Originally published in .
Rangabati – Coke Studio@MTV Season 4 (Ram Sampath, Sona Mohapatra & Rituraj Mohanty)
Rangabati is a heady mix that at times seems forced, but given the fact that Ram and Sona bring their respective mother tongues together, it seems perfectly justified and in sync. The two Tamil rappers, Tony Sebastian as Stony Psyko and Rajesh Radhakrishnan as Dope Daddy, add an interesting dimension to the song, but this is morphed Tamil, with occasionally cringe-worthy diction (“malaithuli poligirathu”, instead of “mazhaithuLi pozhigirathu”, for example). Ram holds the tune and orchestration together in his own eclectic style, but it is Sona who rules over the song with her incredibly lively rendition!
Podu podu – Pugazh (Tamil – Vivek-Mervin)
Vivek-Mervin made an impressive debut in Vadacurry and they continue their form in Pugazh too. Beyond the pleasant melodies, Podu podu is the standout track with its in-your-face hip-hop that mixes very local influences on top of a punchy background. Besides the vocals by MC AK, MC Rude, Vivek and Mervin, RJ Balaji too makes his presence felt with hilarious interventions, while the local film references add a lot of fun to the proceedings, particularly lampooning the already much-lampooned Anjaan’s ‘Raju nahi’ dialog and ending it with Raju Sundaram!
Hey Umayaal – Urumeen (Tamil – Achu)
Achu Rajamani made pathbreaking music in Tamil with Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakkathiley, but given the film’s dismal reception, the soundtrack got lost too. Though he does a great job frequently in Telugu, Urumeen gives him another chance to enter Tamil. And he doesn’t disappoint! He hands over the soundtrack’s best – Hey Umayaal – to Vijay Yesudas and the singer breathes life into the beautiful melody. Kavin’s colloquially conversational lyrical flow too adds a lot of charm!
The Theme – Avam (Tamil – Sundaramurthy KS)
For a soundtrack by a debutant composer that also has Kamal Haasan singing a song, it is indeed surprising that the best it has to offer is the Theme song. Evoking the sensibilities of a classic L. Subramaniam and Stéphane Grappelli fusion, the theme, predominantly in Veena, sparkles with a sound that’s rarely heard in today’s film themes. Sundaramurthy rounds it off really well with layers of rock that the fusion he attempts comes out brilliantly!
Listen to the song on Gaana.
Theeraadhae aasaigal – Orange Mittai (Tamil – Justin Prabhakaran)
Justin’s sophomore effort (after his debut in Pannayaarum Padminiyum) has a stand-out track in the Karthik-sung Theeraadhae aasaigal. The song, distinctly sounding like something Telugu composer Mickey J Meyer would have composed, particularly the lead hook, is a great listen. The lyrics, by Justin himself, blends perfectly with the optimistic, pleasant sound the composer creates, even as he alternates between pulsating guitar and a pensive violin-flute phrases.
