Raja's New Albums

I am so predictable - 'en dEvadhai' on loop, after listening to all the tracks once
(nAdi thudikkudhadi)

The other songs are nice too, with predictable "qualifiers" as mentioned in Sureshji's review

Once again, I'm so much of a stereotype in appreciating rAsA songs

As I'm a "not-so-easy-to-change-opinion-on-repeat-listens-after-at-least-one-clear-voluntary-listen" kind of person (i.e. in the case of TFM where I consider my taste pretty much refined), I'm very sure this album doesn't give me the high of CNC

More than a year late - but still should post here my musings on dhOni songs that are getting played frequently on car rides in the recent weeks...

It's a very different album and shows the guts of director / producer Prakash Raj to go for such 'thaththuvam' based songs in this time period and era when nobody cares for such



All are definitely above average to good kind of songs! However, due to the genre of such numbers, none of them are designed to give one "high" (no energetic ones or extra-emotional ones..,May be the duet sung to the child is an exception but even that is somewhat philosophical rather than emotional IMHO).

For that reason (little bit more of emotional thookkal), my personal top pick is the 'chinnakkaNNilE' duet - Shreya is awesome in the song and the male voice is not bad either (though far far behind her but with limited participation that helps). The song is a pleasure right from the start with lovely melody (tune could easily be one of those likeable 70's MSV songs or 'chinnakkuyil pAdum' style rAsA numbers of 80's) and sweet orchestration, in addition to SG who excels!

thAviththAvi comes next, with the well-suited rAsA voice and one gets a nandhalAlA feel. Very soothing number.

vAngum paNaththukkum has this unusual rhythm, which is not a "running" type by design but enjoyable nevertheless. Sorry to say I'm not a fan of SPB's singing in this number May be I've heard him too much in his glorious days and here he sounds nothing special. And the low-class-thaththuva-lines do not help either. It's the rhythm / chords and such rAsA sweetness that carries the song thru. Still, easily >70% marks that not many songs of current composers can get.

veLyAttA padagOtti is a terrific number (mild tinge of sOgam hits corner of one's heart). Sweet melody and lovely orchestration. (For some reason, 'karai kANA kadal ala mElE' of nAdOdikkAtRu plays in my mind each time I hear this song. It must be my nostalgia connection but musical experts can explain if there is any other connect to that Shyam MD-ed Sathyan Anthikkad movie's song).

I haven't heard the Hariharan version of it but only Shreya's. It's no secret I love her voice and singing in general but in this song, she is a little bit lazy IMHO. முழுசும் மூக்காலயே பாடுற மாதிரி தோணுது. Hopefully it was some distraction on the day of recording

Overall, an above average album - a very different one (like nandha lAlA) for the era!

All are definitely above average to good kind of songs!



Overall, an above average album



app-engine,


The diversity in the taste of fans of raaja's music amuses me sometimes. I rate Dhoni as one of his best albums in the last few years. And two songs heavily tilt my opinion towards the keywords such as "Best", "Classy" etc. "Vilayaatta Padagotti" and that SPB song. Vilaayatta Padagotti - I prefer both versions in equal measure. Hariharan's rendition is top notch and Shreya Ghoshal added a slight folksy touch with some nasal accent and some gamakas. I have said this before and I will say again - Hariharan is extremely underrated by Raaja fans, while in reality, he has got some of the best compositions from Raaja in the last 10 years. I dont know why many Raaja fans see Hariharan in the "Oh he is another singer from ARR's troupe" light only. Much more than ARR, I think it is Raaja who gave some soulful melodies to Hariharan (including in the recent Malayalam film Puthiya Theerangal). While fans praise usual Raaja's singers such as Shreya Ghoshal or Karthik etc., Hariharan still did not get his due from raaja's fans, despite a good number of songs and also nice renditions. I can clearly see a pattern in the way Raaja chooses him for certain kind of songs and it is very good that Raaja calls Hariharan only for such kind of songs. Vilayaatta Padagotti is one of the finest compositions in Raaja-hariharan combo. 

SPB song has lot of zing. I loved his rendition and as such the whole composition. That wonderful guitar work and peculiar rhythm - thats a Raaja which somehow the world fails to take notice, today. 

Overall, Dhoni was a fantastic album for me. I'd rate it above Mayilu and couple of other albums actually.

Kamalaakarsh,



May be I expected a fast-beatsy number in a cricketer-named album / movie   Or an emotionally-charged song...which is definitely missed in the album. Also, there's no romance ( my top-preference-genre)...

BTW, I only mentioned "didn't hear Hariharan" version (and correspondingly have no opinion about it  )

In any case, I definitely rate him ABOVE Karthik, despite my not-so-great-personal-like for both singers

My issues with HH are mostly related to his rough treatment of language at times and emotional disconnect to the words he sings. (Definitely has nothing to do with his successes with ARR / Deva. Actually, I don't like most of those songs either.)

My pulambals w.r.t. most male singers from late-80's & afterwards are related to "expressions" (in addition to lack of manliness in voices themselves in most cases, though HH in an exception there)...

It may sound funny to note a "close-to-50" fellow preferring energy-emotion-romance genres to thaththuvam business

May be I'm still "young-at-heart"

Incidentally I played the Dhoni CD yesterday after a while.

Chinna KaNNilE the rhythm loop brings it down. And Naresh Iyer really struggles. But that does not mean I don't listen to it, its still one of my favorites.

Vaangum PaNaththukkum - I really love what he has done with the guitars in this. Great platform for SPB to belt away. And I like the lyrics too. Perfectly capturing the mood of the film. Even the film does an excellent job in portraying middle-class life. The first half was really good. 

Thaavi thaavi - Somehow I feel Raaja sounds younger in Nilachoru than this. Orchestra (minus the rhythms) is superb.

ViLaiyaatta Padagotti - Such a lovely tune. No issues with Shreya's singing and I am one of those who skip Hariharan's version.

app,

I will go with Aakarsh and say that 'Dhoni' cannot be categorized as 'above average'. It is an album which will achieve classic status. BTW,@aravindmano on twitter said that two songs of 'Dhoni' make it better than NEPV  I don't hold that viewpoint but yes, 'Dhoni' is an outstanding album.

My favorite in that is 'thaavi thaavi'. The tune and orchestration intermingle perfectly in this one and precisely create the atmosphere that is needed for the movie. The other three songs are lovely as well, with @dagalti saying that his mind was playing 'chinna kannile' when he had bid goodbye to his nephew who was visiting him. When I songs connects to your real life, you know it has hit its target.

Aakarsh,

Hariharan under Rahman and under Raja is like two different singers  His voice, his style are a perfect match for Rahman's style of tuning. He does struggle under Raja and it is apparent in many songs. That is why many people don't rate him very high under Raja's music. Added problem is that Raja has sung versions of the same song that he has sung and the difference is very disconcerting. As app says, many a times Hariharan doesn't know how to pronounce the words. Works well under Rahman but not under Raja!!  Similarly the emotional disconnect does exist in his singing but there have been exceptions like the brief song in 'Chal Chale' and 'aaro paadunnu dhoori', in which the intended emotions come out well.

Atleast I can speak for myself and say that I don't have any antipathy towards Hariharan because he came Rahman's camp.  I just feel he is a very overrated singer whenever I hear him under Raja and feel he is a decent singer when I heard him under Rahman and others !!!

Suresh, app_engine,

Hmm.. Then I think 'language pronunciation' is the key issue here. I cannot speak for it because i dont understand the language. That is perhaps one reason why I can listen to Raaja-HH combo without any issues. As for emotions in singing, i understand what you are trying to say. But then, that is an aspect that is partially, if not completely, connected to lyrics again. I mean, is it something that about the emotions that he is unable to display for songs in which lyrics point at those emotions? if it is so, again, i cannot speak for that. If it is emotions that are not related to lyrics at all, then i think he is decent enough. Probably the way you people (and most raaja fans) see HH is different from the way I see him (because I dont understand tamil). For me, HH is all about that voice and the suitability of that voice to a certain raaja's tune. Forget Raaja or ARR or any other composer. As such, i like HH's voice. it is a very majestic voice that is suitable only to a certain kind of songs. His is not a all-rounder voice like SPB. But a hatke voice... apt for ghazals (his forte), non-fast evocative songs. Give a right tune for his voice and the composition feels aptly justified. Like say, Ismail Darbar's "Jhonka Hawa ka Aaj bhi". I feel Raaja has been giving some very good numbers perfect for his voice. The Pudhiya Theerangal song for example - extremely underrated song IMO. Or song in Dhoni. Or even songs such as "Unnai Thedi Vennila" (a song that came a decade ago?). 

I dont know about pronunciation etc. But as such, the combination of that baritone voice with a beautiful (suitable) tune makes a great impact. Thats where Raaja-HH combination scores well for me.

Nice to hear your views on Naadi thudikkudhadi App saar.
Right now the whole album is on a repeat loop.. 
The mixing and the sound layers in this album beats CNC.
The melodic and orchestral variation of this album is also fantastic.
After getting used to the coarse sounding start for ooh lalla - the song is a total delight - the rhythm
patterns and layers are uniquely and delectably arranged, the second charanam interlude is 
 so fun!! The song somewhat reminds me (in charanam tune) the song by Maragadhamani in 
a telugu movie (*in chakravarthy and maheshwari - class roomlo .. guru - i am missing a few words here kamalakarsh or 
suresh help cheyandi). In a proper sound system the rhythm experimentation by raaja simply sounds gorgeous.
My elder daughter is a fan of Raaja Rock Kaadhale Illaadha dhesam, My wife loves the melodies. 
All in all a wholesome album!!
I read something about vanakkuyile from priyanka in another thread - En poo nenjai - construction is motivated by 
vanakkuyile - kinda song that trips over its own contours melodically... Supezhb!!

So, overall, my personal ranking of rAsA's recent albums heard :

#1 NEPV
#2 CNC
#3 dhOni
#4 mayilu
#5 nAdi thudikkudhadi

Obviously, my opinion(s) could change after a few years...but definitely not in the near future

Raaga_Suresh

   About singers in general, there is something I observe with Raja about mainstream singers that he chooses. There are always exceptions and Raja uses many one-off singers. It is important to see how his preferences have changed over the years. He had one yardstick in the 80s and he changed things after the 90s.

  For a mainstream singer, Raja's yardstick was, their ability to get out of their comfort zone, understand his compositions and breathe life into it. Four examples: a) Take a CCM artist like Yesudas and test his flexibility with En Iniya Pon Nilave and Uravugal Thodarkathai - he passes with flying colors and delivers to his expectations - he turns mainstream 2) Take a natural singer like SPB and get him to sing CCM heavy songs such as the Kadhal Oviyam songs or Vandhal Mahalakshmiye or Kalai Nera Poonguyil - he passes with flying colors and delivers to his expectations - he turns mainstream  3) Take a singer like Janaki who is a traditional melody singer and turn her to do disco , glides, pop and every other genre - she passes with flying colors and delivers to his expectations - she turns mainstream 4) Take a CCM artist like Chithra and test her with songs such as Ethetho Ennam Valarthaen or Oho Megam Vandhadhe which are light and WCM driven - he passes with flying colors and delivers to his expectations - she turns mainstream.

  With Chitra, Raja did not try all the things he did with Janaki - glides, disco, pop etc.  He did try his usual techniques with Vani Jayaram also (Vaa Vaa Pakkam Vaa) and she did succeed. Somehow the partnership did not pan out.

  Try applying the same yardstick to Unnikrishnan or Hariharan. Unni did not get much opportunities, though he did reasonably well with Maalai yen Vedanai (Sethu) or Maharajanodu (Sathi Leelavathi) which are outside his comfort zone. Take the ghazal singer from Mumbai and get him to sing a modern CCM piece - Meetatha Oru Veenai - he struggles. He easily navigates Unnai Thedi Vennila or Ennai Thaalata VaruvaaLa. Raja uses Hari like many other singers. He is not mainstream for Raja as Raja himself has very few projects compared to his 70s and 80s. His strategy around new singers is at best confusing. Hari continues to be the last singer who got a Raja film where he sang all the songs (Kasi).

  Having said that, Raja does not create songs for Hari as a VS, ARR or Deva would do. It is the Raja brand that matters, not the singers brand. When this applied to even the mighty KJY, SPB and SJ, it applies to all. Raja's use of PS has been not with any strategy.

  My only complaint about Raja is, he did not use SPB after 2000 much. While one can argue that Raja composition will prevail regardless of the singer, most of his magic has been unleashed thanks to SPB for the past 3 decades. Nobody has such a depth of understanding of what Raja wants. Every time I hear 'Pudhucheri Kucheri' sad version from Singara Velan,  it reconfirms my theory. Try imagining some other singer for that song. Balu goes very pensive to start with, breaks down, and finally sobs - all new singers must try and sing this song with the same emotion and breath control as SPB. He is the only one who can amplify what is in Raja's mind. The song is not difficult to sing, but every nuance that SPB does, is! I do not think any composer can get a better singer than him.

I've got over the initial shock of 'puththam pudhukkAlai' remix thingy and now started looking forward to this mEghA album!

(And, I can't believe I'm waiting longingly for an album where Yuvan is the main singer There's definitely another 'sAyndhu sAyndhu' in the making there - well, may be even a more melodious one! )

Ravi,

Very nice and original thought there of Raja trying to get singers out of their comfort zone. You can apply that Malaysia Vasudevan as well. Someone who is thought to be rustic and a folk singer is made to sing songs like 'kodai kaala katre' and 'alli thandha bhoomi'. Similarly he made Swarnalatha not only sing the sensual numbers but also some touching numbers as well. Regarding his use of SPB and SJ, a Telugu music director, Madhavapeddi Suresh, said, Illayaraja was born to ensure that the talent of SPB and SJ is exploited to the hilt !! Definitely he gave the best to all these singers. 

As you pointed out Raja gave Hariharan something like 'meetadha oru veenai' and the struggle is clear to see. The Kasi songs too feel a bit strange in his voice. Raja must have realized what songs Hariharan's voice is suitable for and he only gives such songs to him. Like 'aaro paadunnu dhoori', 'vilayata padagoti' and the song from 'Pudhiya Theerangal'. Unni Krishnan's problem is lack of bhavam in his singing. He is almost like a male Bhavatharini, except that he has a good voice.

I guess the post 2000 world did not want SPB !!! I mean, everyone was clamoring for new singers and new voices. If he had used SPB, he would have been washed away earlier. SPB's voice was also getting a bit strained (not the same extent of KJY or SJ but the strain can be seen). My feeling is that not using SPB was more to do with market conditions than anything else.

Raja did try and get Tippu sing many songs. He was probably looking for him to be a replacement for Malaysia Vasudevan. Unfortunately it was not to be so. Raja keeps using Karthik for the soft numbers and this has been effective I would say, though I am personally not too great a fan of Karthik. Raja used Manjari for her unique voice giving her some immortal numbers like 'swasathin thalam' and 'kaiyetha kombatha' but that partnership did not continue for long. Shreya - Raja is ofcourse a great partnership. 

My personal feeling is that Raja may have come to terms with the limitations of current day singers and keeps picking up the best that is available.

Ravi, Suresh

Your points on Raaja trying to get singers move out of their comfort zones is absolutely true and hold valid. and yes, his strategy these days is actually confusing. 

As Suresh rightly pointed out - the only stable collaboration we see these days is Raaja-Shreya. But since Shreya is extremely busy, I see Raaja going to Shreya-like voice these days (Bela Shinde in NEPV).

And I agree with Suresh that Raaja realized what kind of songs suit hariharan's voice and he has been giving such kind of songs only to hariharan. I was only trying to highlight the fact that - these kind of songs have been coming and they have been for hariharan only. it is like a pattern. a very interesting one. I dont know if he used any singer like this earlier. He made every singer do everything (SBP, KJY, SJ, Chitra, MV) but in case of hariharan, he is keeping only those 'special' kind of songs. 

But anyday, I prefer his choice of HH over Tippu. i somehow find his voice too raw for singing!

And I find it strange that Raaja has not explored Shankar Mahadevan's voice much. Even Sunidhi Chauhan (very few songs). 

Last week, I was wondering about some 'imaginary' collaborations by Raaja. Like how would it be if Raaja used Nandini Srikar? or even that Runa Rizwi, who along with Sivamani, interviewed Raaja recently!

I think we need to revisit this topic once RudramaDevi music releases ... we will get to see what Raaja did with the voice of one and only  Baba Sehgal (I am still not sure if Baba sang in it, but he posted a photo with Ilaiyaraaja at Raaja's studio recently and I am assuming that Baba sang).

I am completely pumped up about - Megha. I suspect it has quite a bit of 80s flavor to it, but I think it is going to be awesome.

Re: Hariharan - Quite a bit of good discussion on the singers. Just like App, my reaction to HH are more personal/biased. Somehow he rubs off as being too arrogant and worse I feel I can notice that in his singing too. I think singers should surrender themselves to the composition. This probably is what IR wants too. You should not see a HH or KJY in that song, but the character in that song. Inspite of being a legend, you can forget it is KJY to a great extent and immerse yourself in the song. With HH, I feel he wants to remind the listener every minute that it is HH who is singing it.  I hope I did not offend you HH fans. As I mentioned, it is just a personal bias (even though I am not musically savvy I can tell he is a great singer, but somehow I dont seem to enjoy all his songs. Some songs pointed out here I am able to enjoy).

kiru wrote:I am completely pumped up about - Megha. I suspect it has quite a bit of 80s flavor to it, but I think it is going to be awesome.

Re: Hariharan - Quite a bit of good discussion on the singers. Just like App, my reaction to HH are more personal/biased. Somehow he rubs off as being too arrogant and worse I feel I can notice that in his singing too. I think singers should surrender themselves to the composition. This probably is what IR wants too. You should not see a HH or KJY in that song, but the character in that song. Inspite of being a legend, you can forget it is KJY to a great extent and immerse yourself in the song. With HH, I feel he wants to remind the listener every minute that it is HH who is singing it.  I hope I did not offend you HH fans. As I mentioned, it is just a personal bias (even though I am not musically savvy I can tell he is a great singer, but somehow I dont seem to enjoy all his songs. Some songs pointed out here I am able to enjoy).

Well said Kiru . That was exactly my intent when I wrote about SPB. He submits to the composer's ideas fully and renders a song. That's perhaps the secret of 48 years of singing. When the kids in music competition start singing 'Vedam Anuvilum' (Salangai Oli/Sagara Sangamam), I simply fast forward after the first minute. There is no way any singer can reproduce the nuances of that song the way SPB does. Try listening to Telugu and Tamil versions - he does equal justice. It's not about the ragam and the technicalities. Those are stuff for lesser singers like Karthik, Mano or Tippu.  Balu is beyond those. He has already internalized the technical ideas and goes beyond that to deliver what the composer/director wanted. Listen to Amani Paaduve (Geethanjali) and the crappy Mano's version Paadava Thendrale, you will notice that Mano does not fully understand the composition.

SPB does the job with equal sincerity for other composers too. If you notice the songs of Kadhal Kotai, there is a marked difference between Anu and SPB in the song 'Nalam Nalamariya Aval'. He does equal justice to 'Sivappu Lolakku' in the same film for Deva. For VS, I would quote a few songs - Okka Skhanam from Swarabishekam or Poongatru Veesum from Mr. Madras. Try thinking of any other singer fort these. For ARR, he did great justice with Minnale (May Madham) and En Kadhale (Duet).

We have had a number of great singers in IFM. However, there has been only one  great singer with an actor within - SPB.

The others are still struggling to sing

I know this is a thread on Raja's new albums, but could not resist writing about SPB. We can write forever about him.

Interesting discussion everyone on Maestro's singers choices and the singers themselves.  

I too agree with kiru here. Great post kiru. Hariharan is an excellent singer might even go beyond SPB, KJY and others in terms of technicality (technical purity), but he is a not as good a playback singer. Also he is not a versatile singer, his voice does not suit all kind of songs, though I love his voice very much. That's why we hail SPB, Malaysia Vasudevan, Rafi, Kishore et al (who did not have much classical background) as demi-Gods when it comes to playback singing. Similarly technical experts like KJY, Manna Dey, TMS et al were also equally hailed as demi-Gods in playback singing. Playback singing is a different beast altogether. It is not always not about technicality, it is about surrendering. That's where Hariharan missed both the buses.

Having said that, he is way ahead than the rest in this era. I would have even preferred him in NEPV.

We might have already watched some portions of this Megha composing sessions and making video, but not all. Especially the starting portions and ending portions are new to me. Mesmerized by the mugilO mEghamO song making. The last finishing of anu-pallavi line is so tempting to hear again and again.

Rudramma Devi

writeface

Looks like that is the big-bud project with IR at this point of time So, chummA following up...

Also, EU musicians / EU recording etc are expected for that project too...

CNC & nAdi audio's are released, movies aren't (don't want to even think about their fate )

mEghA & rudrammA - pending audio releases with some expectation...

Looks like rudrammA will be the only movie with some BO success possibility (Once again in Telugu, where even YVM-NEPV had an OK run...)

Big question mark - when will be another BO hit movie in Thamizh with rAsA music?

(I guess the last one was virumANdi...don't know if nAn kadavuL was a commercial success)

app_engine wrote:writeface

Looks like that is the big-bud project with IR at this point of time :)So, chummA following up...

Also, EU musicians / EU recording etc are expected for that project too...

CNC & nAdi audio's are released, movies aren't (don't want to even think about their fate )

mEghA & rudrammA - pending audio releases with some expectation...

Looks like rudrammA will be the only movie with some BO success possibility (Once again in Telugu, where even YVM-NEPV had an OK run...)

 மேகா - இந்த படத்தோட ’அபிஷியல்’ இணையதளத்தப் பாத்தா ஒரே நடுக்கமா இருக்கு. மன்மதராசா புகழ் டைரக்டர் சுப்பிரமணிய சிவா-வோட சிஷ்யப் பிள்ளைதான் படத்தோட இயக்குனராம்.  ராசா-வை எப்படியெல்லாம் ஏமாத்தறாங்க!

கோகுல்.

ravinat wrote:When the kids in music competition start singing 'Vedam Anuvilum' (Salangai Oli/Sagara Sangamam), I simply fast forward after the first minute. There is no way any singer can reproduce the nuances of that song the way SPB does.

 In another thread (VM's) App has posted a song, sirichchaa kollimalai kuyilu. The whole spirit of this song is in the first line and in the first word. SPB aces it. I cannot imagine who else could have done justice. Similarly, these legendary singers (SPB, MV, SJ, KJY) have taken many many tunes of IR and have transformed them into classics that even today we can listen even though musically they may not be gems. Leave HH alone, I sometimes see new singers give a few hits and get complacent about themselves. They should learn how these seniors worked hard consistenly without all the media hype those days.