Anabelle Pei is Santhosh riffing on familiar gaana couplets, but Ka.Ka.Bala’s Area gaana mixes Villuppaattu-style with gaana’s raw energy impressively. S.Madhu is a funky TASMAC song espousing everything about S.Madhu, including her address! Rathina katti is interesting despite its Irudhi Sutru hangover, thanks to Dhee’s vocals. Santhosh’s best is Meghamo, with a splendid melody that […]

Move over Ji, here comes Bro! Easy listen – cool techno-pop done well. Vivek’s inspirational verse works in Nirkadhey, but the song, despite that catchy vocalized rhythm, doesn’t come together cohesively. Kannaal modhadhey is quite a rocker! Funky synth by Naveen and Satt Richard, coupled with Babu’s trumpet and Sid Sriram’s flamboyant vocals. The 4 […]

Varlaam varlaam vaa is Vijay’s own Neruppu daa! The swagger is intact, and the lyrics aptly eulogises the star. Nillayo layers the breezy hook onto the very-Santhosh strings, though Vairamuthu’s ‘silicon silayo’ could mean entirely something else. Barring the foot-tapping kuthu in Papa papa, and interestingly bluesy notes in Pattaya kelappu (where Vairamuthu alludes to […]

Dhikku dhikku has a flamboyant and flashy sound, with some 80s funk thrown in for good measure. Lalithanand invokes everything from Twitter trends, Nayakan’s iconic dialog to Periyar! The booming sound continues in Jagadhammaa that Ananthu delivers with amazing impact. The song is obviously visual-led, with a pulsating edakkai sound accompanying it constantly. Thakida thakida, […]

The most interesting aspect of Sirukki vaasam is the retro-pop backgrounds that is almost Serge Gainsbourg’ish! The tune is less engaging, in comparison, though the mid-way Kozhayiren turn is very interesting. The title song sounds like Veera thurandhara’s sequel, while Vetta pottu has director Hari’s stamp, more than Santhosh’s. There’s a distinct Hamsanadam Neetimati-raaga invocation […]

Ananthu, Santhosh and Gana Bala are at their harmonious best in the bombastic opener, Ulagam oruvanukka! Roshan Jamrock’s rap verses around Kabali Swag add to the pulsating number’s impact. Gana Bala headlines Veera thurandhara in a way that is very unlike his usual style! It is a curiously alluring mix of Vikram’s title song (!) […]

Onnu rendu, with a languorous Chandrababu-twang and perfunctory singing by S.J.Surya, has intoxication written all over it, including that morning-indication ending. Kadhal kappal gets its mojo in its alluring anupallavi that Santhosh carries with panache. The wedding-reception-style Ilayaraja ode, Solla thudikkuthu, made of Tamil film titles is utterly awkward. Anthony Daasan handles Othayilla with his […]

Anirudh gets lost in Mun sellada‘s chorus, with ADK’s rap gaining prominence in the rousing template. Vijay Narain, who sounds a lot like Santhosh in Poi vazhva, adds a neat layer to its lilting pathos. Kalpana Raghavendar’s humming adds life to Adho theme. Kondattam is typical Santhosh – wonderfully imaginative Central Asian-style sound that builds-up […]

Ka ka ka po starts off well, but the odd middle portion fails to capitalize on the quirky sound. Parava parandhuchu makes fantastic use of its retro tune that Pragathi and Srinisha deliver wonderfully, with Santhosh’s aptly funky sound. Pangaali builds its sound well, amidst Arun Raja’s talk-like delivery. Santhosh’s jazzy sound comes to the […]

The instantly sing-along’ish title song comes alive in Vishal Dadlani’s angst’y vocals. In Jhalli pataka, Santhosh craftily mixes foot-tapping kuthu rhythms with a very blues’y tune and Sunidhi makes the odd combo work beautifully! Dil ye ladaku is Santhosh’s trademark sound, with a brilliant profusion of violins to help Monali’s tantalizing vocals. Jagaa khunnas is […]