...and a broad perspective and appreciation for different genres of music. Those who pan Rahman's music to me are automatically narrow minded. ARR and some of his colleagues are challenging the junta to look beyond typical romantic song ballads of yore. It's a musical paradigm shift, esp. up North, still in process and is bound to be met with resistance by the common man at times. Yuvvraaj is a perfect example of this paradigm shift, where new, nuanced, dynamic aspects of music are being brought forth in a Hindi industry typically dominated by lovey dovey surface songs and hard and heavy beats. I find individual Indians to be very narrow minded at times, while India as a whole is open to new sounds and influences. Shankar Ehsaan and Loy are also part of this musical paradigm shift with albums like Rock On, which demand a different type of ear. But, more than any other MD, I feel that Rahman's music is the most appreciated by all ages, from the youth to the elderly.
Rahman's older music is appreciated more because it was new back then, novel sound, had more emphasis on rhythm and was more instantly catchy, but less nuanced, and is quite nostalgic from today's perspective. Judgement of older material is always confounded by nostalgia. Rahman continues to push the creative envelope, emboldening a visionary approach to music that should challenge pre- conceived, stereotyped notions of what is and is not good music. I appreciate that he is trying to uphold higher standards of music appreciation amongst music lovers and trying to broaden people's minds. He has done this from day 1.
