Hindi
Deewani mastani, Mohe rang do laal, Pinga, Fitoori & Aayat – Bajirao Mastani (Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
Tamil
Jodi nilave, Oh oh & Tak bak – Thangamagan (Anirudh)
Kanjaadai – Anjala (Gopi Sundar)
Gopi Sundar started with Malayalam, aced it and is now producing fantastic music in Telugu as well, with soundtracks like Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju and Bhale Bhale Magadivoy. His Tamil soundtrack and repertoire continue to stutter, though, for some reason. But the man does produce sparkling music even if the overall soundtrack is not up to the mark at times, and Kanjaadai is a fantastic example. There’s an easy-going charm in the catchy tune, marked by V.V.Prasanna’s exaggerated ‘O o o’ and a flow that throws a surprise at almost every turn, complete with a beautiful spot in the anupallavi where Gopi overlays Vandana’s vocals over Prasanna’s as the latter is just ending his lines.
Telugu
Title song, Mila mila, Ningi needera & Evari roopo – Bhale Manchi Roju (Sunny M.R.)
Suryudne chusoddhama & Title song – Tanu Nenu (Sunny M.R.)
Reena mecareena, Edhuru choostunna, Maatallo cheppaleni & Kanulu kalanu pinche – Abbayitho Ammayi (Ilayaraja)
Malayalam
Ottathoval – Rajamma@Yahoo (Bijibal)
Akkare ikkare – Thilothama (Malayalam – Deepak Dev)
Deepak uses the oft-attempted fisherman-song sound to great effect to deliver a rhythmic folk’ish song in Akkare ikkare. The repetitive nature of the tune works in its favor easily, steadily building from a spartan sound to eventually add layer by layer the song’s full rhythmic beauty that wears its Malayalee identity beautifully. Sannidhanandan’s rustic vocals is perfectly complemented by Roopa’s singing.
Chenthengin – Two Countries (Malayalam – Gopi Sundar)
With its easy-on-the-ears catchy lilt, the song could easily be mistaken for something by Vidyasagar. But get to the interludes and Gopi’s familiar and identifiable quasi-Middle Eastern sound makes its presence felt. Najeem Arshad, sounding a lot like Karthik, does a commendable job in handling the tune. The small nuances add tremendous value too, like that ‘Oho’ chorus that Gopi employs – it is exactly the same piece, but seems apt at the end of two very different lines, across the pallavi and anupallavi!
Indipop
Annapoorne – Anil Srinivasan (Album: Touch)
Back in 2007, when Mandolin U.Rajesh released the album Into The Light, his collaborator in the fusion effort was pianist Anil Srinivasan. That album had a stellar fusion version of Muthuswamy Dikshithar’s Sama raaga based Annapoorne that had the mandolin as the more pronounced instrument. It looks like Anil and Rajesh really love this composition, given that they have chosen to redo the tune in Anil Srinivasan’s solo debut album Touch. Here, Anil offers a minute-long piano prelude before Rajesh joins. The mandolin is slower and more meditative in this version and Anil’s piano is even more prominent—understandably—and imaginative in its exposition of the beautiful raaga.
Listen to Annapoorne on .
