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kaalayilE maalai vanthathu - This is the song I finally warmed up to, but I saved for the best. I may end up listening to it endlessly for the rest of my life. This is a very special song. Initially I was put off for some minor reasons which we will come to it later, but there is much more than meets the eye in this composition. If I'd overlooked them, I would have not been at peace. When I was listening for first few times, as always my crude ears went on to nitpick, but I have to stop him doing that to explore more to bring out the joy in it. The song's soul is veena and nadhaswaram. Sound of veena was little sharp to my taste but ultimately I grew over it. I loved one interesting aspect in pallavi and anu-pallavi. I am not sure this is the first time. Once Saptaparna sings the pallavi for the first time with only veena and no percussion, the normal tendency is to repeat the same pallavi with the percussion and then move onto anu-pallavi. Maestro threw a big surprise by directly moving onto anu-pallavi (with percussion) without repeating the pallavi. இந்த வானமும் பூமியும் வாழ்த்து சொல்ல is Maestro's trademark convincing, complete, authoritative ending which no one else can replicate.

Bass lines even if it's synth is just terrific. Bass lines are heard clearly and move along nicely and independently with the tune. Nice groovy rhythm arrangements. I am not sure if you have heard this way, but the first thing which shook me off in this composition is the rhythm arrangements even more than the arrangements in ungappan pEra solli solli. It sounds like a standard 4/4 time signature and a straight-forward beat pattern, there is one unique 'clap' sound which occurs evenly. You can hear the clap sound clearly during the first interlude along with veena. I love this interlude. Here's why.

What I felt was, right from the anu-pallavi take off till the end of first interlude there is a larger scope to RAP. Just try putting a rap rhyme for this rhythm and it will perfectly fit like a 'T'. I can dare say, if it would have been any other music director, they would have surely introduced the rap rhymes for this rhythm pattern in this space to give the added pep and just to steal the attention (thereby spoiling the song), but Maestro cleverly avoided and he just gives us that feel implicitly without putting any horrible lyrics and bringing some horrible singer. He never hits you with that genre on your face. You have to go for it. That's the difference between a master composer and others. Did you ever feel this portion like that? If there is one genre I hate, that is RAP, but even there, when Maestro treats it differently, you cannot ignore or escape. That's the quality of mother. She knows how to give a bitter medicine and still we like it. As they say, rap is something you do, but hip hop is something you live. Rap is a genre, but hip hop is not, it is a sub culture. Rap can be negative and violent, but hip hop has happy attitude. He covers the negativity surrounding around RAP by playing the divine veena and positive lyrics and converting into a hip hop. The beat pattern following the veena will clearly establish the rap flavor in the song. He does all this on top of one of the most pleasing raagam, aabhEri. From the first lines I thought it was reetigowlai.

The way charanam melody is constructed proves yet another time why Maestro is the God of melody. He rushes the initial words; 'கண்களை நான்' and releases the rest of the words gradually one by one. By the time she sings என்ன அழகு we can feel the tension relieved. Beautiful, beautiful. Then in the third line she goes so high and extended, but it is more relaxed than the first two lines, then he comes back rushing for the remaining lines to land off in style; உனது இரு விழிகளில்  கதை எழுது. Nadhaswaram brings that aabhEri essence so well. I have never heard such a piece in Nadhaswaram in a long time. It takes the melody quotient to the highest possible pedestal that no one can reach. First time when I was just dissolving in this piece, it ended so soon. After a few seconds he brings it back again to a big surprise. I never imagined he would play that again. He reads our mind. Added to that, guitar and choir which bridges both these piece is a bonus. Another surprise he gave was, even Nadhaswaram was still playing Saptaparna started singing second charanam, that was a real googly. Who would have expected that?

Coming to some hiccups which could have been avoided. First I felt some words are over pronounced, I felt it could have caused some pain to those words. Especially the word வேளை, that word suffered a lot at the hands of the singer. Other words like வந்தேன், விட்டேன் et al, she pronounces almost like a 'வந்தேஅஎஅஎன்', I hope you got it. She sings வேணும் as வேணம், காத்திருந்த as காத்திருந்து. Some words I could not hear clearly, not sure if this is lyrical ambiguity or singing ambiguity. In second charanam there is a line; விருந்து கலந்து விருப்பம் உனதாக. Not sure if it is விரைந்து or விருந்து, so unclear. Same way சிற்றிடையில் வீணை இருக்கு or வீணை எதுக்கு? These reasons took away some bhaavam. But I love when she sings that புல்லாங்குழலாய் மாறும் போது, she sang 'போது' brilliantly, but her voice becomes thin at higher octaves. But she is damn clear when she sings கணக்கு and உனக்கு, every time she got it right. Sorry about that, but I got over it. ;)She is way better than any other debut singers. She will get better and better. One big plus point is she got a beautiful voice and she is a better singer than any new comer. Lyrically I don't see much sync between successive lines, it is good and just sits on the tune beautifully, but otherwise it is not that great except for the starting lines and few lines in charanam.

This song is a total riot. Full of positive energy with bright melody. It is a shame to call it an innovation, it is an invention. When the song's sweetness lie in the melody construction, equal sweetness lie in the surprising (synth) orchestration, especially synth veena and real nadhaswaram. These two hold the melody beautifully like pillars, with the basement holding these two pillars strongly with stunning bass lines. The walls and roof are constructed by the indian classical idiom called Aabheri. The windows are wide open like a 'RAP' portion to let in the 'singing air' inside to lit the home with auspicious atmosphere. The home is thus named Maestro ILaiyaraaja and Maestro calls us inside fondly.