical Rajinikanth intro song, this time the super star will mouth great lines about Traditional Tamil culture rather than lines of inspiration. Nicely written song and executed with great music, who else can complete the loop other than SPB? Proving yet again he is the best to render intro songs for the superstar, he sings with such an energy that would put even the youngest singers to shame. Raihanah provides the required vocal support. I cannot help myself from getting reminded of “Devuda Devuda” from Chandramukhi every time I listen to this song. If picturised well, this would be the song of this year.

If all songs are good, then why did I say the album is just good? Here comes the list of disappointments.

Athiradee – A.R. Rahman, Sayanora

This is a peppy dance number. It stars off well, just starts off, after that its total disaster with respect to lyrics and Rahman’s unnecessary heavy throated rendition. I feel any other singer like Ranjith would have done a better job. It has reference to many of Rajini’s previous movie titles. The retro style Guitar strains in the interludes are nice and the female lead Sayanora(Philips) has done a great job. There are no lyrics in the song infact, it is just a string of lots of words put together. Wishing the song should be visual delight atleast.

The Boss - Blaaze, Naresh Iyer & Raqueeb Alam

The theme song that sounds like “Paatshaala” from Rang De Basanti. The lyrics are nothing but the punch dialogues of Rajini, which might appear in the film too. But they does not sound like Rajini’s punches, but more like those of T.Rajendar. There is nothing wrong with the vocals or music in this song. Its all great. But the lyrics which are supposed to be soul of this theme song are so stupid and awkward.

Oru Koodai Sunlight - Rags, Blaaze, Tanvi & Suresh Peters

The famous song that did rounds as promos with the lead pair sporting all awkward makeup and hairstyles. It carries the great message on “Karuupu and Sevappu” that is a part of all recent Rajini film songs. Other than the Spanish lines, techno beats, “Style” chorus and the singing by Tanvi, there is nothing much to write about this song. Why the hell is the song written in horrible Tamil if it has to sound so westernized? And even then, why such horrible male voices are chosen to sing the song?? Only Shankar and Rahman can answer. Its not singing, to be harsh, it sounds like shouting from a constipated person.

Overall, this is a good album, but I would rate it as the last among Shankar’s music albums till date. My rating would be 7.5/10.

P.S: For anti-piracy activists, I am yet to grab an audio CD of my own. Will get it this weekend, the review is based on numerous hearings of the songs from various FM stations of Chennai. I don’t have a pirated copy of the songs in my PC. ;-)

Appudo Ippudo - Music of Bommarillu

Still not out of Bommarillu effect, here is the song from the film sung by Siddharth Narayan. He has done a fantastic job as brilliant as a professional playback singer. A small video of half the song is also there to watch and enjoy!!! :-) Its an excellent song in terms of picturisation, music, lyrics and performance by Siddharth and Genelia...

07 - Appudo Ippudo...

Jammin - An old favorite: Part 2

Yet another favorite song of mine from Jammin series. I would say this is the best among all of them. Yeah, its sung by Sagarika Soni and Strings, with music done by Strings. Do listen and enjoy!!! :-)

jhoom_-_Pal__featu...