Music Briefs: 7, A1, Kadaram Kondan, Khandaani Shafakhana, Kolanji, Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene, Sachin & Shibu
New music from M. Ghibran, Sachin Warrier, Santhosh Narayanan, S. Thaman, Natarajan Sankaran, and more...
Kadaram Kondan - The title song is a pulsating EDM-laced fusion propelled along by Shruti Haasan's fiery rendition. With Thaarame Thaarame, Sid Sriram opens his account for Ghibran, the undeniably pretty tune more in line with Sid's balladry than the composer's. Theesudar Kuniyuma is where Gibran surprises, roping in actor Vikram for a peppy rousing electropop anthem. Consistency, thy name is Ghibran! (On a side note, this is Ghibran's 25th film as a composer.)
Khandaani Shafakhana - Luka Chuppi, Arjun Patiala, Jabariya Jodi, and now Khandaani Shafakhana — mix up the titles and the songs, you'd barely discern the difference. Rochak Kohli's Udd Jaa is a folky charmer, as is Bheege Mann, liltingly sung by Altamash Faridi. Sachin-Jagar's Crazy Habibi Vs Decent Munda and Main Deewana Tera, in their true style, remain a totally accessible mix of dance and pop, bouncing with just the right kind of energy and exuberance. But I have to say, there's an assembly line quality that plagues most of these albums — a synthesized stylistic jumble that has become bright, loud, and sterile. One wonders if T-Series' remix obsession (witht the exception of Jabariya Jodi, the rest are from the record label) has anything to do with it!
Sachin - Shaan Rahman and his reliable partner in crime Vineeth Sreenivasan turn up the charm in the breezy electropop confection Kaattil Poomkattil, but it's Vishnu Krishnan and Swetha Somasundaram who shine effectively through the melancholic realisation of Kanneer Meghangal that Rahman, for his part, coats with a deft play of ghatam and strings.
Kolanji - A perfectly cromulent outing from Moodar Koodam composer Natarajan Sankaran, although I wish he went the wacky route all out further. Fair & Lovely is jangly and catchy, driven by a rotating ensemble of crisp percussion and fabulous singing by the composer himself and N. R. Priyanka. While the rendition leaves a lot to be desired, Ye Rosa's brass-rap arrangements are an interesting addition. In Ennatha Solla, Natarajan hits the bullseye, crafting an effortlessly exquisite melody backed by Sathyaprakash and Vandana Srinivasan.
Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene - Thaman has been redeeming himself with back-to-back chartbusters, and Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene is no different. The title song has all of the composer's signature ingredients — Bodyguard's Yevvaro in particular — but its effortless free-flowing tune has Yazin Nizar complementing it beautifully. The Amma Song is pathos-soaked goodness sung with a lot of emotional heft by Sri Krishna and Nandita Jyoti (somewhat along the lines of Peniviti), even as actor Siddharth hits all the right notes with his rendition of the cheery dubstep-laden Excuse Me Rakshasi.
A1 - Santhosh Narayanan's reuses his own tune from his 2013 Telugu debut as Maalai Nera, and even ropes in the same singer Chinna to do the vocal honours. But the carnatic-dubstep fusion still works better in the original. The rest is a deathly dull gaana mishmash that sounds as if Narayanan got disinterested halfway through the project.
Shibu - Calicut-born singer-turned-composer Sachin Warrier tests water in his homeland for a third time after his splendorous debut Anandam, and the results are just as enchanting. Suhara Song is an utterly intoxicating blend of harmonium and tabla, moulded into a heart-melting melody. Pularum Vare has K. S. Harisankar crooning an equally delightful classical-soaked melody, with an assortment of mridangam and saxophone lending pitch-perfect orchestral accompaniment. Oru Poo Chendu finds Warrier going for a catchy folk sound, and while the outcome is perfectly serviceable, the melodic diversion midway makes for a nice touch.
7 - Madhushree makes a welcome return (she was last heard in the 2014 Tamil film Nedunchalai) and sounds absolutely delectable in the irresitible folky charmer Sampaddhoy Nanne. Haricharan Seshadri nails the groovy mid-tempo track Idhivarakepudu, even as he is joined by a superlative Alisha Thomas for a catchy EDM pop banger Varshinchana that bounces with an effervescence that recalls to mind Yuvan Shankar Raja. Chaitan Bharadwaj sure is getting predictably good!
Kadaram Kondan - The title song is a pulsating EDM-laced fusion propelled along by Shruti Haasan's fiery rendition. With Thaarame Thaarame, Sid Sriram opens his account for Ghibran, the undeniably pretty tune more in line with Sid's balladry than the composer's. Theesudar Kuniyuma is where Gibran surprises, roping in actor Vikram for a peppy rousing electropop anthem. Consistency, thy name is Ghibran! (On a side note, this is Ghibran's 25th film as a composer.)
Khandaani Shafakhana - Luka Chuppi, Arjun Patiala, Jabariya Jodi, and now Khandaani Shafakhana — mix up the titles and the songs, you'd barely discern the difference. Rochak Kohli's Udd Jaa is a folky charmer, as is Bheege Mann, liltingly sung by Altamash Faridi. Sachin-Jagar's Crazy Habibi Vs Decent Munda and Main Deewana Tera, in their true style, remain a totally accessible mix of dance and pop, bouncing with just the right kind of energy and exuberance. But I have to say, there's an assembly line quality that plagues most of these albums — a synthesized stylistic jumble that has become bright, loud, and sterile. One wonders if T-Series' remix obsession (witht the exception of Jabariya Jodi, the rest are from the record label) has anything to do with it!
Sachin - Shaan Rahman and his reliable partner in crime Vineeth Sreenivasan turn up the charm in the breezy electropop confection Kaattil Poomkattil, but it's Vishnu Krishnan and Swetha Somasundaram who shine effectively through the melancholic realisation of Kanneer Meghangal that Rahman, for his part, coats with a deft play of ghatam and strings.
Kolanji - A perfectly cromulent outing from Moodar Koodam composer Natarajan Sankaran, although I wish he went the wacky route all out further. Fair & Lovely is jangly and catchy, driven by a rotating ensemble of crisp percussion and fabulous singing by the composer himself and N. R. Priyanka. While the rendition leaves a lot to be desired, Ye Rosa's brass-rap arrangements are an interesting addition. In Ennatha Solla, Natarajan hits the bullseye, crafting an effortlessly exquisite melody backed by Sathyaprakash and Vandana Srinivasan.
Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene - Thaman has been redeeming himself with back-to-back chartbusters, and Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene is no different. The title song has all of the composer's signature ingredients — Bodyguard's Yevvaro in particular — but its effortless free-flowing tune has Yazin Nizar complementing it beautifully. The Amma Song is pathos-soaked goodness sung with a lot of emotional heft by Sri Krishna and Nandita Jyoti (somewhat along the lines of Peniviti), even as actor Siddharth hits all the right notes with his rendition of the cheery dubstep-laden Excuse Me Rakshasi.
A1 - Santhosh Narayanan's reuses his own tune from his 2013 Telugu debut as Maalai Nera, and even ropes in the same singer Chinna to do the vocal honours. But the carnatic-dubstep fusion still works better in the original. The rest is a deathly dull gaana mishmash that sounds as if Narayanan got disinterested halfway through the project.
Shibu - Calicut-born singer-turned-composer Sachin Warrier tests water in his homeland for a third time after his splendorous debut Anandam, and the results are just as enchanting. Suhara Song is an utterly intoxicating blend of harmonium and tabla, moulded into a heart-melting melody. Pularum Vare has K. S. Harisankar crooning an equally delightful classical-soaked melody, with an assortment of mridangam and saxophone lending pitch-perfect orchestral accompaniment. Oru Poo Chendu finds Warrier going for a catchy folk sound, and while the outcome is perfectly serviceable, the melodic diversion midway makes for a nice touch.
7 - Madhushree makes a welcome return (she was last heard in the 2014 Tamil film Nedunchalai) and sounds absolutely delectable in the irresitible folky charmer Sampaddhoy Nanne. Haricharan Seshadri nails the groovy mid-tempo track Idhivarakepudu, even as he is joined by a superlative Alisha Thomas for a catchy EDM pop banger Varshinchana that bounces with an effervescence that recalls to mind Yuvan Shankar Raja. Chaitan Bharadwaj sure is getting predictably good!
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