Haravali pakhare & Kalla – Balak Palak (Marathi – Vishal Shekhar)
Haravali pakhare has just about the most engrossing sound I have heard in recent times… wonderfully sung by Shekhar too! Kalla is heavy-duty rock in typical Vishal style, but Marathi sounds absolutely wonderful in a rock base!
Freedom (Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton), I Got a Name (Jim Croce) & Who Did That To You (John Legend) – Django Unchained OST
A soundtrack befitting the film… trust Quentin to deliver that!
Bas main aur tu & Rumani – Aakaash Vani (Hindi – Hitesh Sonik)
Rumani is a neat Jackson’ish effort, with excellent vocals by Thomas Andrews and Shalmali Kholgade, while Bas main aur tu is the soundtrack’s best – superbly sung by Nikhil D’Souza and Neeti Mohan with just the guitar as accompaniment.
Ekbaar esukora & Ikkadinundi – Dalam (Telugu – James Vasanthan)
Dalam is a fairly good Telugu debut by James! I believe the film is being released as ‘Koottam’ in Tamil, with lyrics by Madhan Karky, but the I’m surprised at the way James has added nativity (figuratively speaking) in his Telugu songs – they are not ‘native’ Telugu, but fall right within the commercial Telugu music grammar. Ikkadinundi is of course an exception since he reuses his Kangal irandaal template successfully for a new concoction.
Kaayalinarike, Kando kando, Vazhivakkil & Kandu rendu – Annayum Rasoolum (Malayalam – K)
One of the best soundtracks from Malayalam in recent times comes from Tamil composer K who makes a smashing debut! Kaayalinarike and Kandu rendu are particular favorites given Shanbaz’s earthy and wonderful voice!
Khamaka & Oye boy – Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Madola (Hindi – Vishal Bharadwaj)
Oye boy is a riot, thanks to Gulzar’s lyrics and Rekha’s lively singing. Khamaka goes a tad haywire because VIshal chose to sing it himself instead of handing it over to Suresh Wadkar as he always does, but the tune serves him well!
Kathi lanti pilla & Nellorae – Nayak (Telugu – Thaman S)
Kathi lanti pilla is everything that Thaman does usually and well – alow and catchy! Suchitra owns the highly energetic Nellorae. But, it must be added that Thaman, much ike Devi Sri Prasad is falling into this pattern of a few familiar tunes and sounds again, across Tamil and Telugu.
Yem cheddaam, Aaraduguluntada & Inka cheppaale – Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (Telugu – Mickey J Meyer)
If I hadn’t known the composer, I’d have guessed Mani Sharma as Yem cheddaam’s composer – punchy! Aaraduguluntada and Inka cheppaale employ lyrics to blend with the tune so well that both sound incredibly sweet, while Chitra’s title song is incredibly ambient and earthy!
Raja raja – Naan Rajavaga Pogiren (Tamil – GV Prakash Kumar)
GVP takes care of Shalmali Kholgade’s Tamil debut in style – this solo song is the soundtrack’s clear highlight!
Boomi enna suthudhe, Nijamellam & Title song – Ethir Neechal (Tamil – Anirudh)
Ethir Neechal is (or was – let me explain this later!) proof that Anirudh isn’t straightjacketed within his 3 success and templates. That is, before his sole song in David that gets things back to square one since it is a heartbreaking rehash of assorted songs from 3. But Ethir Neechal still works well with highly catchy and rhythmic material, particularly the title song.
Adiye, Chithirai nila, Moongil thottam, Elay keechan, Nenjukkule & Magudi – Kadal (Tamil – A R Rahman)
The best Tamil soundtrack is recent times… period! The Mani Ratnam – Rahman combo still rocks, even after 20 years, since Roja!
Naa sollurappa, Aasaiye alaipolay & Datchanaya kuthuputta – Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya (Tamil – Thaman S)
For a comedy film, that too, one directed produced by Ramanarayanan (originall by Santhanam, sold to Ramanarayanan), the soundtrack is surprisingly competent, though it is nothing extraordinarily different from Thaman’s usual sound. Gaana Bala’s Datchanaya kuthuputta is an exception though, bringing back simple and authentic gaana after Balabarathy’s effort (if you set aside Deva’s myriad gaana songs with a filmy coating) in Thalaivaasal.
O Madhurimave – Ko Antey Koti (Telugu – Shakthikanth Karthik)
Promising debut by Shakthikanth Karthik!
Yeno kane – Varada Nayaka (Kannada – Arjun Janya)
I’m waiting for Arjun to work with the bigger stars and directors (Sudeep is big, I know… but bigger!). With Yograj Bhat worked with him!
Yemathitta & Puthu paarvai – Yaaruda Mahesh (Tamil – Gopi Sundar)
Gopi Sundar seems to have found a nice spot for himself in Tamil, without changing his musical style. I foresee a promising future for him in Tamil! Yemathitta’s overall sound is a particular killer – hilarious!
Title song, Thuppakki engal & Unnai kaanadhu – Vishwaroopam (Tamil – Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this album but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of tunes. The title song is slow burning addiction while Thuppakki engal’s cool music is a huge plus. Unnai kaanadhu is instantly likeable anyway!
