Originally published in .
Sahibaa – Anarkali (Malayalam – Vidyasagar)
Composer Vidyasagar, who continues to produce excellent music in Malayalam, seems to have lost the race in Tamil, unfortunately. In Sahibaa, he conjures a ghazal’ish tune and even gets Hariharan to sing it. Interestingly, the tune is not very different from the kind of ghazal tunes Hariharan himself composes and sings, more specifically a ghazal like Lafzon Ki Tarha, from the album Paighaam. The song even has an intriguing interlude in Lalitha raaga that brings a strong whiff of Ilayaraja’s classic Lalitha raaga compositions like Idhazhil kadhai ezhudhum (Unnaal Mudiyum Thambi) and Vana kuyile (Priyanka) instantly.
Aagaa – 144 (Tamil – Sean Roldan)
Sean Roldan is back after more than a year, given his last album was in September 2014 – Aadaama Jeichomada. His musical form seems to be stuck in that album’s middling state, though are minor solaces like Aagaa and Poove pooviname. In Aagaa, the Darbuka gives it a pronounced, exotic Middle Eastern twist and the tune too is engaging, thanks also to lyricist Vivek’s nuanced lines like, ‘Kaasukku vaayundu kaadhilla da, kathi pesum kettukka’. Hariharasudhan sings the song mighty well, and even invokes Nambiar’s diction, at places, to humorous effect!
Maskesko – Lacchimdeviki O Lekkundi (Telugu – M.M.Keeravani)
Maskesko could be a great companion piece to Devi Sri Prasad’s Aakalesthe annam pedatha, from Shankar Dada Zindabad (that song eventually morphed into a bae’s call to her boyfriend because ‘Daddy mummy veettil illa’, in Tamil and Hindi). The rhythm is heady and instantly catchy. The song’s tone is also raucous and wears its item-number ambition obviously. For a composer who has already announced his retirement date (December 8, 2016!), he seems to be going pretty strong!
Agar tum saath ho – Tamasha (Hindi – A R Rahman)
The overall orchestration and that seemingly lazy rhythm are all perfunctory, but boy… that tune! Wonderfully melodious and complex enough to let you sink into it without realizing the flow the first time, and then, again, with a better grip on the path it traverses upon which the hooks make better sense. And getting Alka Yagnik back from wherever she vanished, just for this song, is a masterstroke by Rahman, as also picking Arijit Singh to croon the impactful ‘Teri nazron mein hai’ part!
Urumbu – Thaikkudam Bridge (Malayalam)
Thaikkudam Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most promising Indian bands. Not just that, they also hold the distinction of being the most crowded band in terms of band members, that, sometimes, during live shows, it’s difficult to say where the band ends and where the audience begins. On a more serious note, the band has managed admirably the transition from a ‘covers’ band, to original songs, with a distinct sound. One of the softer songs from the album, Urumbu (Ants), where band-founder Govind Menon’s sister Dhanya Suresh, as lyricist, compares the lives of humans and ants to find common points, has a beautiful folk lilt that is so very Kerala!
