Playlist 0109

Here is the list of songs that I've been listening to this month.

* Kannil Paarvai (Shreya Ghosal), Om Siva hum (Vijay Prakash) and Pichai Pathiram (Madhu Balakrishnan) from Naan Kadavul. Almost all the songs from Naan Kadavul are in my playlist with these three being played very often.

* Mella Oorndhu (Ilayaraja) and Onnukkonnu Thunai (KJ Yesudoss) from Nandhalala. Both the numbers are equally soothing. Hmmm... as soothing as a lullaby.

* Vizhi Moodi Yosithal (Karthik) from Ayan. A thumping melody from Harris Jeyaraj.

* Chinnan Sirisu (Javed Ali), Kadaloram (SPB Charan) and Oru Nimisham (Velmurugan) from Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum. Yuvan in fine form. A special mention to the haunting lyrics and outstanding vocals in Oru Nimisham.

* Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (Yuvan) and Oru Paarvayil (Ranjith) from Siva Manasula Sakthi (SMS). Rich orchestration in both the songs.

* Masakkali Masakkali from Delhi-6 by AR Rehman. I've only a little exposure to Hindi songs. I love this song. Music arrangement in this song is very innovative. First time I'm listening to such a stunning orchestration. This songs gives a different feel. Words fail me. Thumbs Up Oscar Nayagan AR Rahman.

* Mudhal Murai (Harini, Hariharan, Tippu) from Adhe Neram Adhe Idam. A good melody by Premji.

Share your thoughts!!!!

Regards,
Vini...

Siva Manasula Sakthi (SMS) Music Review

Jeeva-Yuvan, the combo which has delivered two mind-blowing albums Raam and Katradhu Thamizh is back with Siva Manasula Sakthi a.k.a SMS.

The fast paced, peppy number "MGR Illeenga" is instantly likable with catchy lyrics even though there is no fresh idea in orchestration. A passable track. "Oru Adangapidari" sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Swetha fails to impress despite the catchy flute interludes. Third song, "Eppadio Maatikitten" sung by Clinton and Nruthya has very good orchestration and nice interludes. But the tune is really boring and so are the lyrics.

Aah... Two songs of the first three songs are average. Doesn't that set the tone for the rest of the album? Let us see...

Fourth song is the highlight of the album. "Oru Kal, Oru Kannadi" sung by Yuvan himself. A hio-hop melody. Lovely lyrics by Na. Muthukumar, impeccable arrangement of music, excellent interludes join hands with not-bad vocals of Yuvan Shankar Raja. And the result? A beautiful melody is ready. Best song of the album.

"Thithikkum Theeye" sung by KK and Swetha is another passable track. The orchestration certainly reminds you of "Endha Kudhirayil" song of Satham Podathe. Not only the orchestration, even the small musical phrase sung by Swetha that comes in between the song, matches with "Praana Naadha" lines of Satham Podathe song.

The second version of "Oru Kal, Oru Kannadi" is a complete disaster coz of Adnan Samy's vocals.

Wow... Beautiful Keyboard and Violin combination makes the short melody "Oru Paarvayil" delightful. I wish this could have been a full song.

Yuvan's orchestrating ability sparkles in four songs. But what is the use when the main melody/tune is not appealing? Yuvan miserably fails here.

To write the verdict in SMS format,
An avg album frm d gr8 combo, Yvn-Jva. SMS s nt as gd as Raam/KT. Btr luck nx time. Tc.

Regards,
Vini...

Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum - Music Review

Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum is the second challenging album (after Paruthiveeran) for Yuvan Shankar Raja to showcase his ability in composing tunes that give a complete rural feel.

"Kadaloram" with SP Charan's vocals and "Chinna Sirisu" with Javed Ali and Bela Shinde vocals are simply soothing melodies with beautiful lyrics and matured orchestration. The orchestration in the former does remind you of Paruthiveraan music at times. However, tune is genuine and the vocals very clearly reflect the character of the songs. Good choice of singers.

"Oru Nimisham", an oppaari song sung by Velmurugan is a disturbing number. A special mention to the lyrics that convey the pain of the male being left alone by his girl.

The second version of "Kadaloram" with Yuvan's vocals is a number to be avoided mainly for the irritating vocals.

In the Kuthu (or Koothu song) song "Muthathu Pakkathil", Yuvan uses his father's "Nandhavanathil oru Rajakumari" tune. The last song "Nan Dharmanda" is a noisy kuthu song that fails to impress despite SPB's energetic vocals. The tune, orchestration, instrument arrangement are something which we have heard so-so-so many times.

Well, to conclude, KPKP is no Paruthiveeran, but a good album overall. A decent attempt that gives the rural feel but, only partly.

Kunguma Poovum komjum Puravum - Kuthu Paattum, Konjum Melody-yum.

Regards,
Vini...

Indians' Oscar Dream is just 30 Days away

A R Rahman has been nominated for Oscar Award. Yes, he has made the whole India proud by notching up three Oscar Nominations.

• Best Original Score - Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Original Song - Jai ho
• Best Original Song - Oh Saya

Trivia:

• Slumdog Millionaire has won 10 nominations in total.
• There is only one competitor for "Best Original Song" category. A track from Wall E has been nominated with these two songs of Rahman. That indirectly assures that we've won the Award.

Let us put across our prayers and wishes!

I did not think it will get there, it’s unbelievable, says our humbleness personified AR Rahman.

Wish AR Rahman All the Very Best!!!

And, remember,

India's dream of winning an Oscar is just 30 days away.

Exultantly proud and joyful,
Vini...

Ayan - Music Review

Harris Jeyaraj is in decent from in Ayan.

"Nenje Nenje" sung by Harish Ragavendra and Mahati is a beautiful duet. The interludes are good, the second interlude in particular. "Vizhi Moodi" sung by talented singer Karthik turns out to be the best song of the album. An appealing melody with mind-blowing orchestration. Harris has tried something different in this song, especially in the second interlude. Well done!!!!

Fast paced "Pala Pala" fails to impress at the start, but as the song progresses to the Charam part, it really starts cathing your attention. Harris-Hariharan combo once again succeeds. The other two songs "Aayiye ayiye" sung by Benny, Chinmayi and "Honey Honey" sung by Sayarora are pretty ordinary tracks.

Verdict:
With three good songs Harris does it once again. Composer once again strikes the right chord in choosing the singers. A decent album overall.

Regards,
Vini...

Music Reviews: IndiraVizha and Adhe Neram Adhe Idam

Indira Vizha (Yathish) - Music Review

Has five tracks in total. The song "Mogama Motchama" sung by Hariharan and Sujatha is simply enthralling despite the little familiar tune. However the song is worth listening! Orchestration is too noisy that masks the lyrics. "Sexy Sanyasi" and "Kashmir Konduva" are noisy tracks. Another shameful attemt on remix. The remix track "Oru Kinnathai Yendhugindren" is simply irritating. Shankar Mahadevan's is the only saving grace in the noisy kuthu song "Bumper Vacha".

Adhe Neram Adhe Idam (Premji Amaran) - Music Review

"Mudhal Murai" is a pleasant surprise from Premji. An excellent melody with pretty decent orchestration. "Vennilavu" is a passable melody. The other tracks that include"Adhu oru Kaalam", "Namma ooru chennai" and "Toshiba" are below average songs.

Regards,
Vini...

Nandhalala - Music Review (Detailed)

Yes. IR has created the magic once again.

With, Mella Oorndhu, Ilayaraja proves that he is still a versatile singer. Age no bar. His melting voice perfectly suits the mood of the song. Starting with a beautiful prelude, the song dwells in our ear so soothingly. Lyrics by Na. Muthukumar deserve a special mention.

Magical voice of KJ Yesudoss sir is addictive in "Onnukkonnu Thunai Irukku". A song with mindblowing orchestration and mind-expanding lyrics by Mu. Mehta. Raaja's decision of choosing KJY for this song works out really well.

A typical sad song of Raaja packed with nice interludes is "Thaalattu ketka", sung by raaja himself. Hmmmm... This song is not as good as the previous two. This song reminds me of some of his works of 80s. Even though there are no complaints against Ilayaraja's singing, I feel that he could have chosen a different singer for this song. Anyways that's just my personal opinion.

"Kai Veesi" starts with an interesting prelude and flows very pleasantly with dazzling vocals of Vijay Yesodoss and Swetha.

Ilayaraja together with his grandson Yatheeswaran rock in "Oru Vaandu Kootame". Ilayaraja's way of singing in 2nd Charanam doesn't sound so good :( . Overall the song is superb with interesting interludes.

The last track "Elilea... Elilea..." by Saroja Ammaal (NariKuruvar/Gypsy). The only thing I can mention here is, this is the first time we get to hear such a different track in Tamil Music. A good try indeed. Nothing else to write about this track.

Verdict:
As the name implies, "Nandhala" is a sweet lullaby to our ears. It's sad to hear that two tracks "Kai Veesi" and "Oru Vaandu Kootame" have been excluded in the movie. Both are good numbers, especially the former. Mysskin disappoints Ilayaraja fans.


Regards,
Vini...

Nandhalala - Music Review

Detailed review here!!!

Nandhalala album is one reason, why we are still crazy about Ilayaraja's music! At last, Nandhalala music has come to replace Nan Kadavul songs from my playlist.

1. Mella oorndhu oorndhu - Ilaiyaraaja - Na.Muthukumar - Breezy melody with beautiful lyrics.

2. Onnukkonu - KJ Yesudas - Mu.Mehta - KJY's recent best. Soul stirring melody again with excellent lyrics.

3. Thalaattu kEtka nAnum - Ilaiyaraaja - Muthulingam - Another slow song. Mesmerizing orchestration!

4. kai veesi - Vijay Yesudas, Suwetha, Mathu Balakrishnan, Rahul, Chandrasekar - Pazhani Bharathy - Can't comment on this now.

5. oru vAndu koottamE - Ilaiyaraaja, Master Yaththeeswaran - Kabilan - Needs repeated listen. I'm not ok with Raaja's voice in this songs :? :roll: :oops:

6. eililEa eililEa (Gypsy song) - Saroja Ammal - First time in Tamil Cinema, we get to hear NariKuruvar song. Hats off!!!

Yet another excellent album from Ilayaraja!!! Kudos to Nandhalala Team!!!

Detailed review here!!!

A Phenomenal Achievement!!

A.R. Rahman has won the "Golden Globe Award" for Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. One of the most prestigious awards. He has made the whole India proud.



Hearty Congratulations!!!

Wishing him All The Best to bring India an Oscar!!

Hats off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


On cloud nine,
Vini...

Tamil Film Music 2009 - A detailed preview!

Said bye to 2008 which was not a great year for Tamil Music. But 2007 was a great year for Tamil Music, IMO.

Having passed a boring year, what can we expect in 2009?

2009 will definitely be a good year for music lovers. How?

Maestro Ilayaraja has started this year with an extraordinary album "Nan Kadavul". This will be one of the best albums of the year 2009 and will be ranked somewhere in the top.

Here is a list of albums which would be released in 2009. These albums would definitely be a treat for musical lovers, I believe.

Starting with Maestro, IR will have his Nandhala releasing next month. The expectations for this album were already high. But it has now gone sky high after Nan Kadavul release. Then comes, his "Kadhal Arangam", a movie with a different script (as said by the director) which sheds lights on libidinal thoughts of youngsters. IR's score will definitely be extraordinary for such an offbeat theme. Then you have Valmiki, Mayilu in IR's list.

AR Rahman will have his Chennaiyil Oru Mazhai Kalam, Endhiran (tentative), Maanavar Dhinam, Maniratnam's Asokavanam and KS Ravikumar's Aadhavan starring Surya. After a long gap, we will have minimum 3 Tamil albums of ARR this year.

Maestro's son Yuvan Shankar Raja will be the Music Director of this year I guess. With more than a dozen of movies in his packet, he''ll be on the roll this year. Some of his albums include rustic Yogi and Kunguma Poovum Konju Puravum, peppy tunes in Sarvam and Muthirai, scintillating melodies in Siva Manasula Sakthi and Kadhal 2 Kalyanam. Loveable songs minimum guaranteed for Yuvan fans. His few other projects include Paiya, Maa, 16, Goa, Aarnya Kaandam etc. As a Yuvan fan, I'm very much eagerly awaiting the release of at least 10 albums this year.

Harris Jeyaraj's Ayan is awaiting the release. Looking forward to "Asal" where he teams up with Ajit for the first time. Once again he teams up with actor Surya for "Aadhavan" directed by KS Ravikumar.

The music director who'll steal the show should be GVP whose last release was stunning Anandha Thandavam. GV Prakash will have good albums releasing this year. The one I'm eagerly waiting is "Aairathil Oruvan". The other one is "Angadi Theru" in which we may see Veyil GVP. Any other movies he has got this year? Let me know!

I have no idea about the albums of VidyaSagar. His 1977 has been released while his Peranmai with Jananathan is in pipeline.

Dharan's Poda Podi and James Vasanthan's Naanayam are also in the list of promising albums.

To conclude, 2009 is definitely a great year for Tamil Music.

Share your thoughts...

Regards,
Vini...

Naan Kadavul Music Review Ver 2.0

For Nan Kadavul Movie Review

Last week, I wrote my review after I listened to the songs! But this time, I'm writing after I experienced the music of Nan Kadavul!

Saturday night, I had to go on for a journey of 600 Kms in Car. Night Journey! Whenever I go on for such journeys, I load at least 150 songs in my mobile to make my journey pleasant and untiring! This time too! I prepared a play list of 150+ songs (incl. 3 songs from Nan Kadavul) and started my journey! But, strangely, I had no interest in listening to those songs. There wasn’t a perfect mood! I couldn’t enjoy the songs!

So, I switched to Nan Kadavul playlist where I had only three songs from Nan Kadavul (Kannil Parvai, Amma un kovil and Siva Om) and put it in loop!!! Believe me, I never went back to the other playlist! Listened only to these three songs for over 30 times! Ilayaraja made my journey pleasant! BOW!!! Here is the detailed review of those three songs.

Kannil Paarvai – Shreya Ghosal

A beautiful melody with mind-blowing orchestration. Wow!!! Amazing lyrics tell us the emotions of a blind girl. Shreya’s voice is good for this song but certainly not the best. She could have sung this with ease. I feel a strain in her voice which spoils her diction at times! However, her voice is mesmerizing in this song!

யார்க்கும் போல் ஒரு அன்னை, தந்தை, எனக்கும் இருந்தது உண்டு.

யார்க்கும் போல் ஒரு தேகம், தாகம், எனக்கும் வளர்ந்தது இங்கு.

யார்க்கும் போலே விழிகள் இருந்தும், உலகமோ இருளில்.

Om Siva Om – Vijay Prakash

The song that creates a vibration, especially the rudhra mantras that come in between! Udukkai, Mrithangam sounds pierce the heart of the listener. Vijay’s rendition is unparalleled especially when he says “Aham Brahmasmi Om Om”. Every bit of orchestration and the interludes are powerful. In particular, the music from 3:30 to 4:20. It does create a vibration when listening! Hats off to Ilayaraja!

Amma un Pillai – Sadhana Sargam

First thing that comes to my mind is Sadhana’s rendition. A good song (even though old) spoilt by her voice. When Chithra, Sujatha, Chimayi are around, why did Ilayaraja choose Sadhana?? Huh! Definitely a mistake!

Sadhana’s diction of words like “PeNN”, “KaNN” are pathetic! She even says “Pillzhai” instead of “PiLLai”!!

Then comes the weak orchestration that spoils the mood of the song. The song starts off so well but fails miserably in the first interlude. As the song progresses to first interlude, the flow of the song is disrupted by the western-like beats. The divine feel, mood of the song is completely spoiled. Valee at his best once again! Mind-expanding lyrics indeed!

ஜென்மங்களில் பாவம் பெண் ஜென்மமே.

பந்தங்கள் என்று சொன்னால் துன்பங்களே.

பெண்களை சிலையிலே தொழும் என்ற உலகம், ஏன் சொல்.

Pichai Pathiram – Madhu Balakrishnan

A complete song. No complaints. Madhu Balakrishnan’s career best! What a voice.

I’m being carried away by emotions. I’m still listening..sorry.. experiencing the songs... I think only his Nandhalala can get me out of Nan Kadavul songs!

Kudos to Ilayaraja! A special thanks to Bala for making this kind of movies.


Raja Brahmasmi Om Om!
Raja Brahmasmi Om Om!

Naan Kadavul Movie Review

Regards,

Vini...

Naan Kadavul Music Review

With Naan Kadavul, Ilayaraja takes us through a journey of devotional music!!! The divinity in Nan Kadavul songs pierce the hearts of the listeners!

Om Siva Om, sung by Vijay Prakash, is a kinda devotional song with Mantras on Lord Shiva. The overall orchestration is mindblowing! And, yes, one gets the feel of going through spiritual tour! Only IR can create this magic!

Shreya Ghosal's sweet voice aptly suits the mesmerizing melody "Kannil Paarvai". Starting with a solo violin prelude that conveys a lot of emotion, the song is so soothing to ears.

Equally good is Ilayaraja's "Oru Kaatril" (another version of "Kannil Parvai" with different lyrics)!

Sadhana Sargam's vocal adds more charm to "Amma Un Kovil" song. A neat melody!

Madhumitha's "Madha un Kovil" is good, but is too short to make any impact!

"Pichai Paathiram", the song that was composed for Ilayaraja's devotional album "Raman Malai" has been reused. This time song sung by Madhu Balakrishnan. One gets the feel of listeneing to the devotional song of KJ Yesudoss, when listening to this song. Madhu's voice sounds very similar to KJ Yesudoss's voice in this particular song! Laudable!

Overall, the albums gives us a feel of touring to some spiritual places!!! Ilayaraja all the way!!! Kudos!!!

From my heart:
This one of the albums that rarely we get from TFM. Well, Ilayaraja has begun this year with a great album. Hope this year turns of to be a great year for him and for other music directors as well!!! Eagerly waiting for Nandhalala album!!!

A detailed Second review here!

Naan Kadavul Movie Review

Regards,
Vini...