Originally published in .
Thalakaalu puriyalaye – Kidaari (Tamil – Darbuka Siva)
When Anitha K opens the Thalakaalu puriyalaye, it is an amazingly misleading prelude that hardly indicates what is to come after it! What follows the prelude eventually is a joyous outburst of a song, with a brass section and a rock sound full of swagger. Debutant composer Darbuka Siva, of La Pongal fame, brings his own brand of folk music, infusing a lovely smattering of nadaswaram and thavil in the second interlude!
Toota jo kabhi tara – A Flying Jatt (Hindi – Sachin-Jigar)
Toota jo kabhi tara is Sachin and Jigar answering director Remo D’Souza’s ask for a sweeping, ‘timeless’ romantic song. The intent is obvious and the tune flows gorgeously passing through a wonderfully lush orchestration, particularly in the antara, with the main musical hook used appearing often. Pakistani singer Atif Aslam is dependably good, while Sumedha Karmahe sounds confident.
Ota – Sanjay Divecha and Secret (Indipop)
Guitarist and composer Sanjay Divecha’s latest band, Secret, comprises of Sanjay himself on acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards, programming (and occasional vocals), Chandana Bala and Raman Mahadevan handling the main vocals, Sonu Sangameswaran handling bass and Sanket Naik handling the percussion and pitching in on vocals. Ota, the Kannada opener of the album is a lovely song split by marked changes to the sound at the end of each utterance of ‘Saaguve na munde’ by Chandana Bala! After the first, there is a subtle percussion addition to what was till then primarily guitar-driven. After the second, the lively jazz’y backgrounds kick-in. After the third, the track acquires a beautifully divergent, free-form direction. At the fourth, the song ends!
Ee khalbitha – IDI (Malayalam – Rahul Raj)
Malayalam composer Rahul Raj has, by now, created his own trademark melody. Ee khalbitha has all the signs of that trademark (of sorts) – a soothing melody that is instantly likeable, a harmonious chorus, topped by fantastic vocals. The vocals here are being handled by Suchith Suresan and he does a phenomenal job. Rahul also throws in a dash of Rahman-styled flute to added effect.
Hot coffee kappu – L 7 (Telugu – Aravind-Shankar)
Composing duo Aravind-Shankar made their debut back in 2002, in Vasanth’s Yai Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey, as one of the 5 composers. From then, they have had a chequered career, often sharing credits with other composers. Their latest, the oddly titled L 7 sees them going solo, and they produce a delightful mix. Hot coffee kappu is classic, time-tested mambo presented really well by the duo! Harshitha Krishnan’s sultry vocals add to that, while Shudeep Chandrasekar offers her good company.
