Monday, June 29, 2009

Magadheera(Telugu,M.M.Keeravani)

Ranjith and Shivani's Bangaru Kodi Petta remix(From Gharana Mogudu)has the same charm as its original and Ranjith,as usual impresses with his vocals.Anooj Guruwara and Reeta's Panchadhara Bomma also works due to its simple catchy tune which is also arranged well.Rest of the soundtrack is terribly outdated stuff from the composer which completely drowns the soundtrack.Daler Mehndi's Cheppane Cheputhu Vanka perhaps stresses the fact-a completely uninteresting track with a boring tune,also undone by minimal backgrounds.Jassie Gift's manic title track is oh-so predictable and almost looks like the composer hasn't put too much effort in making the backgrounds interesting.The final track,Naakosam Nuvvu is too simplistic and mundane to make any impact.S.S Rajamouli has no doubt been a talented director(And it shows in his films),but Iam surprised at the fact that he's still stuck with Keeravani even after so many dud soundtracks that he got from the composer!..

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Kalavaramaye Madilo(Telugu,Sharreth Vasudevan)

Chitra's vocals for sure makes a huuge impact in the mellifluous and immensely beautiful title track that is sure to be one of the best songs of the year!..Chitra's heartfelt singing is evident even in the Guru Brahma chanting even as the carnatic hook after the chanting is stupendously rendered by her!..For Neelo Anuvantha,the composer joins Chitra for a lively and a catchy melody and Sharreth impresses with his vocals too!..Hariharan and Kalpana's spirited singing does the trick for the rythmic melody,O Nene O Nuvvani even as the tune composed by Sharreth is awesome!..Chitra and composer again get behind the mike for Kari Varadhuni which is the soundtrack's highlight-The cheesy background piece that flows along with the song speaks of composer's creativity while the moment where the composer takes over from Chitra is so well put forth in the song!..Sharreth's short Sarigari Sarigari is simplistic,but apt while Chitra's Tholi Tholi Aaselenno is also very lively and the composer adds some interesting hooks that work in the favour of the song.The final track Pallavinchane reminds me of Ye Swaasa lo(Nenunnanu),which iam not sure why but as a song this is the only track that falters due to predictable and localized elements!..Sharreth Vasudevan's soundtrack in Kalavaramaye Madilo is in one word,incredible!!..And roping Chitra to sing more than half of the songs,for sure has a surreal effect on the soundtrack-Dont miss this one!

Luck(Hindi,Salim-Sulaiman)

Luck Aazma is pulsating alright with Sukhwinder Singh's soaring vocals but the song as such is only passable while the other version of the title track,mouthed by Shruthi Hassan and Clinton Cerejo isnt great either,but Shruthi sounds awesome with her hot vocals!..Salim makes an unexpected entry in Khudaya Ve as a singer to deliver a winner which is also due to its simple,pleasant tune.Beyond the catchy ring surrounding it,Jee Le is hackneyed and predictable while the final track,Lagaa Le with a heady mix of catchy orchestration and an addictive tune is competent!..Salim-Sulaiman are no doubt talented and multi-dimensional composers,but their score for this soundtrack is a tad irrelevant and is only mildly likeable!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Love Aaj Kal(Hindi,Pritam)

Neeraj Shridhar gets another rocking song from Pritam in the form of Twist and this song is the Aai Pappi of 2009!..The piece in the background that comes throughout the song is clearly the highlight.Neeraj's other song,Chor Bazari is catchy and bouncy but clearly cannot match Twist's standards.With some amazing backgrounds which clearly does the trick,K.K's stupendous vocals in Main Kya Hoon results in a clear winner while Thoda Thoda Pyaar,with its filmy and predictable sounds is terribly annoying. Aaj Din Chadheya has one excellently propped tune complete with superb vocals by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan while Mohit Chauhan's Ye Dooriyan is a typical Mohit'ish track and he doesnt miss out on such tracks.Even though it is not as likeable as Aaj Din Chadheya, it has a competent tune and fitting backgrounds.Aahun Aahun is perhaps the funkiest song of the soundtrack-With all the masala arrangements required for a rocking track along with one addictive tune,this track has it all and scores big time!..Beyond all the plagiarism allegations surrounding Pritam(More in recent times due to Hai Junoon),This soundtrack is Pritam's best in the year and will reach new heights if there are no lifts(But Iam not sure,because Pritam already said he has 3 embarassments ahead of him when asked in an interview about ripping songs!).

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Chandaan Mein(Kailasa)

After 2 completely mesmerizing albums in the form of Kailasa and Jhoomo Re,the Kailasa group get it right yet again in Chandaan Mein-The title track is such an ear-friendly and heartfelt song rendered with consummate ease by Kailash Kher.Beyond the very apt backgrounds,Ighq Ho Gaya's tune drags while Teri Yaad Mein also has an enjoyable ring to it beyond the soulful lyrics and completely mesmerizing backgrounds.The joyous Na Batati Tu,on the lines of Tauba Tauba from their first album is rocking with a very impressive tune while Rang Rang Ma's quirky backgrounds and the tune blends really well to give us one interesting track.Kar Kar Main Haara too works for its typical Kailasa sound evident throughout the song while Phir Ghar Aavenge has divine backgrounds and the song actually unfolds when it progresses to the middle with Kailash simply taking the song to some other level(this song is my fave!).Bheeg Gaya Mera Mann is simply awesome-The imaginative orchestration along with a fabulous tune rendered with panache by Kailash paves way for a wonderful song!..This album by the Kailasa team is enthralling and at present,they are one of the best in the indipop business!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Shortkut-The Con Is On(Hindi-Shankar Ehsaan Loy)

There is immediately a feeling of Deja Vu after listening to Patli Galli-There is nothing great about the tune and Shankar Mahadevan's vocals doesnt help either.Ditto for Mareeze Mohabbat-The tune is boring and reminds sooo much of Salaam-E-Ishq(And I hated Salaam-E-Ishq!) and rubs in more ennui into the soundtrack.Kyun Hota Hai has become a very standard tune,considering the fact that there are tonnes of such compositions by the trio.The final track,Kal Nau Baje is a relief-particularly because it is a simple melody composed beautifully by the trio and they just dont falter in such tracks!..Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are out of sorts big time in Shortkut-The Con Is On soundtrack except for that minor relief in the form of Kal Nau Baje!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Kambakkht Ishq(Hindi,Anu Malik,RDB and Salim-Sulaiman)

Anu Malik's title track is outright boring in the very first listen and doesnt register at all while Bebo has one unbelievably silly tune saved by good backgrounds and good vocals by Alisha.Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal's Kyun works only due to some good vocals while the tune is outdated with age-old hooks and predictable arrangements(reminiscent of Anu Malik's old compositions!).The sole Punju track,Lakh Lakh is terribly annoying and only adds to the count with Neeraj Shridhar's vocals not making an impact while Salim-Sulaiman's solo composition,Welcome to Hollywood also has nothing interesting to ramble about and is totally unSalim-Sulaiman'ish.RDB's overly hyped Om Mangalam is only decent,mainly due to some excellent vocals.Kambakkht Ishq soundtrack is super stale-Very surprising,considering the fact that some of the previous Akshay Kumar films had really competent music!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Aayirathil Oruvan(Tamil,G.V.Prakash Kumar)

Naveen's Celebration of life is jaw dropping-The incredible assortment of sounds that is packaged in this track is absolutely lovely to listen to!..G.V.Prakash's Indha Paadhai is as imaginative as it can get-the moody and apt backgrounds blend amazingly well with the composers vocals.Taking cue from a prominent and a familiar tune,Oh Eesa is one heck of a catchy track complete with seemingly stylish rendering by Karthik and impresses right away.With a rather sluggish start,Pemmaane progresses to become into one really interesting number,aptly fitting to the film's theme and incredibly sung by Bombay Jayashree.Thaai Thindra Mannae is too good for words-The cholan ecstasy version has some incredible fusion of sounds along with some fitting orchestration that impeccably depicts the particular era.This track just perfectly epitomizes the fact that G.V.Prakash is destined for greater things.Ditto for the classical version-Vijay Yesudas completely gets into the scheme of things with his powerful vocals.Again the orchestration is a major highpoint!..Dhanush's Un Mela Aasadhan goes for a complete shift in genre-Very Yuvan'ish,its uncanny similarity to Adada Va(from Sarvam) is quite unnerving,but its neat orchestration along with surprisingly good vocals by Dhanush work in favour of the song.Neil Mukherjee and Madras Augustin Choir's The King Arrives is super punchy and absolutely rousing while some hooks added in the end are damn funky!..Andrea and G.V's Maalai Neram is the only mediocre track-The standard tune is undone by Andrea's vocals but has quite pleasant backgrounds.Just as Yuvan's dark and witty compositions in Pudhupettai was pathbreaking in every sense,G.V's Aayirathil Oruvan is not far behind-The most innovative tamil soundtrack I've heard in recent times!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Jashnn(Hindi,Nouman Javaid,Sharib-Toshi,Sandesh Shandilya)

K.K's Aaya Re is super groovy and the solid tune propped up by Sharib-Toshi works instantly along with some fine backgrounds while Aish Karle,with one superb tune and sizzling backgrounds also works well!..K.K is again in his usual fantastic form in the tuneful and joyous melody,Nazrein Karam while Nouman Javaid's Dard-E-Tanhai is heartfelt and is a soothing melody that clicks big time.Nouman's other composition,Main Chala works better than Dard-E-Tanhai-The lilting and the moody tune with layers that unfold when the song progresses is the highlight.Sandesh Shandilya showcases his flambuoyance in his solo composition,Tere Bin- with a soulful tune and superb vocals by both the singers,this is the best in this soundtrack!..All songs work very well in this multiple composer soundtrack-Heartening to listen to good Hindi music after a long time(Or seems like a long time!).

Thursday, June 11, 2009

My Love(Indipop,Bappi Lahiri)

Honestly,Bappi Lahiri was a good composer in the 80s and some of his tracks are really competent-But he's stuck to his 80's supposedly star status and is unable to come out of it.And looks like he doesnt have plans of growing up also(And close in competition to him is T.Rajendhar from Tamil industry!).This album is outdated material with the exceptions being Pyaar To Hana Tha and Naghma Ho Tum-The neat tune in Pyaar to Hona Tha and the intensive backgrounds with a quite likeable tune in Naghma Ho Tum work in favour of this album.Apart from that,it is outdated stuff that covers the entire rest of the album,added with Bappi's woeful vocals.Bappi should seriously retire and should realize this-before he comes up with another laughing stock of an album!

New York(Hindi,Pritam,Pankaj Awasthi and Julius Packiam)

Hai Junoon is one mighty enjoyable track and Pritam always gives his best material to K.K,and rightly so!..Mere Sang is also a catchy and likeable track and is well rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan but this track clearly cannot match Hai Junoon's standards.Mohit Chauhan's Tu Ne Jo Na Kaha is a tad cliched in terms of the tune but the arrangements and the neat singing by Mohit more than make up for it.Pankaj Awasthi's Aye Saaye Mere falters,despite some good backgrounds.Julius Packiam's both the themes,Sam's theme and New York theme are lousy and uninteresting.Despite the patchy effort by other composers,Pritam delivers with his compositions in this OST,especially with Hai Junoon!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Current(Telugu,Devi Sri Prasad)

Benny Dayal's title track is super groovy and Devi adds just the right elements to dish out one absorbing number!..Ammayilu Abbayilu has a silly tune beginning and the chorus but eventually gets into the Devi mould when it reaches the paragraphs while Rekkalu is too simplistic and oh-so reminiscent of his other telugu songs.Your my love,sung by Devi has one helluva tune and the overall tune is outright infectious!..And the tune is just suited for Devi's voice too!..But the surprise package is Neha Bhasin's Atu Nuvve-this track is fabulously tuned by Devi,which is rare considering the fact that it is a very slow melody(One genre,which Devi seems to have forgotten,in recent times!)..Devi Sri Prasad bounces back strongly with this soundtrack after a series of duds,both in tamil and telugu!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Recent Picks of the Month(April and May 2009)

Ekanaay(Alone,Loved and Lost):This song has been staying in my playlist from the time it came out and i just LOVE it!..Vineeth Sreenivasan just rocks!..

Trace,Ya Wafaa,Sin Eater(Lost Souls,Niraj Chag):Missed out on reviewing this album because i heard it late,but this album is a knock out in every sense-Dont miss this one!

Seheri(Oye,Yuvan Shankar Raja):Its difficult to pick the best out of this soundtrack because all songs have grown into me like crazy!..This song stands out for its excellent orchestration and fabulous appeal!..

Kathaigal Pesum(Angaadi Theru,G.V.Prakash):The tune propped up by G.V for this song is simply amazing and i just go mad when the "Kallum Mannum oh oh" part comes!..one of the best compositions ever by G.V!..

Anjal Petti(Pokkisham,Sabesh-Murali):Even with the likes of Azhagu Mugam(And the other 3 versions of this track) in this OST,i've warmed up to Anjal Petti-This is a Vidyasagar styled track and Karthik is at his usual best!..

Karugu Mani(Azhagarmalai,Ilaiyaraja):This soundtrack by Raja is mesmerizing!And this song has some really cool interludes!

Night is Still young,Azhagaana Neeyum(Mutthirai,Yuvan Shankar Raja):Benny and Krish chip in with some cool singing in Night is Still young while Azhagaana Neeyum's tune is just beautiful complete with good vocals by the actress Manjari!

Oru Devathai(Vaamanan,Yuvan Shankar Raja):
This song rendered by Roop Kumar Rathod is one of the best songs by Yuvan this year-The free flowing tune added with just appropriate arrangements makes for some real audio treat!..

Maahive(Ride,Hemachandra):
Hemachandra's debut is fabulously competent!..And this song is one helluva catchy number!

Sikki Mukki(Modhi Vilayadu,Leslie Lewis-Hariharan):Leslie croons this song with panache-And the tune is highly enjoyable!..Their debut is immensely listenable!..