Home   Forum   Wiki   Notes   Register   FAQ   Sitemap   About Us   Contact Us  

Reviews of New ARR Albums
Submitted by DFers.

All times in EDT/EST +9:30/10:30 for IST.
Discussion Thread on ARR's new albums

---

Mudhalvan
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Shashi (@ nscs23p4.remote.umass.edu) on: Fri Dec 31 01:08:09 EST 1999

Review of Muthalvan audio album
Music: AR Rahman
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Director: Shankar

Song 1. Shakka-lakka baby--by Praveen Mani & Vasunthradevi: Only the name of the singer is archaic; this is a 'techno' type song composed specifically for the discotheques and their patrons. Starts rather mildly with a gentle ticking rythm and a good voice intro by the new singer. This is however quickly followed by a fast but wonderful rythm and hefty bass score. Pallavi is catchy and the male voice backup is interesting for the first few times but becomes rather irritating as it repeats on and on and on...in the course of the song. 1st interlude is completely a motley of "stuff" (for lack of better definition) and sounds techno and uninteresting. The charanam once again shows that Vasunthradevi is talented but the melody line could have been more imaginative. 2nd interlude is brief and consists of some spanish shouts (?@#%) 2nd charanam similar to 1st but since the male voices lead towards the end, there is no irritating male backup voice!(so it sounds better). The song ends with the pallavi again now accompanied by a dholak + techno rythm loop which sounds interesting (a hint of the same is shown in the 1st pallavi but this time it is more elaborate). Ends with 'adios amigos' and that precisely summarizes my feeling for the song. Rating 4.5/10 (this however will be a definite hit among the younger generation!)

2. Kurukku Chiruthavale--by Hariharan & Mahalaxmi: Wonderful flute intro; goes right to your soul!! This is supported by acoustic rythm--what a relief from the previous song. Prominent 'Kolusu/Payal' sounds accompany the rythm and an imaginative 1/2 beat just before the pallavi starts (as a percussionist myself, I loved this 1/2 beat although a lot of folks might not understand what I am talking about). Never mind, continuing on--The pallavi is superb! More so because of the honey that flows out of Hariharans vocal cords!!
The flute backups are good in the pallavi. 1st interlude starts out with rythm continuation, but soon a sarangi/violin (played in Rajasthani folk style) joins followed by voices and claps--good. 1st charanam is more imaginative and warms the heart. The song shows shades of raga 'Vaasanthi' (ARR must have had a hang-over from 'Adi manja kizhange from tajmahal or vice-versa) & is rendered equally well by Mahalaxmi. 2nd interlude is more of the folk sarangi, this time free flowing imagination backed later by flute which repeats the prelude piece. The 2nd charanam similar to the 1st with more sarangi and flute backups. Back to pallavi with more decorative rythm backup voices and closes with a wonderful string section. Overall rating 9/10

3. Uppukaruvadu--by Shankar Mahadevan & Kavitha: Starts briskly with a 'sangathi' on Thenmozhiye by Shankar M followed by a folkish flute (which takes you right to the country side). As you are enjoying the tranquil country side you are suddenly transported by this rythm on the Dafli(played by sticks) & the sarangi/flute combo to more interesting locales where the action starts with the Pallavi, accompanied by rythm guitar chords and harmonium. This by itself is very catchy but wait--Shankar touches new heights. 'Odai karai oram' line is more catchy than the pallavi and better yet the 'Kola Kola Kolagala' that follows is even more infectious and tops it all. 1st interlude has synth harmonica/reed instrument followed by sarangi playing the same intro before pallavi. 1st Charanam is again very catchy and imaginative. Kavitha Krishnamurthi competes with Shankar Mahadevan effectively and her pronunciation is good as well. 2nd interlude has 'Thenmozhiye' repeated followed by a banjo piece, voice and sarangi repeat. 2nd Charanam similar to 1st with less backup instruments. Ends with the pallavi at Kolagala.
Both singers have put in ample enthusiasm and this fares well for this feet tapping number. My only complaint--interludes could have been more imaginative. Overall rating 8.5/10

4. Muthalvane--by S Janaki and Shankar Mahadevan: Interesting synth with 'marching thumps' rythm reminds one vaguely of 'Kapaleri poyachu' from Indian. Rapidly this is changed to an interesting vocal effect. I would have raved about it had I not heard 'secret story' from Pat Metheny, from which it is adapted (1st track). The pallavi starts after the 'Muthalvane vane, vane.. prelude (male). The melody is neutral (neither catchy nor too boring) and the rendition average (definite Pisuru's in SJ's voice--especially, when she repeats the pallavi after the first charanam. But before I get to the charanam about the 1st interlude--starts with synth variations followed by a 'choir' type singing (reminescent of the chants in Omen) followed by giant pipe organs/church organs building a wonderful 'eerie' mood, climaxing with a rapidly moving rythm. Here it breaks into the 1st charanam which is simply superb! The wonderful acoustic tabla (reminds me of Prasad's tabla--MSV troupe) with a nicely done huming by SJ scores full points for the charanam which by itself is imaginative and better than the pallavi. Ends with Muthalva, va, va (female) and pallavi before the 2nd BGM which has more of 'Patmethenys' vocal adaptations and synth (okay imagination). The 2nd Charanam is similar to the 1st and truly the variations on the tabla once again deserves a special mention--really well done. The song ends after the pallavi repeat (this time more irritating because of the male, female abrupt cut and pastes) followed by vane, vane and the 'Omen' type chants. Highpoints are the interludes and the charanams; pallavi is tolerable. Overall rating 6.5/10

5. Ulunthu Vithaikayile--by Swarnalatha, Srinivas & Hariharan, Mahalaxmi: Starts with a good huming piece by Swarnalatha (which replaces the flute melody line); this is more free flowing with the chords in the background and sounds melodius(one of the best portions of the song). Pallavi is similar to song 2 (lyrics different). 1st BGM has a santoor/Dulcimer lead with variations on pallavi (not much imagination but pleasant to hear). Pallavi is repeated again by Srinivas (lyrics are once again different) and he definitely sounds great. From this point the song is entirely 'cut & paste' from the 2nd interlude, 2nd charanam till the end from 'Kurukku Chiruthavale' (song 2). Both Srinivas and Hariharan score full points for their rendition although personally Hariharans' voice is emotionally more expresive. Overall rating 8.5/10

6. Azhakana Ratchasiye--by SPB, Harini & Prakash: Begins with a rythm on the Ghatam along with a 'recorder'(kind of flute) melody joined by voices, synth and strong bass; this ends with 'interesting slaping sounds' on the Ghatam. SPB renders a flawless ReethiGowlai in his inimitable fashion. But Harini to her credit does a superb job as well--"she is no Arugampul when it comes to singing"--"Aamam". The 1st interlude has more rythm and mandolin/banjo type instrument with voice & strings (good). 1st charanam is imaginatively composed and SPB shines in both the lower and higher octaves. The Ghatam run at the very end of the charanam reminds one of the classic 'Shakti' recordings (Vikku, Zakir, L Shankar, J Mclaughlin). ARR introduces 'Urumi mELam' in the 2nd interlude and Prakash does his bit of the job, with strings and original 'recorder' prelude to the pallavi (repeat). The 2nd charanam is similar to the first with the voices reversed from the order in the 1st charanam. Pallavi repeats at the end, but this time with the 'urumi mElam' it sounds even better and fades to voice with strings backup.
Overall rating 9/10

Overall album rating: 7.6/10

Final comments: I had rated TajMahal at a 6.8/10. Although both albums have good songs there are fewer wasted songs (energy) in Muthalvan IMO. Even 'Shakka-lakka' although musically gets a 4.5/10 is sure to be a hit among a certain 'population'! My prediction is that this album would do much better, both in terms of popularity and sales, compared to TajMahal.

You can listen to this album here.

---

TajMahal
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Shashi (@ nscs23p4.remote.umass.edu) on: Fri Dec 31 01:25:03 EST 1999

1. Bharathiraja's speech: He quite literally gives a new interpretation (puthiyaparimanam, puthiparinamam) of Tajmahal-- as Dajmahal--funny!! The speech does raise ones expectation of the album. Lets see if its true.

2. Tirupachi Aruvale(Sriram, Chanran, Kalpana): This song starts of well with 'dafli' and distant vocal and a strong bass score. The pallavi is catchy and is fresh. However, the pronounciation of 'singam petra PiLLai as Pillai' irritated the heck out of me. The backup instrument for the pallavi is a 'whistle or (whistle like synth instrument)' which is incompatible with the mood of the song. Imagine somebody singing about getting the 'Aruval' (suppose to represent valour) but the backup is a gentle whistle (more suitable for romantic/milder moods)--ARR should have used another backup than a whistle (IMO). The chorus vocal chanting in the 1st interlude reminds one of the chanting in 'Circle of life' song (Lion King). The charanam is less imaginative than the pallavi. In particular the way in which the words 'Vantheengaa' 'Viteengaa' are dragged at the end is very similar to 'iLanthendralae', 'mudiyathadaa' etc in the classic MSV-TKR 'Marlarthum malaratha..' Infact, the more I think about it the older song was set in 'Chadushra nadai' and the newer one in 'Kanda nadai'; otherwise there is not much original imagination. The 2nd interlude is again okay, but I could not understand why ARR has to use words like 'hawa hawa' in a typical folkish tamil song. The 2nd charanam is not much different from the 1st and the song ends with the pallavi and the rather frivolous whistle. Song rating 5.5/10

3. Chotta Chotta (Sujatha): Vocal prelude by Sujatha is great. Some shades of the song' Thenkizhaku seemayile..' from Kizhakku Cheemayile can be made out. But ARR quickly changes the tempo and instrumentation to one of a quasi-qawali (like the one in Varaaga nathikarai.. in Sangamam) and the pallavi is very melodious. The first interlude is fantastic, especially the ending with the synth bass leading up to the charanam. The Charanam is superb!; even better the pallavi. The flute backup is wonderful. This IMO is the best part of the song. Full marks to Sujatha for a flawless rendition. The song ends with the pallavi and a flute repeating the pallavi which is melodius. Song rating 7.5/10

4. Adi Manjakilange (Febi, Ganga, Kanchana): Song has an interesting start with rythm and vocals. One immediately recognises the raga and scale (Sa,R2,G3,P,D1,Sa) on which this song is based; this is used in Ghazals commonly. Raja has used this raga in the song 'Atho mega oorvalam' in Kaathal Rojave; the name of this hindustani raga--I forget. The interludes are brief and nice. The charanams are variations on the pallavi theme and have been composed imaginatively. Chorus vocals for the entire song adds power to the song. Overall a short and a sweet song which is very peppy as well. Song rating 8/10

5. Kilakey Nanthavanam (Febi, Ganga, Kanchana): My favorite song of the album--let me tell you why. Right from the start, the voice of the 'patti' has been used very effectively. The voice has been dubbed out of phase on two different tracks and used simultaneously giving a wonderful prelude. The rythm is also very fresh, especially the vibrating single strike on a stretched drum. To top all this the melody is just fantastic!! Yes, it is an old folkish tune--may not be ARR's own thru & thru but nobody can claim originality for an old folk tune. The patti's voice has also been used as a backup instrument in areas--once again brilliant imagination. The charanams are variations on the main pallavi, as it is convention in a 'nattupura pattu'. The variations however are innovative. Chorus vocals once again brings energy & gusto to the song. Full marks to ARR for composing this song in brilliant fashion. Everybody who listens to this song would like to say 'Vaadee', (just like the patti), subconsciously, because the 'enthu' showed by the patti is so infectious. Song rating 9/10

6. Eechi Elumichi (Mamoj, Arunthathi): The prelude to the song is well done with a folkish rythm, distant vocal humming and an airy flute. The pallavi that follows is once again very catchy! Singing is adequate. The sitar in the 1st interlude is simply superb! The song flows well into the Charanam which remains as catchy as the pallavi. The 2nd interlude is also worth mentioning; the flute in this case explores 'mohanam' with lots of additional notes to slide and glide easily. The 2nd charanam is pretty much a repeat of the 1st charanam with vocal backups. The song ends with the pallavi with increased backups on more instruments and it fades with the hum & rythm with which it began. Song rating 7/10

7. Sengaatre (TK kala): I had mixed feeling about this song. The begining was strong with some kind of muted-slap guitar sound with string backup along with vocals. The song definitely potrays a sorrowful mood and ARR has appropriately chosen the hindustani raga 'Ahir Bhairav' also called Chakaravakkam in Carnatic music. However, the rather abrupt introduction of the 'Egyptian tabla & rythm' with a sufi like singing of 'Yathe, yathe, uyir valikirathe yathe..' somehow shows shades of 'Rangde, rang de..' in Takshak. However, both the raga and the tempo are different in the two songs. The charanam seems to wander rather aimlessly and the singing by TK Kala is adequate. Towards the end of the song a santoor becomes prominent and adds backup to the voice. It might have been better if the santoor had been given more role to play than its brief appearance towards the end. Vishveswaran (Chitra vishveswaran's husband) is a talented Santoor artist and has not been utilized to his full potential. Song rating 5.0/10

8. KuLiruthu KuLiruthu (UnniKrisnan, Swarnalatha): Most melodious of the album, the song starts with a flute, synth and bass which keeps the rythm for the most part. The opening notes of the flute are Pa, D1, N2 Sa. Even if one confuses Pa for Sa the notes should read Sa, R1, G2 and M1. The D1 or R1 immediately takes the mind off Hindolam (Malkauns) or Shudha-Dhanyasi. However, as the pallavi starts, ARR drops the D1 or R1 and hence there is a superficial resemblence to Hindolamor Shudha-dhanyasi. The pallavi has beautiful flute followup (please listen to this)--which almost borders on the the style used by Raja. The 1st interlude is very imaginative with a rythm joining in the earlier portion and a solo violin towards the later half which now plays a SindhuBhairavi in all its glory!! The Charanam is completely in Sindhubhairavi. Once again, please listen to the flute which provides wonderful backup in the earlier portions and strings in the later half of the charanam, ending with a powerful Slide Bass as it joins the pallavi. The 2nd interlude has some similarities to the interludes in 'Margazhipoove..' (ARR's) because of this phenomenon of dropped notes giving the feel of Hindolam. The violin once again returns to remind one of the sindhubhairavi although this time it tries to tease one with some omitted notes. The 2nd charanam recaps the 1st charanam with decreased backups (the wonderful flute seems to be missing); the strings remain in place and once again the slide bass is conspicously absent. The song ends after the pallavi with strings & cello melodiously. Both UnniKrishnan and Swarnalatha have done a good job in this song. Song rating 8.5/10

9. Karisal Parisal (Sri Kumar, Chitra): A song which should not have been included!. Yes, the song does start of in a 'Popish' fashion but has uncomfortable shifts. There is a sudden change to a stronger synth backup. The singing is barely adequate. The best part of the song is the 1st interlude which is very touching. Infact it feels like a continuation of the 1947/Earth theme. The charanam is disjointed and the rythm reminds one of the 'Aalala kanda..' from Sangamam. The melody itself shows shades of kanada but has many other notes; atleast it is better than the pallavi-- that is a consolation. However as this fades there is one more abrupt jump to a faster tempo with totally different instrumentation. This is in Sindhubhairavi as is the 2nd charanam that follows this interlude. Overall this song has many individually interesting portions but they do not flow together and appear rather dis-connected. After listening to this song the question that comes to my mind is--ARR, how and where does this all fit? Song rating 4/10

10. Chotta Chotta (Srinivas): Pretty much a repeat of the female versions with minor changes such as interesting guitar preludes. Srinivas shines well in this version. There are a few areas such as'megam akshathai podum...' etc where too many words are squeezed into too little space and this crams up the melody. Song rating 7.5/10

11. Eechi elumichi: Repeat of song 6. Score same as before (7/10).

Overall impression & rating this album: This album has a mix of songs and hence the immediate feeling is also mixed. There are songs like KuLiruthu.. and Kizhakey.. which show ARR's brilliance and then some 'above-average' compositions like AdiManjakilange, Chotta Chotta and Eechi Elumichi. Some average to less than average songs such as Thirupachi and Sengatrae could have been improved and polished if ARR had wished. Finally a song like Karisa parisal which should have been frankly dropped or split-up into individual pieces and expanded to be used as complete songs (for another movie). Overall rating 6.8/10

You can listen to this album here.

---

Mudhalvan
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by MS (@ 129.252.22.112) on: Sun Jan 2 02:25:28 EST 2000

Let me try "mudhalvan": (all IMO)

(1) Shakalaka Baby:

An atrocious song with pristine ingredients of cacophony neatly blended to
produce a despicable output. The song has been formulated to attract the attention of the spuriously westernized young generation. The choral humming that comes in between the song reminds us of the mooing of the buffaloes in the pastoral lands, thus taking all the US based Indians to the rustic ambience of Desh, transcending physical barriers (pakkathila oru erumai koottam mEyura saththam, superb feeling !!!).

Now that much malice has been thrown, let me get to the details. VM's lyrics are "apt" for the tune..eg.." puh puh puh puh puh puh puh puh time enna..thu thu thu thu thu thu thu thu thalaiyanai..shaiyO shaiyO.."(ayyO !!!). The entire song has been sung in false voice which is in "tune" with he Americanized(?!) tamil accent of the singer. I am sure this is one of those junk songs for which ARR takes a "lot of time" to compose.

The entire song is generously filled with arbitrarty sounds which could be appealing to aliens and exobiologists. It comes close to " Monisha" and " Hello Doctor" in comparison, though ( the good news is that it) does not supersede either. Have the volume low else you cound land in ear - disorders.

(2) kurukku chiriththavaLe:

It is melodious. I like this. I like this because I like " Pardesi Pardesi jaanaa nahin" from Pardes. I like to have its tamil version with some compromise on the original tune. So I like this song. Similar structure.Same raga. Similar beat. Same tune when you compare "Pardesi mere yaaran" and "Oru kaNNil neer kasiya".
The song seemingly set in "Mishra shivaranjani" ( not sure - IMO) has been wonderfully rendered by Sadhana sargam and HH.

coming to lyrics: As somebody observed priorly, VM has voiced his request through the hero to be smeared as turmeric over heroine's body. Same stuff. Same repeated stuff. But not vulgar - so, great !!!!

This song IMO is a good one to go into our racks. It also has a twin - "Ulundhu vidhaikkayile" by Swarnalatha. Same comments.

(3) uppu karuvaadu:

A dappaanguthu which is really catchy if not for Shankar Mahadevan's voice ! but..wait..I hear some other song..yes..I got it !! " siragai neenginaal paravai yillai, thriyai neenginaal dheepam illai, unnai neenginaal naanum illai, unakku athu puriya villai.." - the humming of this inserted as a choral portion " gola..gola.golagalla..". So another old song ? Not really..I am sure fans of ARR's beatsy numbers will find this appealing. Lyrics once gain take a dive. No life!!!

(4) MudhalvanE:
ment..ment..comment..vanE..vanE..mudhalvanE..dungadunga..aaLAi vidunga !! :-)

(5) Alagaana raatchasiyE:

A beautiful number from ARR. Set in Reethi Gowla ragaa ( donot know if it is pure), it adds to the small number of filmsongs that are set in the same ragam. SPB is amazingly young and Harini's portion is very uncomplicated. The tune imparts into me the faith that ARR is still a good interpreter of Classical music. The lyrical blunders are revolting. VM has penned down all his sadistic manifestations into a lovesong ("adi nenjai aruvaa manNayil arukkiriyE" - I think he will use hacksaw next when it comes to introducing english words). But the song is really appealing. It is worth becoming a personal favorite. There is a constant "tick -tick" sound similar to the prelude of " avaL varuvaLA" of Deva. The note of this instrument is "sa" all through the song. I wonder if the appropriate notes for orchestration could not be played in the same. It is really sickening. Else the song is great.

summary:

The album has four good songs of which two are twins. It may prove to be a good buy !

You can listen to this album here.

---

TajMahal
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by David (@ 203.126.228.21) on: Thu Feb 17 04:22:21 EST 2000

excellent
excellent
excellent

---

Muthalvan
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by rahhari (@ 195.101.0.164) on: Sat Feb 19 05:05:44 EST 2000

SUPERBBBBBBBBBBBBB..all the songs are great..and the best is kurukku by hariharan..superrrrrrrrrrrrrr

You can listen to this album here.

---

Alaipayuthey
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Shashi (@ fw1xlate1.mayo.edu) on: Fri Feb 25 20:23:19 EST 2000

Review of Alipayuthe (music album)
Music director: AR Rahman
Direction: ManiRatnam

1. September maatham by Asha/Shankar Mahadevan & chorus: Starts with a chorus prelude and minimal rhythm (just for timing),
but it quickly builds to a racy rhythm with strings leading. This portion reminds me of 'Rang De' prelude (takshak). Asha
starts the pallavi with her usual spirited singing and some excellent bass followup, which is followed by some latin percussion
additions. The lines 'Inbam tholainthatey..' sung in chorus is similar to the chorus lines in'Vetrikodi kattu..' (padaiyappa).
Shankar M repeats the pallavi with equally spirited singing and good support from chorus & string sections. The 1st interlude
has rhythm continuation with bass slides, slaps, lead & chorus voices--not very imaginative. The 1st charanam introduces quite
an interesting flow in the melody. However, the opening lines reminds me of 'aha, inimai niraintha ulagam iruku, inimey unaku
kavalai yetharku jolly bird' (Ninaithale Inikum, MSV). The last 2 lines of the charanam has Asha singing in the lower octaves
that is barely okay. Pallavi repeats with Asha's "aha's"(similar to old RD Burman + Asha--vampish numbers). Interestingly the
thavil sounds used in 'Ottagathai kattiko' peeps towards the end of this pallavi. 2nd interlude has synth.& chorus similar
to 'VetriKodi..' followed by repeat of pallavi on strings. 2nd charanam is similar to the 1st with the voices trading places.
Shankar lower octave rendition is more palatable than Asha's. Pallavi repeats with full string followup and ends crisply with
a roll on the thavil. My impression--a motley of tunes; not much freshness, but a strong racy rythm & bass.
Rating 6/10.

2. Yaaro by Mahalakshmi/Richa Sharma/Vaishali: Starts with 'dumdum damaku..' recited with gradual build of rhythm which is very
interesting and grabs your attention immediately. A short synth. piano prelude takes us to the pallavi which is very imaginative.
Especially the last line of the pallavi 'veLLi petti kattiyavano sollu' is just great! The 1st interlude starts briskly with
the Nadaswaram to which Dafli and rythm variations are added. A short but sweet flute leads us to the 1st charanam which once
again imaginative with some spirited singing by the three. The alap's are great. The overall style is of a qawali but with an
unusual rhythm. Pallavi repeats once again before the 2nd interlude which has a combination of panflute/flutes [reminds of the
freshness experienced in chinna chinna..(Roja)]. Some folk type singing follows which ends up as chorus before the 2nd charanam
which is a repeat of the 1st except for some interesting rhythm additions in places. Once again the pallavi repeats, this time
with overlaping voices (which ARR is so good at!). Ends with the rythm gradually fading. All singers have done well.
Rating 8/10

3. Pachai Nirame by Hariharan/Clinton: Starts with Sakiye, Snehidiye.. in a western fashion--unusual but interesting. This is
followed by a wonderful flute which introduces our future pallavi along with an excellent acoustic sounding guitar playing
the chords (played by picking the strings individually instead of strumming). A simple rythm is added along with minimal strings.
The pallavi (green/pachai) by Hariharan is very catchy. I personally thought in the last line 'enaku samadham tharume, enaku samdham tharume' there was a slight problem with the timing of the first repetition. The 1st interlude is repetition of the pallavi on instruments. The 1st charanam continues to be catchy ( red/sivapu is being sung). The flow becomes more interesting as the color yellow (manjal) is sung with adequate synth strings/piano followups. The end of 'manjal' comes as an unexpected surprise which is wonderful. The Sakiye prelude repeats with rhythm variations following which blue (neelam) is being sung in a beautiful change of raga/scale with excellent support by the guitar/synth. A repeat of the pallavi on the flute follows as an interlude but ends with some western type strings. The 5th color, karuppu has simlar melody as neelam with minor variations. Once again the sakiye interlude with some good bass licks are heard. Finally the color white (vellai) is sung in the same tune as pachai (pallavi). This time however the last line--'unadhu manasin nirame, unadhu manasin nirame (similar to enaku samadham tharume) is perfectly timed. To understand what I am talking about compare the above mentioned lines. The song ends with the pallavi being repeated on flute and strings fading gradually.
Rating 8/10

4. Alaipayuthe by Kalyani Menon/Harini/Neyveli Ramalakshmi: This popular carnatic piece by 'Uthukaadu' has been used with some interesting rhythm accompaniment. The song starts out with the tanpura and thalam. The whole song is done as a chorus of voices. The rhythm which starts towards the later half of the pallavi is actually an indian (mridangam rhythm or sollu) but played on the western sounding drum equivalents. Minimal but discernable rhythm variations do occur towards the later half of the charanam. One drawback--The starting word of the charanam--ie 'TheLindha nilavu' is being mispronounced by 'one of the three singers' as 'Thelindha nilavu'. One could still make this out even when the voices are in chorus. Otherwise the song has been quite aesthetically adorned by ARR without spoiling the innate beauty of this song (set in raga Kanada).
Rating 8/10

5. Snehidhane by Srinivas & Sadhana Sargam: What an interesting start! Male voice with chorus backups and great slap bass guitar work. Truly very imaginative. This prelude leads us to the pallavi by Sadhana. Her voice can be compared to fresh spring water! The pallavi is catchy and sweet at the same time. Although her pronounciation is occasionally flawed, given that her native
language in not tamil, she has done a commendable job. Also, the acoustic bass followup on the lines 'idhu azhutham, azhutham'
is wonderful--reminds me of excellent acoustic bass work done by Raja in his pre-1990 days (especially of balu mahendra and Maniratnam). 1st interlude starts with the Sarangi to which Pakhwaj is added and the melody is improvised imaginatively. Good Sarangi work too. The 1st charanam starts off after a momentary pause (filled by bass only) which follows the previous interlude. This heightens the beautiful turn the charanam takes on a new scale. The rhythm slows slow and catches up only with at last two lines leading us back the the pallavi. The 2nd interlude is a repetition of the catchy prelude with rhythm cahnges. Once again look out for the wonderful acoustic bass. The 2nd charanam is similar to 1st with a few additional improvizations by Sadhana. The song ends after a repetition of the pallavi fading gradually with the rhythm. Some of the lyrics do appear to be flippant reducing the beauty of this song. Overall this number has excellent melody, voices, interludes--you name it--everything is excellent!
Rating 9/10

6. Kadhal Sadugudu by Naveen/SPB Charan: Starts out with a slide bass piece followed by addition of voices. The rhythm follows
accompanied by more funky sounds (including bass). This song is unconventional with no good demarcation between the pallavi & charanam. The pallavi actually creeps on you (without your knowledge) and peaks at Nakila, Nakila Nakila... There is good use
of slap bass in this section. The 1st interlude (if you can call it-that) has voices as in the begining with some jazz/blues type
piano use. The 2nd charanam is similar to the 1st with some good marimba/piano backups, as well as the everpresent excellent
bass. At high pitches SPB junior sounds similar to SPB senior during his younger days. The charanam flows well with the overall
theme of the song, with no unexpected glitches or surprises. The song fades to an end with repetition of the prelude voices,
bass/funk & the sound of waves splashing. The singers have done their part quite well but nothing extraordinary.
Rating 8/10

7. Evano Oruvan by Swarnalatha: Starts with the wind howling in the background and voice introducing the pallavi. Gradually
an arabian sounding rhythm is added with sarod and dilruba like sounding instruments. The pallavi is repeated now repeated with
the rythm in place. Good use of echo/ambience in this song. The 1st interlude has two flutes playing a rather meloncholic
piece which gets to your heart directly. This is followed by the arabian rhythm to which claps are added and another wonderful
veena piece which is simple, but quite striking. The 1st charanam starts after a brief pause (after the interlude, which has
no instruments) making it more effective. The charanam is imaginative and flows well. The 3rd line especially has a wonderful
flute backup! The pallavi repeats once again to be followed by the 2nd interlude which starts out like the first but the veens
is replaced by strings that move at a brisker pace. However, the Veena eventually returns with strings and Egyptian tablas leading
us the 2nd charanam. This is similar to the 1st. But interestingly the wonderful flute backup heard in the 1st charanam is
dropped. It is all the more surprising because the lyrics here are simply superb--'Andha kuzhalai pol azhuvatharku, athanai
kangal enakilaye!'. Kudos to Vairamuthu for writing such a wonderful metophorically rich lyric. The pallavi is repeated once
again the wailing flute and leathery rhythm (along with a hint of marimba's) takes us to the end. The melody at times does
remind me of the song 'oruvan manadhu onbadhadaa..' and the start of the song reminds me of 'idhayam pooguthey' but only momentarily.
Rating 9/10

Overall, the album is richly varied and deserves praise. At times lyrics (such as olive oil etc..) & pronounciations seem to
be drawbacks. At other times the lyrics are excellent as in 'Evano oruvan'. ARR should not be pressurized to compose racy numbers like Sept. madham based on previous successful numbers (Rang de & Vetrikodi kattu)
Overall album rating: 8/10

You can listen to this album here.

---

Alaipayuthey
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Purnima (@ 202.144.10.93) on: Fri Mar 17 11:57:00 EST 2000

(Super)^infinity.
(Excellent)^infinity.
Great work by Ilampuyal.
The song which i like:
Snegidhane

---

Alaipayuthey
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Purnima (@ 202.144.10.93) on: Fri Mar 17 11:58:47 EST 2000

(Super)^infinity.
(Excellent)^infinity.
Great work by Ilampuyal.
The song which i like:
Snegidhane

---

Review alaipayuthey
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by kabil (@ f-220.nurnberg.ipdial.viaginterkom.de) on: Sat Mar 25 18:32:51 EST 2000

isayalai payuthey

You can listen to this album here.

---

Kandukondain Kandukondain
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Shashi (@ eed02976.mayo.edu) on: Mon Apr 3 10:56:45 EDT 2000

Music review of Kandukondain Kandukondain
Music: AR Rahman
Lyrics: Vairamuthu; Subramanya Bharathi
Direction: Rajeev Menon

Song 1: Enna solla Pogirai by Shankar Mahadevan--Starts with a recitation
prelude by Shankar only to be followed by the main theme instruments--namely
the bass and harmonium/accordion type instrument. This instrument is one of
the highlights of this song, although the original idea was conceived by
ARR in Dilse (Satarangi Re); even the bass movements have been heard before
in the song 'Kadhalenum thervezhudi..' (Kadhalar Dhinam). These have been
more fully explored in this song. The rhythm has a folkish touch with claps
added.The pallavi is simple and folkish with good vocal ambiance overlap.
However the pallavi itself is composed in ARR's favorite scale (hence comes
close to repetition). The first interlude starts with the flute (Naveen) playing
a beautiful piece in raga 'mukhari' as the rhythm stops (but the claps continue)
Later a feel of raga 'Bhairavi' arises only briefly as it changes into the
usual cinematic feel leading to the charanam. This is more imaginative than
the pallavi and has sweet acoustic guitar followups early and rhythm/flute
followups later.The pallavi repeats here with the flute playing the entire
melody along with the singer (needs careful listening). The 2nd interlude starts
with awonderful string orchestra section changing the whole mood of the song.
Gradually it fades into the folkish harmonium in the background augmented
by the Egyptian tablas before the 2nd charanam, which is a repeat of the 1st
charanam with good rhythm guitar use. The pallavi repeats for the last time
with good string followup now. Shankar's voice shows strain when he sings
'Enna solla..' at the higher octave (the very last line).
Song rating: 7/10 (mainly for the interludes, charanam and followups)

Song 2: Smaiyae.. by Devan, Clinton & Dominique--Starts with a good vocal
harmony followed by voice rhythm (modern konakhol) joined by conventional
rhythm box, bass and a good synth guitar which plays some wonderful followups
for the creatively composed pallavi, which is extremely catchy. The first
interlude begins with guitar strumming followed by rhythm variations. A
terrific voice & tenor sax leads us to the charanam which once again is quite
catchy with good use of vocal harmony. The 2nd interlude has a rhythm sample
which was heard in 'Jungle may koyal...' (Taal)--the least imaginative portion
of the song. The 2nd charanam mirrors the 1st with additional rhythm variations
and leads to a scale change when the pallavi repeats. This is smooth and also
some more excellent voice backups are heard as the song rolls to an end.
Song rating: 8.5/10

Song 3: Kannamoochi.. by Chitra--Starts with her solo voice but soon embellished
by amazing synth/bass/harp(Seenu)/chord movements. The flow of the pallavi gets even
more imaginative with quite unexpected transitions with tabla addition &
bass slides. Also excellent support by strings are provided for this wonderful
composition in raga Natakurinji. The 1st interlude begins with the rhythm
& synth from the pallavi are continued but meets a fabulous violin (Sriram
Parasuram) playing a wonderful piece with good echo overlaps/recording. The
1st charanam once again flows well with the rhythm. Chitra gets full marks
for short but delicately handled alaps. Once again the transition at the end
of the charanam with tablas (as in pallavi) is beautiful; pallavi repeats here
but listen to Chitra's improvisation of the line 'Kannamoochi' (starts from
the lower octave)--hats off! The 2nd interlude starts with the continuing
rhythm accosted this time by a wonderful sitar (Niladhri). Amazing runs on
the sitar (fast brighas) follow only to be gently comforted by Srirams violin
which leads to the 2nd charanam. This closely mirrors the 1st charanam with
some more alap improvisations. Finally the pallavi repeats and fades to a
finale.
Song rating 9.5/10

Song 4: Suttum vizhi.. by Hariharan--Synth/strings/ambiance effects constitute
the background of this rhythmless rendition of Subramanya Bharathi's classic
poem. Hariharan executes his role to perfection! The whole piece is composed
in a mixture of raga 'Saranga' and 'Hamsanandhi'. Hindustani musicians will
recognize the ragas 'Basant' and 'Sohni'. Note these ambient background effects-
-the synth twinkles around the word 'Natshathirangal' (stars) and the chirping
birds around the line 'kuyilin inimai-yadi'. Not to forget the wonderful
single bell chime (at the pause) before the line 'kanathil mutham ondru',
reminds
one of the gentle peck of lips on a cheek.
Song rating 9.5/10

Song 5: Konjum Mainakale..by Sadhana Sargam--Starts with a catchy vocal hum
as preludes with gradual addition of rhythm leading to the pallavi. This is
sung sweetly by Sadhana and has good bass guitar followups in areas. Also good
use of 'talking drum' (like urumi melam), tight 'African drums' (once again
previously heard in Taal) and wonderful voice backups. The 1st interlude
starts with vocal backgrounds and a lead guitar. A flute joins later playing
a simple folkish melody leading to the charanam. This is fresh and once again
the talking drum peeps periodically. Also some wonderful bass guitar followups
are heard. Pallavi repeats followed by the 2nd interlude where the flute
picks up the melody piece along with rhythm improvisations and a simple synth
piece. The 2nd charanam follows, which is similar to the 1st charanam. Once
again listen to the bass folloup after the 1st line of the 2nd charanam-wow! Pallavi
repeats for the last time with more rhythm additions and fades. Sadhana's
pronounciation is overall good but could be improved in areas.
Song rating 8.5/10

Song 6: Kannamoochi..by Chitra & KJY--The duet version of song 3 gives a good
perspective as to how a combination of voices brings out greater beauty in an
already wonderful composition. The strength & range/capability of KJY combined
with a flawless rendition of small alaps in Natakurinji, not to mention the
consumate ease in which KJY sails thru his portion is simply amazing. This
song is however abbreviated to only the 1st interlude and 1st charanam. Yet
even in this short time perfection is easily recognized.
Song rating 10/10

Song 7: Yengae enathu kavithai--Excellent prelude by rhythm on thavil/rhythm
box, bass & high tinny synth notes combined with Srinivas/chorus voice. Good
chord movements leads to the pallavi in which Chitra shines as a majestic
SindhuBhairavi is presented in all its grandeur. There is good bass/synth
background effects with appropriate use of 'sympathetic strings' (plays the
arohanam/avarohanam in a santoor like fashion). The thavil/rhythm/bass continues
into the 1st interlude only to be joined by female vocal chorus singing
'[(SN3D1P-M1PD1N3)X3, N3R2G3R2G3R2SN3]' swaras or raga 'sarasangi'. The 1st
charanam starts of in Sarasangi but touches M2 of the higher octave giving
the feel of raga Latangi. But quickly it changes into the notes SN2D1P on
its descent coming back to SindhuBhairavi. This charanam is very creatively
composed by ARR. The prelude to pallavi and pallavi itself repeats once more
before the 2nd interlude. The 2nd interlude is a giant of its own! It surprises
with an unexpected use of Nadaswaram playing the notes of Kalyani. Incidentaly
Kalyani and Latangi are similar except for D1 which is not shown till the very
end of this interlude. Gave me goosebumps when I heard this excellent piece
for the 1st time. The 2nd charanam is similar to the 1st but with more
imaginative alaps by Srinivas and pauses at its crescendo before the pallavi
is repeated. I would also not be complete if I fail to mention the good
use of Mridangam in the charanams and the pallavi during its last repetition.
The song closes with female voice chorus singing the notes of Kirawani
(R2G2M1PD1N3S). Once again a complex composition and Chitra does full justice
to the melody line.
Song rating 10/10

Song 8: Kandukondain Kandukondain.. by Hariharan & Mahalaxmi--Prelude to
this song is on acoustic guitars played in a 'picking' style lead. This forms
the central theme for this song. Hariharan introduces the pallavi with
panache (a Nalinakanthi/Kathanakuthukulam like feel to the notes on C major
scale). The central theme is joined by the flute and an interesting 'alarm
clock' like rhythm provide backups for the pallavi. Also superb guitar
backups and an equally spirited singing by Mahalaxmi elevates this pallavi
to great heights. Interesting use of strings and cymbals are also heard in
the background. The 1st interlude continues with the rhythm and synth only
to be joined by synth string orchestra. A wonderful bass flute (Naveen) piece
similar to a piece in 'Kulirudhu..' (Tajmahal) is heard. Strings leads us to
the 1st charanam which Mahalaxmi starts with simple rhythm followup for the
1st line. But 'tabla-rang' follows for the 2nd line. As Hariharan breaks in
the entire string section follows giving a rich feel. The last lines of the
charanam are imaginatively composed with good flute/bass backups. Pallavi
repeats with interesting chord progression. The string section returns with
the start of the 2nd interlude with amazing Western Classical type progressions.
As the flute joins the section a more classical indian touch is added and
it eventually breaks with vocal/string lead to the central theme of the song.
The 2nd charanam has Hariharan leading but with even better bass backups.
The pallavi is repeated at the end with the leading line repeated in a staggered
fashion with overlap and the central theme on the acoustic guitars taking the
song to a close. Wonderful performance by everybody involved in this song.
Song rating 10/10

Overall album rating 9.1
Final comments: One of the best efforts of ARR after 1947-Earth. All songs
are imaginatively composed and wonderful use of acoustic & synth instruments.
A must own album for all music fans. I would not be surprised if this album
won state/national awards.

Album Credits:
Flute: Naveen
Bass Guitar: Keith Peters
Guitars: Kabuli, Rupert, John Themis
Solo Violin: Sriram Parasuram
Sitar: Niladhri
Harp: Seenu
Harmony: Ganga, Kanchana, Febi, Sujatha, Naveen
Orchestra Conducted by : Srinivasamoorthy
Additional Programming: H. Sridhar
Rhythm Programming:
Kandukondain: Yak Bondy
Smiyai: Praveen Mani
Kannamoochchi: Ranjit Barot

---

Kandukondain Kandukondain
A. R. Rahman

Reviewed by Nisha (@ 195.101.0.164) on: Tue Apr 4 07:50:33 EDT 2000

In One Word..a beautifull album by arr
This is sooo much more better than Minsara Kanavu...
wating for the movie....
the best song is Sutrm Vili Chudar..by Hariharan

You can listen to this album here.

---

Post comments