Sillunnu Oru Kadhal :-"

After a long dormancy from our enchanter ARR, this album comes out with lots of expectations from his die-hard fans. Is this yet another commercial work or has he really made it signature ARR piece of work.

Here are my views on the songs in order of my liking -

1. New York Nagaram - lovely chords on the guitar to begin with and all along, simple yet subtle to lure you into a mild trance (esp @ a raining dawn / dusk). It really gives you the feeling of concrete jungle when you listen to it. This song sounds way toooooo familiar to me but I just don't seem to figure it grrrrrrrr :-??. Every time I listen from 0:50 to 1:15 a nostalgic feeling sets in, or is it just the suavity of the interplay of wind instruments there. Smooth is short of expression to explain the feeling. The cadence in the singing in the line "Naa Inge Neeyum Ange" (and the likes again) were the most impressive and striking part of the singing. The female chorous also seemed just perfect, hush and reaching the heart. Perfect time to listen to it - "gloomy weather, with the rain drop battering the roof of the window shades outside you room" ... perfect O:).
2. Munbe Va Anbe Va - Does Godesses saraswathi dance in her toung :-/. IMHO she's got the most beautiful voice today. At first this song did not appeal to me since the lyrics weren't profound. But I listened to it just coz of the rhythm / beats that goes in the backdrop. Not too often do we see scores with such brilliant variance in drumming. The change brought out withing every cycle kept me glued to it just to figure the exponential (inverted bell) raise and quick exponential fall. I'll be doin that until I can replicate it tapping my dest to it :D. In the meanwhile I am already smitten by her singing, so much that ever the sound of her catching breath sounds so befitting. The "Rango-Rangooli" in the chorus background is just as sweet (proly kids singing :-?) as shreya goshal's. The chorus reminded me of "Nejinile Nejinile" song for some odd reason. If this song fails to impress you on 1st listening, DON'T GIVE UP. Trust me, you wouldn't be disappointed :).
   
3. Jillendru Oru Kadhal - absolute jolly track, and again reminiscience of familiarity. Only after revisiting Arvind commentry did I realize it indeed following the same motif as "Vennila Vennila" from the movie Iruvar by ARR himself (recycling is he?). The unorthodox singing mixed with some rock and roll age western gave it quite a flavour. Lyrics is also quite playful complementing the aura given by the music. Some places sounded more like stolen from "Tom & Jerry" ;)) he he. Maybe the jazziness. A kitten meowing added mischief to the whole stage.
   
4. Kummi Adi - along the likes of "Kamma Karaiyile" from Godfather but nowhere close. Fast folky number (as Arvind pointed to). These songs never get borring until the next one in the genre comes in. Esp if you are on a outing and wanna dance the hell out in any god damn way you please meaninglessly :)). But no one (I'm talking absolutes now) in the industry can bring out the smell of our country folks the way Ilayaraja can. Not sure if others can do a successful folksy song without this thiruvizha theme.
   
5. Maricham - This song gave me the feel of the ever classic hit Chandralekha from Thiruda Thiruda, a techno feast it is. Fast beats (just as in "My heart goes Boom Boom" by Enigma), crushing/breaking glass, open space drum, vortex sounds makes your body move to the music (in fits) before you realize it. Until the "Gautham, Gautham ... Gautham ... ... Gautham" strikes in #-o. And then it even has some verses alike the biblical chants typical of enigma and as if Enya were singing in the background (a wee bit of LORT sound track's feel kicks in). Felt more like a potpourri for me.
   
6. Majja Majja - Supposedly sensuous #-o, oooh please. Remember those old crappy tamil movies where out'a the blue the hero n heroin land up in forest with some tribals get drunk and dance their booty out (and sometimes end up doing more), that the sick feel this song gives. I esp hated the backdrop, rustic drumming with the masculine "hoooo" sound in chorus. Its so much more lousy when they pronounce it maaza X-(, sound so unlike tamil. Was this supposed to contend with "Thazhuvudu Nazhuvudu" from Ah Aah - Anbe Aaruyire? :)) not a chance. Not this time ARR, you lost to none but thyself :D.
   
7. Machakaari - This songs turned out kind of disappointing of the lot. Though the mood seem to be different therz some semblance to "Rangola Rangola" from Ghajini. The music grossly overshadowing the lyrics. The voice modulation when she sings "vizhundheeen kaadela" (2:45 to 2:50) was interestingly nice to hear amidst the raucous. Just way too many things out there for it to be enjoyable.
   

The 1st two songs in the list were really exceptional, enought for ARR fans to know hes live and kicking as ever. But definitely not the best he can produce. Wonder when he'd come out with a project with the songs signature ARR style. Maybe its gonna take a non-commercial project (to work at it @ his own pace) to do so.

Until then enchant thyself with whatz at hand.