NGK(Tamil): YuvanShankar Raja: Thandalkaaran: YuvanShankar Raja joins hands with Selvaraghavan after Nenjam Marappathillai for the political thriller movie NGK. The first single movie reflects the theme evidently with the Kabilan's relatable lyrics. Yuvan Shankar Raja ensures that the track is hummable and punchy enough with catchy rhythm to accompany the tune. Ranjith croons the song effortlessly.
Dear Comrade (Tamil): Justin Prabhakaran: Aagasa Veedu kattum: The first single from the Vijay Devarakonda starrer dropped in and it's not the Sid Sriram's beautiful Semi-classical teaser song but another lovely song sung by Gowtham Bharadwaj of Super Singer fame. The two and half minute song mainly rides on Sam Solomon's acoustic guitar and Justin provides the immersive classical twist to the track by mildly imbibing jathi bits and the tune reminds of Kadhal Ennulle from Neram.
Thumbaa (Tamil): Anirudh Ravichander: Pudhusaatam: Thumbaa is another multilingual fantasy drama film whose teaser with the composer garnered sufficient attraction and Pudhusaatam by Anirudh Ravichander is a pleasing melody where Keba rules the song with his splendid guitar while Anirudh in his colloquial best with respect to his vocals.
Devarattam(Tamil): Nivas K Prasanna: Madura Palapalakkudhu: Muthaih returns with another rural based story but with different composer this time. The seven-minute-long track is filled with the familiar vibe throughout the song but track manages to hold the listener especially for intriguing Mohanranjan narrative lyrics and Nivas's tune is strictly the assortment of heard before sounds.
7UP gig (Tamil): Dharan: Rasathi Nenja: The 7up second season has an interesting line up of young talents and Dharan comes up with the ultra-hip techno track. Dharan ropes in Yuvan Shankar Raja to croon this addictive track and kamalakar's flute is an interesting touch in the interludes.
Mr. Local (Tamil) : HipHop Tamizha: Takkunu Takkunu: The first single of Mr.Local is strictly in the forte of HipHop Tamizha and resembles his numerous songs. Anirudh aces the singing part and makes it listenable with the help of the catchy tune.
Uyare (Malayalam): Gopi Sundar: Nee Mukilo : Gopi Sundar fresh after the splendid soundtrack of Majili in Telugu, he hits right out of the park in Uyare. Nee Mukilois the pleasant lullaby where the interludes screams of Ilayaraja adn the prelude is straight out of Valaiyosai Kala Kalavena. Vijay Yesudas's best song for this year undeniably.
Oronnonnara Pranayakadha (Malayalam): Leela Girish Kuttan: Athipoovin: After Poomaram, Leela Girish Kuttan gives Karthik another beautiful semiclassical melody on Reethigowla Raga and the track has an undeniable Vidyasagar flavour to it. The strumming rhythm sets the mood for the pleasant tune effectively.
Music Review (Tamil): Kanchana 3
Music Composer: Assorted Composers
Nanbanukku Koila Kattu stays true to the Saravedi Saran's forte but the lyrics sound forcefully fitted to the play along tune and the background ticks off everything one can expect from the Chennai gaana song but surprisingly sounds less garish and entertaining till it lasts if one can turn back on the lyrics part. Srilanka based composer Raj Thillaiyampalam makes his Kollywood debut with Kadhal Oru Vizhiyil and Neha Venugopal effortlessly renders the pleasant melody which is likeable till it lasts. The breezy melody is backed by Saroja's Dilruba and Madhan Karky's verses. Though the tune sounds familiar, the singing and the hummable melody makes it listenable.
Kaali Kaali is straight out of Imman's familiar template and one wishes that composer Sai Bharath could have attempted for Imman's melody rather than his usual loud percussion laden punchy soundtrack. Apart from Dhivagar Santosh's energetic rendition, the track has very little to offer. Saravedi Saran comes up with another gaana track Oru Sattai Oru Balpam, filled with off-putting lyrics by the composer himself and nevertheless, the tune sufficiently serves the purpose. Srinidhi's vocals fit the bill perfectly but one truly wishes for the better lyrics. In Shake Yo body, composed by Jesse Samuel and sung by himself starts off interestingly with the casual Goan percussion but soon spirals down into techno song which fails to hit the right note. The arrangements are patchy especially with respect to the interludes and rhythm. The tune also meanders randomly, especially in the charanam portions.The multi-composer soundtrack ends with the mandatory high octane song of Muni/Kanchana series and Rudra Kaali is no different with the loud templatized track where Renjith Unni, Pavan and Velu tries hard to engage with their sprightly rendition.
Verdict: Raghava Lawrence's Multi-composer attempt for Kanchana 3 backfires compared to Kanchana2 where Leon James and Thaman delivered exceptional tracks for this genre. This one lacks even a single memorable song from the set of six composers.
My Rating: 5/10
Pick of the Album: Kaadhal Oru Vizhiyil
Music Review (Telugu): Majili
Music Composer : Gopi Sundar
Maayya Maayya ticks off all the checkboxes required for Hero introduction/ revolutionary song and Gopi Sundar sets the soundscape with the punchy rock base. Bhaskarabhatla's lyrics go well with the mood while the tune evokes a memory of multiple Harris Jayaraj songs especially the charanam portions starting off with 'Thala thirige Rangelo' which makes me go back to Harris's Orange. Naa Gundello is easily breezy track bundled with the pleasant orchestration especially in the interludes with the Shehnai bit and Nikhitha Gandhi surprisingly sounds like Shalmali Kholgade while Yazin Nizar renders effortlessly. Gopi Sundar employed Xylophone and strings effectively throughout the song.
Yedethu Mallelle's gorgeous folk tune is captured by minimal arrangements and the tune is backed by Kala Bhairava and Nikhitha Gandhi's effectual rendition. Director Shiva Nirvana's affecting lyrics about pain and separation blends well with the earnest rendition of the lead singers. The album's stunning highlight is undeniably Chinmayi's Priyathama Priyathama. The melodious tune is adorned with the highly likeable arrangements backed by Josy Alpy's flute and Sumesh Parameshwar's guitar work. The title hook and the repetitive Ishtamaina Sakhudaa is the winner in this phenomenal track which is bound to hit the charts similar to Inkem Inkem last year. One boy One girl is the soundtrack's weakest where Gopi Sundar plays to the tune of commercial Telugu cinema requirements but the track is sketchy and Revanth's processed vocals don't help the track either. BhaskaraBhatla's lyrics sound adequate. Ye Manishiki Majiliyo is another easy winner from Gopi Sundar where the composer churned out an affecting charanam tune in the backdrop of celebratory percussion arrangements. Arun Gopan who composed for the underrated Amutha last year croons this song along with Chinmayi and Baby Anusha. Gopi, as usual, weaves his magic in the melodious interludes.
Verdict: After last year Geetha Govindam, Gopi Sundar strikes a chord once again with the highly listenable melodies in Majili.
My Rating:8/10
Pick of the Album: Priyathama Priyathama, Ye Manishiki Majiliyo, Naa Gundello
P.S You can listen to the songs in Youtube.
Music Review (Hindi): Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
Music Composer: Karan Kulkarni
Rappan Rappi Rap's funky sound and Benny Dayal brilliant singing give a heady start to the trippy album of the year. Benny Dayal's singing takes me back to the singer's last year Tamil funk album Funktuation. Composer's bass section and blackjack Horns's exploding brass sounds is enough to dive deep into the soundscape created by the composer for the whole album. Karan Kulkarni gives an exciting swing to the familiar Punjabi vibe in Kitthon da Tu Superstar while the background is peppered with electronic synth sounds and Rajesh Rajbhatt's Dhol. After a lively start to the album, composer returns with the dreamy Tere Liye where Kamakshi Rai's velvety vocals in the backdrop of keys and Karan's guitar strums makes this one a delightful listen in the album especially the chorus is easily the most hummable part in the song.
Nakhrewaali is another trippy insane track in the album where the arrangements are phenomenal especially the inclusion of udukkai sounds amidst the hypnotic rhythm structure which is peppered throughout the song. Saba Azad of "Calcutta Kiss" and Nautanki Saala fame enters in the second half for the whispery appealing rendition. Karan Kulkarni delivered another crazy intriguing song Life Mein Fair Chance Kiska with Suresh Triveni, Surya Ragunathan's south Indian accented Hindi which imitates SPB's vocals and Tamil words are thrown throughout the song but the prelude is an absolute kickass bit from the composer and the song gains immensely from Kishore Sodha's trumpet. Dreamtime is true to its title, which starts with the ticking sounds and moves into the waltz tune backed up once again by Kamakshi Rai and the serene tune is sure enough to enthral the listeners. Shaolin Sky is the tweaked version of Rappan Rappi Rap and the Karan Kulkarni's version is also adequately enjoyable and arresting listen. Kitthon da Tu Superstar's shooter version is instrumental one for the most parts with Sanj V joining towards the end.
Verdict: Karan Kulkarni arrives in style with the full fledged soundtrack and this album is the most eclectic and wacky one in recent times.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Pick of the Album: All of them.
P.S You can listen to the songs in JioSaavn.
Starting this new series where the tracks from the album which I've enjoyed the most and also the ones which I couldn't do the full review is listed. The template is Album Name: Composer: Songs list
Panchatantra (Kannada): V Harikrishna: Shrungada Hongemara, Ee Vayasalli: V Harikrishna churns out an ear-pleasing tune in Shrungada Hongemara and the simple beautiful tune is accentuated by Vijay Prakash's vocals and the tune has undeniably heard before vibe, however, the simplicity of the tune is an irresistible number in the album. Ee Vayasalli is in another extreme, punchy percussion laden track once again featuring Vijay Prakash and the catchy tune makes this one an enjoyable track.
Mithai (Telugu): Vivek Sagar: Idhem Life Ra, Liberation Song, Tappukokura: Vivek Sagar comes up with another bang-on album and the composer continues his wacky experimental music with the bluegrassy Idhem Life Ra and the hardcore rock liberation song. The soft jazz in Anthuleni and Tappukokura once again is ample proof that Vivek Sagar is the most exciting composer in Telugu industry currently.
Sonchiriya(Hindi):Vishal Bhardwaj: Ruan Ruan: Vishal Bhardwaj's collaboration with Abhishek Chaubey after a brilliant Udta Punjab is a bit of a dampener mainly because of the familiar soundscape of the composer. However, composer delivers the knockout song for Arijit Singh and the singer aces the affecting tune effectively.
Music Review (Tamil): LKG
Music Composer: Leon James
Thimiru Kaataadhadi is the quintessential Leon James song where the composer's frivolous tune gels well with the Vignesh Shivan's colloquial lyrics. Sathyaprakash sails through the tune effortlessly while composer backs up the tune with the neat simple arrangements. Dappaava Kizhichaan has intriguing arrangements where Thirumoorthy's Nadhaswaram and brilliant guitar work in the interludes, but Shruthi Hassan's vocals and especially Pa Vijay's lyrics are a big let down. Tamizh Anthem is an easy winner in the soundtrack where the major tune is crooned stupendously by Sid Sriram and Chinmayi while the composer adorns the tune with the terrific backdrop of Krishna Kishor's percussions and Keba's guitar work. The musical stalwarts P Susheela, Vani Jayaram and LR Eswari aces the Tamixh Thai Vaazhthu followed by Chinmayi's dazzling second charanam rendition. Incidentally, P Susheela and Chinmayi was also part of Rahman's Senthamizhaam Tamizh Mozhi also. Ini Oru Vidhi Seivom is the generic song which is strictly listenable along with visuals.
Verdict: Leon James continues to churn out minimum guarantee music and the songs are consistently enjoyable within his soundscape.
My Rating: 7.5/10
Pick of the Album: Tamizh Anthem, Thimiru Kaataadhadi
P.S You can listen to the album in JioSaavn.
Music Review (Kannada): Bell Bottom
Music Composer: Ajaneesh Loknath
Yethake Bogasu Thumba has an uncanny Ajaneesh Loknath flavour and the folk-tinged tune is aced by Vijay Prakash while Ajannesh props up the song with the arrangement. Composer employed Bapuji's clarinet brilliantly throughout the song and the second interlude with the synth and Tabla mix is a stunner. Ajaneesh unveils another winner with the retro club song and akin to the period, composer churns out an enjoyable retro sounds throughout the song backed by Sangeetha Ravindranath's boombox vocals. Ajaneesh Loknath brings back obsessive soundscape to the folk track Aadhi Jyothi Banyo with ample support from Chennai Violins strings section and the reverberating chorus portions. Kadabagere Muniraju's rustic vocals blend perfectly with the song. Audio trailer features the dazzling mix of amusing dialogues and the thrilling background score which reminds us of the composer's Ulidavaru Kandante.
Verdict: Ajaneesh Loknath opens his 2019 account with the stunner soundtrack despite the album duration is under 15 minutes.
My Rating: 8/10
Pick of the Album: Yethake BogasuThumba, Aadhi Jyothi Banyo
P.S You can listen to the songs in JioSaavn
Music Review (Tamil): Mehandi Circus
Music Composer: Sean Roldan
Mehandi Circus starts with a blast using Layath Siddique's Balkan violin in Avoji but turns out soon into Amit Trivedi flavoured Punjabi track especially the rhythms and Santhosh Narayanan's singing. Sean Roldan employed the Sargam choir's kid chorus sections effectively and amps up the buoyant factor of the circus show song.Sean Roldan marks his idiosyncratic music both in terms of tune as well as vocals in Vellattu Kannazhagi. Yugabharathi's relatable as well as colloquial lyrics easily strike the chord with the listeners while Sean Roldan does his magic with the manonmani's Sarangi and wonderful bass line in the charanam. The simple tune associated with the hummable lyrics which is easy on ears makes this one winner.
The best thing happened in Veyil Mazhaye is undeniably Vignesh Ishwar's playback debut and the singer's earnest singing makes this charming melody easily works. Subhiksha Rangarajan, not sure if it is a movie debut, but easily churns out the winner with the other language folk verses in the interludes and towards the end. Sean Roldan beautifully blends both the portions backed by ghatams and guitar played by the composer himself.Kodi Aruvi comes up with another rooted melody supported amply by Yugabharathi's lyrics especially the gorgeous anupallavi kicked in by Nithyashree. The Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra in the interludes evokes Ilayaraja's memories and Pradeep Kumar sounds different compared to his other songs though in a good way which fits the folk nature of the tune.Siragi Un Sirippala's rhythm evokes memories of Ratchagan's Chandirani Thottadhu yaar especially oho bit in the prelude. The melody works impeccably and aided by Sathyaprakash's superlative singing while Lalitha Sudha ably supports him with the charming interlude sargams. The atmospheric sounds mixed with Yugabharathi's simple lyrics make this one a great listen.The guitar-laden melancholy Love Polladhadhu is the weakest link in the album strictly in comparison to other tracks in the album. The tune doesn't work well despite Vijay Yesudas's splendid rendition and the tune sounds sketchy and ends in an abrupt note.
Verdict: Sean Roldan after a muted 2018 comes back with another sure shot winner in Mehandi Circus and the album brims with lovable melodies which lingers in listeners mind after it ends.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Pick of the Album: Kodi Aruvi, Veyil Mazhaiye, Siragi Un Sirippala
P.S You can listen to the album in Jio Saavn
Music Review (Tamil): Vantha Rajavathan Varuven
Music Composer: HipHop Tamizha
Hip Hop Tamizha ropes in Kannada hit singer Sanjith Hegde once again after Imaikka Nodigal for Paravaigal and the singer aces his portions quite effectively. But the track turns into a mishap once Hip Hop Tamizha familiar template kicks in and the composer tries to mishmash a lot of musical cues especially in the interludes but the overall tune sounds to be a patchy track from the composer. In Pattamarangal, HipHop Tamizha concocts an interesting song based on Kaatrinile Varum Geetham borrowing the lyrics from the evergreen song for the prelude. Sanjith Hegde kicks in with the mod rhythms to back him and the singer delivers effortlessly while Manonmani's Sarangi is an engaging addition to the track.
Red Cardu is another mediocre dance track which has Hip Hop Tamizha's stamp all over it. The garish arrangements and Hiphop Tamizha rides mainly on the colloquial lyrics. The singing as well as background fails to impress the listeners. HipHop Tamizha reuses his last year Telugu hit song Dhaari Choodu for Modern Muniyamma but the essence and beauty of the Telugu original are completely lost in Arivu's superficial lyrics and Srinisha Jayaseelan's vocal turns out to be a misfit. The foot-tapping tune is the only winner and at any time one can go back to much better Telugu version. Onnuku Renda is another random track from Hip Hop Tamizha which also suffers from the pedestrian lyrics. Senthil Ganesh and Sathya Narayanan prod the song with the effective rendition while Poova Pushpama hook by VM Mahalingam borders on the annoying zone. Arshad Khan's esraj being the only solace in an otherwise laborious track.Hip Hop Tamizha rehashed Madurai Veeran's famous Vaanga Machan Vaanga and the track is listenable because of a nostalgic factor associated with the song bits. Though hip Hop Tamizha's lyrics are too self-indulgent, the track is better compared to other songs in the album.
Verdict: HipHop Tamizha's rehashed tracks work relatively better than the original tracks for this Atharintiki Daredhi remake and the composer continues to stick within his confined soundscape.
My Rating: 6.5/10
Pick of the Album: Pattamarangal, Vaanga Machan Vaanga
P.S You can listen to the songs in Jio Saavn.
Music Review (Tamil): Kanne Kalaimaane
Music Composer: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Azhaikattuma doesn't match the singer's previous hit number Makka Kalanguthappa from Dharmadhurai and the whimsical lyrics being the only curious thing from this casual gossipy track. Neendamalare has the gorgeous anupallavi crooned deftly by Yazin Nizar and Shwetha Pandit while Yuvan Shankar Raja adorns with the neat orchestration especially the flute solos in the interludes. Endhan Kangalai's lounge'ish mod soundscape mixed with Yuvan's trademark tune which takes me back to Paiyya. However, the tune doesn't work for me thoughSooraj Santosh ably delivers while Yuvan spruces up the interludes with Sitar solos. Sevvandhi Poove is another average song from the composer where the tune has shades of Seenu Ramasamy's earlier collaborations with the composer. Vaa Vellai Rasathi is the best of the lot and I wish Yuvan opted for some other singer rather than himself. The brooding undercurrent tone especially the rhythm structure and the apt arrangements make this one an engaging listen in the album.
Verdict: Yuvan Shankar Raja starts his 2019 with the lacklustre soundtrack which doesn't match the composer's magical run last year.
My Rating: 6.5/10
Pick of the Album: Vaa Vellai Rasathi, Neendamalare
P.S You can listen to the album in Jio Saavn
Music Review (Telugu): Mr Majnu
Music Composer: Thaman
Mr Majnu's synth coated peppy song Pallavi instantly reminds me of Rahman's Netru Illadha maatram but the similarity ends there and Thaman weaves pretty much enjoyable track filled with mod sounds backed by Ramya NSK's vocals. The gibberish and synth sounds are easily Harris Jayaraj territory but nevertheless, it's a neat song by Thaman. Thaman's current favourite Armaan Malik croons two songs Yemainado and Koppamga Koppamga for Mr.Majnu. The former melody is similar to Ninnila from Tholi Prema and the tune is adequately entertaining with splendid support from Chennai strings Orchestra's strings sections throughout the song and the strings along with the synth rhythm make it an enthralling listen. The latter one being another peppy number which rides mainly on Aalap Raju's guitar strums and Armaan Malik singing while Thaman churns out the easy on ears tune which clasps the listeners till the end. Thaman strikes another winner in Hey Nenila where the arrangements are top notch with excellent support by Haritha's Veena and Kamalakar's flute solos. Sruthi Ranjani owns the song starting from the beautiful humming in the prelude itself. Naalo Neeku is another warming melody where Shreay Goshal aces the tune with ample support from Sandilya's violin solos, though the tune takes its own time to get the listeners immersed, Thaman's soundscape in this album is consistent and endearing. Chiru Chiru Navvula turns out to be a weak composition in an otherwise splendid work from Thaman and in this track also, the composer makes the interludes sounds interesting despite the staggering tune.
Verdict: Thaman continues his revamped style of music with his first 2019 album and Mr Majnu is the wonderful follow up for the composer in lines of Tholi Prema.
My Rating: 8/10
Pick of the Album: Hey Nenila, Yemainado, Naalo Neeku
P.S You can listen to the songs in JioSaavn.
Music Review (Kannada): Natasaarvabhowma
Music Composer: Imman
The title track sounds more like Imman trying to give stiff competition to Telugu hero introduction numbers and the track is merely loud and jarring affair from Imman and equally the track is perfect for Puneeth Rajkumar fans especially Pavan Wadeyar lyrics. Open the bottle is tried and tested Imman tune propped up by Vijay Prakash's stupendous singing and also Imman's catchy hook helps the song. Yaaro Naanu is an enchanting tune with the sprawling Chennai Strings Orchestra's work blends smoothly amidst the Kaviraj' Mridangam and Balasubramaniam's Nadaswaram. Shreya Goshal undoubtedly aces the beautiful melody effortlessly. Tajaa Samachara also largely benefits from Chennai Strings Orchestra's brilliant arrangements while Imman's melody is complemented by 80's rhythm mix and neat job by the lead singers Jithin Raj and Vandana Srinivasan's respective versions. The theme instrumentals Paranormal action and Power Play are strictly functional ones playing to the gallery of a commercial movie.
Verdict: Imman's sophomore straight Kannada album is salvaged by two listenable melodies.
My Rating: 7/10
Pick of the Album: Yaaro Naanu ,Tajaa Samachara
P.S You can listen to the songs in JioSaavn.
Music Review (Tamil): Sarvam Thaala Mayam
Music Composer: AR Rahman
The complete album of the much expected movie Sarvam Thaala Mayam and Rajeev Menon joins hands with AR Rahman after Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000. The title track is an absolutely engaging piece and though the tune take it's own time to settle with the listeners, the undercurrent chendamellam rhythm is an alluring one accentuated by Haricharan and Arjun Chandy's splendid rendition. The Thai Thai Thalaathil and the chendamelam beats makes me yearn for Rahman's upcoming Malayalam film. Rahman delivered an unadulterated melody Maya Maya backed by superlative singing by Chinmayi. The simple guitar (Keba Jeremiah) laden arrangements and Na Muthukumar's poetic verses make this one a blissful listen in the album. Peter BeautaYethu is the soundtrack's weakest, strictly in relative scale, Rahman composes local kuthu after a long time but it's more like refined one unlike Thara local comes from Anirudh. The tune lost its appeal especially once the charanam kickstarts despite an undeniably catchy title hook and Rahman makes the interludes interesting with the brass sounds and exotic percussions. The soundtrack's highlight goes to Rahman's current favourite Bamba Bakya and the singer's rustic vocals in Dingu Dongu reminds me of Sangamam's Mazhai Thuli especially with the thumping percussions in the background. Rahman's fascinating blend of feeble syth sounds amidst the festive Nadaswaram and Mirudangam makes this one an enjoyable listening experience and the kid chorus portions are icing on the cake.
The album turns into unconditional classical genre in the remaining two songs and both the songs turns out to be an absolute gem in the album. Rajiv Menon composed Varalaama and arranged by AR Rahman, the consistent Kanjira rhythm makes me revisit another great composition Malargal Kaettaen by Rahman. The Kedaragowlai based melody is beautifully complimented by sweeping arrangements and Sriram Parthasarathy's spot on rendition makes one this an immensely gratifying listen. Bombay Jayashree returns to singing for AR Rahman after Narumugaiye Narumugaiye is enough reason to fall in love with the song and the composer gives Ravichandrika Raaga based Thiyagaraja composition Maakelara Vichaaramu to the popular Carnatic Vocalist. Rahman adorns the beautiful composition with the sprawling arrangements backed by strings and the synth layer behind the dominant percussion. Listen to another version of the same by Bombay Jayashree.
Verdict: Barring Peter Beata yethu, Rajiv Menon's collaboration with Rahman after 18 years turns out to be another rewarding musical experience and one hopes that director won't make us to waitthis long for their next release. On contrary to the expectation, the album turns out to be more contemporary one despite the brilliant two classical song in the album.
My Rating: 9/10
Pick of the Album: Complete Album.
P.S You can listen to the songs in Jiosaavn.
