Jan 24, 2005 02:10 PM
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(Updated Jan 24, 2005 02:10 PM)
If a review on this music album was written by me before the release of the movie, it would have been like this
After massive success of “7G, Rainbow colony”, Yuvan Shankar Raja returns back with a youthful album “Manmathan”. Yuvan’s music was a big plus for most of the movies he has done before which was helpful for creating good expectations and enough hype on the movie before its release. Will this album be one such? To put it straight, Yuvan is capable to deliver much better songs. Keeping the music of 7GRBC as the benchmark of his music standards, this album is really well below the standards. With this album, Yuvan proves that his best is always reserved for Selvaraghavan. The problem with this album is that there is nothing new in the songs and has an I-have-heard-it-before feel in it. About the songs, there are totally six songs and the lyrics are penned by Vaalee, Snehan, Pa.Vijay and Na.Muthukumar.
The album opens with the track “Thathai”. Just a month before, we heard almost same (kind of) song from A.R.Rahman in the movie “New”. With same Blaaze taking care of rap part of the song, the comparisons are unavoidable. Also the beats and the arrangements are less complex than what it is meant to be. How many more days do Vaalee is going to pen such meaningless songs?
“Manmadhanae” sounds same as the hit number “Chanakya” from the movie “Dum”. With Sadhana Sargam giving voice again the sound-like feel is even more. Yuvan could have tried a different melody with a new sound. Only notable portion is the violin orchestration in the prelude.
“Oh Mahirae” sung by Anushika (One among the Viva girls) is a trance number. Don’t think that your player has got some problem when you listen to this track for the first time, the problem is not with your player, and it is with the song. Yuvan has tried to make a song with mere sounds and beats but the final output is not good enough and lacks pep. Thank god, there is no much of Tamil words in the song for Anushika to kill with her vocal swords, even then she sounds odd in this track.
“Vanamunna” is a typical fusion of folk and gana. Shankar Mahadevan with his usual high pitch singing along with Sriram does their part well to uplift the song. Frankly speaking I use to skip this track always after hearing the usual beats in the prelude.
“En Asai Maithiliyae” is a remixed song of an already hit number. To play it safe, they have gone to remix an already hit gana song instead of making a new one as there is hardly anything left to try something new in these kinds of songs. Definitely the song will make the front benchers to dance but it lacks any creative inputs and even the beats are kept the same. The catchy line “Thana Tharanan” is the highlight of the song for which even Yuvan can’t take credit of. Yuvan’s previous remix attempt for “Aasai Nooruvagai” was much better than this. It is a rerecorded song with different vocals and lyrics rather than a remixed song.
“Kathal Valathen” is the only note worthy number in this album. But even this song makes me to wonder whether Yuvan is running out of ideas because the background beats and the rhythm of this song is same as that of “Poi Solla”. The orchestrations are good but we have to wait and watch to know how well these orchestrations are going to uplift the visuals.
Rating: 2.5 stars
And here follows the actual review of the music album written after watching the movie
Yuvan’s music is the biggest asset of the movie “Manmadhan” and one of the main reasons for its success. Yuvan is emerging as a successful composer who knows the pulse of the youth well.
“Thathai Thathai” song is a foot tapping introductory number mixed with rap by Blaaze. The tune played in the keyboard that starts the track is good and catchy and you can hear it anywhere in the streets as it has become a favorite mobile ring tone of many. The chorus part in the interludes is good. Even in his 70’s Vaalee is able to come with such youthful lyrics and his play of words though meaningless is enjoyable. Simbu is a good singer too, though not sweet his voice is flawless.
“Manmadhanae” is a sweet melody with good orchestrations. The orchestration in the prelude is excellent and it well sounds the excitement of Jyothika. The beats are mild and song deviates from “Chanakya” hang over after first few lines. Sadhana’s Tamil pronunciation has improved and she gives a special touch to the song with her rendition. The lyrics by Snehan are straight, simple and good.
My opinion about “Oh Mahirae” song remains the same even after watching the movie because this song doesn’t feature in the movie.
“Vanamunna” song is a folk number in IR style. The prelude with beats mixed with church bell sounds gives a grand opening to the song. The interludes are good with traditional folk instruments and chorales. Lyrics are average. Both Shankar and Sriram have done full justice to the song.
“En Aasai Maithiliyae” is a remixed number with Simbu and Suchitra replacing the original voices. Suchitra’s voice is extremely bad while singing. She is a misfit for this song. Simbu on the other side does his part well. The percussion arrangements at the end though a routine stuff is good while watching with Simbu and Jyothika dancing to it with perfect synch and rhythm. An enjoyable song but Yuvan can’t take any credit for this song though he has done something to make it suit for the present generation.
“Kathal Valathen” is an excellent song with K.K’s expressive rendition, melodious simple tune and grand orchestration in the interludes. The violin orchestrations in the interlude and at the end gels well with and uplift the visuals in the movie. His minimal usage of synthesizers playing the theme adds beauty to the song. Na.Muthukumar is the most promising lyricist now and his poetic lines add beauty to this song.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
After reading my two perspectives on this album, I would like to ask you all a question. What made me to like the songs so much after watching the movie? I can’t understand how one can have extreme opinions about a song / music before and after watching the visuals. The songs are not even situational ones to justify my opinion. This is not the first time I am experiencing this. In the recent past, I had such extreme opinions on the music of “New”. Music buffs, come up with an answer for this.
