Music Review (Telugu) : Srimanthudu

Music Review (Telugu) : Srimanthudu
Music Composer: Devi Sri Prasad

Rama Rama is a typical standard DSP package which is rhythmic, catchy and Ranina Reddy's folk section towards the end is a surprise one. Sooraj Santhosh bolsters the song with his energetic vocals. Percussions in the second interlude with brass work is the highlight in an otherwise typical DSP track. Jatha Kalise starts off well but deja vu flavour in the tune makes this tiresome listen while Sagar and Suchitra's vocals supports the heavily languishing tune. Charuseela, though reminds nangaai, DSP's cool arrangements with guitar strums, brass sections and effective vocals by Yazin Nizar makes this song enjoyable till it lasts. DSP's second track with Raghu Dixit for another hard rock number Jaago and Dixit pulls off this one too with his effortless singing. DSP's arrangements with heavy drumming and raging electric guitar usage complements well with vocals. Dhimmatirigi is usual monotonous stuff from DSP and there is nothing special in this passable mass number except for enticing nadhaswaram usage. Title song is interesting for its string usage and rides mainly on the rustic vocals of MLR Karthikeyan.

Verdict: DSP's Srimanthudu is his usual stuff and the songs are enjoyable despite nothing offbeat in the tune or arrangements.

My rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Jaago, Srimanthuda, Charuseela

Music Review: Sakalakala Vallavan/ Appatakkar

Music Review(Tamil): Sakalakala Vallavan/ Appatakkar
Music Composer: Thaman

      Album opens with Bulb Vangitaen Machi, manageable kuthu track and Thaman brings exciting combination of Deva, Vivek and Jayam Ravi to croon this track with amusing lyrics. But staid and pedestrian template of the tune makes this tiresome listen except for the exciting credit list. Visuals may prop up the level of the song among the masses. Thaman brings back his templated Telugu flavoured song in Mandayum and the result is that the song is passable and mediocre to its core. Even Nivas's vocals unable to salvage this tedious track and the tune though templatized, it works partially in some portions but overall it's a drab one in the album.

     Thaman's Buji Ma Buji Ma is the redux of the composer's Telugu hit song and the song works here also mostly due to the energetic vocals of Imman and Mansi and partly due to the upbeat chorus. However, lyrics is the main turn off in an otherwise enjoyable track from Thaman. Thaman brings 2014's famous Telugu song Cinema Choopistha mava to Tamil as Hitu song and another set of exciting singers STR, Ramya Nambeesan, M M Manasi, M M Monisha. Overall the fun and mass quotient of the song is intact in Tamil version also. Surely song is bound to create enough airwaves and top the charts. Thaman brings back his another hit Telugu song Dethadi Dethadi from Dookudu to Tamil as Un style Eh power but the tempo is reduced compared to Telugu version of the song. Despite the heavily autotuned vocals of Deepak and Sharmila, engaging tune filled generously with percussion elements and energetic vocals along with chorus makes this song work.

Verdict: Thaman's Sagalakala Vallavan is nothing but recycled work of his telugu hit songs and surely songs will appeal to the masses. Exciting visuals along with peppy dance movements may make this recycled work of Thaman memorable.

My rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Hitu Song, Un style Eh Power, Buji Ma Buji Ma

Music Review(Tamil): Maya

Music Review(Tamil): Maya
Music Composer: Ron Ethan Yohan


          Thoonga Kangal is a haunting solo track which rides mainly on the confident vocals of Shakthishree Gopalan. The haunting track will be incomplete without piano and here too Piano dominates the arrangement. Orchestration shifts toward soft rock towards the end while Guitars and drumming bring together an ambience of the song in an engaging manner throughout the song. Aayiram Aayiram starts off in a spooky manner with bell sounds and other eerie ambience paves the way for the hard rock guitars and drumming although nothing special with the rock arrangements apart from sporadic piano keys. But the highlight is ever reliable Chinmayi's kickass vocals in an unheard genre and she owns the song with her spot-on rendition.Swetha Mohan aces in Naane Varuven, the free flow tune with her mellifluous rendition and Ron Yohan kept the orchestration minimal while Swetha's nuanced singing along with lovable humming throughout the song takes the front stage. Progressive string sections along with Piano keys complement the singer very well in this unique unstructured
composition.

           Hope and Despair, in eponymous to the title, orchestration too follows up and downs with brilliant intriguing string sections and Piano laden interplay. The theme is filled with silence in the mid -way and ends with upbeat string sections. Always a woman is also filled with piano and strings backed by the chorus and the theme turns interesting as it progresses where strings reach the crescendo. Darkest hour is apt to the title starts in an eerie way and the arrangements are truly splendid which brings out the required mood in a perfect manner. Overall debut composer gave rich expansive score for the haunting horror movie with his theme tracks which works well with visuals rather than standalone tracks though each theme track is considerably longer duration.

Verdict: Ron Yohan's debut is commendable and composer proves his mettle in his first movie with genre oriented songs. Surely songs and score prop up the visuals especially rich theme tracks elevate the visuals of the movie.

My rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album:  Thoonga Kangal, Aayiram Aayiram, Naane Varuven

Music Review (Hindi): Bangistan

Music Review (Hindi): Bangistan
Music Composer: Ram Sampath

Listen here - gaana

Ishq Karenge is faux quawalli handled well by lead singers Sona Mohapatra, Abhishek Nehwal and Shadib Daridi and the fun remains till it lasts. However song has nothing special or offbeat to boast especially. Ishq Karenge's EDM version is quite a dancy gimmicky version of the original. Ram sampath nails in the arrangements of Hogi Kranti especially for its march band music and european styled instruments with accordion leads the arrangements which will gel with the movie setting in Poland. Lyrics by Puneeth Krishna deserves special mention. Overall engaging listen in the album. Ram Sampath extends the sound from previous song especially brilliant usage of violin (though sounds more middle asian or european) and packaged it with exhilarating addictive techno beats to create Saturday night. Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh sharma's energy makes this song trippy ride. However processing of Aditi's voice initially irks but Ram sampath's heady arrangements mitigates those minor grouse. 

It's time for relaxing, wistful number Maula from Ram Sapath after back to back dance tracks in the album, However this one too borders around sufi in the mid way with tabla, claps and singing by Ram Sampath and Rituraj Mohanty rides on that genre. However surprise is the way Ram Sampath ends the track with mild sitar touch. Next song in the album Meri Zidd starts off slowly but sudden explosion of guitar laden frenzy drums didn't blend well with the start but song turns into head banging listen and reminds us Ram Sampath's D K Bose song from delhi Belly. Siddharth Basrur energetic rendition matches well with the fiery arrangements of the composer. Is Duniya Se ladna hai rides mainly on Suraj Jagan vocals and arrangements are predictablle which makes it laborious listen.

Verdict: Ram Sampath delivers funky as well as dance tracks in tandem with the theme of the movie and the songs partially works.

My Rating:7.75/10

Pick of the Album: Hogi Kranti, Saturday Night, Maula

Music Review (Hindi) : Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Music Review(Hindi): Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Music Composer: Pritam

Selfie le le re is to satiate purely bhai fans and as a standalone track this one passes muster despite energetic rendition leaded by Vishal Dhadlani. Pritam fares much better in the next track Tu chahiye with techno beats in the background and Atif Aslam earnest rendition saves the track. Brilliant usage of sarangi is the highlight of the track, but the feel of sarangi didn't gel with the techno beats played along with that. Bhar Do Jholi Meri, traditional quawaali and Adnan Sami's rendition aside, the song has nothing enticing enough to engage the listeners for 8 minutes. Bhar Do Jholi Meri's reprise version with Imran Aziz behind the vocals didn't get anything better. Aaj Ki party is another mediocre song in the album, only Salman's screen presence will make this bearable. Chicken song is a lovely listen especially for its Goan flavoured arrangements and nadaswaram bit is a surprise package. Mohit Chauhan's lively rendition makes this song enjoyable. Zindagi has trademark pritam stamp all over it but nevertheless the song is more enjoyable especially for the lead singer Zubin Nautiyal's rendition and its second interlude. Zindagi's reprise version comes with the vocals of another proficient singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and additional bonus is Rekha Bharadwaj's vocals. Vocals alone makes this one fared tad better than the original.

Tu Jo mila is soundtrack's best which comes in two versions with KK and Javed Ali respectively. Pritam kept the arrangements simple with mild rock flavour it to it making it overall pleasant listen especially song turns wonderful listen for the guitar riffs toward the end of the song. Song beats in the background reminds me phir le aaya dil opening played in the fast pace. However wonderful listen in the album. Song's reprise version handled by Papon rides mainly on the piano, however original version scores much better than this version despite earnest rendition from papon.

Verdict: Pritam maintained balance in Bhajrangi Bhaijaan delivering both class and mass songs for the listeners. Overall album gets enjoyable with the newly released set of songs. 

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Tu Jo mila, Zindagi (both versions),Tu Chahiye

Music Review(Tamil): Pugazh

Music Review(Tamil): Pugazh
Music Composer: Vivek- Merwin


Anirudh Ravichandar and Diwakar's sprightly vocals notwithstanding, Naanga Podiyan is a pedestrian track from composer duo. Composer's arrangements mainly dominated by brass sections are also energetic enough to match with the rendition of Anirudh Ravichandar. Surely this song will appeal to masses and as a standalone track, this one is passable at its core. Arijit Singh, current sensational singer in Bollywood makes his debut in Tamil with Neeyae which is breezy solo track dominated by cool guitar strums and synthesized sounds. Arijit Singh's Tamil rendition is commendable and listenable for the singer from the north. Composer interspersed the song with buoyant string sections and flute portions in the interludes are enjoyable. Overall, cool and ear friendly track from the composer duo. Podu Podu opens with 'Hara Hara Mahadev Ki' and sure one can expect more funny one-liners in the track and the lyricist Tupakeys and R J Balaji didn't disappoint. Composer duo itself crooned the song although mainly lyrics drives the track there is very little space to think about the tune of the song. However, the composer duo employed noteworthy rock'sh guitar and drums with occasional synthesised Thavil sounds in the background.Vizhigalil Vizhundhaval is easily the winner of the album especially for its instant catchy tune and the classically inclined tune is the cakewalk for Hariharan and Chitra. Captivating tune aside, Composers mark their presence by mixing enticing lively beats with thavil and veena (mandolin?) sounds throughout the song generously. Sharpu Gangu is the tweaked version of Naanga Podiyan in the vocals of composer duo and once again the song is peppy enough to scorch the dance floors. Rokesh delivers what one can expect from his lyrics which is witty enough. Overall another dance track and it's sure to satiate the youth audiences.


Verdict: Vivek Merwin's sophomore album is mainly the  extension of their debut and targeted mainly for youth audiences. Composer duo succeeds in churning out another set of engaging songs akin to Vadacurry.

My rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Neeyae, Vizhigalil Vizhundhaval, Naanga Podiyan

Music Review (Tamil): Avam

Music Review (Tamil): Avam
Music Composer: K S Sundaramurthy

Thevaiya is out-and-out dubstep genre which is explored rarely in Tamil film music as a full-fledged song, but song is strictly for the lovers of this genre and for normal music listeners even three minutes song appears quite long despite throaty vocals of M C Vickey. Hope visuals prop up the level of the song much further. In contrast to the opening number, Yaen Yennai is pleasant melody and credit mainly goes to impeccable singing by Swetha Mohan. K S Sundaramurthy complemented her singing well with soothing arrangements backed by tabla, guitar, keys and mesmerising flute in the interludes. Kaarirule which was already released as a single is a progressive rock track where guitar and drumming dominate the arrangements. Loved the way composer employed the violin amidst the grungy guitar sounds. Kamal Hasaan's rendition is spot on bringing all emotions through his vocals and lyrics by Karky brilliantly evocates the dark mood of the song. Sana Sana's highlight is optimistic lyrics by Madhan Karky and breezy feel provided to the tune by the composer throughout the song especially in the interludes. However, little bit  enticing and compelling tune would have made this number arresting listen. On the vocals front Satya Prakash and Suchith suresan's rendition is commendable. K S Sundaramurthy ends the  soundtrack in style with the theme song and it is the most compelling listen in the album especially for its brilliant fusion of veena and rock guitar in an engaging manner. Surely winning concoction of sounds for the dark mood of the theme.

Verdict: Avam is a promising debut by K S Sundaramurthy and songs are non-filmy which stays true to the genre employed in each song.

My rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Kaarirule, Avam Theme, Yaen Yennai

P.S Edited version of the review will be available here.

Music Review (Tamil) : Orange Mittai

Music Review(Tamil) : Orange Mittai
Music Composer: Justin Prabhakaran

Straight Ah Poyee was already released as a single has impressive usage of grungy guitar and other assorted sounds mainly pipe instruments but the song lacks interesting tune and also lyrics by Vijay Sethupathi itself is  also mediocre. However, intermittent dialogues are witty enough and Vijay Sethupathi's vocals support the languishing tune very much. Theerathe Aasaigal switches between simple breezy melody and teen pop with ever reliable Karthik behind the mic to bolster the soundtrack very much with his vocals. Justin Prabhakaran adorned the interludes with strings and recurrent rainy ambience and drums sound to complement the mood of the song. Overall easy winner in the album. Orae Oru Oorla is another song with offbeat sounds created by the composer and this too has vocals by Vijay Sethupathi. Lyrics by Vijay Sethupathi revolves around the humorous story about lion and rabbit which will appeal to the kids a lot. Overall passable song with enticing sounds by the composer being the highlight. Payanangal Thodaruthe is another soothing melody from Justin in the vocals of Naresh Iyer and Padmalatha. The arrangements by Justin is spot on with tabla  and anklet sounds while grand string sections and percussions lead the first and second interlude respectively. Good to hear Naresh Iyer after a brief hiatus.The minimal orchestration throughout the song accentuates the feel of the song a lot.


Verdict: Orange Muttai is an engaging follow-up for Justin Prabhakaran after Pannaiyarum Padminiyum. Justin keeps the soundtrack simple and soothing with two melodies being a winner of the soundtrack.

My rating:7.25/5

Pick of the Album: Theerathe Aasaigal, Payanangal Thodaruthe, Straight ah Poyee

P.S Edited version of the review can be found here.

Music Review (Tamil): Urumeen

Music Review (Tamil): Urumeen
Music Composer:Achu

Achu owns Baby Baby from start till end with his captivating arrangements dominated by guitar riffs whereas the deja vu feel in the tune is a minor grouse even though it's engaging to the  large extent till it last. Mani Amudhavan's funny lyrics makes this song listenable and tune is cakewalk for Anthony Daasan. Hey Umayaal is short breezing melody and Vijay Yesudas rendition is spot on. Achu's arrangements augment the tone of the song well especially brilliant usage of mandolin and strings rule the background throughout the song. Lyrics by Kavin are simple and appealing. Hey Umayaal comes with unplugged version comes with unplugged version builds on the Piano base and Kavya Ajit's humming is an additional asset to the soundtrack. Achu tweaked the charanam portions a little and makes this more charming and lovable than the original version. String portions in the background is kept intact as in the original one. Siru Nadai takes the listener back to En Uyire from Achu's wonderful soundtrack Maalai Pozhudin Mayakathiley. Karthik- Achu's combo once again creates magic with Siru Nadai and this one too is absolute gem from the composer. Karthik's vocals are well complemented by minimal orchestration backed by strings and violin in the first interlude is a pure bliss. Only grouse is song is just three and half minutes long. Siru Nadai's reprise version has piano as a base and Veena replaces the violin in the first interlude. Roshini Suresh's nuanced singing is commendable and enjoyable too. Overall Achu retains the highly listenable factor in the Reprise version also but this one ranks lower compared to the original version.After a slew of melodies in the soundtrack, Yaadhum oorae takes an ominous grungy ride with an excellent set of vocals from Guna, Rohan Prakash and Kamalaja Rajagopal. Achu's arrangements are simple and predictable with Guitars and sporadic discordant percussions dominate the track.

Verdict: Achu returns to form after a brief hiatus in Tamil and Urumeen proves once again that Achu is one of the promising composers  to look out for.

My Rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Siru Nadai (both versions), Hey Umayaal, Baby Baby

P.S Edited version of the review will be available here.

Music Review (Fusion Album): Indosoul

Music Review (Fusion Album): Indosoul
Music Composer: Karthick Iyer live

Boundless, starts with a solo mridangam piece and turns out to be a musical interplay between Sumesh Narayanan's Mridangam and Karthick Iyer's violin interspersed well with the drums and guitars. Song reaches the crescendo and turns out to be a feast for listeners. Although shortest track in the album, the output is thoroughly enjoyable and paves the way for more awesomeness. In Clown's Junket, initial one minute Vikram Vivekanand shows his prowess with the guitar in a contemporary pop'ish manner and then Karthick Iyer's enters foray and steals the show with the hummable violin accompanied by Sumesh's percussion. Karthick's violin traverse from sombre to upbeat mood aided well by the percussions. Mid Air is a brilliant energetic concoction of electric violin, mridangam, drums and electric guitar. Only grouse is electric guitar work didn't gel well with the flow of the tune in the middle in an otherwise commendable fusion instrumental. The best of the lot is undeniably Saranga Convergence starts off in a mild note by Karthick Iyer for initial 2 minutes but soon screeching offbeat sound from the electric guitar. Things get much better with konnakol by Sumesh and Karthick Iyer ends the song in a blissful violin. Overall seven minutes of blissful listen in the album. At the theatres is the only vocal track of the album sung by Karthick Iyer starts off with nod along guitar riffs from Vikram and then Karthick enters with playing the base tune of the song in violin. Loved the way Karthick imbibed the Carnatic touch to the English lyrics. In the second half of the song tamil lyrics and in the background percussions dominate the sounds. Once again Karthick ends the song in a wonderful manner. Rejoicing in Raghuvamsa is true to its title where every instrumental is played in the sprightly mood especially violin supported by other instruments. Wonderful end to the album.


Verdict:  Wonderful Carnatic fusion  debut album from Karthick Iyer. Must listen for all music lovers.


Album Credits

Performed by Karthick Iyer Live
Violins/Vocals/Lyrics - Karthick Iyer
Guitars - Vikram Vivekanand
Bass guitar - Naveen Napier
Mridangam/percussion - Sumesh Narayanan
Drums - Ramkumar Kanakarajan
Percussion(At the Theatres) - Allwyn Paul

Mixed by Biju James, Bob Phukan
Mastered by Andy Bartow
Recorded at VGP studios, Aura Studios

Pick of the Album: All tracks.

You can listen to the full album here

Music Review (Hindi): Guddu Rangeela
Music Composer: Amit Trivedi

The Title song is signature Amit trivedi's tune with the nice folkish touches and sung well by composer itself along with Divya Kumar. The second interlude gives much-needed digression for the tune which flows monotonous and languishing. Remix version of the song is comparatively much better because of the peppiness and remix didn't go overboard unlike normal remix tracks. Sooiyan is mindbogglingly brilliant due to effectual singing of folkish tune by Arijit Singh and Chinmayi especially when the lead singers singing Sooiyan Sooiyan. Amit trivedi arranges the song with nice guitar work and brief banjo in the second interlude. Chinmayi got the second melodic track Sahebaan and this time too she aces in singing while Shahid Mallya joins her for brief time. Orchestration wise Amit uses esraj (which was used brilliantly in Kai po che too) quite beautifully and Mallya's rendition towards the end deserves special mention. Maata Ka email is the weakest song in the soundtrack composed by director Subhash Kapoor itself and one can simply skip the soundtrack.

Verdict: Amit delivers two engaging melodies after stupendous Bombay Velvet for Guddu Rangeela.

My rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Sooiyan Sooiyan, Sahebaan, Guddu Rangeela

Music Review (Tamil): Papanasam
Music Composer : M Ghibran

Yeya En Kottikkaaraa, wonderful folksy melodic duet sung in an effectual although somewhat with strained vocals by Sundar Narayana Rao and scintillating Malavika's vocals to bolster the beautiful tune. Ghibran's strength is weaving the simple tune with his brilliant layered orchestration and it is evident in this song also. Soothing Ghatam along with mesmerizing flute section while sweeping symphonic strings rules the background throughout the song. Only grouse is orchestration goes overboard in certain portions in an otherwise pleasant track. Vinaa Vinaa rides mainly on the Hariharan's vocal powerhouse and the man owns the song throughout with his soul stirring vocals. Ghibran's orchestration adds more gloominess to the track and minimal orchestration apart from sporadic frenzy rockish second interlude. Ghibran's penchant for strings is apparent in this song also. Ghibran kept the theme track simple and the base tune is orchestrated to evoke different moods with ample support from violin in the background. Ghibran does considerably better in Kill for life and instrumental  brings out the vengefulness quite effectually and set the mood for the situation well. The bond of family is usual sweeping instrumental and its passable enough for the situation while a sinking car is an intriguing one and towards the end, the tone of the sound is particularly racy. Overall wonderful listen. The police Investigation is also mysterious and haunting while Ghibran's brilliant  use of symphonic strings deserves a special mention which quite fits the bill perfectly. Ghibran ends the soundtrack with This is me -Suyambulingam where instrumental reaches crescendo and its perfect end to the soundtrack.

Verdict: Ghibran delivers brilliant soundscape which is required for the drama thriller movie and also made only two vocal tracks in the album  also enjoyable within the limited framework required for the movies of this genre.

My rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Yeya En Kotikkaaraa, Sinking car, Kill for life, The police Investigation.

Music Review(Tamil): Rajini Murugan
Music Composer: Imman

Title track is usual mediocre hero introduction song and tune is passable at its best.Arrangements have composer's stamp all over it dominated by thumping energetic percussion with occasional folk touches and classical guitar solo in the second interlude. Song's major impetus is Sivakarthikeyan's enthusiastic vocals.After a middling start to the album Imman scores with his trademark melody Un Mela Oru Kannu which starts like Kayal song and arrangements also reminiscent of composer's early works. Singers Jithinraj and Mahalakshmi Iyer mitigates those minor grouses and makes this song enjoyable till it lasts with their vocals.Aavi Parakkum Teakadai is another mediocre and dredged from Imman's stockpile of tunes. Imman's  arrangements also pale and lacks any wit despite enough support from V M Mahalingam and Badava Gopi. Only solace being a violin solo in the second interlude in an otherwise weakest track in the album.Jigiru Jigiru adds as another conventional folk song from Imman and tone of most of the songs in this album becomes monotonous. Diwakar and Kaplana Ragavendar tries to push the confined framework in which song traverse but their vocals too didn't help much either. Sivakathikeyan's screen presence and dance movements in the visual only makes this work.Though the song has traditional Imman's arrangements, famous one-liner in the lyrics and releasing Yennamma Ippadi Panreengalaema as a single makes gave enough push to makes this instantly likeable compared to other songs in the album. Imman did a wonderful and commendable job as a singer too. At last club mix version of Yennadi Ippadi Panreengalaema gives much-needed digression from the repetitive feel of the album. However, this song also appears forceful and rap portions by Aryan dhinesh also passable and the song ends without any significant impact on the listeners.

Verdict: Overall Rajini Murugan soundtrack is average work from the composer given its much hype around the movie and it's far behind the  enjoyable Ponram-Imman's previous work.

My rating: 6.5/10

Pick of the album: Yennamma Ippadi Panreengalaema, Un Mela oru kannu