Jai Ho!!! 2009 was the year for all Rahmaniacs to celebrate!! ARR made sure that India's Oscar dream was fulfilled! 2010 has begun in grand fashion as well. By the end of January, we would know whether ARR wins a Grammy or not...(fingers crossed). Couple's Retreat has made waves with 'Nana' being one of the nominations for the next Oscars. But nothing has made me rejoice more than the release of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (VTV)'s music.
There was a lot of hype for this project before anything began. ARR stepped in after Gautham Menon and Harris Jayaraj had a fall out. ARR himself humbly said in a press conference that he was nervous in breaking the HJ-Gautham Menon combination. But the Mozart of Asia has given us such a stunning album. ARR's class adds a new dimension to this Gautham Movie. The magic of ARR has created a frenzy amongst the masses and the anticipation for this movie is high. The promotional song videos are getting awesome reviews (even Simbu looks decent!! effect of good music and direction for sure !!Trisha is absolutely sizzling!!).
The audio launch was done in a befitting manner and the songs have made waves all over.The songs of this album have that old ARR magic. ARR has mixed the songs for VTV and there is a considerable improvement in the quality of output. I have been listening to them for a while and this is my review...
1.Omana Penne:
A Spectacular song! Benny has sung the song extremely well. Rahman has shown his class with voice modulation softwares such as Melodyne. Apart from a really catchy tune and a fantastic Malayalam bit sung by Kalyani Menon , the main notable part of this song is the semi processed tone of the Naadhaswaram. Absolute treat for the ears. Chart topper!
RATING: 10/10
2.Anbil Avan:
In short a happy marriage song with a great feel and great rhythm arrangements. The song starts of with a techno feel and ARR fuses thavil and mridangam with the beats altering the mood of the song in no time. Suddenly from nowhere, ARR incorporates Gospel music into the song and manages to fuse a Christian and Hindu wedding into a well packaged song. Devan has done a decent job but Chinmayi's voice is like nectar. Not ARR's best but a very good track!
RATING:7.5/10
3.Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya:
This song may not go well with the masses but every musician will love this composition. Brilliant vocals courtesy Karthik. Excellent guitars and fantastic chords with a touch of Jazz and Blues. The rhythm has a interesting pattern. This song will be superb on screen as a part of the movie. I am sure Gautham Menon would have given an apt video for this track.
RATING:10/10
4)Hosanna:
This is the other song of VTV that will be a mass hit. Vijay Prakash and Blaaze have given their best and Suzzane's humming is sheer melody to the ears. There are some fantastic flute bits in this track and the tune is very catchy. I love the way hiphop and rap has been fused along with the melodic pop in this song. Again,personally I will not say this is ARR's best but this track will be on everyone's lips for a while.
RATING:8/10
5)Kannukul kannai:
This is the only average song of the album. I think ARR has probably spent 10 minutes on this track and used his software loops to churn out a fast paced number. This song sounds more like a Harris Jayaraj output.This is probably been done to showcase the quality difference between what ARR and his counterpart have to offer to Gautham's movies :P .Naresh Iyer has given the song everyting but nothing much to write about. Still, some people like the track.
RATING:5/10
6)Mannipaaya:
In my opinion , the best track in this album. Shreya Goshal's voice is like the Elixir of Life. ARR lends his magical voice to this stunning duet. Very complex composition! There are some fantastic scale shifts. The chord, harmonies, rhythms and the Piano bits are all blissful to hear. This song has all the Rahmanish elements to it and will be one of my ARR all time favourites.
RATING:10/10
7)Aaromale:
WOW!!! ARR uses Alphons Joseph ( a talented Malayali musician) in a superb manner. Powerful Vocals, fantastic Guitars and brilliant arrangements. This song is entirely in Malayalam. I love the harmony in between. There is a continual usage of distorted violin in the background. A brave effort for an Indian music director. This song is not for the masses but for the real musicians. For the first time in Indian music industry, we get to hear a song in the Pink Floyd Genre of Progressive Rock!!!... sure to make a big impact as a part of the bgm during the movie!!! Love this piece of work!
RATING:10/10
Overall Verdict:
After Alaipayuthey and Sillinu oru Kaadhal, A.R.Rahman comes out with a scintillating romantic album. A masterstroke by the maestro with a touch of his genius. This album should be bought and cherished forever!!
