Jillunu Oru Kadhal...

I insist on it being called Jillunnu Oru Kadhal. Sillunnu sounds silly. And if they have done it for tax purpose, well.. what can I say? I leave it at that. Let us concentrate on the music.



I know, by now, my good buddies, Ferrari and Magix, have written their own reviews. They are complete album reviews. They are experts in dissecting every thread of the music and then analysing every little crest and trough of a sound wave. What they have posted is just the tip of the iceberg of their analysis. :-)

I am not going to do a complete album review. I am going to comment on some songs in the album and about the album and its creator in general.

1. Like Harish (a.k.a Magix) observed, it is nice to see ARR taking his singing more seriously. And what he has managed here is simply top quality. Right on top of his best. Will elaborate about that later.

2. This is an album that has a mix of genres, interleaved like different color threads in an exquisite carpet. If you want fun, listen to Kummi Adi. If you want Jazz, listen to title track. If you want to feel melancholic, listen New York Nagaram. If you are feeling kinky, listen to Maja Maja.

3. ARR never ceases to amaze. If you listen to Maricham, it has the World Music Flavor. Eric Moquet of Deep Forest, Karunesh and many DJs could do well to learn from ARR on musical arrangements.

4. This album, after a long time, has a spatial appeal. What I mean is, this album transports you into a different realm. A realm where ARR rules supreme and he lets you wallow in the silk of rhythm. You just have to surrender and enjoy.

5. You have to listen to this album, say, 5-6 times to realise that choosing the best song and the second best song is easy. The third best is the toughest choice. You cannot decide. Discussed below...

6. I would have expected Hariharan to grace atleast one song. Hmmm... Naresh is getting better and better. Magix is right is speculating that Naresh may be finding more favor at the cost of Karthik.

Now for the songs.

Usually, at the first go, I am able to find out what the song of the album is. With RDB, my choice was "Luka Chuppi" whereas most were hung up on Paatshaala. In this, it would be "New York Nagaram". Thankfully, there are not many who disagree with me on this. Simply because it is too brilliant to disagree. For someone who has been at New York City and rambled along those long avenues alone, this song is an instant hook-up. Like Ferrari observes, lyrics are written purely in Tamil and this song exemplifies the fact that regardless of language of the lyrics, musical orchestration can really get audience for a song anywhere on the planet. I doubt if anyone in the world cannot love this song (spare those carnatic purists). Everything about this song is brilliant. The way ARR starts with an DhumDhum...Mmmm... and then the lyrics. From 1:50 to 2:15, its the chorus with their "oh oh ooh whoa". Then it is the sax piece interleaved with the drums and chorus from 3:23 to 3:52 and again from 5:12 till the end. The lyrics suggest that the protagonist is missing his beloved in this beautiful land. Esp lines like .. "naan inge neeyum ange indha thanimayil nimishangaL varushangaL aanadhu yaeno, jil endrum bhoomi irundhum kuLir kaalam kodai aanadhu yaeno" ... makes you feel a melancholic. Magix and Ferrari have both mentioned the song "Tanhayee" from Dil Chahta Hai. Probably because I have been to NYC, I could not think of that song. But I did imagine walking down the long avenues in the city from Rockefeller Center to Castle Clinton.
** Do not attempt to sing this song if you are not a seasoned singer. This song can leave you breathless... I did, and ended up coughing... hahaha!
** This song prompted me to so some research on ARR songs that he himself has sung. Will do a separate post on this one. Please come back later to check it.
** New York Nagaram Lyrics by Ferrari (should know to read Tamil)

Second position would be for the song "Munbe Vaa". I did not know it was sung by Shreya Ghosal. I was first reminded of the virginal purity and childlike pristine quality that we used to hear from Harini. Esp in the songs from Indira like "Nila Kaigirathe". When I came to know that it was sung by Shreya, the first thought was "Wow, she sings like she knows to speak Tamil"... esp in place where there are lot of poos in the song (1:56 to 2:09). Beautiful voice! Chance ae illa!! VaLaiazharthu... mellifluously. Naresh compliments well. From 3:30 after the keys, his voice takes precedence in the song. Esp the place where he goes "neeyum senru vechene... kalanthathu pole..." and from 4:26 onwards, where he croons... "naa naanaa..." ... WOW! This song has several genres inside it. If you listen with keen ears, you can find out atleast 2-3 layers that are individually created and pieced together in rhythmic harmony.
** You will be tempted to close your eyes when you are listening to this song. If you are driving when listening to this song, I suggest you skip this track. This track is distractingly beautiful! :-)
** Munbe Vaa lyrics by Ferrari

Third position. THE BIG FIGHT! Ah... which one would it be? Would it be Maja Maja for its sensual appeal and creative singing? Would it be Maricham for its world music trance styling? Would it be Jillunnu Oru Kadhal for its jazz speciality? I would vote for Maricham because it is a song that is clearly in untested waters. The kind of arrangements and the use of synthesisers could put many professional DJs (acclaimed to be the best) to shame! Ofcourse, I am not trying to compare ARR to any DJ... but their pride? This song should prove what they have to improve on. Making such a song written in Tamil sound so western that it could be played at any hep place like the Ministry of Sound in London ... who else could really manage that? Special attention to these bits in the songs : 0:00 to 0:42 and from 04:36 onwards till almost the end. Looks like Goutham is the name of the protagonist. Why else would the name be called out like that? {2:58 to 3:20} Eh?
** Blast this in your car when you drive down the roads where you seek attention. Atleast a few heads would turn listening to a new sound instead of the usual Himesh Reshammiya stuff!

Then we talk about Maja Maja. It was not until I read Harish's view that I paid more attention to the song. SPB Charan has sung with a lot of "feeling" and "involvement". Shreya is as good as expected and delivers well at the required places in the song, esp that coy laugh and "umm-hmmm-yeah" parts.

The title track is a special jazz flavoring to the album. Takes me back into the 60s when jazz styled songs were the rage! Even in Parineeta, there is a song that is created in a club-jazz style (The evergreen Rekha stars as a vamp in that song picturisation).

By the way, did you all realise that Machakaari sounds so much like the Aalavandaan title track? The same steroid power and pace, the same gruffness about the song, similar rhythmic arrangements. Am I listening too much or the similarities are evident? You tell me.
** Listen to the Aalavandaan song and listen to Machakaari. List down the similarities and let me know. I will tell you if it matches my list. :-)

The only remaining song is the Kummi Adi. I was never a fan of these kind of songs. It is fun to listen to it, but somehow these do not find a strong favor with me. I am more of a rhythm-n-creativity lover. It is sure to be a slickly made movie. Take a look at the posters courtesy Google Image search.

Here's to Jillunnu Oru Kadhal... A great addition to your collection of ARR compositions!

PS:
*1: Read in the papers that Surya and Jyothika are tying the knot (finally) on AugSep 11. Here's to wishing them a long happy married life together. May Jyothika get what she wants from Surya! lol ... (I hope you got the reference to her dialogue in Kaaka Kaaka movie).