Music Review: Dev (Tamil)
Composer(s): Harris Jayaraj
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
Harris Jayaraj has been largely missing in action for the better part of 2018, and while there is no denying the composer's mettle for crafting some of the most catchy melodies in the last decade or two, his inability to move beyond a limited repertoire of sounds meant it wasn't long before he was lost in the midst of talents like M. Ghibran, Santhosh Narayanan, Darbuka Siva, Anirudh Ravichander, Sean Roldan, Sam C. S. and the likes. Heck even A. R. Rahman, for whom Harris has worked in the past, has been going all out experimental to the extent of alienating his hardcore fan base. One then wonders what really stops Harris from really evolving to new, greener pastures. That said, Dev, like the Spyder that came before it, finds him taking his patented sounds ("What you call repetitive, that's my signature," he was recently quoted as saying) and giving them a fresh coat of paint. It's like old wine in a new bottle. It's all cosmetic, but nevertheless it's a step forward.
She is My Girl channelises Bruno Mars in the best way possible, and the result, I must admit, is insanely addictive and aptly complemented by Haricharan and Mahathi on the vocals. Oru Nooru Murai evokes Love Pannu from 12B, but in D. Sathyaprakash and Shakthisree Gopalan's competent singing, the breezy melody sails through sans any hitch. Anange Sinungalama rides on a trademark Michael Jackson soundscape that Harris has perfected over the years, and it helps that an army of accomplished singers like Hariharan, Tippu, Krish, Arjun Chandy and Sharanya Gopinath are behind it. Dei Machan Dev sees lyricist Vivek rhyme "Dev" with "wave" and "brave," but the gently groovy tune is too routine to perk up (the extended outro is fantastic however), even as veteran S. P. B. effectively leads Engade Nee Ponae, a customary pathos-soaked melody that would have been right up in Bombay Jayashri's alley in the past. Dev never for once deviates from Harris' stock template and that's both a blessing and a curse.
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
Harris Jayaraj has been largely missing in action for the better part of 2018, and while there is no denying the composer's mettle for crafting some of the most catchy melodies in the last decade or two, his inability to move beyond a limited repertoire of sounds meant it wasn't long before he was lost in the midst of talents like M. Ghibran, Santhosh Narayanan, Darbuka Siva, Anirudh Ravichander, Sean Roldan, Sam C. S. and the likes. Heck even A. R. Rahman, for whom Harris has worked in the past, has been going all out experimental to the extent of alienating his hardcore fan base. One then wonders what really stops Harris from really evolving to new, greener pastures. That said, Dev, like the Spyder that came before it, finds him taking his patented sounds ("What you call repetitive, that's my signature," he was recently quoted as saying) and giving them a fresh coat of paint. It's like old wine in a new bottle. It's all cosmetic, but nevertheless it's a step forward.
She is My Girl channelises Bruno Mars in the best way possible, and the result, I must admit, is insanely addictive and aptly complemented by Haricharan and Mahathi on the vocals. Oru Nooru Murai evokes Love Pannu from 12B, but in D. Sathyaprakash and Shakthisree Gopalan's competent singing, the breezy melody sails through sans any hitch. Anange Sinungalama rides on a trademark Michael Jackson soundscape that Harris has perfected over the years, and it helps that an army of accomplished singers like Hariharan, Tippu, Krish, Arjun Chandy and Sharanya Gopinath are behind it. Dei Machan Dev sees lyricist Vivek rhyme "Dev" with "wave" and "brave," but the gently groovy tune is too routine to perk up (the extended outro is fantastic however), even as veteran S. P. B. effectively leads Engade Nee Ponae, a customary pathos-soaked melody that would have been right up in Bombay Jayashri's alley in the past. Dev never for once deviates from Harris' stock template and that's both a blessing and a curse.
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