Music Review (Tamil): Thozha

Music Review (Tamil): Thozha
Music Composer: Gopi Sundar

         Baby Odathe is a short peppy lively song with entertaining brass arrangements dominated by trumpet and drums. The tune is a cakewalk for Shankar Mahadevan and he delivers the song with ease while propping up the average tune. Puthitha, breezy Harris Jayaraj'ish tune handled deftly by ever reliable Karthik and he exudes charms with his vocals throughout the song. Gopi Sundar's graceful arrangement with live drums, clap sounds and lovely spasmodic violin solo in the interlude make this song worthwhile listen. Madan Karky's lyrics flow seamlessly along with the tune.Eiffel Mele folksy predictable tune made interesting by the nifty touches in the orchestration like undermined percussion, nadhaswaram bit along with mandolin interspersed throughout the song. Ranjith and Suchitra sounds apt in this listenable carefree song and lyrics sound discordant with the folk base.

            Enaduyire rides mainly on the soulful rendition by Vijay Prakash and Gopi Sundar chip in with the minimal arrangements using mellow guitar strums and keys. The composer creates a tantamount effect with a far minimal setting with ample support from the lead singer. Thozha has typical soft rock base and Gopi spruce up the song with his arrangements while Anirudh and Haricharan did a fantastic job in rendering this predictable song. Gopi's splendid usage of violin amidst the cushy drums and guitar strums being the highlight in an otherwise passable song. Door No, Geetha Madhuri's vocals and arrangements bear an undeniable Telugu flavour  and the tune is tried and tested umpteen number of times in multiple Telugu item songs. Gopi didn't add much flavour to the song and the song is adequately foot tapping which may make an impact along with visuals. Nagarum has trademark Gopi Sundar elements throughout the song with rousing violin usage, guitar strums and hummable tune which is made lively by cheerful arrangements. Karthik lends his support for the beautiful melody with his fab vocals as always.

Verdict:  Gopi Sundar plays safe for his big ticket outing with lively cheerful casual songs and the tunes just flow along without major glitches.

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Puthitha, Nagarum, Enaduyire

You can listen to the songs in Youtube.

P.S: Edited versions of the review is available in Moviecrow.

Music Review (Hindi): Ki and Ka

Music Review (Hindi): Ki and Ka
Music Composer: Ilayaraja, Meet Bros, Mithoon

Jaz Dhami and Yo Yo Honey Singh's High heels is rehashed in Ki and Ka by Meet Bros with Aditi Singh Sharma's filler vocals and the song is adequately catchy. Ji Huzoori rides mainly on the soulful rendition by Mithoon and the chorus portions are adequately immersive. Mithoon's neat arrangements make this one enjoyable listen till it lasts. Most wanted Munda starts off well but turns into the tedious monotonous listen while the interludes in this mediocre song being the only solace. The song's another version named Kabir most wanted Munda too didn't add any value to the album. Pump it work out song is another passable song and the song may blend well with the visuals but not as a standalone track in the album. Ilayaraja delivers the enjoyable track in the album Foolishq and the song has signatures of the veteran with Shreya Goshal props up the tune really well.

Verdict: Ilayaraja and Mithoon's songs stand out in this highly anticipated movie from Balki.

My rating:7/10

Pick of the Album: Foolishq, Ji Huzoori

Music Review (Hindi): Rocky Handsome

Music Review (Hindi): Rocky Handsome
Music Composer: Sunny Bawra, Inder Bawra, Bombay Rockers, Ankit Tiwari

Bombay Rockers rehashed their decade old Rock the party again in Rocky handsome and the tune is adequately catchy and infectious one with nifty guitar strums especially in the interludes. Television serial composers enters into this multi composer soundtrack with Rehnuma, rides mainly on the ever reliable sweet rendition by Shreya Goshal while composers prop up the song with neat breezy pleasing arrangements. Though Aye Khuda starts off in a predictable note, composers make sure to engage the listeners with soaring portions in the middle and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's rendition deserves special mention. The song's duet version is more enjoyable with Shreya Goshal's vocals prop up the lovely relaxed tune. Bawra's final song in the soundtrack is an adequately engaging techno sound carried off with ease by another proficient singer Sunidhi Chauhan and she oozes out the admirable energy in this techno laden track. Ankit Tiwari's Alfazon Ki Tarah being the only weak link in an otherwise adequately listenable soundtrack and the song suffers mainly from the templatized tune once can associate with the composer.

Verdict: Rocky handsome is an adequately engaging functional multi composer soundtrack with Bawra brothers delivering fine tracks among the composers.

My Rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Rock the Party, Rehnuma, Titliyan

You can listen to the songs in Saavn.

Music Review (Tamil): Zero

Music Review (Tamil): Zero
Music Composer: Nivas K Prasanna

Uyire Un Uyirena, enchanting beautiful melody embellished by simple ear pleasing arrangements with Navin Iyer's flute and Ragavendra Rao's Violin steals the show in this lovely opening feel good melody number from composer. It's refreshing to listen Anirudh's vocals in the melody after string of madras kuthu songs by him. Kabilan- Nivas duo after Vinmeen Vithayil delivers winner in this album also.Engae Ponai, another laid back melody dominated by minimalistic orchestration with keys and  Keba Jeremiah's charming guitar strums especially loved the classical twist with guitar in the first interlude. Vijay Prakash and Neeti Mohan own this tuneful track with their mesmerizing rendition which takes time to grow on the listeners.

Veredhuvum Nijame Illai another exquisite melody from Nivas rides mainly on the wonderful rendition by Haricharan and he sweeps the listeners with his vocal range. Nivas equally delivers in arrangements front also with elegant score dominated by light drums, piano and mesmerising flute sections. Madhan Karky's poetic lyrics adds further beauty to the track.You are in my heart, out and out English number with classy score from Nivas and Natalie Di Luccio's splendid operatic rendition gives the international feel to this track. Natalia once again steals the show with her singing after Aila Aila number in I especially arousing operatic singing towards the end accompanied by drums and blissful string sections.Nivas ends the highly melodious soundtrack with comparatively fast paced number in the album Indha Kaadhal Illaiyel while the composer still maintains the melody quotient intact without compromising the fine balance between techno sound and vocals. Overall fitting engaging finish to the highly tuneful album from Nivas K Prasanna.

Verdict: Nivas K prasanna, after slight hiccup in Sethupathi, delivers highly tuneful classy elegant soundtrack which surely captivates the target audiences. Once again Nivas proves that he is one of the promising young music composer in tinsel Tamil music industry.

My rating: 9/10

Pick of the Album: Uyire Un uyirena, Veredhuvum Nijame Illai, Engae Ponai

You can listen to the songs in Saavn.

P.S. Edited version of the review is available in Moviecrow.

Music Review (Tamil): Aagam

Music Review (Tamil): Aagam
Music Composer: Vishal Chandrasekhar

Muttale, enjoyable techno kuthu songs spruced up by Vishal's imaginative arrangements while Anthony Dasan and Sendhil Dass's ever reliable rendition make this song  enjoyable although the tune is a strenuous listen after few minutes into the track. Tholaindhaen partially works because of the Vishal's guitar strums and techno mix and the passable tune is the downside  whereas Jagadeesan does the neat job behind the vocals. Fly by is another passable templatized techno pop sound without any wit. Shilpa Natarajan's rendition being the only take away from this conventional techno-laden track. The title track works marginally better than the previous techno track due to the rap artist Mickey and JC rude and also nicely done mixing by Vishal.

Verdict: Vishal Chandrasekhar's techno soundtrack Aagam lacks punch and falter without making any impact on the listeners.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Pick of the Album: Muttale, Tholainden

P.S. You can listen to the soundtrack in Youtube.

Music Review (Tamil): Aviyal

Music Review (Tamil): Aviyal
Music Composer: Vishal Chandrasekhar, Shameer Sultan, Antony Dasan, Raghu Dixit, Javed Riaz

Masura Pochey has quite an eccentric retro  tune crooned fabulously by Ghantasaala Raju while composer Shameer Sultan does the brilliant job in the arrangements with foot tapping rhythm elements, soft drums throughout the song and guitar usage in the end. However, Shameer Sultan's lyrics irks especially the title of the song. Vishal Chandrasekhar continues to showcase promise in Avial too with his laid back expanding esoteric tune in Kaatrodu which is handled deftly with ease by Anandi Chandrasekar. Though the tune is not an instantly catchy one, Vishal's experimental attempt needs to be lauded and Surya Balakumaran marks his presence with his lyrics which befit the tone of the song very well.

Cinemakaaran, composed and sung by Antony Dasan and Mani Amudhavan's lyrics showcases the adversities faced by Kollywood fraternities. Apart from the Antony Dasan's singing, Vishal's arrangements with motley of quirky sounds throughout the song is the highlight of this track and the song is enjoyable till it lasts.Raghu Dixit forays into the mainstream music and marks his debut in this lovely folk song Aviyal. Raghu's title track stays true to his musical sensibilities with an exquisite mix of Nadhaswaram and Raghu Dixit's enjoyable singing. Though the song is relatively of  short duration, composer ensures the fun quotient of the song remains intact from start till end. Of the two instrumental tracks, Vishal Chandrasekhar's many moods of accordion scores really well for its brilliant usage of accordion and deftly handled upbeat string sections to bring out the theatrical European feel to the instrumental. Another instrumental track, fight till finish composed by Javed Riaz falls flat compared to the other songs in the soundtrack.

Verdict: Alphonse Puthran delivers delectable and eclectic Avial with the help of five composers for an anthology film and each composer excels in their respective songs.

My rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Title track, Masura Pochey, Many moods of accordion

P.S. You can listen to the songs in Youtube.

Music Review (Tamil): Pokkiri Raja

Music Review (Tamil): Pokkiri Raja
Music Composer: Imman

Athuvutta Athuvutta raucous techno kuthu song filled with the spate of punchy percussions and composer's trademark sounds. Imman does the justice for the song's energy with his throaty vocals and makes up for the conventional tune tried and tested umpteen number of times by Imman itself. However, the song is sure to create waves in the radio for its easy mass connect feel. Imman proves his mettle in an ear-pleasing melody Rain Rain go go where rhythmic percussions along with jubilant second interlude and underplayed violin towards the end amidst the rainy ambience make it work. On the top of it, Neethi Mohan's lovely rendition brings further charm to this track while Varun Padmanaban lends his notable support to this track.

Bubbly Bubbly's sole silver lining being the lovely usage of accordion and few nifty sounds with Celtic touch in an otherwise stale tune which lacks the instant catchy factor. Papon and Maria Roe Vincent's rendition also failed to elevate the level of the song.Taaru Taara is another high octane track with eerie tune in the grungy vocals of Divya Kumar. The song is filled with Imman's templatized orchestration with percussions and blaring guitar strums. The song may work with visuals but not as a standalone song in the soundtrack which makes it another forgettable track in the album.Waltzing whistle is pretty much neat and decent whistle theme adorned with lovable violin and string sections throughout the theme track.Athuvutta's reprise version, Imman kept almost everything intact as in original version, however MC Rude's de trop rap portions bogs down the track's fun while Vishal Dadlani's makes up for the grouses with his energetic rendition as always.

Verdict: Pokkiri Raja is another average work from Imman barring the occasional sparks in the orchestration, the album is filled with uninspiring tunes.

My rating: 7/10

Pick of the album: Rain Rain go go, Athuvutta

P.S You can listen to the songs in Saavn.

Music Review (Hindi): Zubaan

Music Review (Hindi): Zubaan
Music Composer: Ashutosh Pathak

Music is my art, an undeniable nod to Justin Beiber's Take you aside, the song is adequately groovy enough with scintillating vocals from the lead singer Rachel Varghese. Ashutosh Pathak's techno sounds works seamlessly without any hindrance. Dhruvtara appears monotonous in tune wise but Ashutosh makes it up by mixing Punjabi folk with techno electronic sounds effectually. Keerthi Sagathia and Rachel's varghese's vocals once again bolstered the song well enough till it ends. Bhaven Tu Jaan rides mainly on the earnest rendition by Manraj S Patar where Ashutosh goes minimal in the orchestration front with piano to support. Tu hai to Tera Kuda is once again an eclectic mix of Punjabi elements with western pop sounds where heard before feel of the tune bogs down the listeners. However, Apekasha Dandekar's enticing vocals and Keerthi Sagathia's nuanced sargams spruce up the song to some extent. Kori Pukkar's techno sound becomes overkill with only the lead singer vocals being the silver lining in this track. Ashutosh excels in Aaj Saanu O mileya lovely mix of heady rock and Punjab's rustic flavour makes this an enjoyable listen with Rachal Varghese and Mandar Deshpande does a brilliant job with the vocals. Ashutosh ropes once again Manraj S Patar for another minimally orchestrated track kadi aa mil which is not as effectual as the previous one. Ashu Pathak's second part of the soundtrack is an adaptation of traditional Gurbani compositions. Bhai Mahinderjit Singh, Minu Bakshi, Mandar Deshpande  Sawaan Jaryal lend the vocal support and succeeds in bringing the serene feel to the compositions. Among the traditional compositions, Minu Bakshi's Jiske Sir Upar and Ek onkar being the best of the lot mainly due to Minu Bakshi's wonderful rendition.

Verdict: Ashutosh Pathak another indie musician enters the mainstream music and the soundtrack is a mix of his Blue Frog's sensibilities and traditional compositions. Overall, the esoteric album works partially and the soundscape may not go well with all kinds of listeners.

My rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Aaj Saanu O mileya, Music is my art, Jiske Sir Upar

You can listen to the soundtrack in Youtube Part1 and Youtube Part2.

Music Review (Tamil): Darling2

Music Review (Tamil): Darling2
Music Composer: Radhan

Machi Vaa daa nee en friendu, peppy techno sound laden track where the amusing intermittent film dialogues being the only take away from this song. This song mostly works in parts and as a full package, Radhan's tune, as well as arrangements, seems to be inconsistent. The lead vocals by Ramee sounds apt. Overall partially engaging song from Radhan.Olarava Olarava, techno kuthu song where Radhan does comparatively better with the enticing techno sounds in the interludes while the tune is simple and confined well within the genre. Varun Padmanaban of Namma Ooru boy band fame oozes out the enough energy required for the song while Ramee ably supports with his vocals. Muthamil's colloquial and accesible lyrics helps the song.

Radhan showcases his prowess in Hindustani-based song Ni sa Gari sa and the composer employed fabulous accordion along with piano and tabla brilliantly throughout the song. Naresh Iyer and Anweshaa Dutta did a splendid job in rendering this lovely song. Radhan mixed the brief chant portion in the second interlude to give the outlandish feel. Overall Radhan delivered the song in Tamil which matches his repertoire in Telugu.Kaatril ticks off every sound one can expect in the horror genre starting with gushing winds, screeching sound, haunting piano along with sweeping string sections, bells and other assorted sounds. However Nikhitha Gandhi's whispery resonant vocal being the highlight of this eerie track which will gel better with visuals than as a standalone soundtrack.Darling2 theme track's ambience is well within the framework of the horror genre but Radhan spruces up the things with Ramees's vocals amidst the techno sounds, however, the short duration of the track creates the less impact on the listeners.

Verdict: Radhan's sophomore album in Tamil is undeniably better than his debut work considering the horror genre. However, his Telugu repertoire still sounds diverse and impressive compared to Tamil.

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Ni sa Gari sa, Kaatril, Olarava Olarava

P.S  Edited version of the review is available here.

You can listen to the songs in Youtube.

Music Review (Kannada): Devara Nadalli

Music Review (Kannada): Devara Nadalli
Music Composer: Hamsalekha

Allallalle Arrarrare is a pleasant composition from veteran Hamsalekha and for unknown reasons the rhythm evokes memories of similar composition from Malayalam songs. Chintan Vikas sounds fabulous in this lovely lilting composition filled with soothing flutes and sweeping string sections. Alleuaiah is a typical Christian choir song sung by Sneha and it's the least impressive song in the soundtrack. Antha Cheluveyena carries the coastal Karnataka traditional sound effectually while Prasad Cherkadi's rustic vocals brought out the flavour of the song very well. Hamsalekha shines in the arrangements front with quite an enticing chendamelam beats throughout the song and the song's final one and half minute arrangements with flute is a lovely touch from the composer although it's discordant with the initial portion. The title song's punchy percussion laden arrangements and vocals by Chintan Vikas is quite arousing. Particularly loved the winsome as well as haunting string portions throughout the song.

Verdict: Devara Nadalli is a thoroughly engaging soundtrack from veteran Hamsalekha.

My Rating: 7.75/10

Pick of the Album: Allallalle Arrarrare, Devara Nadalli, Antha Cheluveyena

You can listen to the song in Saavn.

Music Review (Tamil): Idhu Namma Aalu

Music Review (Tamil): Idhu Namma Aalu
Music Composer: T R Kuralarasan

Kaathaga simple passable song with the sense of deja-vu associated with the tune while composer tries to make the song enticing with the appealing arrangements especially loved where classical string met local kuthu in the interlude. Simbu prods the song with ease both in terms of vocals and colloquial lyrics.King Kong is a typical techno sounds laden track however auto tuning of Shruthi Hasaan's vocals irks a lot while T R Kuralarasan sounds fine and his vocals similar to Simbu.Blaaze aces the brief rap portions and the song is quite enjoyable till it lasts although nothing groundbreaking with respect to tune or EDM sounds. Kanne un Kadhal is another fair song in the album and the song's highlight is the lovable solo violin and string sections amidst techno sounds. Yuvan Shankar Raja's singing is quite confined to his territory and accentuate the feeling that this song is composed by yuvan itself. Overall this one is an engaging song in the album mainly because of yuvan and arrangements.

Maaman waiting's tune and sounds are not an not an ear friendly one with T R Rajendar in the credit list of singers, the listeners can expect raw energy from the song and he delivers it in his own style. The song strictly for T Rajendar fans and not for music lovers. Suchitra and Blaze bolster the song along with T Rajendar.Oru Thalai Raagam is easily best in the album where Kuralarasan aces in the arrangements with engaging piano notes and sweeping string sections throughout the song. Kuralarasan's lyrics also quite an apt one in conveying the mood of the song and Sri Ram Parthasarathy sounds fabulous with his rendition. The song's another version has Simbu behind the vocals and he sounds equally good. The arrangements are kept intact in Simbu's version also and the song surely will satiate the fans.

Verdict: Kuralarasan's debut is nothing groundbreaking but sounds quite good and passable. The influence of Thaman, Yuvan and Simbu is apparent both in terms of tune and orchestration of the songs

My rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Oru Thalai Raagam, Kanne un Kadhal, Kaathaga

Music Review(Tamil): Jil Jung Juk

Music Review(Tamil): Jil Jung Juk
Music Composer: Vishal Chandrasekhar

Shoot the Kuruvi already became a colossal hit mainly because of wacky lyrics and Anirudh's languorous rendition. The title hook is notably infectious and Vishal complements the tune with simple orchestration while Radha Ravi's comical portion is a nice touch from the team. Siddharth version of Shoot the Kili da fares much better, a heady rock version with some wonderfully done electric guitar solos and drums. Siddharth handles the vocals of the song with right attitude. Casanova, weakest song in the soundtrack. strictly in comparison to other songs. However, Andrea Jeremiah is simply fabulous with her sensual vocals while Vishal's Jazzy arrangements with piano and trumpets meet techno sounds intermittently. 

The soundtrack turns into highly awesome one with the remaining two songs in the soundtrack. Domer -u - lord u is an another instant catchy tune with quirky arrangements dominated by the melange of brass sounds and loved the middle eastern touch in the string section. Apart from the wacky arrangements, Kavitha Thomas fangled rendition along with Anthony Dassaan's raw energy makes this one highly engaging song in the soundtrack. The song of the soundtrack Red Road  belongs to two young composers in the Tamil industry, Santosh Narayanan and Sean Roldan. Santosh Narayanan brings the new flavour to the highly enticing tune with his unique signature vocals and Vivek's lyrics is a riot to hear along with awesomeness in the Vishal's arrangements. Vishal employed many intriguing sounds throughout the song makes this one most eccentric one in the soundtrack thanks to the lead singers.

Verdict: Vishal Chandrasekhar delivers highly engaging eccentric album after two relatively low-key albums in Tamil. Another highlight of the album is short quirky narrative appearing at the prelude of every song in the album

My rating:8.25/10

Pick of the Album: Red Road-u, Domer-u lord-u, Shoot the Kili

P.S. you can listen to the song in Saavn.

Music Review (Telugu): Shourya

Music Review (Telugu): Shourya
Music Composer: K Vedaa

O Manasa breezy lively song and Yasin Nizar continuous to get feel good melodies in each album. Vedaa ensures peppy string sections, guitar strums and rhythm section throughout the song. Overall enjoyable start to the album from the debutant. Hemachandra, Telu Vijaya and Kavya rocks in rustic rollicking Telangana number Tuppara Tuppara while Vedaa maintains the energy of the song with the punchy percussions. Modata Ninnu's tune appears pretty much conventional and the song is enjoyable mainly because of effectual vocals by lead singers Vijay Prakash and Ramya Behera. Vedaa's intermittent piano touches in the arrangements is the highlight in this passable song. The melancholy number Endukani by Siddharth Watkins and Sai charan ends up being the weak song in the soundtrack because of run of the mill tune while Vedaa's arrangements also unable to salvage the song. Thelu Vijaya rocks once again in the highly energetic short track Raakasi Rabandu.

Verdict: Shourya is competent debut album from K Vedaa.

My rating: 7.25/10

Pick of the Album: O Manasa, Tuppara Tuppara, Modata Ninnu

You can listen to the songs in Youtube.