Mass Musical Reviews

Amongst the hoopla of musical blockbusters like chennai60028 and to a certain extent ninaithu ninaithu paarthen are four largely unnoticed albums. I just found some interesting songs in these albums would make a good listen.

Vettai Arambham - EM.Ramamoorthi

This composers seems to be a advanced version of SA.Rajkumar with a slightly MSV flow. The album has five songs with two quite interesting. Pataadai Kattikittu is a folkish tune carrying lyrics of the same intention as otha ruba thaaren and alli mudicha of ramana fame but in a keyboardish layer. The song is westernised and the interludes especially the second one which is india meets west sort of percussion fusion and the banter shared by the singers makes it even more listenable. The other song poonkaatru thazhuvatha is like a MSV song reborn, his stamp can be seen particularly in the way the music accompanies the lyrics and would attract fans of soft melody alot. If the sound quality was better perhaps it would even sound more attractive.

Cinemakkaran - Nesan

This is another album with sound quality understandably poor due to the low budget of such films. But there is one song which could have been easily mistaken as a IR tune. Selai vaangi sung by swarnalatha is that of a heroine singing in a slightly lusty overtone but the flutes that accompany her vocals in certain places reminds you of IR in those days and it also makes for pleasant listening. There is decent work in the interludes as well by Nesan which keeps the tune in its overall seductive tone. Another interesting song is Neela Colour which marks the return of katcheri gaana songs. The harmonium usage in the song keeps the gaana flow inside our minds and not to mention sabesh murali's expressive vocals which give the song a added flavour. The pick of the album Nesam pudhusu is a melody with good use of loops in the ludes and veenai but sounds abit weird due to the poor sound quality. Going from the album Nesan seems to be a lover of katcheri gaana songs. Might be a talent to watch for if given better sound quality.

Oru Oorla - JK Selva

This album has better sound quality and a more westernised touch than the first two albums. There is a carnatic song which really stuns you for the way it is tuned. It is a romantic song but tuned in a way that asks of the path the love is going. And the carnatic instruments used in the song gives the tune a different view. The tabla,mridhangam and the flutes in the interludes are used intelligently to give the song a rising tone which seeps into your mind. Krishnaraj's vocals really help the song...he reaches the pitches easily and gives the song a modulated sound. Kannukulla Uppunathi marks the return of village pathos songs with that trademark melancholic chorus used by IR greatly. JK Selva's vocals sound abit gliched which slightly dims the song but overall decently done. Oru Oorla Oru Paati has a funny tune with lyrics mocking at the characters in the situation but the instrumentation is a folk extravaganza used in IR in his annakili days. Very delightful to hear back the long lost sounds of folk that were overshadowed by the current koothu version of folk songs. Rekka Vecha Pataam Pochi carries the same tune as Kannukkulla Uppunathi but with better vocals and the flute replacing the chorus. Natchathira Pottu Vacha is a melody with the flutes given a delightful twist in the prelude and a seemingly catchy tune. The song lasts on your minds with the funny lyrics and the overall pleasant orchestration of the song. A nice album that is worth a listen indeed.