Music Review (Tamil): Meyaadha Maan

Music Review (Tamil): Meyaadha Maan
Music Composer: Santosh Narayanan and Pradeep Kumar

Thangachi song treads on the familiar Santosh Narayanan's sound cues and except for the brilliant bassline throughout the song, the track for most of the parts is a dreary listen. Anthony Daasan's limited vocal range brings down the song further. Apart from the surprising guitar strums and piano keys, the song has very less to offer. Pradeep Kumar composes the blissful Enna Naan Seiven and the soft rock laden track has irresistible Santosh Narayanan flavor to it. Composer employed brilliant guitar strums and the pause in the interlude before Kalyani Nair's humming gives reverberating effect. Pradeep sings the song also and the rendition is top notch as usual.

Santosh Narayanan comes with a quirky Address Song- S Madhu and the composer nails both the arrangements as well as the singing portion. Though the lyrics sound pedestrian, the amusing tone of the song gels well with the track. The minimalistic rhythm portions work to the song favor, however, composer tries hard for the intoxicating tone in the interludes. Area Gaana brings back to the Santosh Narayanan's debut film Attakathi and Ka Ka Bala sounds astoundingly similar to Gaana Bala. The tune fails to engage the listener and SaNa's template sounds to be overused and becomes wearisome listen.

Megamo Aval rides mainly on the soulful rendition of Pradeep Kumar and Ananthu while Santosh Narayanan weaves his magic in the arrangements with his serene piano and synth backdrop. The brilliantly tuned anupallavi and the classical flute in the interludes linger on the listener's mind even after the song ends. Santosh Narayanan brings back Dhee after Irudhi Suttru and hands her once again brilliant string dominated song Rathna Katti. The strings sections are an absolute delight to listen and the singer's idiosyncratic vocals able lift the appeal of the song. Though the song may not be an instant chartbuster, the brilliance in the arrangements deserves repeated listen. Pradeep Kumar ends the soundtrack with Nee Mattum Podhum where retro tune meets rock flavored arrangements. The funky arrangements are backed by lovely rendition by Sid Sriram and Thanks to Pradeep for using Sid's vocals for a different kind of tune. Dharshana KT supports the singer effectively.

Verdict: Santosh Narayanan and Pradeep Kumar deliver a classy set of melodies for Meyaadha Maan and the melodies work much better than Santosh Narayanan's quirky tracks.

My Rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Enna Naan Seiven, Rathna Katti, Address Song, Nee Mattum Podhum, Meghamo Aval

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

Music Review (Kannada): Dalapathi

Music Review (Kannada): Dalapathi
Music Composer: Charan Raj

Early morning starts off with the gibberish sounds and follows into typical Kannada high-octane song and it's very surprising that this song is composed by Charan Raj. The only highlight being the brief Nadhaswaram sound and the tune is easily cakewalk for Vijay Prakash. The soundtrack turns slightly better with Gunu Gunuva backed by lovely Nelson's violins in the background and Guitar strums. Sindhuri Vishal steals the show with her terse husky vocals towards the end. Wah Re Wah with its Islamic style music in the background is adequately engaging mainly due to splendid rendition by Vijay Prakash and the classical guitar in the interlude is the brilliant touch from the composer. Yaarige Beku Ee Preethi is a short track sounds like an almost continuous melancholy version of Wah Re Wah mainly due to rhythm structure. The affecting violin is the highlight of this short track. Ishq Dishq is an another average techno sounds laden track which is hardly interesting despite all the pretentious arrangements. The title song starts off well with the folk prelude but soon treads on the familiar path but able to clasp the listeners due to Ananya Bhat's vocals and energetic background.

Verdict: After inventive tracks in GBSM and Pushpaka Vimana, Charan settles down to commercial soundtrack with mixed results.

My Rating:7/10

Pick of the Album: Wah Re Wah, Gunu Gunuva

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

Music Review (Tamil): Spyder

Music Review (Tamil): Spyder
Music Composer: Harris Jayaraj

Boom Boom's tune is a usual Harris Jayaraj material, but the mild Eastern flavoured background and the alluring sounds throughout the songs with Keba Jeremiah's racing guitar strums do wonders. Nikhita Gandhi owns this song with the right attitude and the song is an engaging listen despite treads on the familiarity zone and Karky's lyrics make it an interesting song till it lasts. Ciciliya Ciciliya is fairly good melody backed by guitar laden arrangements and Harris throws his gibberish sounds for the chorus. The percussion rhythms in the background gel well with the chorus while particularly loved the classical tinged brief moment by Sakthishree which is accompanied by mild classical flute by Jayanth. Overall, a lovely melody which is sung well by Haricharan and Sakthishree.

Aali Aali falls into the predictable groove and the tune sounds to be outdated while Brijesh Tripati Sandilya, Harini and Jogi Sunitha pump up the energy to this song. Harris channels his Andangakka sounds in the charanam portions effectively. However, the song is an engaging one, thanks to the lovely Manoj's solo violin and Seenu's Mridangam in the second interlude. Otrai Iravukai's absurd rhyming lyrics and fangled rendition by Pravin Saivi and Christopher Stanley aside, the track is a decent one from Harris and Sathya Prakash owns the second half with his semi-classical second half. Though the switch to classical stuff sounds discordant, Harris makes up with neat arrangements throughout the song. Spyder On Mission sticks to the composer's latest penchant for Techno sounds and the short track is adequate background material and fails to make an impact as a standalone theme.

Verdict: Harris Jayaraj's dependable sounds throughout the soundtrack and the tracks are engaging one despite borders on the familiarity.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Ciciliya Ciciliya, Boom Boom, Aali Aali

Music Review (Tamil): Sathya

Music Review (Tamil): Sathya
Music Composer: Simon K King

Kadhal Project's main drawback is the tune treading on the familiar territory as well as quite an uninspiring tune despite being an energetic one and sung sprightly by Benny Dayal. However, composer made the other elements in the song interesting with Keerthana Vaidyanath's classical tinges and splendid drums and solo violin by Vasanth David and Akshay Ganesh respectively. Yavvana is the brilliant stuff from te composer, semi-classical melody builds upon the rock base with brilliant Kalyani Nair showcasing her prowess while surprisingly Yazin Nizar sounds off track in the pallavi portions. Composer's stupendous arrangements with Vasanth David's drums and Vikram's Tabla make this one song of the soundtrack.

Sangu is the generic high octane rock track and the tune hardly turns into an interesting zone while the inclusion of Kuthu in the grungy rock track doesn't help the song much either. Godfrey Immanuel's guitar work being the solo highlight in this track. The song's area version has the same arrangements with Karky's lyrics replaced by Rokesh but that doesn't make the track better one. Yavvana's reprise version gains a lot from the beautiful semi classical melody and the minimal arrangements add charm to its allure. The melancholic version of the same tune works exceptionally mainy for the Keerthana Vaidyanathan's earnest vocals and decent support by Yazin Nizar. Srivatsa's woodwinds set the mood of the song perfectly in the interludes Simon King ends the soundtrack with the brilliant In search of Satya theme and the santoor touches are the absolute highlight apart from the curious mood set by the string sections. Overall fitting theme track for the crime thriller.

Verdict: Simon K  King's third album is the most promising work from the composer with ample support from the lead singers.

My Rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Yavvana, In search for Sathya, Kadhal Project

Music Review (Tamil): Thiruttu Payale 2

Music Review (Tamil): Thiruttu Payale 2
Music Composer: Vidyasagar

Nee Paarkum works beautifully with the breezy guitar laden backgrounds and Sathyaprakash doing wonders with his vocals. Vidyasagar's laid back melody is adequately engaging and the tune in the Charanam portions are a delight to listen especially the tune set with the single words accompanied by the singer's improvisations.Thiruttu Payale's sequel has much better title track when compared to the retro track in its first part. Vidyasagar's employed brilliant lazy Jazz arrangements dominated by drums and sax in the arrangements and the only grouse is the pedestrian lyrics which doesn't gel with all the flamboyant backgrounds.

Achukku Buchukku is another poorly written song where Sanjana Kalmanje's vocals being the only highlight and the tune also stays in the average range. The song gets better toward the second half but cringe-worthy lyrics makes the listener to easily press the skip button. Vidyasagar comes to his forte in the final song of the soundtrack Neenda Naal and the track ticks off every element one can associate with the composer. The semi-classical tinged melody, Karthik and Swetha Mohan's splendid vocals and brilliant Manonmani's Sarangi solos make this one easily the best song in the soundtrack.

Verdict: Vidyasagar's quality melodies continue to work effectually for this sequel and it's baffling that this composer is less in action nowadays.

My Rating:7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Neenda Naal,  Nee Paarkum

P.S you can listen to the songs in Thiruttu Payale 2

Music Review (Tamil): Karuppan

Music Review (Tamil): Karuppan
Music Composer: Imman

Karuva Karuva Payale's highlight being the Shashaa Tripathi and Shankar Mahadevan's vocals while the rhythm and the tune are strictly confined to the Imman's territory. Apart from the, nifty violin interludes and Shashaa's nuanced singing, the track is the usual Imman song with nothing much to offer. Imman brings famous Kannada singer Ananya Bhat to Tamil and gives her beautiful melody in the form of Usure Usure. The track is accentuated by her punchy rendition and the composer shows his prowess in the backgrounds. The singer brings out the emotions of the lyrics effectually and the strings laden backdrop makes this one an enjoyable listen till it lasts.

Olaga Vaayadi is another folk track where Imman recycles his earlier hits and the song reminds of the composer's numerous compositions. Benny Dayal energetic rendition and intermittent Kazoo bits are the big saviors in an otherwise tepid composition. Though the tune is enjoyable in parts, it's difficult to shrug off the deja vu feel once the base rhythm kicks in. In Azhagazhaga, Pradeep Kumar brings his singing prowess in fore despite the tune is average and it's delight to hear the singer's improvisations in multiple instances. Imman kept the rhythm and interludes simple to accentuate the vocals. Pradeep Kumar makes this one pleasant and enjoyable listen. The retro styled arrangements in Murukkumeesa Maama is enticing especially for initial few minutes in Anita Venkat vocals but the track fizzles out sooner because of discordant jarring musical pieces and also the tune meanders in the second half. Diwakar's energetic vocals being the only takeaway in this bungled track.

Verdict: Karuppan is yet another traditional folk album from Imman and the composer's trademark sounds become tedious listen despite backed by stellar vocals.

My Rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Karuva Karuva Payale, Usure Usure, Azhagazhaga

P.S You can listen to the songs in Saavn

Music Review (Telugu): Yuddham Sharanam

Music Review (Telugu): Yuddham Sharanam
Music Composer: Vivek Sagar

Yelugula Teraley's folksy tune is accentuated by poetical verses by Kittu Visapragada and Shakthishree Gopalan nails the song with her whispery vocals, given that the tune is tailor made for the singer's vocals. Vivek Sagar's embellishes the dreamy tune with Pramod Umapathi's mellifluous flute solos and ambient atmosphere in the backgrounds while the rhythm sound cues are done brilliantly.Neevalaney also features exquisitely done arrangements backed by the stupendous Karthik's rendition. Vivek Sagar builds up the typical English pop title hook from the semi classical base melody, however, the highlight of the tune is Tejas Mallella's classical violin solos and beautifully employed Phani Teja's carnatic synth in the background.

Tracey Thorton is the brilliant find by Vivek Sagar and she totally holds Adedo Maayalley, the Jazz based song with the right swag. Vivek Sagar's beautiful waltz arrangements are enhanced by Abhijit Gurjale's violin and George Hull's Saxophone cues make this one easily pick of the album. Pranav Chaganty's lyrics in Padmavyuham is subdued behind the atmospheric soundscape provided by Vivek Sagar, but that doesn't hinder the listening experience. Composer's rock base is highly effectual and the foot tapping programming accompanied by Sanjay Das's live drums combines together and makes this one heady listen. Nikhita Gandhi totally owns the vocals portion with her energetic rendition.The album's towering highlight is undeniably Enno Enno Baavaley, semi classical melody by Pradeep Kumar and the singer gets to croon some of the best songs across Tamil and Telugu this year. Vivek Sagar backs the enjoyable melody with the pleasant arrangements especially Aslam Khan's sarangi and wonderful bass line by Varun Venugopal.Vivek Sagar ends the soundtrack with an energetic arresting title track and the background oozes out enormous energy with enticing synth sounds. Shivam and Kaala Bhairava sounds apt for this high octane track while the track may get traction along with exciting visuals.

Verdict: Vivek Sagar strikes a chord with a refreshing music for his big outing and joins the list of exciting music composers of Telugu film industry.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Verdict: Enno Enno Baavaley, Adedo Maayalley, Neevalaney

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

Music Review (Hindi): Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

Music Review (Hindi): Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Music Composer: Gaurav Dagaonkar, Debojyoti Mishra, Joel Dubba, Abhilash

Album opens up with the stunner Barfani and the soulful track based on the Raag Jog has the vibes of Vishal Bharadwaj's composition. This song is undeniably the best song by Armaan Malik as per my opinion and the serene arrangements make this one blissful listen. The song's female version is an equally endearing listen sung beautifully by Orunima Bhattacharya. The Sitar strains in the song continue to linger in listener's mind even after the song ends. Gaurav Dagaonkar recreated the popular folk song in Uttar Pradesh and named as Aye Saiyyan, the song is adequately engaging especially for the brilliant harmonium base by Satyajeet Prabhu.Orunima aces the rendition and strikes the chord in this song also.Gaurav Dagaonkar recreated the 1979 hit song Ghungta and Neha Kakkar aces the song with her swag. Chulbuli is another gorgeous piece in the album, the lovely retro Jazz laden track sung in a splendid manner by Papon. The accordion pieces and the light drums make you swing while listening to the song. The soundtrack ends with another beautiful track, Khali Khali composed by Abhilash and Joel (Hopefully) Saregama muddled with the composer credits, it's not clear who composed these songs considering that 4 composers are involved in the soundtrack. However the son's minimal arrangements and earnest rendition by Mohit Chauhan makes it work.

Verdict: Engaging multi-composer soundtrack but it's annoying that Saregama messed up with the credits.

My Rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Barfani, Chulbuli, Khali Khali

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

Music Review (Tamil): Mersal

Music Review (Tamil): Mersal
Music Composer: A R Rahman

Aalaporaan Tamizhan comes off easily as one of the best introduction songs for Vijay but the song has a mind-boggling mix of free-flowing tune pieces and whether those pieces coherently fits together is a questionable one. Rahman builds the tune in a splendid manner with thumping grand percussions in the interludes and the lovely chorus portions topped by Naveen Kumar's flute. Kailash Kher does a decent job in the vocal department while AV Pooja's Raanjhanaa'esque cameo in the second half is a winsome show by the singer.Neethaane is a blissful listen and Shreya Goshal's saccharine brimming vocals is enough for the listeners to fall in love with the song. She easily overshadows the A R Rahman vocals in the track and AR Rahman easily scores when one considers the arrangements. Mohana Veena by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt accompanied by the classical sargam in the second interlude by the composer makes this one spellbinding listen.

A R Rahman continues to relegate techno loaded song for Sid Sriram and the singer's suave rendition makes it listenable despite an average weird tune and with ample support from another talented singer Swetha Mohan. Rahman wields his potential in the arrangements especially the mix of classical guitar strums amidst the techno sounds in the first interlude is the sheer brilliance by the Mozart of Madras. Mersal Arasan is another frenetic percussion dominated song in the album similar to Aalaporaan Tamizhan and this one also features a discordant mix of tune bits despite the individual tunes are interesting enough to hold the listener for its run time. Naresh Iyer and GV Prakash sounds apt and the tongue rolling chorus is the easy takeaway in this mediocre assorted mix of distinct fragments.

Verdict: AR Rahman delivers the mass album for Vijay but the album is a short and weak one considering the hype around it with the Atlee- AR Rahman- Vijay combination.

My Rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: Neethaane, Aalaporaan Tamizhan

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

Music Review (Malayalam): Pullikkaran Staraa

Music Review (Malayalam): Pullikkaran Staraa
Music Composer: M Jayachandran

Mathalathan Malaralle is an ear-pleasing melody with the tinge of waltz sounds flows consistently along with the mellifluous tune. The interludes are done in neatly with Vijay Yesudas takes care of the vocal department in an effectual manner. Tap Tap engages mostly due to the catchy hook base and exuberant singing by Sreya Kutty while the background stays in the heard before feel zone. Though the techno sounds are mixed, the tune sounds too dated. M Jayachandran strikes the chord once again with Vijay Yesudas in Kavalan Painkili, the pleasant tune aside, the lovely usage of accordion and the lovely chorus stays with the listeners even after the song ends. The soundtrack's stellar song is Kilivathilin Chare Nee, where everything blends together beautifully from the Anne Amie's endearing vocals to the soothing tune. Composer ups the ante with the blissful violin solos amidst the minimal backgrounds.

Verdict: M Jayachandran continues to enchant the listeners with his timeless melodies and Kilivathilin Chare Nee is the absolute winner from the soundtrack.

My Rating: 8/10

Pick of the Album: Kilivathilin Chare Nee, Kavalan Painkili, Mathalathan Malaralle

P.S You can listen to the songs in Saavn

Music Review(Tamil): Kadhanayagan

Music Review(Tamil): Kadhanayagan
Music Composer : Sean Roldan

Kadhanayagan The Hero has ample screeching guitars and live drums while the arrangements tick off every element of the Rock song. However, the end result is far from appealing mainly due to the generic tune and sounds while Sean Roldan's singing is the solo respite in this decent song. On Nenappu's tune is tailor-made for Anirudh's vocals and Sean Roldan ups the ante with the brilliant folk arrangements dominated by the violin in the interludes along with harmonium and ghatam generously flowing throughout the song. GKB's lyrics are pedestrian one but flows well with the fun filled tune and arrangements.

Tappu Tippu works wonderfully, Thanks to the splendid playful trumpet show in the background and the swag in the arrangements are delightful to listen. Mukesh excels in crooning the amusing lyrics effectually and the Jazz tinged rhythms along with the exceptional singing makes this one works. Sunday Na bottle Edu is another mass number which meanders as it progresses and the weak sounds along with the typical tune make this one least enticing album. The techno sounds are also weary one and the pedestrian lyrics doesn't help either. Rise of a Hero theme has nothing extraordinary to offer and the synth dominated instrumental is the short and passable one in the album.

Verdict: Kadhanayagan is an average album from Sean Roldan and the album has hardly any memorable tracks.

My Rating: 7/10

Pick of the Album: On Nenappu, Tappu Tippu

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

Music Review (Tamil): Vivegam

Music Review (Tamil): Vivegam
Music Composer: Anirudh

Anirudh makes sure that nothing goes wrong in survival with the fantastic rhythm in the background along with the upbeat synth sounds makes this one stupendously engaging one. It's a delight to listen to the rap by Yogi B after the hiatus while Anirudh easily throws the catchy la la hook and croons the song effectually. Thalai Vidudhalai starts with the optimistic dialogue by Ajith and followed by kickass heavy metal track crooned with the thumping powerhouse vocals of Anirudh and Agam band fame Harish Swaminathan. Anirudh brilliantly filled the interludes with screeching guitars and live drums while Siva's motivational lyrics is in tandem with the tone of the song.

Kadhalaada is the soundtrack's best and Anirudh's stellar arrangements especially the lovely violin solos accompanied by the mesmerizing Shashaa Tirupati while Pradeep Kumar does a commendable job and the singer is in stellar form with recent songs crooned by him with such a panache. Composer ends the track with the splendid Konnakol and violin solo. Veriyera is an another power packed rock track rides mainly on the splendid rendition by M M Manasi with adequate support from Poorvi and the tune is an average one while the arrangements stick to the genre of the song. Never give up is another stylishly made soundtrack with the loung'ish feels in the arrangements which work to its favour while Raja Kumari easily sails through the track. The interludes are an aural treat especially the second interlude and the gentle rhythm gels well with the vocals of Raja Kumari. The soundtrack's best Kadhalaada comes as reprise version and the beautiful melody is accentuated further by the slew of instruments from gentle piano to engaging violin towards the end. Though the track is short, the innate beauty of the tune makes this version also an immensely enjoyable. Anirudh ends the soundtrack with the theme track with the grungy rock base mixed with the stupendously minimal plucked strings and the track is sure to gel well with visuals. 

Verdict: Anirudh delivered the stylish engaging album for Ajith and the composer's experimentation continues to work as his recent albums.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Pick of the Album: Kaadhalaada, Thalai Viduthalai, Survival

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

Music Review(Telugu): Nene Raju Nene Mandiri

Music Review(Telugu): Nene Raju Nene Mandiri
Music Composer: Anoop Rubens

Devuditho Samaram strides on the typical anthemic strings dominated track in the backdrop accentuated by the energetic chorus portions. Anup Ruben's rendition is decent and the song may work well with visuals. Jogendra Jogendra's soundscape also treads on the similar path but being the short track, it fails to leave the lasting impact on the listeners.Kathulatho is the tweaked version of Devuditho Saranam with the different lyrics and the sound is as enjoyable as the song's original version but the song fails to offer nothing new except for the arousing chorus chants.

Radhamma Radhamma is the typical tune set in the backdrop of grand string dominated orchestration and the song is adequately enjoyable though the tune strides on the familiar zone. Vijay Yesudas owns the song and Divya Spandana's vocals sound to be a processed one. Sukhibava Annaru is the most contemporary sounding track in the album and also an enticing listen mainly due to the Shreya Goshal's splendid rendition. Ranjith ably supports her with his vocals while the composer throws in brilliant violin solos intermittently throughout the song. Sumangalai is the short melancholic version of Sukhibava Annaru and the track is the brilliant one thanks to the violin solos and the earnest rendition by Sravani.

Verdict: Nenu Raju Nenu Madiri's soundtrack also partly follows the Baahubali's soundscape, however, the contemporary sounds are enjoyable.

My Rating:7/10

Pick of the Album: Sukhibava Annaru, Radhamma Radhamma