Originally published in .
Silukku marame – Paayum Puli (Tamil – D.Imman)
The last time Imman used Shanmukapriya raaga was in Oru Oorla Rendu Raja’s title song and he does it admirably in Silukku marame too, with a punchy rhythm to boot. The unusual voices of Divyakumar and Shasha Tirupati (along with Sharanya Gopinath’s English singing) adds a fresh outlook to the song that takes generous diversions to the conventional Shanmukapriya flow, but the charanam’s first two lines and the solo violin second interlude are dead giveaways!
Aadhir mann jhale – Nilkanth Master (Marathi – Ajay-Atul)
That Ajay-Atul produce wonderfully melodic tunes is no surprise anymore. But that they produce spell-binding melodies that fall in line with best of Ilayaraja’s Tamil output is a wonderfully pleasant surprise indeed. Aadhir mann jhale is one such song! Shreya Ghoshal is in stellar form singing this soul-stirring tune that sparkles with a lively rhythm and sweeping strings that add a new tantalizing layer in the background. The bridge that connects the antara back to the mukhda is so Raja’esque, while the composing duo even throw in a waltz’y second interlude that too segues the mukhda beautifully!
Atu itu – Hora Hori (Telugu – Kalyan Koduri)
While his brother—M.M.Keeravani aka Maragadhamani aka M.M.Kreem—is right now in the limelight for his music in Baahubali, Kalyan Koduri (who has used multiple names too, like Kalyani Malik and Kalyani Koduri!) has consistently proven that he is a chip off the old block too! Hora Hori, his latest, too is representative of what the composer is capable to and it comes out best in a song like Atu itu that is super inventive with its intriguingly broken rhythm structure. Sriramachandra and Sravya Endukuri breeze through the whispery tune that zig-zags through the percussion Kalyan cleverly concocts in the backdrop. But Kalyan transcends this from bring a mere gimmick to building a captivating antara too!
Ae re chanda – Filament (Shankar Tucker, featuring Devendra Pal Singh)
Shankar Tucker, that massively viral internet sensation of a clarinetist and composer is said to be thinking in ragas instead of notes, given his love for Indian music. His debut album Filament is a stunning effort in every possible way, least of which is the fact that this is from a non-Indian who has made a phenomenal effort to imbibe and love Indian music. One of the best songs of the album is the 4-part Ae re chanda. Sandeep Mishra’s sarangi underscores the Alaap, while Devendra Pal Singh’s vocals take over Exposition that blooms with a pleasant tune, accentuated by guitar, tabla and violins. Shankar features his enchanting clarinet in the 3rd part, Improvisation that sparkles with a different rhythm, while Devendra impeccably closes the harmonium-led Tillana.
Listen to the songs from Filament online here, on Bandcamp.
Yaendi yaendi – Puli (Tamil – Devi Sri Prasad)
Given his limited range, Devi’s clever ploy to make this song different is to rope in 2 star singers who sing only occasionally – the film’s lead, Vijay, and Shruti Haasan. It’s a lilting melody no doubt, but one that has Devi’s stock template written all over it, and works for its charming simplicity in making you hum along.
