Back after two years, almost to the date! Sorry to take
so long to write, but I hope to finally be more regular with this. And with
that, on to business!
I heard O Kadhal Kanmani (OKK) during
a journey and, within the day, had heard it 4-5 times again - such was the
power of the album. ARR has done an excellent job of bringing together a
classical base with a very modern feel, and it works wonders here. I was
completely inspired to write about it (and had time to kill too!) so here's the
detailed review:
Kaara Aattakkaara: The song starts the album on a
fresh and high note. The refrain is immediately catchy, and the hiphop portions
and rapping get your feet and hands tapping! Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam,
Darshana and Shashaa Tirupati do a great job of giving the song the right feel.
There is also one very small instrumental piece around the 2.25 mark, which I
absolutely loved! The entire piece has put together so well.
Aye Sinamika: The beauty of this song is evident
within 30 seconds of Karthik's singing. A simple guitar strum (with a small
flute portion) builds up as it goes to the refrain "nee ennai
neengaade" till it has full-fledged beats - it is just magic. The
structure of the song is also very different, and these three words are
repeated with so many variations, yet it never bores (which is saying a lot
because it is repeated for about a minute!). The chorus pieces in between are
very good too.
Parandhu Sella Vaa: The song has a background sound
created from a bass guitar and voices. Wikipedia tells me that it was composed
using the iPad app 'Loopy' to have the continuous background sounds playing. It
is so interesting though, what has been done with the foreground sounds in the
song - the tune does not follow the exact beats; instead it takes on a shape of
its own, and combines different kinds of sounds to give it a fusion feel - a
little classical, a little reggae! Shashaa Tirupati and Karthik are excellent.
Mental Manadhil: The minute the first techno beats
played for Mental Manadhil, I was hooked. The lyrics are written by ARR
himself, with Mani Ratnam, and they are very 'chill'. Sung also by ARR, with
supporting vocals by Jonita Gandhi, the song is already a huge hit. The power
and appeal of the song, though, comes from the instrumentation more than the
singing - it is just imaginative and different. A fun, peppy number!
Naane Varugiren: Sung by Shashaa Tirupati and Sathya
Prakash, the song has a Carnatic base, and gives Shashaa ample scope to show
off her singing chops. The beginning of the song combines excellent singing
from her with a funky, modern beat that leads to the part sung by Sathya
Prakash, that just lifts the song even more. The composition is complicated,
the beats are eclectic, the lyrics are eloquent, and when the full impact of
the song hits, it hits hard!
Theera Ulaa: The song builds with building techno
beats and a sound like waves, with ARR singing the refrain in a vocoded voice.
Nikita Gandhi joins in to make it a superb harmonization, which is further
enhanced when it delves into a Carnatic based segue, sung by Shashaa Tirupati.
The use of instruments and background vocals is brilliant. It is an intricate
composition - utterly imaginative in its treatment, and it ends on the same
high note as it began.
Mental Manadhil (Female): This is the female version
of the song, sung by Jonita Gandhi. The variations she has brought in here are
so exciting and keep the song different from the male version, while retaining
the same tune. Jonita sings with a sort of abandon that gives the song an even
more free feel.
Malargal Kaettaen: Pulling back to the classical base
is this beautiful song. I think this would rank as one of my top favourites
sung by K.S.Chithra - and there are so many of her songs I adore. The flute use
along with the ganjira is extremely beautiful. The composition is simple and
focused on melody, and the lyrics are so poetic too. ARR sings too, at the end
of the song, and he has done a superb job with the classical singing (much
better than I thought he could sing, to be honest!). Overall my pick for
favourite from the album.
Maula Wa Sallim: A traditional Sufi number sung by
ARR's son, A.R.Ameen, sounds like a prayer. The structure is simple, with mild
choral singing backing the lead. The young man does an excellent job of the
Urdu lyrics, and the elegance of the prayer works very well.
Overall, OKK might not be an ARR classic in the same mould
as a Bombay, Taal or Rockstar, but it is a solid album with some very nice
situational songs. ARR's introduction of new singers works well, but Malargal
Kaettaen by Chithra is the best song of the album. The experimentation with
newer instruments is also a hit with me!
