Rocking Star: A R Rahman

For someone who is known to break all clichés, an A R Rahman album interminably confronts three stages of clichés.

It all starts with the first reaction – ‘I don’t like these songs – they are bland – Rahman sir has lost the Midas touch – I wish Rahman sir gets back to his roots – blah blah blah’, while ‘true’ fans with a pinch of narcissistic euphemism says ‘Rahman sir’s music are like slow poison – they grow on you – wait for it’. But, once the initial euphoria is spent, comes remarks like – ‘I like 3/6 songs – am starting to like some of the songs – one particular interlude is awesome’. Inevitably, the final phase is filled with joyous remarks like – ‘the songs are out of the world – best album of the year – Rahman is God – Rahman has pushed the barriers once again’.

While this being the case of frenzied listeners, the cautious ‘critics’ crack their brains to decrypt the songs for us to understand them. But, eventually they too end up being redundant in saying ‘the use of XYZ raga in this manner is noteworthy – the improvisation of PQRS thaalam is brilliance at the best – the fusion of western and Carnatic music is honey to ears – the subtle variation in the notes & the pleasant staccato that convolute it are the highlight of the song’. Ultimately everyone ends up using superlative terms to describe what they undergo as they listen to an A R Rahman album (including yours truly). Though this showcases the lack of creativity that people have to express their views, taking their side, I feel when you are in a trance it is highly difficult to express that state through words, as rightfully said in the lines – ‘joh bhi mein kehna chahun, barbhad karein alfaz mere’.

Yet, skeptics disagree and add that it is possible to quantify those pure emotions rather than be mesmerized dumbfound. But, when a song like ‘hawa hawa’ sweeps you of your feet with its ever varying note, it is ineluctable to fly in the musical air. Besides, it isn’t really a shame to lose oneself to music of someone who can make the best of tunes, better; like how ‘seheir mein’ beautifully rendered by Karthick, gets even better under the crooning of Mohit Chauhan. Because, what we experience is something akin to going back to school as a clean slate, yet with all those fresh thoughts waiting to burst out, like the mood of ‘phir se ud chala’. Yes, there is bound to be a struggling phase in naming those thoughts which were then creeping on the back of the mind, now taking center stage making us think – ‘iss lamhe ka kya kar jahun?’ But it doesn’t leave us in limbo; it asks us to question what we know, question what we want to know, to make us understand us/our desires better and to keep them with us, what is rightfully us (sadda haq – aithe raq).

In this defining journey that one undergoes all night spinning to the tune of music & thoughts within, the euphoria that fills the heart on attaining the profound state & this saturated being can only shell out superlative words.

Jhootha Hi Sahi

Music: A.R.Rahman

There is talk that, post-Lagaan that Rahman, excels only in experimental music. As a follower of his music I sincerely believe Rahman’s output depends more on the director’s ability to create the picture for him than the milieu. After all he is not a magician to produce something out of thin air. Jhoota Hi Sahi is another example of that. The outline of the songs may sound very familiar and could even remind you of the director & composer’s previous collaboration. For instance ‘cry cry’ could very well stand in for ‘kabhi kabhi aditi', ‘call me dil’ for ‘kahin to’, ‘I’ll be waiting’ for ‘tu bole’; there is an offbeat dancer number here too which goes like ‘maiya yashoda’, apparently having a remix version too. But the similarity ends there for the novel factor to take control; and how it controls! It creates a time wrap where we are constantly subjected to pleasant surprises; and goose bumps too. Is it the soothing melody that these songs provides on the whole?

Jhoota Hi Sahi is the breeziest album of Rahman in recent time surpassing the melodic Vinnaithandi Varuvaya. It acts like Italian wine which goes in smooth and engulfs us like a slow poison. Take ‘cry cry’ for instance; when was the last time you heard African beats in a melody? The superior re-recording never lets you feel the hard hitting sound. Instead you hear the swift flow of violin and cello accompanied by the rustle of guitar. This being engaging at one level the attitude that Shreya brings to the song taking off from the sweet Rashid Ali elevates the songs to another level. ‘Maiya yashoda’ is not short of surprise either. The élan with which Chinmayi attains and shifts between different octaves keeps us hooked to the song which itself marches forward gradually to rapid pace as it heads towards the coda.

While ‘Maiya yashoda’ is a mixture of bajan and dhandhiya music, ‘hello hello’ is techo blue in its true sense. The swaying notes of violin which acts like an extension to the pleading tone of Karthick brings the songs alive, aided by the eerie telephonic sound that places itself aptly. The cadency of violin shifts to super flowing piano for ‘do nishaniyan’. Sonu Nigam at helm here guides this bitter sweet song through various levels of crescendos in both versions of the song.

True to its name, Shreya pops into the scene with ‘pam pam para’ in all gusto drawing inspiration from her ‘Latoo’. Her girlish energy is such overpowering that at times it feels like is she that good or the tune is such so? Guess this is what they mean by true singing. But why have they spoiled this wonderful song with poor sound output balancing of the chorus? Thankfully such mistakes don’t occur in ‘I’ll be waiting’, the best song of the album which is an ensemble of crème de la crème. Vijay Yesudas using the old charm of classic jazz, scores as high as the reach of moon and lands us in utopia. The paced down rendering of the motif which circumvents the pulsating notes of piano backed by trumpet is one of the high moments of this song. If ‘I’ll be waiting’ was romantic, ‘call me dil’ is a heart wrenching number. Rashid Ali like a pro, travels through the mood of this indie pop number and renders a gem of a song.

Komaram Puli

It’s been a long time since Rahman played to the gallery. He tried it in Blue and other recent ventures of his only to be caught between experimentation and cacophony. With S.J. Suryah, Rahman did get back to the balance that he used to maintain in his hay days of commercial cinema where the songs regardless of the experimentation were always foot tapping and catchy, pleasing everyone. Though the audacity of the director to don the grease pant was frustrating, it was sheer pleasure to witness them on silver screen with all the gloss and not the mellowed down situational ones where the songs were pushed to the background. But with Komaram Puli we will get to see Pawan Kalyan so the visual segment of the song will surely be entertaining. And the songs? Lets get to them one at a time.

Power star (Vijay Prakash, Tanvi Shah)

Techno songs are always not easy on ears. With Rahman at fore we know with the kind of experimentation (ring tones, car crash et all) it is bound to be bizarre. It starts with the drums beating to the well known police theme in Arabic influence fused with synthesized sounds creating and eery feel whispering ‘power star’. It’s a cocktail of sorts after that, when the ream of lyrics patronizing the ‘Yuva star’ moves from the electronic feel to folkish style, backed by the genre trademark ‘organ’. Any hero worship song from Rahman is not complete with the “hai hai” sound and here it is combined with “blue blue” cry, reminiscing us of the blue theme. The beauty of this cocktail is that after getting the grasp and when the familiarity sinks in, the peppy adulating lyrics and the intricate modulations especially whenever Vijay intensifies the mood as he acclimates to the top scale, grabs our attention.

Amma thale (Naresh Iyer, Swetha Mohan)

There is the celerity and then the melody. It seems to be repeating in loops. So what is this song? Doesn’t it sound like it was poorly tacked together? If you stop right there, then you are going to miss something special. As we take that notion away, the celerity becomes a breathless travel into the nooks in whips, pacing our heart only to be soothed by the melody. But the melody now doesn’t remain only that; it becomes more of a funny retaliation to the rambling antecedent and the fun increases with the curt notes of the violin & trumpet. So what if the celerity is borrowed by “thee kurugiya” song from Kangalal Kaithu Sei with heavy accent from “markandeya” of New; when each complete note of that saranam layered using different instruments, attention turns to the variation that Swetha brings to the note joined later by Naresh. Though Naresh intensifies the tune to a great level, the “na nana na” hampers the flow, only to be saved by the faithful trumpet with which Naresh swiftly transforms the song into a classical one at the coda.

Maaralante (A.R.Rahman & KMMC Choir)

Maaralante is a double treat in that it will become the anthem of Andhravalas and as a song that will become the identity of Power star for the rest of his life. What is with Rahman and patriotic songs? When he sings them, even the average tune raises goosebumps and with lyrics which highlight the importance of change, the impact is even higher acclimating to greater heights when he touches the top note for rendering “maa telugu thali” backed by the cherubic choir; reminding us the “mannipaya” of VTV effect. Rahman takes the song to the next level when he increases the tension using carefully arranged instrument in the other half of the song, which when we thought was the best it could get to, knocks us out with the superb placement of Chandrabose’s punch line as the finale.

Maham Mahamaye (Javed Ali, Suchitra)

Sometimes we just have to hand it over to the guys behind the microphone and let them enthrall us. Even though Maham Mahamaye seems to be Shankar Mahadevanish, Javed Ali gets into the groove and comes up with a rendering that is packed with passion and gusto. The consistently flat Suchitra is beautified with disciplined singing that falls between zeal and childish joy. The alternation between staccato and the melodic note of the pallavi that the singers perform in the later part of the saranams, the majestic symphony in violin and the confluence of these two towards the finale ends the song in a content note.

Dochy (Shreya Ghoshal, Lady Kash 'N' Krissy)

Gangster blues seems to have become police blues for this club number. The rustic & erotic mood initiated by Krissy carries over to Shreya Goshal which she blends well with the wiggling setup of the notes leaving us in trance. The way she renders lowering notes of “aashalatho anveshanatho aapai aapai adigai” and then climbs higher only to touch down safely into our heart, makes us forget that this is just an item number. The Arabic orchestration with organ sneaking in between at equal intervals under the aegis of synthesizers takes us to an elevated state; not to mention the firing sounds and the prickling guitar that fills the entirety of the song.

Namakame (Chitra, Madhushree, Harini)

Should there be only one tune, when a lady is praying to the God? Why does Rahman repeat the same tune be it in Lagaan, Swades, Jodha Akbar (interestingly all Ashutosh Gowarikar films), Connections and now in Komram Puli? Lack of novelty apart, the choice of different voice whenever there is a change in the notes and different combinations of them makes the age old song intriguing and when Chitra takes over with an alaap backed by mouth organ like sounding trumpet we are sent back to the Duet days.

Blue

Director: Anthony D’Souza

Film music has always been what the director demands and how the composer improvises the situation, no matter how clichéd ore lame the situation maybe. Sometimes great songs turn out to be poor due to the non-existent sync between the director & the composer and ordinary songs turn out to be extraordinary all because of the situation and picturisation. A.R.Rahman’s Blue could become an example of either of the situation.

Hindi music sans Punjabi flavour being a rarity these days, Lee Hom Wang’s “deep in the bamboo groove” & JoJo’s “Baby its you” inspired “Chiggy Wiggy” turns out to be the punjabi version of “maya maya” with Sonu and Kylie replacing Maryem Tollar, Keerthi and the flavour intensifies in “Blue-theme”, the desi-version of the cross-over theme song from Chandini Chowk to China, but with “Aaj dil”, a typical sea adventure kind of self-indulgent song backed by the youthful voice of Shreya & rustic Sukwinder, ARR enters his comfort zone of Jazz (modern jazz here) which settles down to classic jazz in the beginning of “Rehnuma” (possible song of the album) and springs a surprise with the “Arabian nights” and “Thazhuvudhu nazhuvudhu” inspiration, rendered arduously by Shreya and Sonu, the lines of Abbas, who seems to have influenced “Kahin toh” into Rashid Ali’s soulful “Bhoola tujhe”, and yet comes up with the funky & witty “yaar mila tha” sung enthusiastically by Udit and Madhushree with minimal instruments usage by ARR compared to the heavy techno rendering in “Fiqrana” by Vijay, which has the catchy alliteration leading to the high octane motif of the song followed by the soft voice of Shreya for this situation mover song.

Aadhavan

Music: Harris Jeyaraj


Soft notes backed by liberal and yet delicate strings of the guitar, singers rendering in lower scale; their high pitch notes which dangerously abuts melancholy, the chorus humming the tune in pop style or like a pathos, the saranams of the songs being just fast slow fast slow versions of the pallavi or nothing related to the mood created by the initial motifs, incomprehensible words or mere noises becoming interludes: these are the set pieces one could find in any of Harris’ compositions. With all these to his backing, Harris shells out his 29th album from his repetitive factory only to surprise us this time with the different proportion of the same ingredients.

Hasile Fisiliye (Karthik, Harini, Dr. Burn, Maya)

The adagio rendering of “Byile Bylamore”, “Hasili fisili” builds up into an allegro movement preceding the rap, with Karthik taking over with his enticing humming, complimenting the rush of feeling as expressed in the lyrics and finally Harini breaks the ice with her charming voice. The addition of Dr. Burn in this version is another highlight.

Yeno Yeno (Shail Hada, Sudha, Andrea)

“Yeno Yeno” , yet another “Blue” inspired number from Harris, has the perfect classic pop feel given by Andrea and the synchronization of her’s and Sudha’s voice, followed by the MJ inspired rap and backed by chorus towards the end has top notch sound editing.

Dammaku (Benny Dayal)

The beautiful mouth organ introducing us to this number and the protagonist in turn with this song breaks into a rhapsody, preaching us the MGR-Kanadhasan principles, but Benny with his joyous modulations, especially “rasa vantha lesa pada” makes you appreciate this number, a better attempt from Harris in terms of intro songs.

Varayo (Chinmayee, Unni Krishnan)

The melody of the Piano which broaches us into the world of tender love in the form of Chinmayee’s voice backed by guitar and piano, ‘Varayo’ flows blandly until Unni attempts at singing high notes in a whisper, introducing ‘r’ and ‘z’ to the words, especially during the crescendo. The cello which sweeps us off the feet with its tragic sound and then the increasingly intensified cry in the form of opera which falls sharp at the coda, all backed by the piano is very exhilarating.

Dekho Dekho (Suvi, Sandhya, Sri Charan)

An attempt at depicting the cultural differences, Dekho a reminiscent of Samurai, Arasatchi, Ghajini, is a cacophonous collection of rap, pop and Indian classical, which could have worked if not for the poorly written carnatic notes.

Maasi maasi (Mano, Mega)
The unbearable African sounds and arrhythmic two syllable note sung by Mano, concoct into ‘Maasi Maasi’ a reminiscent to his ‘Muquala Muquabula’ and also ‘aatama therotama’. This African style song does have great usage of drums.

Harris does have gone for innovative usage of instruments and also succeeded to a certain extent in fusion, the highlight of this album which has poor lyrics. The irritating two syllable alliteration (wannabe) still continues in this outing as well and yet the change from feminish male singers who sing only in one style is a relief and that does the trick.

Aayirathil Oruvan

Date: Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:27 PM

Film: Aayirathil Oruvan

Music: G.V.Prakash Kumar

The fifth outing of Selvaraghavan has G.V.Prakash Kumar at the helm of the music stable. When it comes to Selva’s film the soundtrack usually has his stamp all over more than the music director’s with the songs expressing the emotions and status of the characters or used as a tool to move the story forward. Great amount of importance is usually given to the orchestration which is used to express the body language of the character or a change of phase. Thus the tracks usually have a story to tell supported immensely by lyrics resulting in a musical of sorts which is what Indian films were all about. Yuvan usually plays around the concept commercializing the songs but GV here has stayed true to the theme and it has come out enchantingly.

Maalai Neram
(Andrea Jeremiah, G.V.Prakash Kumar)

A song on the realization of love after separation, “Maalai Neram” is Indi-pop to the core with the melodious flow of guitar in the background. Supported by Selvaraghavan’s lines which are very fresh yet simple, Andrea renders a clean number bringing out the subtle changes in the mood that her character transcends. The sudden guitar notes that come as the interludes hammering the swift flow of the tune could have been avoided.

Oh Eesa-Club mix by Bigg Nikk

It’s a ready made fast food kind of remix dished out which relays on Naveen’s flute to get the haunting feel while highlighting the orchestra of the original topped with standard sounds that one could hear in a remix number.

Un Mela Aasadhaan
(Dhanush, Andrea Jeremiah & Aishwarya Dhanush)

Falling in the lines of a typical Yuvan number, especially of “Adada” from ‘Sarvam’, “Un mela aasadhaan” is a song about the confrontation of the intoxicated three principle characters relating to love, explicitly demarked by clever lyrics and the slang of rendering them. The Arabic influences in the sound do bring about the drowsiness the song is set upon followed by the haunting effect while the mythologically philosophic lines are rendered. Danush and Aishwarya- the voice of Reema Sen are at ease here with Andrea pitching in.

Indha Paadhai
(G.V.Prakash Kumar)

A song portraying an optimistic sailor on cruise, ‘indha paadhai’ is a western sea number which delineates more into details like bringing out sounds of the ocean especially the violin and opera depicting the waves but concentrates less on the actual song that the song becomes a rhetoric rendering of a majestic sailor. The notes of the guitar seem to have a great influence of “yaar iravanai” number from ‘Ooram po’.

Oh Eesa-Composer's mix
(Karthik, Andrea Jeremiah & chorus)

The composer’s mix of a spiritual song about Govinda, “oh Eesa” a song depicting the quest by the principle characters, sets up a puzzle-made more effective by the piano notes at the beginning, with the lyrics by Selva and Andrea first praising at length about Shiva and ends with seeking help from Vishnu. The ancient sound coupled by the electric guitar enhances the overall effect of this groovy number.

Celebration of Life
(Naveen)

As the title suggest this instrumental attempt at portraying the celebration of life. It starts of with slow invocation which transcends into various forms of haunting notes played magnificently in flute by Naveen and backed by apt orchestration.

The King Arrives
(Neil Mukheriee, Madras Augustin Choir)

This instrumental begins with a typical ancient court room entry tune for the king and shifts to present day entry background score for the hero in the form of heavy guitar and drums while interspersed with church Choir.

Pemmanae
(P.B. Srinivas, Bombay Jayshree & Chorus)

A haunting devotional song pleading to Lord Siva more in the form of a chant, “pemmanae” is in line with illayaraja’s thiruvasagam score. Vairamuthu’s soulful lyrics sung in a majestic manly voice by Bombay Jeyshree and backed by Srinivas is apt. The unique style of chanting ‘om’ increases the eeriness of this number. The scary backing vocals supported by great orchestration enhance the spirituality level that the number carries.

Thaai Thindra Manne-Classical Version
(Vijay Jesudas)

Arguably the most disturbing song of this album, “thaai thindra manne” as the line implies is an assault by a King on his land which then turns into cry by him at the state of his people post the land being devastated. The orchestration which includes the near extinct rudra veena and traces of yali, stays true to the chola period. Vijay Jesudas is simply outstanding in rendering the lyrics of Vairamuthu depicting the soberness of the king while maintaining his kingly attitude.

Thaai Thindra Mannae
(Vijay Jesudas, Nithyasree Mahadevan, Shri Krishna)

Another version of “thaai thindra mannae” has a female teasing the king after his downfall. It also has an interesting telugu based dancing conversation between the female and another person increasing the puzzle the song carries. The song starts with the damaru sound playing as a background which then leads to the best part of the song when the king cracks down into a curse as to why rule a kingdom that is ruined, where the orchestration highlights the significant lyrics and enhances the song to scary heights with the sound of om as the base symbolically depicting the rudra thandavam.

A lot of research has been done to create the sound of the movie which has various phases. Na.Muthukumar’s absence doesn’t make a big difference as Selva steps in more perfectly. Only the person who had created the character knows well how they will feel and that shows in his lyrics. Andrea, the find of the album can give Bombay jeyshree and the north Indian imports run for their money with her not so bad pronunciation and clean singing. Comparison surely arises with the music on a whole as Yuvan had till now given Selva the apt sound for the mood he wanted to create. But this soundtrack shouldn’t be compared to Selva’s earlier ventures owing to the unusual genre the music is catering to that of spirituality and war of the Chola dynasty influenced by the kalingas, pirates, archeological expedition and finally three varied expressions of love. Aayirathal Oruvan’s soundtrack is one among the thousand that stands tall amidst the thousand.

Ghajini

Date: Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:33 AM

Film: Ghajini
Music: A.R.Rahman

Guzarish (Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam)

The song of the album, Guzarish has got great fusion of mandolin and the electronic sound of the keyboard followed by Sonu's enchanting humming. The use of electric guitar as background is shear intelligence. Javed treats our ears by singing those complex notes in an elegant manner.

Aye bachu (Suzanne)

Suzanne starts of great with the threatening lyrics but slips a bit while rendering "jhoom le jhoomjhama" mainly due to out of sync note and lyrics there. Apart from that part this all girl band kind of song packs in all the rock needed to make the song enjoyable.

Kaise mujhe (Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghosal)

A typical high pitched Rahman number we often listen rendered competently by Benny, unfortunately after Shreya joins him one would feel he could have done better. Was it because he sends out so much air while singing? Though not a great song mainly due to the lyrics, it sure is soothing to the ears.

Behka (Karthik)

Rahman at his experimental best has tried to fuse modern day Jazz with hip hop here. This funky number has the most entertaining yet romantic lyrics in this album which has been rendered sincerely by Karthik especially the finale. In the era of plagiarism, it is encouraging to see Rahman mention in the CD that he has licensed some sample tunes for using in this song.

Latoo (Shreya Ghosal)

Rahman plays to the gallery and how he does that in style can only be known only after hearing the song. Shreya sings with great zeal and carries a punch in her diction adding to the fun factor. One can feel her enjoying herself while singing. The Punjabi flavour adds variety to this great song.

Kaise Mujhe(Instrumental)

If anyone was not happy with the original version, this instrumental will more that satisfy them. Great orchestration especially when the tune is being played in flute and piano. The humming by chorus elevates the beauty of the song.

After four big hits this year, Ghajini is the first album for Rahman in a masala entertainer after a long time. The songs of this album do take time to sync in even by Rahman standards (which usually needs 2-3 times listening) but carry the Rahman stamp all over even while he tries the Pritam and Vishal Shekar style in Latoo. An album worth listening to for the variety it provides.

Rating: 3/5

Yuvvraaj

Date: Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 12:44 AM
Movie: Yuvvraaj

Music: A.R.Rahman

It is always difficult to review an ARR musical when he is in full form. Because with so much layers forming different textures the songs might leave us without words. Yuvvraaj manages to do that to a great extent. Now to the songs

Main hoon Yuvvraaj
(Salman Khan with the 5th of Beethoven)

Salam backed by wonderfully played fifth of Beethovan, speaks about his character in this introductory track which explains his arrogant character both with music and words.

Tu mera dost hain
(Benny Dayal, Shreya Goshal)

The violin mixed with opera kind of voice followed by another note in the violin itself proves this song is going to rock. Benny then takes the song to the next level with his wonderful singing. But wait Shreya Goshal comes as an angel and transports us into another with liberal help from apt lyrics. The string instruments simply amaze us in this song. Watch out for the marvelous ending note by Shreya in this song.

Shano Shano
(Sonu Nigam, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy,Sunaina, Vivianne, Tina)

A hip-hop style disco song which is laced with an electronic feel, this song has wonderful sound arrangement. But the problem with the song is the enthusiasm is not felt throughout and the fault is not with the singers; maybe the tune shouldn’t have been indianised in-between. Look out for the haunting rendering of ‘Shano’ in the song- simply amazing.

Tu muskura
(Alka Yagnik, Javed Ali)

Another master-piece, this song also starts of with violin notes similar to the one in ‘Tu mera dost hain’. The tune itself is a continuation of that song without resembling it. Alka and Javed give full justice to this soothing number. This song too has a great finale.

Mastam Mastam
(Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnk, Naresh Iyer, Benny Dayal)

Very energetic song, sung with great fun and love by Sonu. Alka brings the needed grace and beauty to the tune. The instruments and additional sounds play a major role is bringing alive the enthusiasm especially the roaring of lion; after a long time organ has been used to its fullest strength here.

Zindagi
(Srinivas)

Following the wonderful beginning, Srinivas completely takes over this soft number with passionate singing. The background helps him set the mood for the song which will be played again and again by people who are down.

Dil Ka Rishta
(Sonu Nigam, Roop Kumar Rathod. A.R.Rahman)

The best song in this album in terms of depth in instruments and conceptualization, Dil Ka Rishta completely sweeps us over with its marvelous composition and great symphony. It is very difficult to place it in a particular genre provided the varying style of singing and notes in the background. Sonu and Roop Kumar are at their best while A.R.Rahman is simply great in his potpourri style singing. It can easily become the song of year beating ARR’s earlier contenders.

Manmohini Morey
(Vijay Prakash)

Relatively unknown singer, Vijay completely surprises us first with his baavam. Before the song ends one surely wants to bow down in front of his talent to sing these complex notes with such beauty-“vaa! Ustad” The electronic feel given as background is the icing in the cake.

Shanu- Remix by Krishna Chetan
(Ember )

Surprisingly an ARR number that is better in the remix version. Ember brings in the much needed style to this song. The additional sounds provided here are simply wonderful; a number sure to be played in the clubs across the nation.


ARR has gone for complete experimentation in this album keeping in mind the demand of the script. Even the situational songs which usually are below average sound refreshing here. A must listen album for all lovers of music.

Varanam Aayiram

Date: Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Varanam Aayiram

Music: Harris Jeyaraj

Adiye kolluthe(Krish,Beny,Sruthi)

Literally killer of a song to kick start the album. The powerful lyrics blending with different moods of the guitar makes the listeners shake their legs for the rocking tune. Krish with the feminine husky voice and Sruthi with full open throat are marvellous.

4/5 stars

Nenjukul peidhiudum(Hariharan,Devan,Prasanna)

No singer in the recent past has sung with so much passion and love as Hariharan does in this song. Thamarai is brilliant with the unusual and yet contemporary words. The soft flow provides a soothing feel throughout.

4/5 stars

Yethi yethi(Beny,Naresh,Solar Sai)

Muthukumar proves it's his forte with the line "Raja nan raja". This fun song having energetic vocals has an interesting flow in the instruments arrangement, with drums, guitar and clapping sounds taking turns to overwhelm us.

3.5/5 stars

Mundhinam(Naresh,Prasanthini)

A breezy romantic number rendered softly by the lead singers, "Mundhinam" is backed by beautiful lyrics. Naresh and Prashanthini's voices supported by the guitar gives a wonderful listening experience.

4/5 stars

Oh! Shanthi shanthi(Clinton,Charan)

The faster version of "Nenjukul peidhiudum", "Oh! Shanthi shanthi" has Clinton giving the song a classy touch. Charan does full justice to the tune. The guitar takes the center stage again here.

3/5 stars

Anjala(Karthick,Prasanna)

Though a very good attempt, the flat composition doesn't sound appealing. There seems to be a random shift in mood from fun to sorrow very often, which hampers the flow of the song.

2.5/5 stars

Annal mele(Sudha Ragunathan)

The song completely belongs to Sudha Ragunathan. Harris has opted for subtle sounds for the song completely letting the vocals take the center stage. The intelligent lyrics which carry with it an old flavor add to the USP of the song. This song is certainly a fitting way to end the album on a high note.

4/5 stars

Though most of the songs have guitar as the base, they represent various moods and situations, catering to different tastes. Harris scores full marks with his wonderful sound engineering skills. To sum up Varanam Ayiram is an album that should not be missed.

Verdict: 4/5 stars

Satyam

Satyam
Music: Harris Jeyaraj

Ada dada

Composed by reducing the tempo of the song “arakonathil arambam” of ‘Arasatchi’ and fusing it with rap, this song sung by premji has nothing new to offer.
Chellame
Can Bombay Jeyshri sing only in this style? Or is it Harris’ proven inability to extract talent? This song sounds every bit like “sakiye” of ‘Dhaam Dhoom’. The sadness in the song is so sober that, it irritates the listener at one point; so does the Chinese like humming.

En anbe

Just because Harris composed an original tune for the movie ‘Munna’, why are we given the same tune time and again? Sadana Sargam takes you to heaven the same way she did with “manasa” the original version. The fusion between guitar and piano and later with drums is gratifying to say the least.

Ivan udaiyum

Supposed to be the introduction number for the protagonist of the film, the song is similar to ‘oru mugamo’ of “Bheema”. Hariharan tries to save the below average composition at vain.

Pal papali

The song starts off like “vadiyama jakama” of ‘Thirumala’ and then shifts to “edhuku pondati” of ‘kizhuaku chemayile’ for the two saranams. It’s another ‘why should I listen to this song?’ number from Harris.


Harris Jeyaraj in his silver jubilee album has become nostalgic than usual, as a result keeps on revisiting his previous compositions often. Recording style and mixing has always been Harris’ forte and he proves that here too with soft sounds. But are they enough reasons to hear songs which come with a big question mark over their authenticity and some irritating tunes accompanied by sounds?

Verdict: 1 ½ stars.

Saroja

Date: Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Film: Saroja
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Dosth
(Haricharan, Naveen, Rahul Nambiar)

Yuvan has gone for heavy mixing of his past compositions in this song. The song starts like “kannai vitu” and shifts to “yededho” both from ‘Pattiyal’. He has also used “ayiram jannal vidu” of ‘Vel’ at parts. The instruments are the standard ones we hear in a song based on friendship. On the contrary the song has a breezy and soothing feel attached to it, which makes it hum able.

Kodana kodi.
(Mohammad Aslam, Ranina, Kavi)

Heavy mixing of tunes continues to this number as well. This song is based on “Cheli chamaku chamaku” of ‘Adavari Matalaku Ardhale Verule’. The instrument arrangements and notes are similar to what was used for “Billa”. The tune also reminds us of various Illayaraja’s compositions. But the energetic punch given to the song seems to have done the trick. It easily becomes the pick of the album.

Nimirndhu Nil
(Shankar Mahadevan)

It reminds us of various songs of Yuvan. The orchestration is also nothing to rave about. On can’t find any reason to like this number.

My Life
(Tanvi)

Though a decent effort, the authenticity of the composition remains a big question. The sound quality is very poor as well.

Aaja Meri Soniye
(Vijay Jesudas, S.P.B.Charan, Prem G Amaran)

One of the saturated tunes of Indian music industry has been used here. The lyrics are very ordinary as well. Nevertheless the song carries a melodious feel which makes it passable.

Cheeky Cheeky
(Yuvanshankar Raja, Matilda, Nirdhiya)

Heavily inspired by various English albums, the psychedelic sounds mixed with futuristic sounds, used in this song leave an impression.

Yuvan as usual has been inspired by various albums to create the audio track of Saroja. Few songs do strike a cord with the listener. But it is not enough to create a worthy album, especially when the authenticity of those songs remains an unanswered question.

Verdict: 2 stars. (For the humming factor the songs has with it.)

Sakarakatti

Date: Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Sakarakatti
Music: A.R.Rahman

"Taxi Taxi"
Singers: Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali. Lyrics: Blaaze, Na Muthukumar, Viviane Chaix

Rahman brings us the song of the year in the form of Taxi. It's a 'crazy frog' meets our very own 'bling linga ling' song, which surprisingly has wonderful lyrics, very rare to find in a fast number. Instrument arrangements and programming helps raise the bar for this marvelous number. Even though other singers have done well, Viviane simply makes us frenzy with her voice modulation.

"Marudaani"
Singers: Madhushree, A R Rahman, Hentry. Lyrics: Vaali.

Faintly similar to the song 'Uyire en uyire' of Thottijeya at parts, this song has everything that a melodious number should have: sweet humming, wonderful chorus, great vocal, soft notes in piano all accompanied by charming lyrics. But the spark is missing somewhere. Nevertheless it's a soft number which soothes you.

"I Miss You Da"
Singers: Chinmayi, Indai Haza. Lyrics: Na Muthukumar

Rumored to be picturized on futuristic New York, the song is laced with sounds depicting it. Though a good number, it doesn't take your hand to the repeat option. It is one of those songs, which is meant for the visuals; on the whole a haunting futuristic number.

"Chinnamma"
Singers: Benny Dayal, Chinmayi. Lyrics: Pa Vijay

Based on life in the streets of hyderabad, this song composed for the movie "Meenaxi" is borrowed here. Sadly it's used a peppy love song. Yet it's a very entertaining number with lot of layers showing different facet each time you listen to them. The dominance of instruments does bother the listener at times.

"Elay"
Singers: Krish, Naresh Iyer. Lyrics: Na Muthukumar

The word 'elay' rendered in typical village slang of the south with the backdrop of cowboy style instrument arrangement itself shows the novelty of this song. Vocals are very effective especially when they sing 'mossa mossanu valandhu vittom'. It's without any doubt Muthukumar is the star of the song with his wonderful lyrics. The guitar and violins complement them beautifully.

"Naan Epoudhu"
Singers: Reena Bharadwaj. Lyrics: Pa Vijay

Another song used from the movie "Meenaxi"; Naan epodhu is based on a Rajasthani folk. Reena's voice is a pleasure to hear. But the synthetic enhancement of vocal instead of enhancing the feel only dampens it. Thankfully it is compensated by the innovative sounds.

Each song is completely different from other, representing various moods. If one dismisses the fact that two songs are not fresh compositions, it will surely be the album of the year. Even though it cannot be declared an enthralling album, it never stops exciting you. That is the Rahman magic and it hasn't dimmed all these time.

Rating: 3 ½ stars/ 5.

Ada

Published in Nxg-The Hindu

Date: Mon, May 26, 2008 at 12:25 AM
Film: Ada

Music: A.R.Rahman

Hawa sun
(Sonu nigam, Alka yagnik)

Resembling 'udhaya' of "Udhaya", the soft tune carries a heard before feel.

Gumsum
(Sonu nigam, Alka yagnik)

Everything about the song seems to be the reworking of 'vaaji' of "Sivaji".

Gulfisha
(Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam)

A typical Sunidhi song, but that is the same reason why you may not be impressed by this song, as it's something which doesn't need a Rahman.

Maherbaan
(A.R.Rahman)

Even though like the previous songs this one is also good, the tune being that of "pray for me brother" does irk you.

Tu mera
(Chitra, Sukhwinder Singh)

Falls under the line of 'varugirai' of "Anbe Aruyire", fortunately it's just an inspiration.

Hai dardh
(Udit Narayanan)

The song though not a great effort, makes you get along the mood with major help from the singer.

Ishq ada
(female version-Parul Mishra)
(male version-Rashid Ali)

The pick of the album comes in 2 versions. While the male version is more of fun, the female version has more depth. Rahman again proves his talent in blending sufi and western music.

Muje milo
(Alka yagnik, Jayachandran)

Structured on the theme of "Kanathil muthamital", it is also inspired from the saranam of the song 'iniji idhupazhagi' which again was inspired from a R.D.Burman number. Rahman always hides his inspirations by rendering the notes in high pitch, this time it hasn't worked much. Yet the listeners instantly forget these resemblances as the song progresses.

Before judging one should remember that these songs were under the pile for 4 years. The uncertainty over the release of the album leaves Rahman every right to use these numbers. But the album having been released, as an ARR fan we don't want repetition. Yet it's a very engaging album.

Verdict: 2 ¾ out of 5 stars.

Jaane tu ya jaane na

Published in Nxg-The Hindu

Date: Mon, May 26, 2008 at 12:23 AM

Film: Jaane tu ya jaane na

Music: A.R.Rahman

Kabhi kabhi
(Rashid Ali)

Rahman's interest over Devi sri prasad's music shows here as it's the reworking of 'apudo ipudo' of "Bommarilu".

Pappu can't dance
(Blaze, Aslam, Tanvi, Anupama, Benny, Tanvi, Darshana, Satish)

With a host of singers singing, the song sure makes your feet move. But the tune and instruments aren't fresh. The remix version doesn't offer much as it's more like the remixes we hear from Shankar-Eshan-Loy.

Jaane Tu
(Runa Rizvi)

Rendered well by Runa, the song provides her with many cute variations. Had an original loop as the background for the song been used, it would have enhanced the feel.

Nazarein milana
(Swetha, Naresh, Satish)

Great use of vocals blended with guitar makes the song enjoyable. But the resemblance to 'yuhi chala' of "Swades" especially the interludes coupled with the heard before tune hampers your interest.

Tu Bole
(A.R.Rahman)

Rahman brings the jazz of the 70s here. But having used the same feel and instrument arrangement in "Silunu oru kadhal" and "Iruvar" we feel there isn't much new here.

Kahin To
(Rashid Ali, Vasundhara Das)

It's definitely the pick of the album. But Rahman could have avoided the standard high pitch -higher octane instrumentation at the end which has become very common in western classic.

Jaane Tu
(Sukhwinder Singh)

The sad version exhibits melodramatic rendering of the tune which surprisingly doesn't bore you mainly due to Sukhwinder. The violin bit which resemblances the one used in 'uyire' for "Bombay" could have been avoided.

The album carries a western feel through out mainly because the movie promises to be a western romantic comedy. It would have become the best album of the year had Rahman shown more innovation; which he is prone to do, with the sounds.

Verdict: 3/5 stars.