That Sam ropes in Hariharan for Oththa mazhayila is a big win by itself. But what is even more interesting is the delightfully inventive melody Sam cooks up in it – the flow is absolutely lovely, with shades of Ilayaraja, and brilliant interludes. The gimmicky Kannukkulla vanthu is yet again fabulously inventive in the way the tune takes off in unusual directions. Sam’s playfully digitized vocals irk in the beginning but go well with the overall feel of the song, including a hilarious Hindi portion mid-way that gets snubbed urgently. In what is bound to be a new ‘mass’ catchphrase in Tamil Nadu, the lilting kuthu Aayava kanom rocks the Koyambedu tar-road dance floor. Sam’s lyrics are total thara-local level and perfect for the danc’y tune handled admirably by the film’s hero, Ma Ka Pa Anandh. In Aathankara‘s thumping rhythm, Swetha Mohan is fantastic with her rendition (along with Sam), with mighty engaging phrases like that surprising ‘Pasappuriye ulukkuriye’ outtake. Ver varai is the soundtrack’s only mildly familiar material, but with well-framed forward-looking and inspirational lines by Na.Muthukumar, and energetically sung by Haricharan. Sam showed a lot of promise in his solo debut (), but in Kadalai, he totally arrives!
Keywords: Sam C.S., Kadalai, Sam CS, 200, #200
Listen to the songs:
