Music Briefs: Aelay, Inspector Vikram, The Girl on the Train, The Great Indian Kitchen & Vellam

A roundup of new music from Bijibal, Mathews Pulickan, Sooraj S. Kurup, Vipin Patwa, and J. Anoop Seelin...

The Great Indian Kitchen - Oru Kudam finds composer Mathews Pulickan concocting an almost Rahman-like folk tune reminiscent of his early work in the 90s, with the slow unfurling track bolstered by Haritha Balakrishnan and Sulekha Kapadan's excellent vocals. Chemrantham, the other song composed by Pulickan, almost has a lullaby'ish vibe to it, even as Niranjana Rema's flawless rendition takes centrestage. Sooraj S. Kurup, for his part, ropes in Sita Kalyanam singer and classical music exponent Renuka Arun for a frenzied dance number called Neeye Bhoovin, its pounding percussion building into a rich tapestry of sounds that's at once exhilarating and rousing.

The Girl on the Train - A soundtrack that hits all the expected beats and nothing more, but despite the assembly line quality that plagues most of the album, composer Vipin Patwa turns in a lilting acoustic melody in the unplugged version of Matlabi Yariyan that's rendered with excellent restraint and stirring sentiment by actor Parineeti Chopra against a deft play of woodwinds and breezy strings.

Aelay - Seevnuke is a folky charmer, and Kaber Vasuki layers Yogi Sekar and Roja Adithya against a lovely assortment of traditional percussion, guitars, and a Mongolian string instrument known as morin khuur (played by Wang Jing). The result is an effortlessly free-flowing melody. Too bad the rest of Aelay is banal and run of the mill.

Inspector Vikram - Sonu Nigam is the star of J. Anoop Seelin-composed Nannavale Nannavale, an absolute ripper of a melody coasting along a profusion of strings, cymbals and rhythmic finger-snapping that provides a neat contrast to the rest of the instruments.

Vellam - Bijibal's Oru Kuri Kandu Naam, appearing in two versions, is a pretty piece tinged with retro-folk stylings, but it's Shahabaz Aman whose rendition of Akashamayavale works wonders for the sparse, understated melody. Chokachokannoru Sooriyan's brooding and haunting arrangements find solid purchase in Bhadra Rajin's impeccable vocals, as is Azhiyazhangal, which has Shabeer Ali's soulful rendition floating over the song's folk-inflected hues.