Music Briefs: 99, Devarattam, Jersey, Kaagar, Kavaludaari, Maharshi, Student of the Year 2 & Uyare

Is it only me, or the Indian film music this year has been been super bland?

99 - It was always going to be tough beating Govind Vasantha's stunning mood piece that was 96, but Arjun Janya embraces a different sensibility that, while engaging, needs a little getting used to. Make no mistake, the songs are good definitely, by turns tuneful and melancholic - Anisuthidhe, Nee Gnyapaka and Naa Sanihake Innu soar splendidly - yet it doesn't quite reach there.

Kavaludaari - Leave it up to Charan Raj to come up with an intriguing score as he does in Kavaludaari. Befittingly sombre, enigmatic and mixing retro-styled orchestration, the soundtrack is a veritable potpourri of sounds (those trumpets!), with sterling support from the singers involved, turning it into a moody, stylish affair!

Uyare - Gopi Sundar's strings-heavy Nee Mukilo is an easy like, its sindhu bhairavi raga based soundbed gaining immensely from Vijay Yesudas and Sithara Krishnakumar. But it's Shakthisree Gopalan who drives the ethereal Kaattil Veezha to towering heights, the simple guitar-kanjira arrangement complementing beautifully her stunning vocals.

Student of the Year 2 - The Jawaani Song and Hook Up Song are efficiently produced, engineered to perfection, but float by without registering much of an impression. The cringey lyrics aside, Mumbai Dilli Di Kudiyaan rides on an addictive rhythm that's complemented well by singers Dev Negi, Payal Dev and Vishal Dadlani. The liltingly arranged Fakira harks back to Vishal and Shekhar's Falak Tak, but without a doubt, the song is Sanam Puri and Neeti Mohan's show. Arijit Singh brings his unique brand of soul to the maudlin-if-gently-lullaby'ish Main Bhi Nahin Soya, while the composer duo rework Befikre's Nashe Si Chadh Gayi in Jat Ludhiyane Da, this time with less than satisfactory results. SOTY 2 is impeccably produced and catchy as the clap, too bland to be great but too competent to be atrocious. It elicits muted bursts of pleasure but never elation, caught in some numb nether region between the mediocre and the genuinely exciting.

Jersey - Adhento Gaani Vunnapaatuga is trademark Anirudh, a euphoric, rousing melody punctuated by splendid use of horns, even as the composer expertly harnesses the power of pop rock, and mixes it into a rich palate of punchy rock guitar riffs, melodious harmonies and heart-swelling choruses in Spirit of Jersey and Needa Padadhani. Shakthisree Gopalan lends solid purchase to Padhe Padhe, with Vighnesh Shivanand aka Brodha V's rap cascading over a rollicking rhythm, while Shashaa Tirupati and Inno Genga rule the splendidly ambient piece Prapanchame Alaa. Anirudh, after a not so happening Petta, returns in blistering form with Jersey.

Devarattam - If Sethupathi was an appetiser, Devarattam is Nivas K. Prasanna's full-fledged entry into folk territory. And while there is nothing truly extraordinary about it, you can't entirely dismiss it either. The dirge Aatha Thottilile in particular rides on an inventive arrangement comprising of folk and elegiac elements, but he has an instant winner in Pasappukkalli, an insanely foot-tapping folky melody enlivened by the vocals of singer/composer/actor Vijay Antony and Alex Samuel Jenito.

Maharshi - Were it not for Shankar Mahadevan's phenomenal singing, Padara Padara is nothing if not a folky rehash of Pranaamam. But then nothing prepares you for the utterly cookie cutter tunes that follow, an ennui-inducing, tiresome mix of dance numbers so predictable that Devi Sri Prasad could have composed them in his sleep. Talk about stale wine in older bottle!

Kaagar - Composer AV Prafullachandra whips up an eclectic mishmash of sounds in Lagliya Godi Tujhi, a lilting serenade of a melody that's well complemented by Shashaa Tirupati and Harshavardhan Wavre on the vocals. The other highlight is Gondan Pirmach, an unusually structured song that gains immensely from Jasraj Joshi and Rucha Bondre's emotive singing.

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