IlayaRaja's New Albums 2013-15 - Mahendran film/Thaarai thappattai/Mythri

[Sureshs65]

Given that the other thread has become too big and that Plum has appointed me to open this thread, here it is. Post all details about Raja's New Albums 2012 here.

http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachment.php?attachmentid=915&d=1325517981 http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachment.php?attachmentid=916&d=1325518650



(Here's the old 2011 albums thread (http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?8028-Maestro-Ilaiyaraja-New-Albums-2011-Hello-Jaihind-Sri-Rama-Rajyam))

[San_K]

Dhoni is a February release, we can expect audio soon :)

[Sureshs65]

Before we start putting in info regarding the forthcoming releases, let us do a quick appraisal of Raja's 2011 works.

2010 was not a great year for Raja fans. Only three albums were released: "Gayam-2", "Kadha Thudarunnu" and the non filmi devotional 'Baba Pugazh Maalai'. Fellow hubbers like Plum were concerned if 2009, when the output was prolific, was an Indian summer. The last good season before the master signs off. Luckily nothing like that happened and 2011 showed the master is terrific form.

The first film music release did not give that hope. The music of 'Ayyan' did not sound very enticing and had a dated feel to it. It was clear that the music was composed quite some time back and did not reflect the new 'sound' of Raja. 'manasoram' was a song which everyone agreed was good. Other songs didn't find favor with Raja fans though I did like a few more songs from this album.

'Azhagarswamiyin Kudhirai' came to assuage the feelings of the fans. It had three songs, one of which was a 'Thiruvizha' song. 'kudhikira kudhikira' was definitely the hit song of the film. The Karthik Shreya Ghoshal number was melodious as well. More importantly this film also showcased the fact that Raja was till the numero uno when in came to background score. The jazz tinged score was terrific and played a great part in the success of the movie.

If ASK was sedate, 'Ponnar Shankar' was bombastic. The synth was heavy but the melodic lines were terrific. 'kannai padithen' and 'malarvillile' were top class melodies. 'Annanmar Kadhai' again showed why there is none to beat Raja when it comes to folk songs and stories. It was Shreya Ghoshal show all the way and that made her fans happy. Unfortunately, as it happens to all Kalaignar movies, this sank without a trace.

Next came 'Sengaathu Bhoomiyile' which did not create any ripples even amongst Raja fans. Not many knew of this movie songs and the CD release was mess, with the availability almost being zero!! Yet, I found the album quite charming, Raja going back to his 'Ejaman' and 'Chinna Kounder' days. 'kaathuruppen kaathiruppen' was the pick of this album.

While people were waiting for movies like 'Sneha Veedu' and 'SreeRamarajyam', out of the blue came 'Thandavakone'. What an extraordinary album, especially for 'neeraal udal kazhuvi'. This was an absolutely new Raja. The dark and sombre ambiance he creates for this song is mind blowing. Raja has never been an 'atmospheric' guy. He has mainly concentrated on the complete tune for his emotions. Here though he deviates from his path and goes full hog to create the required atmosphere through orchestration. This movie also had another lovely song,'kaatu vazhi'. Unfortunately neither this movie nor 'Sengaathu Bhoomiyile' have been released till now!!

Somewhere in between came the Kannada movie 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna'. Neither the movie nor the music got noticed. 'angel angel' was a lovely song and I liked the title track as well. But the general public sort of completely ignored the album.

The last two albums in my next post.

[Sureshs65]

The most eagerly awaited album was "SreeRamaRajyam' and those who were fans of Raja - Sathyan combination were looking forward to 'Senhaveedu'. Both of them provided immense joy to his fans.

'SreeRamaRajyam' was a knockout album. It was high in quantity and quality. It had 14 songs and each one was a gem. The highlights being 'Jagadananda Kaaraka' (SB-Shreya), 'SreeRama Lera'(Sriram P and Shreya), 'Ramayanamu' (Chitra-Shreya), 'Seeta Seemanthamu' (Shreya), 'Kalaya Nijama'(a very effective Tippu), 'gaali ningi neeru' (SPB). More importantly the background score was something to die for. The way Raja was able to convey the emotions made it look like Balayya and Nayan were greater actors than they actually were. Even more importantly, the film was a big hit and the music was appreciated by all.

Then came 'Snehaveedu'. When Raja and Sathyan combine together, magic is bound to happen. Sathyan seems to have told Raja that he only wanted melodic numbers and Raja must have been more than happy to oblige. All the four songs were top class. Not a note out of place. The melody and arrangements stunning. 'chandrabimbathin' was the easy winner. 'avanaithumbi' and 'amurthamaayi' were heard a lot. To me the song of the album was 'chenkathir kaiyum vessi'. What an excellent way to finish the year. Ensuring everyone knows that there is lot more left in this man. Now looking eagerly to 2012.

[Sureshs65]

So here are some quick award categories. (Ofcourse the award is listening to the songs itself :) )

Best Album: SreeRamaRajyam (For the sheer numbers and their quality. 'Snehaveedu' comes a close second)
Best Song: 'chengadhir' ('SnehaVeedu') I am sure many will not agree. So pliss to give your favorite
Most stunning song: 'neeraal udal kazhuvi'
Most underrated/unheard good song: 'kathirundhen kaathirundhen' ('Sengathu Bhoomiyile')
Music Releases that weren't: 'Padithurai' and 'Happi'
Best BGM: ASK and SreeRamaRajyam (haven't seen 'Snehaveedu')
Film Released but No Music situation: "Hello Jai Hind" (Thanks raagas for reminding me of this)

[Plum]

Suresh - :clap: - both for a classy wrap-up of 2011, and a deserved honour of starting the 2012 thread. I didn't appoint, btw. I merely proposed, which is about where I get off on this site :). Anyway, I believe truly in qualification and discrimination based on merit. On that count, you were the unquestionable pillar of the previous thread, outposting the next poster(guess who?) 353-141. And unlike me, you really don't post unless you have something solid to say so that's atleast 300 worthy posts, even if you discount around 50 as short responses to other posts. With dedicated CD buying of new albums, and long detailed reviews of every new album, I think you have earned this honour. Left to myself, I'd even propose you as moderator for the forum since you have an even temparament to deal with snarly mischief makers as well. Anyway, continue your Raja service here. With app and v-s running the other two threads, this is the sort of atmosphere that keeps me addicted to this forum.

[Plum]

I suppose I am overly biased towards Sri Rama Rajyam so take my choices with a bucket of salt:**BEST ALBUM: Sri Rama Rajyam *** BEST Singers: SPB/Chitra/Shreya for SRR/Snehaveedu ****Best upcoming Singers: Anita/Keertana for Sita Rama Charitam

[Plum]

Best Song: it's between Sri Rama lera and Avani thumbi. Sriram Partha brings down the former a notch so will go with the Shreya delight in Snehaveedu. Best Shortie: kalaya nijamaa. Can't get enough - feel cheated out of a longer version.

[raagas]

That was a good summary by Suresh! I think Suresh was excited to write the post. The typos say them all. It is Manasoram. And it was Kannai Padithen, from Ponnar shankar :-)

I am with Suresh (and Plum). Best song, for me, is Sri rama lera!

and Music releases that werent should include Marathi film "Jai Hind" as well.

[Plum]

Raagas, any guess who was the runner-up in the previous new albums thread with 141 posts to Suresh's 353? :)

[Sureshs65]

Plum,

Thanks for the kind words. It is already cold in Bangalore and neenga vera ... :) Anyway I would also like to give the 'Best Raja Fan of 2011 in Hub' to app_eng. What I have posted last year is nothing compared to what app_eng has been doing. And if I posting only once in a while blame it on my current work environment.

The runner up last year for 'Best Raja Fan' must be V_S.
The best Raja Fan debut : KV
Most enthusiastic new Raja Fan: Sunil_M88

I am sure most people will agree with me on this :D

[Sureshs65]

Plum,

Is it raagas?

[Plum]

Totally agree on the Raja Fan nominations, Suresh :thumbsup:. And the answer to the question - it is, indeed, raagas? I must admit I was as surprised about the runner-up as I was confident about the winner. I knew you must have been the most posted in that thread but I didn't expect the margin, and I certainly didn't expect raagas to be runner-up. Hopefully this year, my thread will(telugu lyrics) will overtake all of you.

[raagas]

I am surprised myself because I thought I was the occassional visitor here! :-)

Regarding telugu lyrics - it will be good to see that thread active but again, the posts will be limited because ultimately, there are just few albums of IR that had good telugu lyrics. Ofcourse, if you wish to rename that thread to "Telugu songs", I am sure we can discuss a lot more!

[Plum]

No, Raagas. I don't want to dilute the quality of the thread by opening it up to all the songs. I want to specifically talk about good lyrics. I reckon there should atleast be 30-50 such songs and just hope that one or more of us gets the time to compile and discuss about those...

[Bala (Karthik)]

+1 on the nominations :clap: :abaara contribution:

Rajasaranam's absence is kandikkathakkadhu, though

[skr]

Some of my picks

Best Album : Sneha Veedu (Im picking this over SRR for the enjoyment and multiple times listening feel i got)

Best Song : Sri Rama Lera (Absolute magic happening by making the Pa as Sa and resulting in Vasantha from Pantuvarali)

Best Short Song : Kalaya Nijama (Without a shadow of a doubt - a stunner in Sallapam sung admirably by Tippu)

Best Melody : Kannai Padithen (soaked in honey)

Lines which made me go Wow : Bhavani Varugira (Ponnar Shankar) [Im referring to the portion from 01:35 where there is a sudden scale change - http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR4242'&lang=en]

Best BGM Piece : Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai Title song

Best Manda Pichifying song : Chandrabimbathin from Sneha Veedu (Im sure Suresh will agree with me , how much we tore apart our brain in trying to arrive at the Raga, also its my most listened to song in the year)

Most Underrated Song : Kaathiruppen from Sengaatha Bhoomiyile

Song with nice rhythm patterns : Chengathir Kaiyum from Sneha Veedu which seems to be based in Mishram (7 beat cycle)

Most Dedicated Fan : App for his amazing contribution in the Golden Era of Dr IR and Dr SPB thread. Also your memory of remembering all minute incidents was simply awesome.
Surely , this should be published as a book some day

Most Passionate Fan : V_S for his uninhibited passion in describing Maestro songs (Take a Bow Sir)

Best Raja Fan Debut : Kv

Most Enthusiastic Raja Fan : Sunil

Best write up of a Raja Song : Ada Machamulla from Chinna Veedu by V_S (Chance eh illa , IMO V_S had close competition from himself for Poomalaye , Oh Vasantha Raja) , Also a word of praise for Kv for coming up with an absolutely bewitching write up of the song Dhegam Pon Dhegam in the Erotic thread

Best Contribution Award : Suresh for unravelling some hidden treasure from Raja's 90's ouvere.

These are some of the categories i can think of at the moment.

[Sureshs65]

Yes, the asst prof needs to get here often. Rajasaranam sevai namakku thevai.

[Sureshs65]

skr,

Nice selection except for 'Best Contribution'. I think that should go to KV and V_S for unearthing some real gems.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Unearthing gems - Suresh, Querida, KV

[Sureshs65]

Looks like 'Dhoni's music will release this month:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/tollywood/audio-release-dhoni-month-326

[V_S]

Thanks Suresh ji, Bala, Plum, skr and everyone for all your wonderful appreciations. I don't know if I deserve all this, but thanks for giving me opportunity to write in this forum.

As Plum mentioned, Suresh ji is the main reason for every Maestro's new albums getting its due recognition, it deserves, with his detailed reviews and analysis. Suresh ji is also responsible to substantiate that Raja does not only belong to 80's and does not only belong to TN. Hats off! :notworthy:

Yes, a huge round of applause for app_engine for taking the SPB-IR thread by storm. :notworthy: :clap: I have never seen such dedication and sincerity. Truly a great IR fan.

Yes, KV, Suresh ji, Querida really brought out some rare gems, otherwise we would not have known them at all.

I also have one kind request to all our friends. I only saw a glimpse of some excellent writing and analysis in jaiganes, Plum, Bala, grouch, KV, Vel, raagas, skr, thumburu, irir123, Querida, Sunil, Aravind, Hulkster and many friends in this IR forum. I know many senior hubbers might have already contributed which I need to search those treasures, still I would like them to contribute more whenever they have time (too greedy, I know :smile:) for our dearest Maestro again. :wink:

2011 has been a great year for music and Suresh ji excellently summed it up. 2012 should be terrific as well, starting with 'Dhoni'. Happy New Year to you all!

[tvsankar]

Dear VS,
indha list la Vinatha vaiyum serthikalam.. avalum romba varushama inga Raja songs a sollindu iruka...........

[jaiganes]

all folks here are like honey bees collecting nectar from the raaja flower garden - list-e panna venaam. sevi udayaar ellaam inge suvai adaivaar

[V_S]

avalum romba varushama inga Raja songs a sollindu iruka...........
Usha ji,
The reason above you quoted is exactly the reason I might not have included. I didn't include yourself too. :smile: When I started here you have been hosting/driving 'IR Song of the Day' thread and Vinatha has always been enthusiastic and in full flow like you, as always right from her starting days here till to-date. If you would have noticed I mainly listed out names who were writing earlier too or who wanted to write more, but I felt recently that, whenever I started appreciating their writing, it ended so soon and my selfish heart wanted more from them.

I also knew I would miss many names, as I listed whatever it had struck my mind at that time. That's why I always add 'many friends' and 'Everyone' always. Another selfish thought is, I know that there are many guests who enjoy all our posts here (as app_engine has noticed the view count in SPB-IR thread), still for some reason they don't want to signup/login and write about their thoughts about Maestro's work. May be from this year, I sincerely hope, we can expect more from them.

Again, I know all my blabbering above may not do justice for your concern. I sincerely apologize for the same.

[Sunil_M88]

I seldom come to this section of the hub so I really appreciate the encouragement. Thank you Suresh Ji, skr and V_S sir. I promise to post more often. It's better late then never and TBH 2011 developed my knowledge and increased my yen compared to my prior TFM days. This is due to hubbers sharing info. on new releases/ forgotten classics and more so Raaja Saab releasing a supernova of albums this year.

I cannot pin point exact titles for contributers here but firstly I would like to thank and congratulate V_S sir on his stellar IR-Duet write ups. App also deserves high praise for putting blood and sweat into the IR-SPB thread. A massive :clap: for Suresh Ji for delivering music reviews promptly after new releases. I would also like to thank raaga_kann for doing his bit in IR-Duets. As I said I cannot pin point exact titles for everyone but I sincerely appreciate those who have contributed here and there

Best album - Thandavakone - This album still keeps me on the edge of my seat along with Nandalala. This primarily may be because I'm a sucker for soporific songs.

Best song - Annanmar Kathai - The unpredictability of this song and genre transition is flawless. Raaja Saab :bow:

Best melody - Jagadhananda Karaka

Best Duet - Aanukkulley

Best Male singer - IR for Kuthikkira Kuthikkira

Best Female singer - Chithra amma for Chengathir Kaiyum

Best Interlude - The flute of Enna Pol

Most underrated song - Kampuni Kampuni from Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The biggest Masala track by the maestro in recent times.

[krish244]

Lakshmi Manchu's launched "Gundello Godari" through blogging website:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/e...w/11338728.cms

"...The film is set in the backdrop of the 1986 floods that hit ravaged the State. "It's a love story set in the backdrop of the floods. That's what the title "Gundello Godari" suggests. We are trying to recreate the whole ambience of 1986. We are recording the songs in Chennai and am super excited about working Ilayaraja," says Lakshmi..."

"backdrop of the 1986 floods". Mmm...curious to know what style of music IR would opt for.

Couple of days back I had posted a news item (http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?8028-Maestro-Ilaiyaraja-New-Albums-2011-Hello-Jaihind-Sri-Rama-Rajyam&p=781473&viewfull=1#post781473) about a new bilingual (tamil and telugu) album by IR starring Aadhi and Tapsee. It seems to be the same Gundello Godari.

thanks,

Krishnan

[RR]

Excellent summary and best-of choices! In 2011, IR bowled me over with 2 great songs: 'kannai padithen' and 'kalaya nijama' . How I longed for such tunes that touch something deep inside and pull you into the rich music from whatever you are busy with.. the hallmark of vintage IR. However, to be honest, I am not uptodate with all the films/songs these days, so the best-of choices helps immensely in discovering missed gems. Listened to 'neeral' only yesterday and yes it was good.. (Tks suresh!)

As for NY resolution, I plan to list the new albums and link them to reviews, in the first post.. Let's see :) As always, pls pm me if you have any feedback/suggestions or need moderation help.. Cheers.

[app_engine]

Nice thread and a great start, Sureshji!

(BTW, I don't think I deserve the appreciations shown on this thread...if Sureshji felt B'lore is cold, it's literally raining ice that looks like styrofoam balls here in Dearborn :lol2:, adhula idhu vERayA :oops:)

[raajarasigan]

Suresh ji :clap: for the Title Pictures and also for the nominations.. V_S and KV deserve those awards.. :D

[Sureshs65]

app_eng,

You richly deserve the accolades. What you have been doing is unimaginable to most of us. So much dedication, effort and more importantly you have been able to keep the readers interest. And also draw in semi retired fellows like Plum in. Now check out his energy levels !!! So better wear a few layers of clothing now.

rajarasigan: You must thank the moderator (probably RR) for the pictures. I didn't put them there. He must have put it. Lovely photos.

[Plum]

I forgot one award: The come-back-from-hibernation or the greatest-comeback award: being narcissistic, shameless, narcissistically shameless and shamelessly narcissistic, I would have loved to award it to myself - but our dear moderator spoilt that by making his grand post-hibernation come back and participating in the discussions. Here's to the unsung hero of this section - take a bow, Mr RR :thumbsup:

[app_engine]

Sureshji :-)

(app_engine, manadhukkuL : 'karumbu thunRadhukku ivvaLavu kooliyA? indha idam badA shOkkA keedhuppA' :lol2:)

[Gregorysab]

Hi!

My picks:

Best Album: Sri Rama Rajyam
Best Song: Sri Rama Lera from Sri Rama Rajyam
Most stunning song: Kannai Padithen from Ponnar Shankar
Most underrated song: Poovekkelu (ASK)
Best "Vintage Wine in New Bottle": Aavani Thumbi
Best Experimentation: Bavani varugira & Annamalar Kathai from Ponnar Shankar
Best BGM: Sri Rama Rajyam (I haven't seen others)
Best typical-raaja-signatured song: amruthamaayi from Sneha Veedu

My disappointments:

1. Happi & Padithurai didn't release.
2. One Kannada album - Hare Rama Hare Krishna - utter disappointment for me.
3. Sengathu Bhoomiyile & Thandavakone didnt impress me much!

Looking forward to:

1. Padithurai
2. Dhoni
3. Ilayaraja scored music for a Hindi film called SRK.
4. Happi
5. A telugu film - Gundello Godari - set in 1986.

[Gregorysab]

No, Raagas. I don't want to dilute the quality of the thread by opening it up to all the songs. I want to specifically talk about good lyrics. I reckon there should atleast be 30-50 such songs and just hope that one or more of us gets the time to compile and discuss about those...

Plum (& others)

Dont expect Raagas to discuss about telugu lyrics because raagas has now moved to 'aakarsh' :-) raagas avatar will be used by someone very close to me, whose understanding in telugu lyrics is limited! so here i come with a new avatar!

[RR]

raajarasigan & suresh: yes i did put up the pics. Glad you liked them!

Plum: tks, but yedho ulkuthu maathiri irukke?!

[Plum]

Oh! Before I read the last post, I was posting a welcome note to aakarsh :lol:. There is an aakarsh I think running a telugu IR blog who has made some wonderful observations and discussions. Are you that aakarsh by any chance? If yes, you MUST take charge of the Telugu lyrics thread!

[Plum]

RR, no uLkuththu veLikkuththu. All genuine only

[Gregorysab]

Oh! Before I read the last post, I was posting a welcome note to aakarsh :lol:. There is an aakarsh I think running a telugu IR blog who has made some wonderful observations and discussions. Are you that aakarsh by any chance? If yes, you MUST take charge of the Telugu lyrics thread!


I dont need a welcome post plum :-) if anything, the new 'Raagas' can be welcomed! hopefully soon!

I didnt run a Telugu IR blog per se, but I do have a blog in which I wrote about some IR albums and that probably covered few of his telugu songs may be. But yes, I am the same person!
I wish I can post more in Telugu thread! Time is the enemy! else, I would have posted long back! anyway, i hope to be slightly more active and hopefully, i will post something soon! (translating songs, for the benefit of wider audience here, is quite an exercise you see :-( lets try)

[Bala (Karthik)]

Kamal Aakarsh Vishnubotla?

[Gregorysab]

Yes - err, why, am i not welcome ;-)

[Plum]

Enti saar, aayana Edho gauravam thO paravasinchi pOyi mee pEru-ni antuntE(A mahAnubAvudu mIrEnnA annattu), meerEmo joke chEsthaaru?

[Plum]

Were you the one who wrote on "Sivapoojakku" from Swarnakamalam(on the lyrics.). One of these days, planning to copy paste that into the lyrics thread...

[Gregorysab]

:-)! Plum! was just joking! Yes, i wrote about Sivapoojaku song from Swarna kamalam. Honestly, my knowledge in telugu is limited (functional, no expertise). I wanted to write about "Ghallu Ghallu" (from swarna kamalam) also, but i didnt get to put my thoughts on it. It was another lyrically as competent as sivapoojaku.

But anyway, why are we discussing me or Swarnakamalam here. We ought to be talking about Raaja 2012 here! So lets end digressions and start praying for the release Padithurai. I hope someone atleast steals the cd from IR's studio.

[V_S]

Kamal Aakarsh, Welcome here. :D I have read quite a number of your writings on your blog and also some interesting insights and analysis in the comments sections of Suresh's blog, Vicky's blog, backgroundscore.com, milliblog et al. Great to see you here!

[jaiganes]

vaango saar vaango

[skr]

An extended post on Raja's best from 2011
1) Best Album : Sneha Veedu (Im picking this over SRR for the enjoyment and multiple times listening feel i got) http://www.raaga.com/channels/malayalam/moviedetail.asp?mid=m0002448

2) Best Song : Sri Rama Lera - Sri Rama Rajyam (Absolute Graha Bedham magic happening by making the Pa as Sa and resulting in Vasantha from Pantuvarali)
http://www.raaga.com/channels/telugu/album/A0002785.html (2nd song in link)

3) Best Short Song : Kalaya Nijama - Sri Rama Rajyam (Without a shadow of a doubt - a stunner in Sallapam sung admirably by Tippu. Ephemeral yet everlasting .
http://www.raaga.com/channels/telugu/album/A0002785.html (11th song in link)

4) Best Melody : Kannai Padithen - Ponnar Shankar (soaked in honey)
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs=%27SNGIRR4243%27&lang=en

5) Lines which made me go Wow : Bhavani Varugira (Ponnar Shankar) [Im referring to the portion from 01:35 where there is a sudden scale change]
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs=%27SNGIRR4242%27&lang=en

6) Best BGM Piece : Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai Title Score
The moment i heard it , i felt goosebumps all over , a BGM piece which tears your heart .Reallly happy that i could hear it again in the Endrendrum Raaja concert through a Live Orchestra and waiting to listen again in the tv telecast during Pongal :)
http://soundcloud.com/dil-1/title-score-azhagarsamiyin

7) Best Manda Pichifying/Confusing song : Chandrabimbathin from Sneha Veedu
Tore the head so much in trying to arrive at the Ragam - whether it was Sriranjini/Srimanoranjini/Bhageshri/Bahudhari/Karnataka Khamas and what not.
Also my most listened to song of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcrb-QCvK9A

8) Most Underrated Song : Kaathiruppen from Sengaatha Bhoomiyile
A song which went unnoticed , but i really liked this melodic folkish number
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA5vOd9gpqA

9) Song with nice rhythm patterns : Chengathir Kaiyum from Sneha Veedu which is based in Mishram Thaalam (7 beat cycle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe7ghYPGY6Y

10) Most Hard Hitting Song : Kaattu Vazhi from Thandavakone
Check the reverbrating effect you get when IR sings Sambo Shiva Shiva
This song in Revathi Ragam leaves you with a lump in your throat.
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs=%27SNGIRR4262%27&lang=en

11) Synth Beauty - Angel Angel from Hare Rama Hare Krishna
http://www.musiqbuzz.com/kannada/movie/hare-rama-hare-krishna/songs-download/
(4th song in the link)

12) Best Feel Good Song : Amrithamayi from Sneha Veedu
Accoustic Guitars ,melifluos melody , Kalyani magic - can you ask for more ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riKzcQFNvdg

13) Most Haunting Song : Neeral Udal Kazhvi - Thandavakone
Cant configure much from the lyrics as its beyond me , but listening to it makes you feel very deep and heavy.
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs=%27SNGIRR4264%27&lang=en

14) Best interlude/postlude - Mallar Vizhille from Ponnar Shankar
Check the Veenas converging and reaching a dynamic crescendo to end the song.
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs=%27SNGIRR4245%27&lang=en

15) Find of the Year : Vandhaale Allipoo from Kann Sivanthal Mann Sivakkum
Being exposed to Ilaiyaraaja's music majorly only from about 2007 , i keep getting introduced to gems from time to time , the first time i listened to this song i was spellbound , speechless ,awestruck. It was truly love at first sight :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUnydYq--mw

[skr]

Request others to post their picks too.
Have seen only Suresh , Aakarsh and Sunil posting .
Waiting to listen to V_S , kv , App and others on your picks of Raaja's best in 2011

[app_engine]

skr,
My musical experience of 2011 was so different from the prior years of the new millennium.

Mainly because of the SPB-IR thread where I've posted about 240+ songs, at an average of one per day from the time I started it - i.e. 2/3 of the year. The indulgences in the 70's-80's stuff had so strongly locked me up in those albums most of the time. There was hardly any other music that I could pay close attention to :-(

I think similar situation may prevail for another 200 days or so...

Still, for record, my top picks are 'malar villilE' ('adi peNNE' feel) & 'dEvulle mechindi' for this year - both are phenomenal numbers IMO!

[Sunil_M88]

skr, :thumbsup: for your summary.

How many IR albums can we expect this year?

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

http://www.tamilcinema.com/CINENEWS/Hotnews/2012/jan/030112a.asp

பலரும் வந்து போகிற இடம்தான் படித்துறை. ஆனால் அது இருந்த இடத்தை விட்டு எப்போதும் நகராதல்லவா? அப்படி ஒரு சென்ட்டிமென்ட் படியே ஆகிவிட்டது படித்துறை படமும். இதோ அதோ என்று நாட்கள் நகர்கிறதே தவிர, படம் வந்தாபாடில்லை. இப்படத்தின் இயக்குனர் சுகா அற்புதமான இலக்கியவாதி. அழகான எழுத்தாற்றலுக்கு சொந்தக்காரர். அவ்வளவு ஏன்? பிரபல காங்கிரஸ்வாதியும் சிறந்த பட்டிமன்ற பேச்சாளருமான நெல்லை கண்ணனின் வாரிசு. இவ்வளவு தகுதியுடன் இன்னொன்றையும் சேர்த்துக் கொள்ளுங்கள். இந்த படத்தை தயாரித்திருப்பது நடிகர் ஆர்யா.

அப்புறம் ஏன் படம் வரவில்லை? இதற்குள் போனால் ஆர்யாவின் ரெண்டு சொட்டு கண்ணீருக்கும், சுகாவின் நாலு சொட்டு கண்ணீருக்கும் நம் கர்சீப் நனையும் என்பதால் ஸ்பாட்டிலிருந்து நகர்க.

[jaiganes]

http://www.tamilcinema.com/CINENEWS/Hotnews/2012/jan/030112a.asp

பலரும் வந்து போகிற இடம்தான் படித்துறை. ஆனால் அது இருந்த இடத்தை விட்டு எப்போதும் நகராதல்லவா? அப்படி ஒரு சென்ட்டிமென்ட் படியே ஆகிவிட்டது படித்துறை படமும். இதோ அதோ என்று நாட்கள் நகர்கிறதே தவிர, படம் வந்தாபாடில்லை. இப்படத்தின் இயக்குனர் சுகா அற்புதமான இலக்கியவாதி. அழகான எழுத்தாற்றலுக்கு சொந்தக்காரர். அவ்வளவு ஏன்? பிரபல காங்கிரஸ்வாதியும் சிறந்த பட்டிமன்ற பேச்சாளருமான நெல்லை கண்ணனின் வாரிசு. இவ்வளவு தகுதியுடன் இன்னொன்றையும் சேர்த்துக் கொள்ளுங்கள். இந்த படத்தை தயாரித்திருப்பது நடிகர் ஆர்யா.

அப்புறம் ஏன் படம் வரவில்லை? இதற்குள் போனால் ஆர்யாவின் ரெண்டு சொட்டு கண்ணீருக்கும், சுகாவின் நாலு சொட்டு கண்ணீருக்கும் நம் கர்சீப் நனையும் என்பதால் ஸ்பாட்டிலிருந்து நகர்க.
nalla velai - padam varaadhadharku ilaiyaraaja dhaan kaaranamnu sollaama vittaingale..

[jaiganes]

Lakshmi Manchu's launched "Gundello Godari" through blogging website:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/e...w/11338728.cms

"...The film is set in the backdrop of the 1986 floods that hit ravaged the State. "It's a love story set in the backdrop of the floods. That's what the title "Gundello Godari" suggests. We are trying to recreate the whole ambience of 1986. We are recording the songs in Chennai and am super excited about working Ilayaraja," says Lakshmi..."

"backdrop of the 1986 floods". Mmm...curious to know what style of music IR would opt for.

Couple of days back I had posted a news item (http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?8028-Maestro-Ilaiyaraja-New-Albums-2011-Hello-Jaihind-Sri-Rama-Rajyam&p=781473&viewfull=1#post781473) about a new bilingual (tamil and telugu) album by IR starring Aadhi and Tapsee. It seems to be the same Gundello Godari.

thanks,

Krishnan
Oh this lakshmi manchu is that Mohanbabu's ammaayyee yaa?
telungu naattu soundarya(rajinikanth) aagaama irundhaa sari..

[Sureshs65]

Jai,

She seems to be serious on the entertainment business. I would rather compare her with Ekta Kapoor. She used to run a show (maybe she still does) in which she used to interview celebrities. Lot of foreign return accent and all but she had some very interesting guests on her show. So I am hoping the movie will come out.

[Gregorysab]

right! i think she also acted in some TV soaps, in the US - which explains her accent :-)

This is probably the 1st time (as far as I know) when Raaja will be doing music for a film set in a period in which he and only he ruled :-D. Interesting!

But what about Padithurai? any updates?

[skr]

Padithurai - last read a report that it will release immediately after Diwali , but its been more than 2 months . No news at all since then
Happy also no news about when they plan to release

Both these movies if im right were supposed to come out in 2010 itself :(

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

Thanks Suresh ji, Bala, Plum, skr and everyone for all your wonderful appreciations. I don't know if I deserve all this, but thanks for giving me opportunity to write in this forum.

As Plum mentioned, Suresh ji is the main reason for every Maestro's new albums getting its due recognition, it deserves, with his detailed reviews and analysis. Suresh ji is also responsible to substantiate that Raja does not only belong to 80's and does not only belong to TN. Hats off! :notworthy:

Yes, a huge round of applause for app_engine for taking the SPB-IR thread by storm. :notworthy: :clap: I have never seen such dedication and sincerity. Truly a great IR fan.

Yes, KV, Suresh ji, Querida really brought out some rare gems, otherwise we would not have known them at all.

I also have one kind request to all our friends. I only saw a glimpse of some excellent writing and analysis in jaiganes, Plum, Bala, grouch, KV, Vel, raagas, skr, thumburu, irir123, Querida, Sunil, Aravind, Hulkster and many friends in this IR forum. I know many senior hubbers might have already contributed which I need to search those treasures, still I would like them to contribute more whenever they have time (too greedy, I know :smile:) for our dearest Maestro again. :wink:

2011 has been a great year for music and Suresh ji excellently summed it up. 2012 should be terrific as well, starting with 'Dhoni'. Happy New Year to you all!

இங்கே சொல்லப்பட்டிருக்கும் ராஜா ரசிகர்களின் ராஜ பார்வையில் தான் கடந்த வருடத்தின் ராஜ இசையை பார்த்தேன்! கேட்டேன்!! உணர்ந்தேன்!!! அனைவரையும் கைப்பிடித்து ராஜ பாட்டையில் ராஜ நடை போட வாய்த்த இவர்களுக்கு நன்றி!


Suresh ji is also responsible to substantiate that Raja does not only belong to 80's and does not only belong to TN.
இதுக்கு உங்களுக்கு ஒரு ஸ்பெஷல் நன்றி! உங்களை சந்திக்க தான் Bangalore hub meetக்கு வர நினைத்தேன், மிஸ் ஆகிடுச்சி :(


all folks here are like honey bees collecting nectar from the raaja flower garden - sevi udayaar ellaam inge suvai adaivaar :thumbsup:

[skr]

A hoarding in nice road (ecity)
Does anyone know what this film is about ?

[krish244]

Long back Vinu Chakravarthy announced that he is going to make a movie and music will be by IR. Some update on the same. Movie name will be Veli Kaathaan.

"...That's because he's planning a biopic on Silk Smitha himself! He says, "After recuperating from an accident, I'm making a comeback this year, as an actor, director and producer, with Veli Kaathaan, music for which will be composed by Ilaiyaraaja..."

Skr,

Did a Google search. Looks like the movie ("Prasad") was announced sometime last february. On a glance, I could not find any reference that IR is the composer.

thanks,

Krishnan

[krish244]

It (music score for "Prasad") is indeed by IR. Trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJQpzamP7kk

thanks,

Krishnan

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

http://cinema.dinamalar.com/tamil-tv-serials/6071/Chinna-thirai-Television-News/Ilayarajas-Endrendum-raja-program.htm


இந்த இசை நிகழ்ச்சியில் ஏராளமான ரசிகர்களுடன் ஷோபா, விஜய் அண்டனி, ஜேம்ஸ் வசந்தன், தரன், தேவிஸ்ரீ பிரசாத், சரண்யா, ஜெய சித்ரா, பாலு மகேந்திர போன்ற பிரபலங்களும் கலந்து கொண்டனர். கொலவெறிக்கு இசை அமைத்த அனிருத் இடம் கிடைக்காமல் நின்றபடியே இசை நிகழ்ச்சியை ரசித்து பார்த்தார்.

[kameshratnam]

IT IS FROM SRI KAMALHASSANs OFFICIAL PRO. Kamal talks about Raaja sir...a part of it came in the LATEST Concert held in dec 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DetA5ZVxZuc&feature=youtu.be

[Sureshs65]

Sakala,

Thanks. Unfortunately I too couldn't go to the meet.

Anyway, you, KV, I and others in Bangalore can meet some day soon.

[Sureshs65]

Krish,

I must say that for a Kannada movie, the trailer looks interesting :) The BG score is very nice and the song as well. So one more movie to look forward to.

[skr]

Thanks for the info Krish
Trailer looks interesting

[skr]

Btw wanted to include one more category in my list
Best find (Non Tamil song) - Its undoubtedly Pulanguzhal Nadham from Malayalam movie Apaaratha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slihAUQ-bRY

Chitra's rendition is heart warming and the flute is just magic
This song on Lord Krishna is so divine and soul stirring
Thanks to Suresh for introducing me to this song

And someone pls begin a Malayalam Thread of Raaja's songs.
I think its high time :)

[krish244]

Yes Suresh/Skr, the trailer is interesting and an apt BGM. I liked the bit song (i guess sung by Karthik) as well.

thanks,

Krishnan

[RR]

And someone pls begin a Malayalam Thread of Raaja's songs.
I think its high time :)
skr, you can use this thread (http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?785-IlayaRaja-s-Malayalam-Albums&highlight=malayalam)

[krish244]

"Wanted: The Isaignani" - thats the title!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/Wanted-The-Isaignani/articleshow/11373830.cms

Talks about Vinu chakravarthy's planned movie and other mostly upcoming IR movies. It also talks about IRs hindi and marathi movies. I am thinking "Hello jai hind" is the marathi movie they are referring to, because we have not heard of any other marathi movie that IR has signed recently.

I think we missed "Satya Sai Baba" from our upcoming IR movies list.

thanks,

Krishnan

[krish244]

RR, IR's photo in the beginning of this thread is very good. Thanks for the same. Keep forgetting to mention this to you!

thanks,

Krishnan

[Sureshs65]

Now that we looking forward to movies of Raja in 2012, here are some thoughts of mine as to why 2012 is going to be a critical year for Raja and his fans.

First thing I could gather from whatever has been happening last year is that Raja has slowly realized two things: One, he is still a big brand in South India. Second, there is a need for brand building if you want to maximize the value of your brand.

The first step taken in this direction was when Raja signed up with Malabar Gold. That was definitely an indication that he was realizing the value of his brand. Then comes the fact that nowadays he appears in almost all music releases, in movie publicity etc. The high point of this was the year end live concert.

His understanding of market seems to have made him more flexible. Subashree Tanikachalam in her facebook updated had noted that Raja read out exactly what was given to during the concert publicity campaign. He flew down to Andhra a couple of times to publicize the audio of 'SreeRamaRajyam'. In most of the film publicity that he appears nowadays he speaks safely. While he does once in a while give his opinion of things, he is more subdued nowadays and talks to the point. The publicity of 'Dhoni' is an example. He doesn't hesitate to face the camera nowadays, it looks like.

You can also infer that he is listening to feedback by the fact that he has stopped singing much in the movies that he is scoring now. Last year we heard him sing 'kudhikira' from ASK and 'kaatu vazhi' from 'Tandavakone' (I am discounting the song in 'Ayyan' which was recorded much earlier.) Both those songs required Raja's voice and in case of 'kudhikira' it is said that the team insisted he sing it. Secondly, there has been no Bhavatharini in his recent songs. In olden days he may given 'avanithumbi' or 'chengkadhir' to Bhava but nowadays he has not been using her. One more indication that he is hearing the market.

His flexibility is also seen when he readily agreed to Prakash Raj for a full manual orchestra, letting Jaya TV folks (and fans) chose the songs for the concert and when he agreed to Bapu's request for tuning to all pre-written lyrics. I guess he has always been flexible but somehow an image of him being an inflexible person had been painted. Now I see a focused building of an image which shows the flexible side of his.

So what will this lead to? This is an important question to us fans. First, I think more producers and directors may be willing to approach him, once they are sure they can put in a request to him for something they want. Additionally they will also be clear that Raja will participate in the publicity drive, which has become an inevitable feature of film business nowadays. Given this, I believe there are higher chances of Raja taking up more movies in the near future.

Ofcourse, we have to realistic as well. As of now I don't think the young heroes of today will work with him given the need of their fans for a certain kind of music. For example, heroes like Vijay, Ajit or Mahesh Babu etc may not switch over from their current favorites. What I feel will happen is that whenever a movie has high emotional content the director will approach Raja. 'Dhoni' is an example. Similarly any devotional / mythological movie may have the directors approaching Raja for music. Everyone knows how much depth he can add to a movie with his BGM and I wouldn't be surprised if some directors take up different subjects confident that Raja will score for them.

Last year we saw films like 'SreeRamaRajyam' and 'Snehaveedu' doing well. The music of "SreeRamaRajyam' was received very well and so there is lot of expectations on the Sathya Saibaba movie. The trailer of the Kannada film 'Prasad' looks good. I am sure 'Dhoni' will release soon. Hopefully Raja will sign up movies which actually release rather than movies like 'Thandavakone' and 'Sengaathuboomiyile' which still lie in the cans.

All in all, as I said, this year will be the one where we will have a clear of what is in store for fans like us in the near future. My assessment is that Raja has now accepted the realities of the market and has changed himself to be in tune with it. I for one am happy with it. For I know whatever external changes he makes, his music quality will never change and he will never compromise of the musical front. So more power to him. Which indirectly says, more power to us :)

[rajasaranam]

+1 on the nominations :clap: :abaara contribution:

Rajasaranam's absence is kandikkathakkadhu, though

Yov ennamo neenga ingaye thavam kedakkura mathiri pesareenga :-) RaajavukkE oru hibernation period irunthathu Rajasaranathukuu irukka koodaatha?

[kameshratnam]

Hello Rhytm, if u are from this page, please remove the below link..IDHAYAM POGUDEY SYMPHONY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EVnjwRwoTg&feature=related

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

RR, IR's photo in the beginning of this thread is very good. Thanks for the same. Keep forgetting to mention this to you!

thanks,

Krishnan


Among many fotos, i find the below one very nice, with lakshanam too :)

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4333/rajal.jpg

[thumburu]

Congrats to all prolific postors Suresh, ragas, V_S for infusing a new lease of life to this hoary thread that was actually gasping for oxygen a few years before. Congrats are also due for Krish244, SKV,K for posting every news titbit about Raja feom nook and corner.
As observed by Suresh, 2010 had a long , dry spell and 2011, opening with “aiyaiyo” Ayyan, I didn’t have high hope . But Ponnar Sankar did kindle some expectation in the aftermath of Kalaignyar’s UO.
Ponnar Sankar is my IR album for 2011 with 4 out of 6 songs capturing my fancy.
“Bhavani varugira” is my song of the year for its unusually catchy rythms, scale shift,
IR’s experimentation with tribal folk fusion after many years and Shreya G to top it all.
Malar villile – my next pick has the breathtaking prelude. Postlude, beautiful BrindhavanaSaranga based tune, Shreya’s honey laced vocals , just ordinary interludes not withstanding.
Kannai padithen- Pleasing retro melody which is a fav of many here
Thedi vandha – Laid back Gowrimanhohari and Shreya’s sensual singing
The next album that I liked is Snehaveedu for its highlight being MELODY.
Chandrabimbathin – Has that superb swerve in rhythm , set to Sriranjini and undoubtedly my pick.
Chengathir kaiyum – Fir its asymmetric meter that was a thing of past esp with Raja
Amruthamay – Hari’s soothing voice and a breezy tone
Third is the most popular SriRamaRajyam which has bunch of melodies and which is heard often too. But I could not hide a tinge of disappointment as this musical has the least novelty from Raja. He has taken a very safe stance of using all clichéd ragas like Suddhadhanyasi, SindhuBhairavi, Keeravani, Hindolam instead of venturing into new ragas [reminded of magical Balanagamma, Kovil pura] . Despite sliding to number 3, I consider “Devulle menchulle”, “Srirama lera” and “kalaiya nijama”
Close to my heart. “Devulle menchulle” reinforces my belief that Raja can still recreate those late 70’s magical tunes if only he decides. How many of u feel this song resembles “vizhiyile malarndhadhu” and “vetri vetri” of Kattumarakkaran , to some extent? The transition during the Sita swayamvar portion ls truly mesmerizing.

Then the remaining movies Sengathubhoomiyile, Thandavakone and ASK did not appeal to me

Underrated song of 2011 - Devulle Menchulle, Malar villile

[Sureshs65]

thumburu,

Yes, I also love 'chengkadhir' for that asymmetric rhythm and the way the instruments join in precision. Raja's complete control over WCM material is here for all to hear. When I heard it initially, it took me some time to figure out the rhythmic things he was doing. It is basically a mishra chapu song and in the second part of the charanam, he takes off after 5 syllables, thus giving lot of asymmetry to the song, which makes it all the more interesting.

As I had written in the review of the CD, in case of 'SreeRamaRajyam', Raja seems to have been clear as to what was needed and gave just that. Inspite of saying it, I must confess that songs like 'SreeRama Lera' had a certain amount of complexity, making people wonder what the ragam is. I loved 'Ramyanamu'. Though based on oft used Sindhubhairavi, Raja was able to give a very unique color to it and bring out myriad expressions using the same raga. A master class again.

[vssathish]

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/telugu/events/31716.html

Raaja in SRR 50th day celebrations in Hyderabad.. in high spirits with SPB..

Seems raaja is attending lots of functions nowadays.. interesting !!!

[VinodKumar's]

// Dhoni - hmmm padam pera paatha veli oorla kandipa odathu pola :lol2: // - Sorry for dig

[V_S]

Expecting Dhoni's audio launch soon. It seems it is going to be a grand launch.
http://600024.com/prakash-raj-has-more-scales-of-peak-with-dhoni/

[RR]

Friends, the 'cliched ragas' discussions can be continued here (http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?9655-New-age-IR-using-cliched-ragas). Let's keep the current thread for discussing new albums only. Thanks!

[skr]

Guys , looks like Maestro is doing a devotional album on Lord Aiyappan
"Devotional CDs corner a chunk of the music mart and Sankaran is busy in that department. “Singing for Ilayaraja for an Ayyappan CD has been a rewarding experience and a great learning process, for he takes pains to teach you and explain to you why something must be like that”, he says."

Check the full article here
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2780959.ece

[Sureshs65]

skr,

That must be 'Manikanda Geeta Mala'. While Raja sang most of the songs in Tamil, Shankaran Namboodri sang some of the Malayalam version of the songs. So it is not new.

[krish244]

It seems Balki (cheeni kum and paa) was part of IR's "ENDRENDRUM RAJA" show and he talked about IR on stage. A snippet:

"...But then, Balki dropped the bomb! "When Raja sir played me the tune, I suggested that he use this for a song rather than waste it as a piece of background music. But he went ahead with this. I would ask today's composers to not lift tunes from his songs; instead, they could lift from the BGMs for even the tunes of his background scores are so good," he said..."

Not much value add being on stage, because what he demonstrated (showing scene with and without BGM) is known to everyone!

PAA had IR experimenting more with JAZZy stuff (and electric guitar, especially). Wish Balki had talked about such things.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/When-Balki-turned-fanboy/articleshow/11412621.cms

thanks,

Krishnan

[app_engine]

It seems Balki (cheeni kum and paa) was part of IR's "ENDRENDRUM RAJA" show and he talked about IR on stage.

krish244,

sureshmechnit's BGM blog had the Balki speech audio. I did :rotfl: hearing Balki use the word "flick" :-)

[krish244]

Thanks much app_engine! Listened to the audio clip at Suresh's site. It was actually nicely put by Balki about the magic of IR's BGM. I take back my wrongly perceived (from the news item) notion about Balki's presence on stage.

thanks,

Krishnan

[kameshratnam]

Raaja has surely changed a lot with respect to his interactions with the public. This started with the overwhelming super response to the thiruvasgam audio launch. From then i know people who have gone to his house to take a photo with him and get his autograph. if he was there they were surely asked to wait and raaja did the take photos with them.

Even in the SRR 50th day function when Ir was asked to come to stage he refused and said please call the director first and then i will come. Thats what happened and IR came to the stage with director Bapu.

[krish244]

IR to receive "Sachin Dev Burman International award for creative music and sound".

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MAH-PUN-piff-to-honour-amitabh-bachchan-asha-bhosale-2733222.html

thanks,

Krishnan

[Sureshs65]

Saw a tweet from a Telugu journalist who says he heard two songs from 'Dhoni'. According to him they were situational songs and were melodious. Kamal had asked him about the release date but no news yet on that.

[kameshratnam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVekU4uYr84&feature=youtu.be


Wow super music...natural music and YES SPB Sings for RAAJA SIR

[Nerd]

Do I hear SPB?? :shock:

[San_K]

DHONI Official Trailor with one song clip


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVekU4uYr84&feature=youtu.be

[San_K]

3 posts :lol:

Oh SPB is singing for Raaja after loooong time in tamil. Can we expect more of SPB in Dhoni?

[skr]

We can expect another re- recording feast.
Trailer is nice , expecting a lot from the movie

[MumbaiRamki]

DHONI Official Trailor with one song clip



It doesn't matter if the story telling is verbose and high on pedestal - im just kicked up to see this movie - most relevant subject of our times ..and most relevant composer for the movie !

[jaiganes]

chal chalein - a bit more relevant and hopefully better handled..
NOw I am super kicked not just about our raasa music - but also to see nasser and prakash raj together in a movie..
evlo naalaachu?
Enna nammaala poattu thamizh naattaye azha vekkaradhu ivanga ellaroda pozhappa poachu.. hmm..

[Sureshs65]

Today I saw a poster in Bangalore about audio release of 'Prasad'. Unfortunately I did not notice the release date. My feeling is we should get it during Pongal. So waiting for this. I think 'Prasad' and 'Dhoni' will have similar type of music, given that they have very similar stories to tell. Of course with Raja you cannot be sure.

[kameshratnam]

3 more days to go for the "Making of the IR concert" programme....

4 more days to go for the concert to be aired on jaya tv..also please note that the show will be an edited one..so the SODAPALs of harijee :D :D and YESUDAS jee :D cannot be viewedam

[San_K]

No hariharan's sodhappal can not be edited and also KJJ. But yes nothing impossible :)

[KV]

Very good first impression on the song bits from both the trailers (Prasad and Dhoni) - Oh nanna kandha feels warm and flowy (karthik :clap:), while the spb song is catchy with nice acoustic guitars (prayers answered, hopefully!).

[baroque]

Exciting news about Raja coming for the past two days...

Dada Burman award yesterday, Reuniting with World's best singer ever in Tamil again after a decade +!:thumbsup:
Good for us, Raja.

You rock da chellam!:-D

Vinatha.

[venkkiram]

My eyes never been wet from watching any trailers so far. But this Dhoni did. Congrats prakash raj for making your very first attempt a notable. Raja's music is very fresh as spb's voice.

[kameshratnam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyi_9oIcEjA&feature=youtu.be

IRs show on 14 15 16 17 JAN 2012

[V_S]

pullarips of India! Thanks a lot Kamesh and San_K for sharing the trailer and the promo clips. Can't wait to watch the show. BTW, SPB sir has pulled down so much. :sad:

[jaiganes]

though i am not a great fan of remaking songs from other languages, I wouldnt mind if Raaja could transport that awesome Hariharan song from Chal Chalein (gup chup shaam thi) for Dhoni or for some other movie.. gets the goatee everytime..

[jaiganes]

My eyes never been wet from watching any trailers so far. But this Dhoni did. Congrats prakash raj for making your very first attempt a notable. Raja's music is very fresh as spb's voice.
appa apdinnu aaitaale indha maadhiri edathukku indha maadhiri emotion thaanaagave vandhudum..

[kameshratnam]

The audio function of the movie Prasad for which raaja sir is the music director is currently going on in bengalooru. So tomorrow we can expect the audio cds to be available...

Updates from Shyam Prasad twitter:No one can talk about music in this world. But music is present even in our talk. Ilayaraja spoke in an almost perfect Kannada
Everyone wants a photo with Ilayaraja, delaying audio launch of Arjun Sarja's Prasad. Ashok Kheny beaming. Where is Maduri Bhattacharya?

[kameshratnam]

~ ~EXCLUSIVE~~ #Ilayaraja Music Concert on Shri Ramana (09.01.2012) http://youtu.be/WVS9nKn5cCg We IRTF-Team humbly sharing with all RAJA DEVOTEES

[krish244]

Prasad movie audio launch:

www.supergoodmovies.com/37110/sandalwood/prasad-audio-ilayaraja-attend-news-details

thanks,

Krishnan

[krish244]

Ashok Kenny (producer of Prasad) on IR:

"... Music maestro Ilayaraja means man of perfection. For the terrific re recording
done for this film Ashok Kheney wants
to just air the music part of it in one of
the radio stations..."

www.supergoodmovies.com/37111/sandalwood/kannada-in-my-blood-ashok-kheney-news-details

thanks,

Krishnan

[Devaraagam]

what happened to Hello jaihind Audio Cd? so tierd

[Devaraagam]

Hope someone will record Jaya TV show and upload it for the people like me :)

[kameshratnam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjwv88kpeQk&feature=youtu.be

[Sureshs65]

Just bought the audio of 'Prasad' and this is my initial report after the first listen.

Raja has composed 3 songs. One song is used three times !! Once as a full song, and twice as bit songs. The one strange thing is that one song for this film has been composed by Mano Murthy!!! Since Raja attended the function and released the CD, I guess he was OK with arrangements. Anyway, here are views of the songs:

1. 'O Nanna Kanda' (Karthik): This was the song we saw / heard in the trailer. A pleasing melody. Sung by a dad for his son. The charanam is smooth and free flowing. Karthik does a nice job in getting the right emotion. The second charanam has slightly different beat pattern than the first, which makes it interesting.

2. 'Naanu Neenu Kanda Kanasu': (Reeta, Madhu Balakrishnan): Sounds like a song between the husband and wife. The song has a touch of melancholy. Seems like the wife is singing asking her husband not to give up. Raja has been using Reeta for such songs with a touch of sadness lately and she is doing OK. Madhu sounds like Jesudas and does a good job. When emotions are concerned, Raja gets it perfectly. The tune is enchanting. You can clearly make out the situation from this song itself.

3. "Ondhu Aramane'" (Ilaiyaraja, Anita, Rita and Surmukhi): Sounds like a song sung for the kids. Nice work done on the synthesizer in the first interlude, reminding me a bit of one 'Yathramozhi' song. Sounds like this is a fun song. I am unable to place it but the way he joins the pallavi reminds me of similar structure from an earlier song. The second interlude is lovely as well, though a lot of it synth.

Bottomline : All songs totally composed keeping the film situation in mind. All three ooze melody. Do not expect a big bang album or the songs to hit you on the face. Expect something on the lines of 'Nandalala' and you will be rewarded. I am loving it.

[vssathish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsO3-UYwaA

IR in high spirit with Asha Bhosle

[Sunil_M88]

Suresh ji, thanks for the review.

If a veteran reviewer like you is saying that we can expect something like Nandalala, then from my POV the album rightly wins laurels prior to even being heard.

I'm dying to hear it now :musicsmile:

[AravindMano]

Heard in facebook - Mayilu Audio releases tomorrow.

[kameshratnam]

http://epaper.dinakaran.com/pdf/2012/01/14/20120114a_011101012.jpg

mayilu audio tomorrow

[V_S]

Can't thank you enough Aravind and Kamesh for bringing such a delightful news. :ty:One song I have been waiting for years and years to listen, 'VeLLi Manal' from Mayilu. Many thanks to Akbarbasha (yahoogroups) and RS for uploading the video clip on that song. I don't know how many nights I have cried listening to that song in Maestro's voice and that heart-pulling violin. The rhythm arrangements in that song should be best in class from Maestro, as the videos suggests.

[Devaraagam]

Mayilu is the unexpected surprise for 2012. thanks for the news kamesh.

any newws about Hello Jaihind Audio?

[krish244]

Prasad to be screened at Berlin Film Festival:

http://kannada.galatta.com/entertainment/kannada/livewire/id/Prasad_film_to_be_screened_at_Berlin_Film_Festival _56789.html

thanks,

Krishnan

[krish244]

When I was posted the video of DHONI trailer, I was wondering if we missed out Mayilu (again produced by Prakash Raj)from our IR's future releases. What a coincidence, there is good news about the audio. Thanks Kamesh and Arvind for the news!

thanks,

Krishnan

[kameshratnam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jii_8mKWTc

Click on the link and view the songs. It was the effort of Raja Sharanam to take this video and upload it on youtube. We can hear the songs tomorrow

[kameshratnam]

VERY RARE PICTURE of ilayaraaja and a superb write up
http://www.writerpara.com/paper/?p=2742

[KV]

Prasad - solid start to 2012 innings! :clap:

Oh nanna kandha - breezy, easy melody which, to me, is among the most soothing songs I've heard for sometime now. :bow:
Set again in IR's latest jazz format, the keys, bass and acoustic drums (or synth that sounds like it) gel beautifully with the tune. Karthik proves yet again that he's among the best of the newer lot. The interludes, surprisingly, are pretty short even by recent IR standards. Oh nanna amma/ Oh nanna kandha – are two bit songs versions of this in the album, the first sung by a kid.

Naanu neenu kanda – the pallavi’s kinda ordinary but the songs picks up nicely in the charanams. The interludes are beautiful, especially the 2nd one where he takes off from where he’d left in the ASK title track, lovely guitars and flutes. The singers do a decent job and the synth sounds don’t jar.

Ondhu aramane – IR back in his sprightly Kudhikara kudhikara avtar! It feels a bit strange to listen to an IR song that starts right away without a prelude! The start could throw you off for a moment, but allow some time for things to settle and then the different elements fall in place nicely. There are a whole lot of things packed into this one - a super catchy tune, a pulsating bass line, nice percussions, violins, chorus, harmonies - Ponnar Shankar style of sorts. The charanams, in this one too, are done very interestingly, that could probably be like a throwback at Rakkamma kaiyya thattu, with the vocals backed by a section of violins and then joined by some finger snapping sound. The interludes are elaborate with a mix of playful violins, keyboards and female chorus (late 90s/early 2000 style that was heard often in Karthik Raja’s songs).

We are ok – A full fledged, modern peppy song that has little IR trademark, but not to worry, the song’s quite ok actually. It’s as if IR decided to do a HJ style ‘June pOna July kaatre’! Nonetheless, a pleasant listen in the ‘time-pass’ category, no great shakes or embarrassment. Ah, hang on a minute, I just happened to check the CD cover and it says Mano Murthy as it’s MD! (self pat :mrgreen: ). Is Raaja aware of such a song in his album?

Overall, a very nice album. The jazz and synth sounds are beginning to gel better and it’s progressing in the right direction. The audio quality could have been far better though. The guy at the store where I bought the CD tells me there isn’t an audio CD released for this and that it’s only the MP3 :shock:. To worsen things, the recording quality is only 128kpbs :hammer: :evil: But on the brighter side, the CD comes with 3 other IR albums (Gulabi, Nammoora mandhaara hoove and Prema raaga haadu gelathi).

[KV]

Just bought the audio of 'Prasad' and this is my initial report after the first listen.

Raja has composed 3 songs. One song is used three times !! Once as a full song, and twice as bit songs. The one strange thing is that one song for this film has been composed by Mano Murthy!!! Since Raja attended the function and released the CD, I guess he was OK with arrangements. Anyway, here are views of the songs:

1. 'O Nanna Kanda' (Karthik): This was the song we saw / heard in the trailer. A pleasing melody. Sung by a dad for his son. The charanam is smooth and free flowing. Karthik does a nice job in getting the right emotion. The second charanam has slightly different beat pattern than the first, which makes it interesting.

2. 'Naanu Neenu Kanda Kanasu': (Reeta, Madhu Balakrishnan): Sounds like a song between the husband and wife. The song has a touch of melancholy. Seems like the wife is singing asking her husband not to give up. Raja has been using Reeta for such songs with a touch of sadness lately and she is doing OK. Madhu sounds like Jesudas and does a good job. When emotions are concerned, Raja gets it perfectly. The tune is enchanting. You can clearly make out the situation from this song itself.

3. "Ondhu Aramane'" (Ilaiyaraja, Anita, Rita and Surmukhi): Sounds like a song sung for the kids. Nice work done on the synthesizer in the first interlude, reminding me a bit of one 'Yathramozhi' song. Sounds like this is a fun song. I am unable to place it but the way he joins the pallavi reminds me of similar structure from an earlier song. The second interlude is lovely as well, though a lot of it synth.

Bottomline : All songs totally composed keeping the film situation in mind. All three ooze melody. Do not expect a big bang album or the songs to hit you on the face. Expect something on the lines of 'Nandalala' and you will be rewarded. I am loving it.

Just noticed this. As usual, Sureshji pioneering the way! Nice review there, Suresh. Oh Nanna kandha is divine. Borrowing a hubber's description of Andhaala Lokam, this one too feels like resting in the lap of god!.

[Sureshs65]

KV,

Nice review.

Yes, the best song has the least orchestration :) As one reviewer told about the films of Ozu, "You need not move your camera to make a great movie. You need to move hearts." (Ozu was a director whose camera was almost always static.) That way Raja proves that in order to touch you, what is needed is a soothing tune. 'Oru Aramane' is indeed on lines of 'kudhikira kudhikira' and 'oru vaandu kootame' (Nandalala). I am enjoying the album. Going by the trailer and what Kheny said during the audio release, the BGM must be terrific.

Haven't seen a Kannada movie in theater till now. Raja made me watch a Balakrishna movie. Will he make me watch a Kannada movie now? Let me wait for the film to release and the reviews to come.

[vijjuk]

Hey I am from bangalore, I checked in chikpet yesterday, I could not find the audio..where did u guys get the audio?

[Sureshs65]

I bought it in Calypso, Jayanagar. They had lot of copies. I am sure Landmark may be carrying it as well.

[KV]

vijjuk, I bought my copy at Ganesh Videos (SP Road).

Suresh, very relevant comparison with Ozu. Btw, did you get audio/mp3? (I somehow don't want to believe that only the mp3 was released and not the audio cd).

Another query - I saw a Ramana Maharishi bhajans CD at a store recently, which unfortunately I couldn't buy at that moment. It read music by IR and performed by some group. Any idea if this one's a separate album by itself or a recording of live performance of songs from other Ramana albums?

[Sureshs65]

KV,

From my what I heard from the store fellow only mp3 has been released. Very unfortunate but that is how the Kannada music industry seems heading. I also checked the other music releases of new Kannada films and most of them were _only_ in mp3. Even the earlier movie of Raja in Kannada, "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" was also in _only_ mp3.

'SreeRamarajyam' was released in both, audio and mp3 formats, simultaneously.

[KV]

Gosh, tragic! What the funk were they thinking when making 'originals' at 128kbps rips? Gubaal makkalru :hammer:

[Sureshs65]

So anyone like KameshRatnam has news whether 'Mayilu' was released?

[vijjuk]

ya its crazy they only seem to release new albums in mp3...when asked they said the sales is very less if it audio CD..atleast mp3 people buy as they are getting more songs for less money :-)) and the mp3 quality is not as good as what we would love to hear...but can't help

[MumbaiRamki]

The songs in jai Hind are fantastic !
http://www.hellojaihind.com/videos.html

hear it in the Bottom right . The icon is actually clickable ! Lau ke ana Do , due to sukhwinder's voice brought back legend of bhagth singh memories when i saw it in Mumbai !

[kameshratnam]

I spoke to the product manager of MOSERBAER audios


Mayilu Audio cds will be available in chennai on the 18th and in bengalooru from the 19th :

thanks to raaja sir. i went and purchased the 25 greatest works of SCHUBERT. And wow the 1st 2 tracks of the cd are : SYMPHONY NO 8 in B MINOR D 759 UNFINISHED 1: ALLEGRO MODERATO and second track is the same with 2. ANDATE CON MOTO....It just happened or COINCIDENCE?? Wow wow

[MumbaiRamki]

I spoke to the product manager of MOSERBAER audios


Mayilu Audio cds will be available in chennai on the 18th and in bengalooru from the 19th :

thanks to raaja sir. i went and purchased the 25 greatest works of SCHUBERT. And wow the 1st 2 tracks of the cd are : SYMPHONY NO 8 in B MINOR D 759 UNFINISHED 1: ALLEGRO MODERATO and second track is the same with 2. ANDATE CON MOTO....It just happened or COINCIDENCE?? Wow wow

Fantastic sir !! Can u rip just one best track and upload ? Just wanted to get teh feel of it .

[kameshratnam]

Mumbai Ramki: Will do it :) ..tomorrow i will go land mark or may be to their office in the lake view area in nungambakkam and get it

[Fliflo]

http://www.supergoodmovies.com/36546/tollywood/taapsee-new-look-in-gundello-godavari-news-details

'Gundello Godavari'

Kumar Nagendra is the director and Lakshmi Prasanna is producing this movie on Manchu entertainments banner. Maestro Ilayaraja is the composing music of this movie

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

If anybody wants to buy cheap but quality WC, then the best place for it is US. And there too, individual CD/DVDs are not cheaper. So buy Box Sets. I have 3 such box sets. You will end up buying few same pieces but still thats very cheaper than compared to what you get in India. below is what i have

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/8615/img20120119024649.jpg

The 1st one is 25 cd set costing around $50 and others are around $17 each

[app_engine]

dig



The 1st one is 25 cd set costing around $50 and others are around $17 each

There's a small "dollar depot" (not the $ tree chain but a stand-alone store that gets clearance items from big stores + cheap china items to sell for a $) which is a couple of miles from where I live that often sells classicals for a $ (sometimes even 3 pack for a $) :lol2:

enna prayOjanam, kEkka time dhAn illa :-(

end-dig

[rajasaranam]

The beauty of Mayilu Audio is it has been there in cans for 3+ years and when its unleashed today it still sounds fresh. This album takes you back to another era of Raaja like late 80's & early 90's when he was composing a lot of folk based rustic music. done a round once and I just love 'Yaathey Yaathey'. If musical Purists tell that Bhavatharini is not a good singer after lsitening to this song, I curse them to become deaf :)
http://www.tamilmusicland.com/2012/01/mayilu-2012-tamil-mp3-movie-songs.html இனி இசைவெள்ளம் எங்கும் பெருகட்டும். ஒரிஜினல் ஆடியோ வாங்குங்கள்!

[skr]

Just had first round listening of 'Mayilu'
All songs are awesome , and this album is easily one of Raaja's best in recent times.
The release may be outdated but the songs are as fresh as ever.
You will definitely not get the feeling that the songs were composed over 3 yrs ago .

The best song for me as of now is Yathea by Sriram Parthasarathy and Bhavatharini .
Is this Bhavatharini singing :)? , she just nailed it .
All her doubters will eat humble pie after listening to her rendition in this song.

Ok leaving the stage to Suresh for his review.

[Sureshs65]

skr,

My review after I get my CD tomorrow (hopefully)

Here is a link to 'Prasad' songs. Ofcourse I would love all of you to buy the original CD. It costs only Rs.40/-. If you want it to be bought and sent to you, I am game. Anyway, listen to 'Prasad' songs:

http://www.sensongs.com/prasad.html

[KV]

Jeesh! No access currently to listen to Mayilu. Home, now feels light years away!

By the by, speaking of originals, Agi music has brought out remastered versions of 'Nothing But Wind' and 'How to Name It'. Judging by its cover, the packaging seems to be nicely done. Priced at INR 159/- this one's a good deal, me thinks.

[venkkiram]

மயிலு.. களைகட்டுது.. யாத்தே அருமை.

ராஜாவின் இசையில் ரீடாவுக்கு வாய்ப்புக்கள் குவிவது மகிழ்ச்சியா இருக்கு.

[RR]

Tks RS for mayilu links. Had a quick listen: Kirukki, thukkamenna are worth checking out.

[V_S]

RS,
Thanks for the quick review. How is Velli Manal, very curious to know.

[venkkiram]

The beauty of Mayilu Audio is it has been there in cans for 3+ years and when its unleashed today it still sounds fresh. நச். அழகா சொல்லிட்டிங்க!

[MumbaiRamki]

V_S -> Velli manal is enna Kutham - For me , this is the best song. Spendid Pathos !! How similar is this with ' En kuthamma' - starts with Raaja's voice , followed by a music and then Raaja again - the interludes, esp the female humming - you can feel the purity here . After working like a mad dog , hearing this is like a meditation in Rama Maharishi cave - esp when the 'velli manal' charanam starts . The second interlude takes an interesting turn sequencing the folkish drum beats , orchestra and the haunting female solo . For me , this is 10/10 . First rate - just wondering how the twitter generation ( ok namma NagaS is an exception) will take this serene !!

Yathe - The Raaja - Bhavatharini- Village saga continues from Oliyilae, edho onnu and to Yathe now . Neat orchestra ( yes - this cant be KR , as far as u guys are concerned )! The first interlude after that chatter is a nice bhava humming and when sriram joins , the melody takes a small dent esp with the monotonous nature of the charanam and the unavoidable carnatic flavor of Sriram P , but its alright. Nice song, overall 7.5/10, esp Bhava is good !

Thukamenna - This is the standard late 80s/90s raaja pathos track thats always soothing and it continues here - but the lyrics can be bit better ! The interludes are again - fantastic , you just need some inner peace to get this full peace ! 8/10


Kirukki da kirukki - The song starts like a familiar one , but the anu pallabvi , the celtic folkish interludes takes this to a different level - again , the charanam doesn't match to that level , but still good one ! 8/10 to me

Kalyaname Kalayanam - Doesnt somehow have the feel of that EEsan song ;) ,standard song , its ok 6/10 to me


nammaloda paatutthaanda - Standard rama rajaan song that we stopped to like - okies :)

[KV]

First impression, positive. Mann vaasanai niraindha paadalgal. :clap:
Yaathe's surely the winner as of now. Very nice vocals and orchestration (tabla and acoustic guitars in charanam, aahaa, arumai :musicsmile:)
Enna kuththam is interestingly set in kanda chapu, but the percussion somehow doesn't sit well with the melancholy. The old 'recording clip' of this one has some lovely solo violin playing along the vocals. I was eagerly expecting this here, but it's nowhere to be heard. Or maybe that was recorded as part of the BGM, gotta wait and see.

[V_S]

Thanks a lot MR for the info and also for your wonderful review, especially on the Enna Kutham. Can't wait to hear that :D Six songs, more than good enough.

//Suresh ji kindly check your pm//

[Sureshs65]

/Dig

I have replied.

[vssathish]

Prakash raj on twitter today

Its a revelation to see your film in maestro Ilayaraja s hands as he shapes it with his Music. I'm blessed. "DHONI" this feb 4you. Cheerss!

[skr]

Enna Kutham is a stunner in Thodi Ragam, no 2 words about it
As Suresh put it on Twitter , this is only IR Fossible .

You get that hard deep hitting impact listening to this song , a little similar to Neeral Udal Kazhvi from Thandavakone
IR pichu odharirkaaru

[Devaraagam]

Today found this site and believe its a official site. I found my long hunting album "Kavalai padathey sagothara".http://www.addkiosk.in/search.asp

[San_K]

Today found this site and believe its a official site. I found my long hunting album "Kavalai padathey sagothara".http://www.addkiosk.in/search.asp

Very thanks. I want buy these MP3s because they are very cheap and in RS :)

[kameshratnam]

Wah re wah check from 1:58 German orchestra of A R Rahman plays sendoora poove http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rgAP9uC6xE

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

WHat is that song @ 3.03? engo ketta maathiri irukku but unable to identify. and whose pic is shown at that time?

[kameshratnam]

Janani Janani - Thai Mookambikai - story behind the song
Ilayaraaja sir narrated this incident on sankara tv and that was the first time he shared this story with all of us.

When composing for the movie Thai mookambikai, ilayaraaja sir went to the pooja room and there was a photo of sri adi sankara. Ilayaraaja saw the photo and said "My guru, you have to compose this song for me" and then he left for the studio.

He composed the tune and kavignar vaali wrote the lyrics and some how ilayaraaja was not happy with the tune and he said he will compose one more tune. At first they had decided that Sri K J Yesudas will sing the song but later due to the tight schedule and change in the programme of K J Yesudas ilayaraaja himself had to sing the song.
Then he sat and composed this tune " tanana tananna" and everyone had tears in their eyes and kavignar vaali wrote the lyrics and the song was recorded.
The next day Ilayaraaja went to his pooja room and from somewhere a paper fell on him and he took it and saw it was sri adi sankarar's bhaja govindam. It is a genius of ilayaraaja that the metre of bhaja govindam and janani janani are the same. (Ilayaraaja sings bhaja govindam in tune of Janani Janani)

A really superb story behind the song. thank god THE MUSIC god sang the song...

[wizzy]

//dig SKV, MD is Salil Chowdhury and the track is 'Suhana Safar Aur Ye Mausam' from the movie Madhumati //

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

thanks wizzy, but same time, it looks like i have heard this song in tamil film. is it?

Also that mystically mesmerizing flute at aroung 3.56, which film? athaiyum ketta pheeling

[V_S]

Also that mystically mesmerizing flute at aroung 3.56, which film? athaiyum ketta pheeling
skv,
The flute at 3:56 is from 80's biggest blockbuster Hero (1983) starring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Seshadri. This film shot both to stardom. I remember seeing this film 5 times that time. All songs were smash hits all over India. Music by duo Laxmikant Pyarelel. This flute is the main theme of the film and also comes in one of the songs which is one of my all time hindi favorite and an excellent sufi number, 'Lambi Judai' sung by a Pakistani singer Reshma Allah. What a soulful song and rendering!
http://bit.ly/feBX2b

[Sunil_M88]

Aadhisokka

Wow, what a song? Packed full of surprises and it’s definitely a woodwind galore.

The way Reeta started of the song made me quiver with excitement. At that point I didn’t even know what genre to expect but with the initial drum drops in the prelude I thought I’d been for a village sounding treat.

The song has many musical genres subtly combined and on first hearing they’re not even obvious. Thanks to the flute fest I repeated the song only to realize that this number has more nuances both in its melody and instrumentation.

The Kirukki da kirukki chorus is highly Middle Eastern in its texture and Reeta’s vocals explore this thoroughly. When she says “Un peru” we hear the Raaja Saab dimension. After this the flute infuses soul in to the Pallavi.

The first interlude is literally like a ride going from a village to the highlands with transportation provided by the flutes and Celtic sounding violins. When I heard this song for the first time I couldn’t tell there was a Tabla in the first interlude because IR only displays the Ga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bol_(music)) sound of the Dagga. When the second interlude arrived I thought there will only be percussion present but with the introduction of the hot air flute we get to hear the sound of more and more flutes. The second Charanam’s flute backdrop is more conventional for a nature BGM score but the way the maestro permeates it here by panning the sounds from left to right makes it an apt support to the unimaginable modulations from Reeta Mam.

[RR]

Friends,

Thanks for the news&tidbits, but they are better posted in the 'IR news&tidbits' thread. Let's keep this thread for new albums discussion. Tks.

[K]

http://minmalar.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post_21.html

[Sunil_M88]

I have read this number is akin to the songs Raaja Saab churned out in the late 80s/early 90s. As I’m still acquainting myself with songs from that era, this song exhibits a new experience for me. Furthermore, it’s probably a new experience for devoted fans too as those days the sound was mono (?). Anyways, it’s great to know that the Maestro is bringing back his nostalgic arrangements in stereo for this day and age and especially for rookies like me who are not well versed with his music from the 70s/80s/90s.

Thukkamenna Thuyaramenna might be routine for ongoing IR fans but it’s definitely my pick from Mayilu. Just like Sikkikichchu Sikkikichchu and Kaathiruppen Kaathiruppen, this too is very tabla, dholak and dafli orientated but one wouldn’t think that Raaja Saab would go along the conventional route wrt Indian beats because in all these three songs the prelude presents either WCM or synth/electronia/midi instrumentation for a minute or so before showcasing the beats.

Now that I think I’ve cracked that certain formula of arrangements by the maestro, I eagerly await more songs with this reminiscent tabla, dholak, etc. effect because from my observations each of these songs may have the same instruments but are individually highly engaging in their own right, but how?

The answer is the Maestro himself :bow:

[V_S]

My take on Mayilu after few listens...

Enna Kutham - According to me, this song is version 2 of Solai PasunkiLiye from En Raasaavin ManasilE. The situation (his wife/lover dies and husband/lover feels now how precious she was and he was not able to make her happy during her life), feel and Raja's singing could not hide to take me to that song. May be that's why Maestro chose (automatically) same Sindhu Bhairavi again. Just listening both the songs back to back is a great experience. But one thing to notice is the tune is completely different, even when the feel is same. That's the beauty. If any of these two songs is sung by a different singer, I might not have noticed this. The song starts without any prelude. New and fresh rhythm arrangements with odd 5/8 time signature (as against 5/4 because the beats are divided in 2+3 rather than 3+2?). Maestro displays the middle-eastern sounds with just guitar which comes in between the percussion. Some sort of celestial sounds creep just after the pallavi followed by some haunting humming by Dharshini. If you closely observe, the bass/rhythm track comes out and goes away (almost like speaking) giving us a lump in our throat. Excellent lyrics, by the director himself. Second interlude has excellent mix of violins and synth again with that haunting humming. Definitely, I too miss the solo violin (of Prabhakar sir) which we saw during the recording sessions, somehow the rhythm arrangement gave that feel. Normally the gloomy feel can be heard either through a flute or violin, but how Maestro used the rhythm arrangements to maximum effect is one of the main highlight of the song. Extra-ordinary thinking and innovation. As I said, it was literally speaking. Raja's voice fits to 'T' for this kind of song, no one else can even try this song. Another highlight is the humming in interludes, so haunting. Could not imagine this was composed 3 years ago when Ayyan was also composed around the same time. Another dark song from Maestro, will take some time to get out of this.

Yathea - From Gum Sum Gum I can really see the positive change in Bhavatharini's singing. Before that, even when it was a good melody, either she picks one semi-tone up or down resulting in whole song sounding sharp or flat added to the absence of any feel. First time when I saw Bhavatharini's name in Gum Sum Gum I was skeptical, but I was surprised first as neither I could identify her voice nor her singing, she was absolutely stunning there!. May be this this one was first recorded compared to Gum Sum Gum. May be she worked on her improvement areas and she is dazzling in this song. The starting 'Yathea' with cracking and husky voice and the feel when she sings 'Paavi paya paarthE Kolluraan', wow!, she just excels and dominates Sriram easily. If Yathe was song of the last year, I am certain Yathe is also song of this year. For some people, they will enjoy this year's Yathea provided they don't see Maestro's name in the inlay card, such is the pity of this generation. The way pallavi finishes gives me goosebumps. Again some excellent rhythm arrangements. After the pallavi, the small kids sing some phrases which is just amazing and innocent. When they utter 'Chellapaandi' followed by kids laughing is just breath-taking. Maestro signed his class there. Charanam does not directly start with lyrics. Bhava gives some brief humming which enhances the sweetness of the song. Tune in charanams takes it so high with some innocent lyrics and great singing. Observe the rhythm arrangements during the humming and when Sriram starts singing. He introduces tabla when Sriram starts singing. In Second interlude Maestro experiments with some beautiful electronic sounds, so pleasant to hear. The song of the year (so far) and I fall flat for Bhava's singing, especially the line 'Paavi paya paarthE Kolluraan'.

Thukkamenna Thuyaramenna - A song to encourage her lover. What a start and Anupallavi is just fantastic! I surrender to Maestro, when she sings 'En Maama' in anu-pallavi/charanam. If those two words (I mean when she sings En Maama the second time) were not there, there is no completeness. Just like Senanayake hitting six of penultimate ball and taking SL to victory today. If he was not there all the hardwork by his teammates will be wasted. Sriram sings very well. Subdued flute followed by santhoor takes us back to Maestro's 90's folk landscapes. In second interlude, he picks up piano beautifully with some great synth usage. The flute which comes at the end of every line of charanam is typical Maestro's ornamentation which we heard in 80's/90's and have been missing all these years. One of the best folk composition by Maestro in recent years. The song where we can literally go back to nostalgic days of 80's/90's without worrying too much what's new in it. To put it simply, if we want to know how many blades does a fan have, when it is running, it is impossible to find it. To know that, we have to stop it. Life is running without any stop until we realize how far we have come. These are the kind of songs which stop us to think where we are. This song is a great nostalgic trip down memory/melody lane.

Aadhisokka - The start is not very convincing. The whisper of 'Chellapaandi' is the icing on the cake in pallavi. Flute, tabla, violins and some new sounds makes the interlude interesting. Charanam is more sweeter than pallavi. The song speaks her mad love for him. While the other three songs are more matured, this song is so young and youth in it. The song is so breezy. The interludes are mesmerizing! Reeta did a fantastic job here! This song may turn out be a blinder and capable of knocking out every other song, need to keep a watch :wink:

Kalyanamam Kalyanam - Authentic folk composition with right singers. Lines are good and funny. 'Thaai maaaman seedhanama veecharuva koduppOm' :lol: The nadhaswaram piece is so enticing. This is more a drama than a song. So much lively! Did I hear Aasai Adhigam Vechcha? (Sindu Bhairavi again?) But what a variation in treatment and feel in both these melodies!

Namaloda Paattu thaanda - Tippu's song. A fun song taking on new trend in music and also in our culture. Tune-wise, not much twist and turns, except in the middle of charanam where the tune takes a turn 'sendhoora pottu maari ippo sticker aagi pocchu, manja poosum ponnunga ippo cream'a thEdi pochchu' makes an interesting listen. Need to listen to this one more.

An excellent soundtrack to start the year and it will make a big big round for me. If at all there is minus in this soundtrack, it has to be Reeta and Sriram Parthasarathy. They did perform well, but I felt they are being overused by Maestro (I am not talking solely about this soundtrack alone) that might take some off. I even prefer Tippu in one of the melodies, rather he only gets opportunities for singing kuthus. No one will say these songs were composed 3 years before. As RS said it in one-liner, it sounds very fresh as composed today and will sound fresh after many more years to come. Four outstanding melodies. Good to hear the all the lyrics have been written by the director himself. Some are very good while some are just fine. All songs brings us close to nativity and also brings back our lost nostalgic trip. While we got a glimpse of 90's in Sengaathu Bhoomiyile, here we can feel we are really there in that period. While he does that, he comes up with some excellent and fresh rhythm arrangements and interludes to suit to this trend too. On top of that, he kept all the folk, carnatic and western grammars intact. While music and music director are 'behind the screen' activity, Maestro still goes behind (basic) to keep these grammars intact laying a strong foundation, so that these composition can be listened for many more years to come. It should be interesting to watch these songs on screen. If Maestro gets inspired more with the story like ASK or Nandhalala, we can expect another breath-taking background score, eagerly waiting for that. Full house folks! :notworthy:

[V_S]

Sunil,
Excellent write-up on Aadhisokka and Thukkamenna :clap: Would like your views on other songs as well. :smile:

[Sureshs65]

V_S,

Lovely writeup. Very detailed one. I am unable to get the CD yet and online listening has been patchy. Anyway you have reviewed it well enough. I need not write a detailed review :)

Nice observation Sunil. Good to see you love the tabla sounds which many nowadays don't want to hear.

[crvenky]

V_S, A lovely review. My fav from the album are Kirukki & Nammaloda pattu.

The composing videos which were aired in Kalaignar TV are here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/akbarraaja/search?query=mayilu

I also noticed that the songs were (may be not all) composed to the lyrics. Its funny to see the director with an amazed look during the recording sessions.

Also, there is a video where Maestro gives some rhythm variations to the drummer. I'm not sure if it was used in any song.

[venkkiram]

ஆதிசொக்கா - ரீதா குரலின் ஏற்ற இறக்கத்தில் தெம்மாங்குப் பாடலின் அழகு நன்றாக வெளிப்பட்டிருக்கு! அழுத்தம் திருத்தமாக சரியான உச்சரிப்பு! :clap:

யாத்தே - இனிமை. தேனில் நனைத்த பலாச்சுளை. பவா - ஸ்ரீராம் பார்த்தசாரதி இருவருக்குமே சரியான வாய்ப்பு! போட்டி போட்டுக்கொண்டு பாடியிருக்காங்க! :clap:

துக்கமென்ன துயரமென்ன - ராஜாவுக்கு மட்டுமே இப்படிப்பட்ட மெட்டெல்லாம் கைவந்தக் கலை. போற போக்குல ட்யுனை போட்டு முடிச்சிருப்பார் போல. சரணங்கள் ஒவ்வொன்றும் தெளிந்த நீரோடை போல சீரான வேகத்துல பயணித்து பல்லவியோடு ஐக்கியமாகுது. ஸ்ரீராமின் குரல் நாளுக்கு நாள் மெருகேறுகிறது. :clap: ஸ்ரீராம் அடுத்த தளத்திற்கு காலடி எடுத்து வைத்திருக்கிறார்.

என்ன குத்தம் - ராஜாவின் குரலில் மற்றுமொரு துயரப் பாடல். தமிழ்த் திரையுலகில் ஏசுதாஸ் குரலுக்கென்றே சோக கீதங்கள் நிறைய. அது ஒரு தளம் என்றால் ராஜாவின் துயரப் பாடல்கள் வேறொரு தளம். இப்போதைக்கு ஈர்க்கவில்லை. எதோ இல்லை என்பது போன்ற உணர்வு. போகப் போகத்தான் பார்க்கணும.

மயிலுவைப் பொறுத்தவரை எனது வரிசை இதுவே!

[Hulkster]

Also, there is a video where Maestro gives some rhythm variations to the drummer. I'm not sure if it was used in any song.

The first part of the rhythm was used in Adhisokka song sung by Rita. It is in the background the moment she sings Kirukki Ada Kirukki.

The other one comes in the second interlude of Enna Kutham right at the start together with the urumi but only for a few fleeting seconds.

[Hulkster]

Although there are probably many names for Thalaivar, i think the best magician in the world suits him best. How he mixes atleast three genres in every song and yet makes no one notice it unless they listen to it very carefully must be beyond houdini and copperfield level. Took me a while to grasp what Enna Kutham and Adhisokka were actually offering in terms of genres.

[V_S]

Thanks Suresh ji and crvenky. :smile: Suresh ji, please do write your views. crvenky, Good to hear you liked Aadisokka and Namaloda Paattu songs. I still need to listen more, especially these two songs. I could not resist the temptation of listening to my then favorite soundtrack 3 years ago. Slowly I forgot about it and suddenly one morning, I heard that it is releasing next day. Immediately rang home and asked them to purchase it, while I started waiting on it, the posts here from hubbers tempted me to listen online. Quality weekend!. I should be getting it soon.

Yesterday I was listening to Thukkamenna thuyaramenna non-stop, what a song that is. venkki, well written! I am worried whether these songs will get its deserved place. You can feel how Maestro differs from others when it comes to folk compositions.

[Nerd]

Prakashraj tweets:
DHONI audio tamil on 25th telugu on 30th. Meastro Ilayaraja conducts it with live orchestra for the First time Everrrr!!!. Cheersss!!!.
Is he going to perform the songs from the film during the launch? With his live orchestra? Whoa :shock:

Looking forward to the songs. Though I did not like the trailer at all, the SPB song (+acoustic guitar) sounded good.

[Sunil_M88]

Sunil,
Excellent write-up on Aadhisokka and Thukkamenna :clap: Would like your views on other songs as well. :smile:

I can't do more justice than you and your take on the songs. Thanks for such an elating review.

Aadhisokka, Thukkamenna and Enna Kutham are all competing with each other at every step. When I hear one of these song it immediately overtakes the other two and vice versa.

Currently giving more airplay to Enna Kutham, Darshini's portions and the Charanams have completely encapsulated me.

Sadly, I haven't given the other songs a more focused attention.




Nice observation Sunil. Good to see you love the tabla sounds which many nowadays don't want to hear.

I find this very surprising :shock:

[Bala (Karthik)]

Listening to "Yaathe" - The magic that barely starts at the beginning of the 1st interlude is interrupted by the "Oru kudam thanni eduthu" thing, fantastic but is only a fleeting glimpse. I'm liking the charanams :) .......

Update: Upgraded to business class. This song hits the spot. Idhu en Raaja :thumbsup:

P.S: Rajasaranam, WB! Bail plea not acceptable for Bhava. Just imagine where it could have taken off had it been Sherya G? :)

[KV]

Saar, Deivakuzhandhai ellaam equation-la eduthu varappdaadhu. She's at an unfair advantage in any fight!
Frankly, Bhava and Sriram are very good in this song, IMO. Sriram's voice is more 'malleable' when compared to other new-gen singers (with the exception of Karthik, who's the best, by far, in my books).
Tippu, Sarakku Balakrishnan and all strictly within-their-own-comfort-zone singers. To me, Raasa's attempts with Sriram seem to be fairing slightly better than the ones with the others. Yet, there's still a big void in the folk genre... simply nobody to fill in MV's paadharakshaalu.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Saar, Deivakuzhandhai ellaam equation-la eduthu varappdaadhu. She's at an unfair advantage in any fight!
Frankly, Bhava and Sriram are very good in this song, IMO. .
:) Indha madhiri justify panna neraya songs deserving singer-ku pogaama Bhava ku poidum (Raaja-va vida deserving pathi unakku theriyuma nu kekkapdaadhu). IMO, unconditional support na adhu "Mayil pola" mattum dhaan

Was pleasantly surprised by Sriram Parthasarathy though. Muyarchi alright but nalla irundhuchu...

[Bala (Karthik)]

"Thukkam Enna Thuyaram Enna" - What some 'reviews' would call "outdated". I don't mind this song at all, outdated or not. We've seen this so many times but Venki sonna madhiri free-flowing tune. This is one of the things that made us his fans

"Kirukki ara kirukki" - Nalla irukku....

[app_engine]

Sarakku Balakrishnan

:rotfl:

BTW, charakku's meaning in Malayalam is worse, add a thuNaikkAl :wink:

[Bala (Karthik)]

"Enna Kutham" - Idhuvum nalla thaane irukku.....

[kiru]

Mostly familiar tunes/rhythms (even inspite of some innovations). Still enjoyable. yathae continues in the oliyilE therivadhu genre - western drumkit+guitar etc for a rustic song. Bhavatharini has grown up in this song. Sriram's voice, as mentioned is getting more "malleable". It is difficult to beat MV in bhaavam.. but something you can work on where as the singing ability is more difficult to cultivate which he has taken care of already.

[KV]

Was just checking Wiki and saw this list of films that are under 2011 release. Where the hell are these!?
Ungal Viruppam
Mayamohithachandran (Malayalam)
Kulasekaranum Koolipadaiyum
Darshana Saumanam
Pachai Kudai

Some info on Pachai kudai here:
http://truthdive.com/2011/09/18/ilayaraja-works-free-for-pachai-kudai.html
Excerpt:
The music legend of 80’s and 90’s Isaignani Ilayaraja is always there to encourage good things. He is at it again, as Ilayaraja has worked without taking any remuneration for ‘Pachai Kudai’, a film by director R Selvaraj, which talks about the importance of green cover to protect the world from global warming.
Isaignani Ilayaraja has composed tunes for hundreds of big hit films but this musical genius is all content with compositions only for simple and meaningful productions.
Selvaraj is a longtime colleague of Bharathiraja and Mani Ratnam and he is the brain behind some of the blockbuster films of Kollywood. Now he has come out with ‘Pachai Kudai’, a period film which is about a pair who lived 2,000 years ago.
And, the big news is that Ilayaraja is doing the composition by taking nothing as salary for the film. Yes, the Maestro has politely rejected the offer of salary for the film saying, “This film is one that tells the message of the green cover of the earth, and propagates greenery and saving our mother Earth. It is my responsibility and duty to do my part for the well-being of our planet”.

[raajarasigan]

IMO, unconditional support na adhu "Mayil pola" mattum dhaan:exactly: Bala Sir..

[jmahesh]

http://beta.sify.com/movies/ilayaraja-launches-dhoni-audio-news-tamil-mb3lNAaehbj.html


The audio of Dhoni, produced by Prakash Raj’s Duet Movies was launched by the legendary Ilayaraja who is also the music director of the film at a grand ceremony at the Anna Centenary Library on Jan 28 evening.

The film marks the entry of Prakash Raj into the director’s league where he was warmly welcomed by fellow director KS Ravikumar who was one of the many luminaries to grace the occasion.

The highlight of the event was the live orchestra conducted by Ilayaraja himself, playing each song for the audience as Prakash Raj introduced what went on behind the scenes and his experiences while working with the maestro for this film.

Parthiban gave a grand introduction and welcome to the maestro, welcoming him onto the stage before the performance began.

Biggies of Kollywood like K Balachander, the man who introduced Prakash into films, heaped laurels on his protege and spoke of his association with the maestro, while Balu Mahendra, Mahendran, Nasser, Jeyam Raja, KS Ravikumar, SA Chandrasekar, Na Muthukumar, Radha Mohan and others spoke of their association with Prakash and the Maestro.

Nasser’s long account of his experience while recording the music with Ilayaraja for of his first production Avatar, enacted on stage by him in an impromptu speech, drew much applause and laughs, even from Ilayaraja himself.


A trailer and songs were shown. Speaking to the media before the event, Ilayaraja said, “This is a film which raises many questions about education and those responsible must answer to them.”
Prakash Raj has also done the lead role in the film. KV Guhan has done the camerawork and Na Muthukumar, the lyrics. Prakash Raj was elated that the maestro had agreed to perform live for this event, a rare opportunity for the audiences.

“This function is my dream come true,” he said. Recalling the experience of working with him he added, “In 45 minutes he had five tunes ready. It was amazing!”

To show the effect of the maestro’s re recording in the film, Prakash held a screening of one scene without any background score and then the same scene was played with the music added. The film is slated for a February release.

[Sunil_M88]

Brilliant

1034

[KV]

Is Dhoni audio available in stores? I checked in Coimbatore during the weekend, it hand't come yet. Called some of stores in B'lore today and none have a clue about it's release. Sureshji/Raajasaranam, any luck?

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

http://cinema.vikatan.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=1807&cid=903&Itemid=63


படத்தின் ஒரு காட்சியை பின்னணி இசையில்லாமல் திரையிட்டு காட்டிவிட்டு, பின்னர் இளையராஜா அக்காட்சிக்கு பின்னணி இசை எப்படி அமைத்து இருக்கிறார் என்பதை திரையிட்டு காட்டியது அனைவரையும் கவர்ந்தது.

Now this trend is increasing! Nicee :D

[skr]

Kv ,
Just heard from a friend that the audio will be available in stores only on 4th :(

[skr]

Dhoni Songs on Raaga.com
http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=T0003314

[jaiganes]

:exactly: Bala Sir..
poovaeru koanum shud be added without reservations.. immediately.
aavana seiyyungaL.

[skr]

Vilayaatta Padagoty touches your soul.
Manasa thottutuduthu , enna oru feel
Raaja Raaja Dhaan

[Sureshs65]

Hearing 'Dhoni' songs on raaga.com thanks to link of skr. Heard two songs till now. Lovely.

[KV]

skr, thanks for the link :thumbsup:
oru vaatti kEttachu... awesome! AOTY, easily! Acoustic guitars, violins ellaam pattaya kelappudhu :clap:, percussions dhaan konjam weaka thOnudhu ippodhikku.
karikaran should start taking Thamizh lessons from deivakuzhandhai.

[RR]

'vilayatta' is an excellent flowing melody - simple & neat (of 'kaasi' genre)

[krish244]

I am listening to DHONI songs now from RAAGA:

1. Chinna pookale: Charming melody, live, simple and effective orchestration. Loved the song. Both Shreya and Naresh has sung well.
2. Vaangum Panathukkum: Nice prelude. Simple first interlude. 2nd interlude is flute based and good. This is the lude Prakash raj talks about in his Vijay TV interview.
3. Thaavi: Again a nice melody and what great interludes (both are great).
4. Vilaiyaata: Simple melody with nice ludes.

Big thanks to Prakash Raj to request IR to use live orchestra (violins, violins, violins and a little of guitar...)

thanks,

Krishnan

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

yahooooooooooo!

https://twitter.com/#!/Actorjiiva/status/163974325664358400


❤raja + ❤menon = full ❤songs�� Yes The music director of Nethanae yen ponvasantham is our one and only isainyani Ilayaraja avl... ������

[raja_fan]

Dhoni is amaaaaaazing !!!

IR at age 69 rocks !!

Raises hopes for Gowtham menon's love story !!

[KV]

thaavi thaavi... a celebration of hope and happiness, and this time emotions with acoustic arrangements... magical! :musicsmile:
Iyya, idhEdhaanga, idhEdhaan... give me more! (alpam alpam :oops:)

[V_S]

Iyya, idhEdhaanga, idhEdhaan... give me more! (alpam alpam :oops:)
:lol: KV you are too good in commenting!

If raja_fan is saying amazing, I am too keen now! Thanks raja_fan for dropping in your comments.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments on Dhoni. Expectations egirudhu!

[skr]

KV ,
Adhe Adhe :)

[skr]

V_S ji
Seekarama kelunga , unga reviews awaiting eagerly :)
I can guarantee that you will be taken aback by Vilayaataa Padagotty

Dhoni's music in a Nutshell : Damn addictive.

[raja_fan]

Vilayatta has close resemblance with "Manase manase..." from Sooryan ( Malayalam ) in its feel and flow..
Shreya proves her talent with a nasal touch in this song..great !!

[skr]

Chinna Kannile is such a stunner , am totally addicted to it.
Flowing piano with booming chords and Shreya's singing makes for a fabulous start.
Check out the chorus harmony followed by the single violin and then an avalanche of violins joining together and then the chorus and violins singing the same melody.
Its like a Fugue mixture , wah wah im totally in ♥ with this song.
Such a simple melody , but how beautifully packaged.

Raaja , Shankarabaranam and Melody - what a terrific trio :bow:

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

Decided not to listen to Dhoni Album, for some time now. Already Snehaveedu took lot of my time! Can't able to work, while listening them.

With respect Raja, listening his songs in backbround and working is becoming impossible for me!

[Sureshs65]

SKV,

Exactly my feeling. Can't come out of 'Bhagyadevatha' itself. adhu apparam 'Gayam 2', 'Katha Thudarunnu', 'Snehaveedu' 'Sree Ramarajyam'. ippo enndanna 'Mayilu' And before you can savor that 'Dhoni'!!! Ennada nadakkudhu naatla.

[V_S]

Yes, yes yes. This weekend I listening only to Sneha veedu, after the discussion started again for chandrabimbathin. Just like 'p' said, Arummozhi's solo flute took over grand army of violins, soulful snehaveedu can take up any mighty soundtracks like SRR. Thanks to Suresh ji for continuously projecting this deserved score. If you still go back to Bhagyadevatha, we have to sit there permanently. No escape. Brilliant, Brilliant!

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

SKV,

Exactly my feeling. Can't come out of 'Bhagyadevatha' itself. adhu apparam 'Gayam 2', 'Katha Thudarunnu', 'Snehaveedu' 'Sree Ramarajyam'. ippo enndanna 'Mayilu' And before you can savor that 'Dhoni'!!! Ennada nadakkudhu naatla.

ஒரு காலத்துல (அதாவது சில வருடங்கள் முன்பு) "ஏன் அவர் அது பண்ணக்கூடாது இது பண்ணக்கூடாது?" ன்னு பேசின பசங்க தானே நாமெல்லாம். அதான், கோவத்துல, கேப் விடாம பாட்டாலேயே அடிக்குறார் நம்மளை, திணறத்திணற!!

[Sureshs65]

V_S,

Yes. Another good friend of mine couldn't come out 'aaro paadunnu dhoori' for almost a month!!!

Any first round of 'Dhoni' listening done. 'vilayatai padagoty' is such amazing. Been a while since I heard a song like this!! Both Hariharan and especially Shreya do great justice to this song. Which raises the question again: How is this man able to do it?

[K]

http://chinnappayal.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post_30.html

good analysis on Mayilu.

[KV]

Chinna Kannile is such a stunner , am totally addicted to it.
Flowing piano with booming chords and Shreya's singing makes for a fabulous start.
Check out the chorus harmony followed by the single violin and then an avalanche of violins joining together and then the chorus and violins singing the same melody.
Its like a Fugue mixture , wah wah im totally in ♥ with this song.
Such a simple melody , but how beautifully packaged.

Raaja , Shankarabaranam and Melody - what a terrific trio :bow:

Somehow in my case, this song has been the slowest one to register. The singers do a very good job, but the percussion kinda hampers things... return to Bongo/congo? :confused2: Did they have this in the live performance? Or is it just some rhythm pad stuff?
Ditto with the SPB song... brilliant guitaring;that bend/'twang' at the end of the lines is super funky! Don't remember listening to this in any IR song before. But again, the tabla in the charanams sound kinda reluctant.

V_Sji, seekaram kElunga... you're in for a treat, and we're in for a super review from you!

[San_K]

Did a listen to all songs. Initial winners are (Singers) Ilayaraja, Shreya Ghoshal

[V_S]

Sure KV & skr. Karthik'um (milliblog) 200 words pOtirukkaru. Seems everyone liked it. :D

[San_K]

Another big one (musically) from veteran BM and producer is Sasikumar (https://twitter.com/#!/onlynikil/status/164039119159304194)
(https://twitter.com/#!/onlynikil/status/164039119159304194)

[k_vanan]

Wooooooöw what a news :jump:

GM + IR combo for romantic love story :)

GM :salute:

[AravindMano]

ViLaiyAttA padagOtti and ThAvith thAvi are lovely. No complaints at all. The rest - is it because of live recording or something is not in place - a bit hazy. Percussion is incongruent. And SPB's some voice acting is also mildly :confused:

Na.Muththukkumar has written lovely lyrics in both VP and TT. One of his bests. :clap:

And, wait, is Shreya Ghoshal's voice slightly auto tuned :shock: in VP? Esp the pallavi.

[AravindMano]

And Hariharan's rendition > Shreya's. Shreya's sweetness at times betrays the real emotion.

This is probably the best of Raja - Hariharan combo. So melancholic.

[Nerd]

Sweet little album this :-) Great choice of singers, some beautiful lyrics complement the fantastic tunes and arrangements. Quite easily the album of the year. May be until Padiththurai or NEP's release. Raja and Shreya are simply spectacular. Even Hariharan sounds so good. Naresh Iyer did not sound odd. Thaavi thaavi pOgum's short prelude is my favorite so far. Lovvvvly :-) :-)

Did not like SPB's gibberish and the percussions in chinna kanniley / thaavi thaavi pogum.



This is probably the best of Raja - Hariharan combo. So melancholic.
That would still be meettaadha oru veenai.

[MumbaiRamki]

Another big one (musically) from veteran BM and producer is Sasikumar (https://twitter.com/#!/onlynikil/status/164039119159304194)
(https://twitter.com/#!/onlynikil/status/164039119159304194)
Im not sure if that has raaja - as BM in that function mentioned about working with him from moodu pani to Adhu oru kana kaalam :)

[baroque]

That would still be meettaadha oru veenai.

Don't forget EN KANAVINAI KEL NANBA.....from Desiya geetham. Puratchi feeling with longing. IR-Hari combo with stunning orchestration.

yes, checked out one song from DHONI.

http://www.tamilsongsonline.in/2012/01/dhoni-songs-online.html

agree with you, Chinna kanniley.... percussion drags down the pleasure.

oh... milliblog awards 200 words for Raja's Dhoni.

composition's percussion didn't bother him. He didn't mention it. good for him.

synth illainna vudaney, milliblog is excited :-D

Vinatha.

[venkkiram]

தோணி!

விளையாட்டா படகோட்டி (ஹரிஹரன்) - ஆரம்ப இசையில் வரும் பிதாமகனின் வெறுமை இசையிலேயே பாடலின் பாதையை குறிப்பால் உணர்த்துகிறார் இசைச்சித்தர். ராஜாவுடன் ஹரி. ஒரே வரியில் சொல்லப் போனால் பிரமாண்டம். முன்னவர் ஒவ்வொரு இசைக்குறிப்புக்களிலும் தெரிகிறார் என்றால் பின்னவர் ஒவ்வொரு வார்த்தைகளும் வெளிப்படுத்தும் அதிர்வுகள், அழுத்தத்திலும் நிற்கிறார். பாடல் வரிகளின் மீது நம் மனம் குவியச் செய்ய ஒரு முக்கியக் காரணமாக ஹரியின் குரல். பூங்காற்று கொஞ்சம், புண்ணியம் தேடி வரிசையில் விளையாட்டா படகோட்டி.. என்றுமே மனதில் நிற்கும். :notworthy:

வாங்கும் பணத்துக்கும் : பாலுவின் குரலில் சக நண்பனைக் காண்கிறோம். ஆரம்ப இசையின் கிடார் துள்ளல் ரொம்ப பிடிச்சிருக்கு. பாடல் முழுவதும் இசை பலப் பல படிக்கட்டுக்களாக ஏறிப் போகிறது. பாலுவின் இதுபோன்ற குரல் கேட்டு எம்புட்டு நாளாச்சு! ராஜாவின் கூட்டணியில் இன்னொரு இன்னிங்ஸ் தொடங்கியாச்சு! ஒரு ரஜினி படத்திற்காக பாலு பாடுவது போலவே இருக்கு! நாடி, நரம்பெல்லாம் குதூகலம்! :notworthy:

தாவித் தாவி போகும் : ராஜாவின் குரல் மனசை வருடிச் செல்கிறது. முதல் இடையிசை - குட்டி சிம்ஃபோனி.

சின்னக் கண்ணிலே - ஷ்ரேயா,நரேஷ் கூட்டணி தாளக்கட்டோடு அழகுபட பயணிக்கிறது. முதல் சரணத்தைவிட இரண்டாவது சரணம் பிடிக்கிறது. நரேஷை ராஜாவின் இசையில் அடிக்கடி கேட்க நேர்ந்தால் மிகவும் சந்தோஷமடைவேன்.

பிரகாஷ்ராஜ் - ராஜா - நா.முத்துக்குமார் :notworthy:

[layman10]

I love this song Kalyanamam Kalyanamam, song (Mayil). Simple yet, So many things happening..nice pazhassi raja tribal song too. Does seem to appear in anyones list.

[raajarasigan]

Vilayaatta (Hariharan) is my pick of the album so far.

Thaavi thaavi is nice with superb interludes. It slightly reminds me Unnai Kel Unnai Kel from Inime Naanga Than..

[KV]

HH sounds good in the song, but screws up the la/La and na/Na sounds, which to me is difficult to digest in an IR song (think 'Valmiki'). Shreya, vadanaattu kuyil, nails these almost perfectly in comparison. ellaam oru dedication dhaan, illa?

[crvenky]

Mayilu: A beautiful review here :
http://www.tamilpaper.net/?p=5483

[Sureshs65]

KV,

I am loving the 'vaangum panathukku' rhythm. Will try and explain why later in the day.

[Gregorysab]

Was away due to personal reasons!

I see that Mayilu and Dhoni are released! good! Listening to Dhoni now. The SPB song is indeed a surprise and special. It has the guitars that I normally do not expect from Raaja. Brilliant! More thoughts later when I get to give more time to the albums!

[raja_fan]

"Thaavi thaavi" has been composed in waltz kind of rythm like "Vandhaal vandhaal rajakumari.." .

The rythm of "Vaangum panathukkum" reminds me of the rythm of "Ananda kuyilin paattu..." from Kathalukku Mariyadhai..

[kameshratnam]

Sure KV & skr. Karthik'um (milliblog) 200 words pOtirukkaru. Seems everyone liked it. :D

Sorry. I lost all respect for Milliblog the day he started praising MD THAMAN. apologize for the digression

[Hulkster]

What a effect live orchestra makes. Dhoni namakellam prasadam. Amazing when you notice that he composed all the songs in 45 minutes :notworthy:

[KV]

And, wait, is Shreya Ghoshal's voice slightly auto tuned :shock: in VP? Esp the pallavi.

:shock: no! nevaire! marka kEttuppArunga boss. no auto business and all (if any elec voice modulation, it could be that thamnana chorus in the beginning). She's probably sung it with a nasal tinge to give it that folk 'feel' and her emotions in the song are spot on, me thinks, no saccharine sweetness and all. (no, no.. sathyama no vasyam)

[KV]

KV,

I am loving the 'vaangum panathukku' rhythm. Will try and explain why later in the day.

I'm in love with this song fully, Sureshji. SPB sounds very 'liberated', a very carefree style of singing with all those improvisations which you wouldn't generally find in an IR song. I've always been a fan of IR's minimalist rhythm arrangements, even the recent ones (like ennada pandi or jakkamma), but somehow the percussions in this song lacks confidence and finesse in execution... the idea's there, but the table player probably let it down. But this is just a nitpick, not really a major complaint.

[Sureshs65]

I still haven't reviewed 'Mayilu' songs (not that anyone is missing it :) ) and already 'Dhoni' is out.

I will review the album fully later but as I promised KV earlier, want to write about the SPB song, 'vaangum panaththukku'. This is a real surprise to me and once again proves to me that Raja is deep into the jazz genre and is experimenting left and right. While I love all the songs of the movie, musically this song was the most attractive for me. Especially for the rhythmic work that he does in this.

The initial beats sort of tell you that this is going to be a rhythm based song. After a few beats the guitar starts strumming the rhythm and then comes something that is quite new to Raja's work, the bass guitar playing the blues!! I love blues and I have heard lot of songs with these chords/rhythm structure. The bass guitar made an instant impression on me. And the lead also joins in this and the effect is terrific. Then SPB starts singing. Ofcourse this being a Raja song, the melody is not a traditional blues melody but his own. After the first, where only the guitars provide the rhythm, the drums come in with a simple / single beat. Observe carefully as the song reaches 'vadaga veetukku'. The rhythm now changes in true jazz style. They rhythm section changes the pattern quickly and within that beat.

The sax (or similar instrument) in the interlude is ofcourse clearly jazz. The melody in the interlude is terrific. The charanam starts with the tabla following the singer. Again there is a twist here. The tabla does not fall on a beat. The beats of the tabla are off the beat. I counted it as around 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 away from the beat. Again this happens in one cycle and the other cycle has only one beat!! The he changes the tabla to the standard sarvalaghu style before stopping it altogether and letting the strings carry the song.

The second interlude flute is lovely. SPB tries some gibberish (I think they call it scat singing?). The precision with which SPB joins with the tabla in the interlude has the stamp of Raja all over. And just when you thought it was all over, the pallavi provides one more surprise. SPB does a 'dam bam bam', breaking the rhythm and in the next cycle the guitar guys do the same. Fantastic break in the rhythm.

When I first saw this song in the trailer I thought this would be the weakest song in the link. The standard 'karuththu kandasamy' song. But luckily for us Raja gives a jazz delight. If only the tune was keeping with the normal rock/jazz tunes this would easily have become a standard jazz number. But then Raja is never a 'standards' guy, is he? He sets his own standard and that particular standard is in full display here.

[Sureshs65]

KV,

I just wrote about the rhythm. The tabla is beyond doubt the most confident guy as he has to get it absolutely right and he is not playing on the beat for about 4 cycles. The other rhythm is going on the best but the tabla is told to join in at an odd place. That's why I think you feel it is not 'confident'. Try figuring out where he is coming in and you will then realise that this cannot be played by anyone other than a very trained and experienced tabla player.

[Sureshs65]

In fact if we observe the lulluby song in 'Prasad' you will notice the similar off the beat instrumentation in the second charanam. The first charanam of the song has the rhythm arrangement which follows the normal beat. In the second charanam, the sharp sound comes at around 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 places off the beat, giving it a very asynchronous feel. That is is what Raja is trying to achieve in these songs.

[skr]

Fantastic Analysis Suresh ji :bow:
Great observation of the beat following the singer , after you said it i too found that it indeed goes away a bit
but little :confused: as how he is able to arrive at the full circle coz the notes seem to go in triples only.

Im now currently addicted to this fabby. :)

[skr]

KV ,
Regarding Chinna Kannile , you are right about the Percussion being the weakest area.It could be that it is programmed.
In the live orchestra , there was someone playing Tabla and there was Jaicha.I am not sure whether there was any rhythm played in this number.
However its the instrumentation which takes it to another level. It was such a fabulous sight to witness Prabhakar playing the Violin and then the entire troupe follow him and create magic together. It was a stunning visual. Both Surmukhi and Naresh did a good job (The latter was a bit tensed up and he kept putting his paper down :))
This was the 1st song at the event and remains close to my heart.

Also , if you notice all the songs barring Vaangum Panathukkum have a strong Shankarabaranam influence.
Raaja , Melody and Shankarabaranam go hand in hand . What a terrific trio :clap:

[rajaalltheway]

Time and again Ayya proves that he is at his best when he is working with someone who is really good,someone who is serious about partnering with him and someone who knows deep about Ayyas kind of music.I think once Ayya learns about Sureshji,he is going to appoint Sureshji as one his personal staff

[Sureshs65]

rajaalltheway,

Ha Ha Ha. There are so many others who are so devoted to Raja that there is no chance of me getting that position. And of course there is no way I can take that position :D I still can't think about being in the same room as him. So...

[KV]

Sureshji, interesting writeup. The rhythm is interesting, no doubt and kinda tricky too (complex nu solla mudiyaadhu). These are little tweaks in the rhythm arrangements that the man generally does to add to the beauty of the compositions. In this song though, I still have my tiny reservations (will 'grow' nu nenakkaren, lets see!)

Reg the guitaring in this song, are they two separate guitars playing, as in, a rhythm and a bass? To me it sounded like one acoustic guitar playing both the rhythm riffs and rounding them off with the bass notes (the bend notes). There's quite surely no electric bass guitar sound in the song from what I can hear. Whaddya guys think?

So, this will classify under blues eh? hmmm... To me this song is more like the acoustic version of a song like Kizhakkumala Kammallitta (from Kadha Thodarunnu).

skr, thanks for the info. Again, the song's pretty good, but similar 'issue' like in the VP song!

[MumbaiRamki]

Sureshji, interesting writeup. The rhythm is interesting, no doubt and kinda tricky too (complex nu solla mudiyaadhu). These are little tweaks in the rhythm arrangements that the man generally does to add to the beauty of the compositions. In this song though, I still have my tiny reservations (will 'grow' nu nenakkaren, lets see!)

Reg the guitaring in this song, are they two separate guitars playing, as in, a rhythm and a bass? To me it sounded like one acoustic guitar playing both the rhythm riffs and rounding them off with the bass notes (the bend notes). There's quite surely no electric bass guitar sound in the song from what I can hear. Whaddya guys think?

So, this will classify under blues eh? hmmm... To me this song is more like the acoustic version of a song like Kizhakkumala Kammallitta (from Kadha Thodarunnu).

skr, thanks for the info. Again, the song's pretty good, but similar 'issue' like in the VP song!
In the LIVE , there were two guitars :)

[rooky]

Completely floored by dhoni. Thavi thavi, Vilayatta, Chinna kannilae,.. beatiful lineup there.
Thavi Thavi my favorite, cos it has Raja singing for a wonderful unparalleled composition :)

[jaiganes]

thaavi thaavi - when maestro sings "karagosham" - there is a bittersweet feeling that is evoked - that is raaja signature that is unmistakable and underscoring a moment or emotion in the story beautifully (padam paarthaal thaan theriyum).. This is his trademark minimalism. Love this guy and his music...

[rajkumarc]

Nice to see good reviews for Dhoni. Haven't listened to it yet. However, I have been listening to Mayilu for the last few days and I will say it's a highly addictive album with truly wonderful songs. Enna Kutham, Yathe, Aadhi Sokka are in the loop more often than the other numbers.

Bavathaarini is totally unrecognizable in Yathe and has rendered it very well, SriramP is OK but Bavathaarini's rendition is more authentic folk. I'm liking Reeta's rendition as well and the way she emotes in Adhi Sokka esp in the charanams is wonderful. Enna Kutham - No words to say, just :notworthy:

[AravindMano]

:shock: no! nevaire! marka kEttuppArunga boss. no auto business and all (if any elec voice modulation, it could be that thamnana chorus in the beginning). She's probably sung it with a nasal tinge to give it that folk 'feel' and her emotions in the song are spot on, me thinks, no saccharine sweetness and all. (no, no.. sathyama no vasyam)

maRukkA kEttu pAththEn. ...thannOda vazhiyellAm thannathaviRa thuNaiyuNdo and the next line and all.. konjam doubt-AvE irukku.

regarding emotions... I liked Hariharan's rendition more. His is perfect, methinks.

[AravindMano]

That would still be meettaadha oru veenai.

Ah, yeah.

[AravindMano]

viLaiyAttA padagOtti is extraordinary. As much as I think this and Chinna kaNNilE meander in Vidyasagar territory (who himself channels Raja mostly), some of the progressions in the tune are just not SO Raja, but something that he only can do. This song is a classic. :notworthy:

And that moment when violins, I mean real violins, gush in flooding the first interlude of Chinna kaNNilE, is SO surreal. Why would one find it so surprising in a Raja song. Sad, all the synth stuff he is giving us.

And the interludes in vAngum paNaththukkum are fantastic!

[ravinat]

:-D Suresh, nice write up. What SPB tries is a loose form of scat singing. Nothing on the lines of 'Pudhu Maapillaikku' from Aboorva Sagadarargal. However, I like his 'Dum Bum Bum' in the last pallavi - perfect syncopation that only he is capable of. Remember his famous Abinandana song where he demonstrates his syncopation mastery? Contrary to some comments here, the tabla play in this song is complicated and there are several places, where the beat is a single beat skipping time in a clever way. I was reminded a little bit of Ila Nenje Vaa and its crazy flute fillers. At least the first 8 bars of the charanam have this tabla challenge. Did anyone observe how this was performed live during the audio launch.

In all, another orchestration milestone.

[Sureshs65]

Ravi,

Thanks for confirming it. I don't know too much about scat singing so was unsure. And yes, the last 'Dum Bum Bum' is perfect and the way Raja ensures that the instruments do it the next round around is terrific.

I am still to get a hold on exactly what pattern that single tabla beat comes in!! Need to keep count of time and check it out. Raja does a lot of complicated rhythmical exercise is something we know but making the beat asynchronous and showing it clearly to us is a recent one I think. Earlier some rhythm instruments would keep the beat and others would play off the beat in a subtle way. (Ravi has written a series of articles on Raja's poly rhythm for those interested.) Whereas in the recent songs you can hear a sharp beat which is off the beat very clearly. Guess he is implementing the jazz lessons he is learning from the Hungarian :D