Nice review Chord & Wiredbeats... Reading your reviews is also a learning 
experience for me :)

Thanks,
Srini


On 03-Aug-2010, at 7:54 AM, AJ wrote:

> Enthiran Music Review
> 
> I decided to write this review sooner than I thought due to the songs having 
> a more instant impact and having listened to the whole album at least 15 
> times since it came out. Further time is not going to change my opinions. My 
> comments are only on the music, not the lyrics.
> 
> I wonder if we really understand and appreciate the difficulty of Rahman's 
> job, no matter how musically brilliant he is. He is human after all, and not 
> a robot. He has to keep in mind so many expectations and demands, esp. when 
> you have a leading film-maker and superstar with his own fan 
> following….Rajinikant. Post Oscars, the expectations for Rahman have only 
> grown and I truly wonder how he manages to rise to the occasion each time, 
> whether we ourselves like an album or not. With Shankar and Rajinikant at 
> hand, boy, Rahman must try to keep a lot of people happy all at once, yet 
> creating music fitting for the movie that's supposed to have sci fi, robo 
> themes! If there's anyone who can do justice to these demands, it's Rahman. 
> The hype around the music release of this album is one of the biggest I've 
> seen in a while…..touted as one of the finest films, most expensive films, 
> etc.
> 
> Pudiya Manidha whisks us away to a land of robos and futuristic sci fi, and 
> man, does it ever leave a mark! One of the sleekest masterpieces Rahman has 
> ever come out with in my opinion, this song oozes with etherealness, groove, 
> punch, mystery, intrigue, and trance. This track takes me to another world 
> truly with Rahman's sweet touches….crystal, progressive synth sound effects, 
> warm ambiance, loopy synths, and the ever soothing and captivating string 
> arrangements. Post Khatija Rahman's soulful singing and bleating goat sounds, 
> the song picks up speed with rhythms and SPB's spritely singing. Notice how 
> the strings mimic the synth loop melody, only adding depth and character to 
> an already richly bestowed track. Based loosely on raaga Bhimpalas, the song 
> takes a soaring route during the heavenly string interlude. Beautiful choral 
> additions are appreciated, adding a stark spirituality and sonic texture 
> along with SPB's split octave singing, creating a very balanced and 
> satisfying bass/treble aural experience on all frequencies. This track will 
> likely go down as one of my favorites in ARR's entire repertoire for the 
> reasons outlined above and for reasons I just can't put into words, but can 
> only feel and experience. For a techno/trance number, it's very spiritual in 
> feel! A complete masterpiece from start to finish, what a way to kick off!!!! 
> 
> A contrasting, more acoustic, upbeat and happier track follows as Shreya and 
> Vijay Prakash please us with lilting singing and joy in Kaadhal Annukal. 
> Rahman's use of rhythm acoustic guitar layered with the sweet accordion and 
> mouth organ/harmonica is extremely appealing aurally with incredible 
> sweetness! Beautiful interludes highlight this earthy and charming song with 
> a Scottish/Irish style using piccolo and accordion in the first, and a very 
> unconventional, out of the box mysterious and ambient synth section in the 
> second, showcasing ARR's brilliant creativity and craft. The second interlude 
> is truly outstanding as it gravitates away from the usual flowery mood and 
> organic sound and serves us something more electronic and spacey, but never 
> distracts the groove and momentum of the whole track! I just love how ARR 
> uses the strings so tastefully and craftily throughout the song creating a 
> very lush aural landscape, esp. in the end when Shreya's counter melodic line 
> joins in. A really sparkling track from start to finish for me and this song 
> just radiates freshness and innovativeness for an Indian film song. The 
> melody itself is very sweet with many hooks, though unconventional for an 
> Indian duet film song and at times hard to remember, but with repeated 
> exposures, I can't get this song out of me!! The whole song is beautifully 
> supported by a fresh, rhythmic groove that mostly unwavers alongside haunting 
> and unique chords and chord progressions. 
> 
> Following the very techno and synth heavy first track, how beautifully 
> contrasting we hear a very earthy and acoustic one in the second…..truly 
> showcasing ARR's versatility and genius in the first 2 tracks alone!!!
> 
> The third track, Irumbile Oru, is techno to the core, but sounding like an 
> ordinary remix to me! Marked by some sexy grooves and female rapping along 
> with ARR's metallic tinged voice, this track has not yet impressed me much 
> musically. Maybe if I understood the lyrics, I would appreciate it more, but 
> I did notice how the lyrics and words seem to flow quite well. I don't know 
> why Rahman did not do more musically with this track, esp. using a kind of 
> outdated techno sound that has been used over and over! As my friend put it, 
> "this track is a lost opportunity for Rahman" in terms of sound, but I can 
> see how the youngsters are enjoying it for its sheer rhythmic groove, lyrics, 
> word flow, and ARR's voice. Nothing more to write here!
> 
> ARR has a little fun in the next track, Chitti Dance Showcase, which begins 
> as a cheesy robotic voice…………………come on Rahman! You can do better! Why choose 
> a clichéd, stereotyped robotic sound that we've heard over and over? Once 
> again, Rahman using a very outdated sound! I can understand Rahman's attempt 
> to be obvious and literal as he needs to cater to the masses, but 
> still….there is no elevation of taste using these outdated and hackneyed robo 
> sounds! But, on the plus side, this track has its interesting and at times 
> brilliant moments, esp. with the beautiful and sweeping string and choral 
> interlude, but alas, only lasts about 10-15 seconds! We hear all sorts of 
> genres here….symphony, heavy metal, Indian tarana, but with jarring 
> transitions. Oh, and I also like that little whistling, jazzy insertion that 
> he put in there towards the end….showing the more humorous and playful side 
> to ARR! Nice touch there! 
> 
> We switch gears to a much more heavy sounding number, Arima Arima, with 
> Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam, 2 singers we haven't heard in a long time in a 
> Rahman's song! This track is full of valor and majesty, showcasing brass and 
> pomp with militarized drumming and a dose or distorted rock guitar to add 
> exclamation! I love Rahman's use of the symphonic strings in this song using 
> them to accent rhythms and intertwining them delicately at times in 16th note 
> fashion creating a beautifully crafted and intricate rhythmic and textured 
> backdrop to Hariharan's and Sadhana Sargam's passionate singing. I love some 
> of the operatic voices that are also used as transitional pieces. I also 
> loved that little 16th note synth insertion during one of the song's 
> transitions, adding energy to an already vibrant and punchy track! Did you 
> notice how the trumpet interlude totally changes the mood of the song as we 
> go into major scale? I love that part of the song!!!! The singing is semi 
> classical at times, esp. during the antaras, which I really appreciate. The 
> track both begins and ends with synth, creating an interesting contrast to 
> the much more acoustic and earthy majority of the song.
> 
> We go light in mood again with an African twist!!! Kilimanjaro is a real 
> treat with extremely catchy lyrics and spirited singing by Chinmayi and Javed 
> Ali! What a track! I love the mood of this whole song and the beautifully 
> authentic African vocal tribal interludes add only icing to the cake! I don't 
> know how Rahman created such an authentically earthy sound to the tribal 
> choral parts! This song is just brilliant and so crafty! I love how the crisp 
> tablas are used at times and the naughty singing by Chinmayi, who doesn't 
> sound her usual self, but very convincing! This raaga Malkauns based track is 
> punctuated by some very wholesome and crisp drumming, catapulting this track 
> forward with every step! Check out the rhythmic variations during many parts 
> of the song with added maracas (or another instrument) in double time, esp. 
> during the second tribal part. Let's not forget the playful "click click" 
> sound either, which is just perfectly placed! Rahman's versatility is simply 
> mindblowing!!!! 
> 
> The final track begins with Yogi B's "Boom Boom Robo Da" bit which repeats 
> kind of annoyingly through the rest of the song. I could have enjoyed this 
> song without that part, catchy as it is!!! Brass hits and funky techno beats 
> characterize this very rhythmic, colorful and varied track with multiple 
> musical genres in jazz, latin, rap, heavy metal, hip hop, etc. For a change, 
> it's nice to hear Yogi B, another rapper besides Blaaze, though no hard 
> feelings towards Blaaze! The antaras are quite melodiously sung as the 
> singing takes on a more semi classical turn in raaga Abhogi and occasionally 
> Bhairavi. I very much appreciate the second interlude Latin/Spanish sounding 
> section with the soothing female chorus and nice but brief acoustic Spanish 
> sounding guitar. There are more acoustic elements to this song too as what 
> sounds like a bright santoor plays an old fashioned melody in the beginning 
> and acoustic guitar plucking briefly as the other musical flavors melt away 
> for a brief bit during some later transitions. A patchwork track of sorts, 
> much like its predecessor in Chitti Showcase, it's quite entertaining to the 
> core with some splashes of sweet melody thrown in. Rahman's talent as a 
> musically genius craftsman really shines in this track.
> 
> So, another milestone in ARR's career if you ask me with heavyweights Pudhiya 
> Manidha, Kadhal Anukkal, Arima, and Kilimanjaro totally carrying this 
> soundtrack on all four of their shoulders. These 4 songs to me embody some of 
> Rahman's finest musical work to date in terms of composition, innovation, 
> sonic creativity, and mass and class appeal. This album would be worthy 
> enough with only these 4 songs on the table. The other 3 tracks have bright 
> moments contained within them, but seriously, the outdated and cheesy and 
> cliched robo/electro sounds of the 1980s are a big turn off for me and I am 
> quite disappointed by Rahman's choice here, also likely influenced by Pravin 
> Mani. I really wish that similar sound templates of the ambient textured, 
> progressive and futuristic sounds of Pudhiya Manidha would have been in more 
> abundance in the rest of the songs, but perhaps Shankar had a big say in this 
> to cater to more of the masses and Rajinikant fans and what fits in with the 
> film…..I don't know. As an album overall, it's qualitatively very 
> inconsistent to me and very gimmicky in parts, but with 4 brilliant songs in 
> the mix, I will surely be playing this very entertaining CD as well as the 
> Telugu and Hindi counterparts in heavy rotation for a long, long time to come!
> 
> Numeric Values:
> 7/10 – Compared to other Rahman albums (mostly for the 4 amazing songs I 
> talked about above)
> 9/10 – Compared to contemporary Indian film albums
> 
> Copyright by iChord 2010. No part of this writeup may be reproduced without 
> the sole written consent of this writer.
> 
> 

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