Thanks Madhavan. I enjoy writing, especially about ARR and his music. Wish I
had more time to do so. But if you think that these kind of write-ups are the
fuel to the group, then I must say that the positive vibrations I get to see
from most members of this group (especially when an ARR's album is released) is
what makes me to produce the little fuel that I'm able to.
--- On Thu, 8/5/10, Madhavan Rajan <rsamadhu2...@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Madhavan Rajan <rsamadhu2...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [arr] A.R.Rahman- the epitome of a true music virtuoso
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2010, 4:13 AM
Thanks for sharing your experiences here!!!...Enjoyed reading the whole
thing...Please write more and more...These kind of write-ups are like fuel to
this group that drives this group continuously. ..
On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 12:11 PM, Gayathri <gayathri_ck17@ yahoo.com> wrote:
With the heavy workload for the
past 1 month, I hardly had any time to spend on myself…no movies, no hangouts
with friends, no chatting and/or interacting on the net, and no music :( So,
when the last of
my assignments were sent in last Friday, my mind was all set to embrace the
activities that I've missed thus far.
Call it fate, but Endhiran's
audio release was set at a time when I desired the much-needed emancipation
from the maddening world…and boy, what a relief it brought to my life.
Honestly speaking, I wasn't expecting
much from Endhiran soundtracks. Western, particularly techno music has never
been my favorite. Why, even when the whole world went ga-ga over the funky Hello
Doctor and Kalloori Salai (when Kadhal Desam was released), I've been more moved
by the blissful Thendrale and Anbe Anbe from the same film. And with the kind
of film Enthiran was anticipated to be, I was very sure that there weren't
going to be any soulful melodies in the tracks. Nevertheless, Enthiran is
definitely an album which stands tall among others, even as it continues to
create
a delightful impact on the listeners.
Leaving the musical aspect of the
album to the experts, I'm merely here to share my experience with the album.
The album starts out with Puthiya Manidha, which also happens to be my
favourite track. The prelude music, coupled the chanting of "Puthiya Manidha"
in sci-fi tune (who is this guy?) and Kathijah's soulful voice creates a certain
anticipation in yourself. Well, if you know ARR's music, then you'll definitely
know that this number is just going to get bigger! And before you could stop
thinking, the song hits you like a bang! SPB pushes into the front lane and with
the occasional support from ARR, delivers a splendid performance. And yes, the
whole song has a techno feel to it, but it's far from being loud and noisy.
There's a life in this song, a soul waiting to embrace the world…and by the end
of the song, you know that Enthiran has born to rule the world.
Kadhal Anukkal didn't create an
impact on the first listen as Puthiya Manidha did to me. To begin with, it took
me some time to realize that it's Vijay Prakash who delivering the number. Is
he the same guy who sang Hossanna? He definitely sounds different. At times, I
even
felt that he was imitating Udit Narayan's way of singing. Maybe he's not but I
certainly wasn't taken by his singing nor the song….at first. With repeated
hearing, you realize what you've missed at the first listen. Sounds you've
never heard before, the cheekiness in Vijay's voice, the joy in Shreya's and a
positive
vibrancy in the whole number. The song sound fresher after numerous hearing.
It's
my fault for dismissing Vijay too soon. He was amazing. Shreya was at her usual
best, and leaves a distinguished mark with the way she loops around the notes
at the end of the song. Wish she had continued singing the notes a little
longer. I still don't listen to this
number as much as I enjoyed listening to Puthiya Manidha, but yes, this is
definitely
a track to look out for.
ARR switches back to techno with Irumbile
oru Idhayam. The song exudes sci-fi and techno music at its best. Was I
thinking that this would be soulful? A definite no, but surprisingly and
funnily, it is. The whole idea about this number is to project a man who feels
love
blossoming from his heart of steel. ARR uses the right techno sounds to present
the number. The high technology, sci-fi tune depicts the robot's inflexion,
while the lyrics, regardless of how funny or techno centric they are, illustrate
his feelings towards his lover.
In fact, I would group Irumbile
Oru Idhayam in the same category of Chitti Dance Showcase and Boom Boom Robo
Da. They are definitely exciting; with amazing, crisp, clear, sci-fi sounds
nevertheless, I failed to strike a chord with any of them. With the right
visuals though, these songs would definitely create a rage in future, but for
the time being, they stay at the bottom of my favorite track list.
Arima Arima on the other hand
belongs to a different genre. I must admit that the number has yet to grow on
me but I'm starting to have a fondness on the grandiose that the number exudes.
After a long time, Hariharan is back to ARR's camp…and as usual, he deals the
high notes with élan. Sadhana Sargam on the other hand, is someone I prefer to
hear in softer melodies. For some reasons, I always found her voice to be a
little
annoying when sung in the higher notes. Then again, the arrangement of music in
this number takes the front line as compared to the vocals. Such high-flying
orchestration, such perfect crafting. The song belongs to neither Hariharan nor
Sadhna Sargam…this one belongs to the one and only ARR!
Kilimanjaro is a surprise package
in this album. It's a result of tribal music meeting modern melody. Both Javed
Ali and Chinmayi seem to have loads of fun with this track. They sure sound
different from their other numbers, Chinmayi especially. In fact, I must
confess that I always had difficulties recognizing Chinmayi's voice. This could
serve as both advantage and disadvantage to her. Advantage in which she keeps
proving that she's good in presenting various style in her singing. And
disadvantage in the sense of losing her
identity. I mean, each singer have their distinctive styles and voice
modulations. This difference is what sets them apart from one another. Of
course, failing to bring upon your own distinctive style is hardly seen as a
negative
aspect, nevertheless, failing to stamp your voice in the minds of listeners
will definitely be a disadvantage. Chinmayi should start focusing on bringing
upon different styles in her natural voice instead of changing her voice to
make it sound to something it's not.
Coming back to the song, I was
mighty impressed with the vocal and music arrangement. They have been done
tastefully and radiate a blooming presentation to the track.
As an album, Endhiran is
definitely not of my taste of music but it's also not an album with mere sounds
and technology. There's something
about the album which sparks a positive vibrations. There's no "Style Style" of
Sivaji or "No Problem" from Love Birds here. In fact, Endhiran's music
arrangement is something which is not only enriching but inspiring as well. And
it's only made possible by ARR. With Endhiran, ARR has once again proven why
he's
the epitome of music virtuoso- he has practically revolutionize the current
music
scene, escalating it to such greater heights, that it will be highly impossible
for other musicians to climb, let alone touch the peak the music is brought to.
Endhiran may not be my most favorite albums but I'm certainly glad to have
lived to hear them.
Gayathri
--
Cheers,
Madhavan.R
Be a Music Fan; not a Music Pirate!
