Magical... Review on Connections - AR Rahman

This must be a record. Jodhaa Akbar, Ada, Jaane Tu, Yuvraaj, Slumdog Millionaire, Ghajini, Delhi 6.AND Connections!-a private album by AR Rahman that I have been extremely fortunate to listen to.

Connections is unlike anything Rahman has done before. The first word that came to my mind when I listened to these compositions was.relaxation. No matter how bad in a mood I was, all I needed to do was to play the instrumentals once, and all my worries would be washed away.This is what music is about.the ability to generate moods, after all.

After listening to the songs several times, my description of the album would be soothing, soulful, touching and poignant.

Jiya Se Jiya-The album version has Karthik on the vocals and I must say I prefer the ARR video version, as ARR has far more depth in his voice and there are a lot of minute interludes which add that little bit extra to the song. Added to that the'Ae Oodaley Oodaley.' is so cool! But this version is in stark contrast to the rest of the album.thumping beats result in a foot tapping number. Very entertaining.

Mann Chandre-This song took me back many years, and the image I could interpret from this song was pottery and villages.Such an earthly and simple tune that you could listen to all day.and sung with such a sweet female voice, that I immediately thought.Chithra! But it is actually someone else(Shwetha Pandit as per ARR Fans Group). Anyway, Sukhwinder Singh nearly spoils the song in his initial few lines, such a contrast to the controlled rendition of the female singer, but after the chorus recovers brilliantly and ends the rendition superbly.

Kural-I feel that this song is against the suffering that we see in the world today and the female singer evokes memories of'Maargazhi Poove' all those years back with a very haunting voice. Blaaze is a minor irritant in that although he sings well, somehow his and the female voices do not quite gel together. But otherwise it is a beauty of a composition that evokes images of sadness. I always love these'nightlike' songs of Rahman like Uyire Uyire and more recently Kaise Mujhe. The lyrics are really good too. It's also good to hear some Tamil words after a while in a Rahman composition.

Himalaya-A very pleasant song with effective use of the piano and transports you into the world of mountains. Reminiscent of the brilliant Kisna themes, this song just waits you to go out and enjoy some fresh, cool air!

Mylapore Blues-This song mixes classical traditional music with lounge music and is another pleasant listen. Probably the most accessible of all the songs.

Mosquito-My favorite song in the album. You can almost visualise a mosquito flying around in the catchy beginning of the song and it seemingly shows you the life of a mosquito until its death.at least thats what I felt as this pleasant composition ends with some sadness, the tunes almost symbolising the innocence of the mosquito at the very end. It is almost as if Rahman tells us not to forget the little things in life like insects in the world today. Really versatile and with many moods, Mosquito is an apt instrumental for the title!

Silent Invocation A-With minimal instrumentation, this is the ideal song to mediate to when waking up in the morning. The flute is beautifully used in this, and the other silent invocations.

Silent Invocation B-The saddest of the invocations, I feel so depressed after this song ends. The flute takes on a more ominous tone.

Silent Invocation C-This puts you in a more relaxed frame of mind. I feel like I am in a monestary listening to the healing powers of music.

These three silent invocations really show that Rahman is capable of doing almost anything. Classical in nature and soulful in mood, it really makes one stop and think about life, and reflect.

Connections is a very special album. It has a lot of heart and soul in it and could be a mouthpiece to portray Rahman's feelings. It will not be for everyone given the number and complexity of instrumentals, but if you want to discover just why music can really be so meaningful in life, it will be a must buy.

[Oh, and about the buying bit, Nokia does claim that Music has the power to connect people, but how can it do so when its latest album-Connections is only released through a particular brand of Nokia phones which can only be accessible to those who buy them and no one else? I wonder.]