Movie: I
Cast: Vikram,Amy Jackson,Upen Patel
Director: Shankar
Music director: A.R.Rahman
Well, I am back with yet another Rahman album for review. Shankar-Rahman combo have been one of the best right from the 90s. Let's see how the songs have turned up.
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1.Mersalaayitten-Anirudh Ravichander,Neeti Mohan
The epic album begins with this techno-ish number which has 'Chennai baasha' lyrics by Kabilan. Rahman has composed one sort of a track that leaves you in a trance after it ends. It gives you an overall ethereal feeling and the repetitive 'Mersalaayitten' is pleasing to the ears. Anirudh has done a fabulous job with his freestyle rendition and Neeti Mohan sparkles with her cameo. The violin in the interlude carries Rahman's signature all over. Splendid start to the soundtrack!
2.Ennodu Nee Irundhaal-Sid Sriram,Sunitha Sarathy
Sid Sriram who enthralled us with his 'Adiye' is back with this beautiful slow rock number. The track's mellowed beginning paves way for Sid to take over with complete energy. The haunting chorus, soft beats and the flute in the interlude turn the number into an unimaginable one that only Rahman can compose. Sunitha Sarathy makes a dashing entry in the last part. Though short, her rendition leaves you wanting for more. This song will definitely blow your soul away!
3.Ladio-Nikita Gandhi
A club song that has an international appeal and is sure to rock the dance floors soon. It seems like an intro song for the lead lady. The transition of rhythm in the interlude adds spice to the track. Madhan Karky peeps in with his gibberish yet extraordinary lyrics, applying all the techniques of lyric engineering. Nikita Gandhi croons this energetic number with an abundant amount of zeal in her voice.
4.Pookkalae Sattru Oyivedungal-Haricharan,Shreya Ghoshal
And here comes the fantastic track of the album! Right from the beginning, this romantic number sweeps your feet away. Rahman has kept the tune as simple as possible with the only support being the singers and the instrumentation. Usually, Rahman's songs need time to grow on you but this one instantly hooks on to you in the first listen. Haricharan is Rahman's new found sensation who makes an appearance in almost all of his albums nowadays. And he keeps on adding feathers to his cap with chartbusters! No words to say about Shreya Ghoshal as she is wonderful as ever. Karky has yet again proved that he is an eclectic lyricist as he makes the usage of the syllable 'I' in different ways. Chartbuster for sure!
5.Aila Aila-Aditya Rao,Natalie Di Luccio
Well, Rahman gets into a global mode with this rocking number. The opening itself gives you an outline of the entire song. It's difficult to categorize this track as the beats sway from samba to that of desi in the second interlude. Natalie Di Luccio, the Canadian singer, croons the Opera parts of the song with ease while Aditya Rao sings like an experienced singer. This is one of the next generation numbers which Rahman introduces with this album.
6.Ennodu Nee Irundhaal (Reprise)-Chinmayi,Sid Sriram
The reprise version of the mindblowing song is exquisite in all the ways. Rahman feeds soft guitar strums to complement Chinmayi's honey-dipping voice. Her whispery rendition serves as an icing on the top of the cake. Sid Sriram makes a late appearance giving the much needed perfect completion for this love ballad. Another gem from Rahman!
7.Mersalaayitten (Remix)-Anirudh Ravichander,Neeti Mohan
A foot-tapping remix of the original version. This one will also find a place in the dance floors as it is overloaded with techno beats and much more digitalization of the orchestration. Addictive on the whole!
Verdict:
Well, you have been missing that 'Rahman' right? Yes, he is back with Shankar's I. Each and every song is precious in it's own manner. With the onset of 90s, Rahman introduced a new sound to the music industry. Then in the 2000s he added the second dimension to Indian music. And with this album, Rahman adds the third dimension by moving on to next gen music!
Rating: *****
Picks:
All songs