Thanks everyone for reading my reviews and your kind comments. I write reviews not expecting praise or attention...it's a hobby for me and I do it for my own self expression and satisfaction. If anyone is patient enough to read my reviews and write a kind comment, that is bonus to me.
My reviews tend to be long and verbose, I know that. I like to be very descriptive about the songs, explaining what I like and why I like it, pointing out a lot of details. I'm sorry if my reviews are not the most reader friendly! I simply don't have time to go back and edit them and make them more concise. Please forgive me for this. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Kalyan K <kalyan...@...> wrote: > > Nice review Chord...But i love irumbile too..Hope it will grow on you in > coming days. > > Kalyan K. > > On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 6:33 PM, Roshan <c.pix...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > Nice review, Chord. took some time to read the whole thing though. > > although i couldn't like the whole album. i do agree with the Puthiya > > Manidha. This one has really grown on me. > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 6:41 AM, AJ <purev...@...> wrote: > > > >> > >> > >> Gopal, > >> > >> Please add the following to my original post title: 1100110 > >> > >> Please resubmit. Thanks. > >> > >> --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, > >> "AJ" <purevibz@> 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. > >> > > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > > ----------------------------------- > > http://roshanravi.com > > http://ramblingsoul.com > > http://cssheaven.org > > > > > > >
