Abbayitho Ammayi - new Telugu album popular with IRFs

pannaipurathar,
   Thanks for the response........ IR padalgal.. Naam ninaipadhai polave matravargalum ninaithadhai sollum podhu.. NIchayam oru chinna
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thappaga agadhae.........

One more  thanks for the kannada songs. Really all are GEMS.......

app,
  Thanks for the comment.......... yes........ kaeka kaeka..... kaetu kondae iruka thonugiradhu............. neenda varudam kazhithu..

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mazhai varuvadhu... mayiluku theiryum......  indha paatu.. ragam... from Raj....  Nice write up............
 
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pattai vaithadhum  en paiyan comment.. amma un paatu............  ... means.... avanoda paatu. enakum avanukum irukum... thodarum
oru bandham............. Thanks to IR.....

http://ragamanjari.blogspot.in/2015/11/attribute.html

Outstanding album. Listening continuously. Will write my views soon but definitely an album which can be on repeat mode without skipping even a single song.

As I wait for the Enya source , I can't stop listening to Kannulu Kannulu.  One of his best numbers in a long time.  Has the delicate tenderness of Ennaku Piditha Paadal but in what seems to be a happy vein.  In other words, more like O Butterfly, but, dare I say it, I like Haricharan and Chinmayi better on this track than I did SPB/Asha on O Butterfly.  Anyway, tracks 2 to 5 are overall very sumptuous.  So much melody....virundhu dhaan! 

Interesting by the way that nobody has complained about the vocals so far.  When the spark is so much in evidence in the music, it has a way of solving all these problems.  Not that the singers haven't done justice to the songs, they have all been fabulous, be it Satya prakash or Chinmayee or even Karthik.  But this time the songs allow them to elevate the emotions to a magical place.  There's a sweet innocence in this soundtrack that's so rare in our music these days; maybe Barfi did evoke such innocence but with a very conscious effort to date the music.  No such thing going on here, just Raja being Raja.

" There's a sweet innocence in this soundtrack that's so rare in our music these days"


Perfectly put

The best part about this album and any other albums of Maestro, which is a city/youth/love subject, Maestro has not succumbed to western tunes and style of singing, even when there were so much opportunities to do that way right from 70s and 80s. He briefly did in the rap portions of okkasaari o vayyaari (which I didn't like). In Marcareena, even if the first couple of lines sounded close to Smooth Criminal, he took a big deviation from anu-pallavi/charaNam onwards, that I cannot substitute English lyrics for Telugu lyrics and make it an English song/tune. Same holds true for every other songs in this film which again demanded city and youth subject. I cannot completely list the films on this subject, but just some which comes to top of my head. Johnny, Payanangal Mudivathillai, Nenjaththai Killaathe, Ilamai Kaalangal, Panneer Pushpangal, Ilamai Oonjalaadugirathu, Idhaya Koyil, Udhaya Geetham, Punnagai Mannan, Geethanjali, Siva (Udhayam), Kaathal Parisu, Puthu Puthu Arthangal, Eeramaana Rojaave, Mouna Raagam, Soora samharam, Sathya, Agni Natchathiram, Aaraathanai, Raaja Paarvai, Thanga Magan, Veera (some portions), Kalaignan, Singara velan, Paa, Time, Rasaiyya, Idhayam, Meera, Innisai mazhai, Marupadiyum, Endrum Anbudan, Aanazhagan, Chinnabbayi, Kaadhal Rojaave, Thodarum, Kaadhal Kavithai, Time, Friends, Mumbai Xpress, Prem Kahani, Dhoni, NEPV, Megha, Naadi thudikkuthadi and countless more. I have tried many times but never be able to hum a single tune substituting with English lyrics to feel the resemblance. Every time I failed miserably. But for others, I was successful almost in every attempt.

On the other hand, many young music directors would have happily jumped into the band-wagon for these kind of subjects as they know that they don't have much to do. If they do a mere tweaks of western tunes here and there,  people are ready to accept even that nowadays. On top of it, they get highly paid too for such non-works. The real challenge is to getaway with all the influence and create some mesmerizing "indegenious" melodies like in Abbayitho Ammayi. Maestro did it in style and demonstrated a huge example on how to compose (I hate to say this "compose" and "create" words for other music directors) for such subjects keeping with the trend, but not succumbing to it. But who cares, right?

A real gem of an album!!!

I loved the whole album...simply superb. There were several places that I was pleasantly surprised because the arrangement seemed new from Raja. Sure, underneath the covers, it was his famed, tight arrangement, but the way he served it up was new. I loved all the tracks, both melodious and the fast paced ones. Okasaari was a complete googly, loved it..especially the rhythm arrangement. Tholi prema, Kanalu, the karthik song, Saradale...all superb.

What I was struck the most with this album was the playfulness in the orchestration and arrangement. It brought me back to Idhayathai Thirudathe/Gitanjali for some reason. The lightness in the mood, the fun arrangements with the waltzy ones, they all somehow brought me back to that genre of film. Just seeing the visuals of the film also harks back to that feeling. This would have been a great album for an Raja-Mani-PC Sriram combo film!

crimson king wrote:Interesting by the way that nobody has complained about the vocals so far. 

Using this thought as springboard, I thought I can write about my opinion about the whole album.

The songs that worked tremendously for me are these: 1. Kanulu 2. Tholi Paruvam 3. Maatallo cheppaleni 
Reason: Compositions are top notch and the vocals have nothing to complain about. Haricharan especially added so much flavour in his rendition, that he really elevated an already superb composition. Chinmayee too. I am also one of those who went back to Enakku Piditha Paadal after listening to Kanulu song. Probably that piano refrains immediately after the lead-line of the song and also the way the 1st interlude breaks into that irish-violin kind of piece - they are the ideas flowing from Juliet Ganapathy song. But the beauty of the song - is the quality of melody. Very SIMPLE melody, but with that touch by raaja all over. The way charanam ends, rolling down with flute joining in with the singers - that's raaja stamp. Superb song.
Tholi Paruvam is loaded with lot of synth. Even the violins could be synth (i think, i could be wrong too), like in Kannai Padithen song from Ponnar Shankar. But...the synth is not at all jarring. It is a pleasant layer. And the beauty of this song too, is melody again. The exceptional parts of this song, for me, are the charanams. It is like Raaja reminding all composers today that melody needn't be very classically heavy or very serious...but it could be still light, airy, hummable, enjoyable. The charanams literally show what "light music" is. And of course his orchestration... those counter melodies going on their own way but intersecting with some lines in the charanam - now that's the stuff I crave from Raaja in every album. 
Maatallo Cheppaleni is breeze again. And whats with his work on Cellos in the charanam. Beauty. Karthik is getting better at these kind of songs (I must say I liked his rendition in that song in OK Kanmani too. It was a simple, uncomplicated song...but Karthik elevated it a lot, I felt). Raaja's choice of Karthik for this song is so perfect. 

Now coming to songs that are good compositions but (I) have some nitpicks:

1. Edhuru Choosthunna - Composition is good. some interesting ideas too. But I felt the singer's rendition is pretty bland, straight-forward. As if she mugged it up and blurted it out. Diction and all are fine, but the emotion and expression in the song went for a miss, I felt. I mean, comparing with Haricharan/Karthik's rendition, this came across as pretty flat to me. And as such, I am going back to this song less number of times than to the others.
2. Saradale - Only Raaja can conceive such kind of songs out of Mohana raagam. Damn good arrangements too. The guitar strumming when the charanam begins - that's a new Raaja i see there. Nice lovely tune. But then, the rendition is where it started to mildly irritate me. Not that they sang it badly but that style of overtly-western-staccato singing in Telugu (south) language song doesn't appeal to me usually. It comes across as some Pseudo English pop. I don't know why raaja opted for such kind of voices/singing style. Current music trends? Thought he will hold tight but looks like he is giving in (refer to bullet point 3). Yet, I am still playing this song more than Edhuru Choosthunna. Perhaps I am allowing this song to grow.
3. Okkasaari O Vayyari - Blaaze and Raaja? Seriously? Composition-wise, the only highlight for me was the 2nd interlude on rock guitar. That was stunning. But otherwise, the tune of the song, the rap portions and the rendition didnt cut for me much. 
In rudramadevi..baba sehgal entered raaja's studio and hummed. For this new album, rap singer Blaaze sang for raaja. Who next? Yo yo honey Singh? Himesh reshamiya ? 

As for that Reena Macareena song - I prefer the tamil version from Touring Talkies. This one didn't appeal to me. The rendition is too violent than sensual.

Overall, it is a very nice album that has at least 4-5 good songs for me. From shelf-life perspective, I think the songs that will stay (for me) are the top 3 I mentioned above. Once in a while, Raaja comes to Telugu land and shows what benchmarks really are. The problem is - telugu producers/composers and even audience, do not realize that.

In Okkasaari, the charanam progression is stunning. The scale goes really high and in a matter of seconds descends so beautifully to meet the pallavi...simply stunning! Of course, it's child's play for Raja. Similarly, Tholi Paruvam has so many interesting things going on in the arrangement. This album is a stunner, will take time to fully digest and appreciate everything.

@ Akarsh

I too thought Vibhavari was a bit flat on that solo track.  On the other hand, she was def better than Bhava and maybe also say Bela Shende on Vaanam Mella. And the track is so good I didn't mind the slightly dull vocals.  I skipped over the two fast songs while Saradale is yet to sink in.

Nice also to hear lovely floating basslines on this soundtrack, again evokes Julie Ganapathy in that regard.

I am not sure if you have heard about this mighty Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and the climb. It has a total of about 7 mile walk in the desert/lake sand, but the best/hard part is the first steep climb as you can see in the picture, of-course with bare foot.



It is an awesome experience that too when walking at noon with scorching sun. I had this wonderful experience this summer. Suddenly I recalled this moment when listening to okasaari o vayyaari. I don't know for some reason I related this steep climb as the initial RAP portions of the song, but once I cross this climb and at the top of the summit, imagining if the rain comes through. Such is the charaNam start after the pulsating RAP portion. How sweet!!! Lilting in ears!! CharaNam starts without a gap. After climbing that steep hill (with heart pulsating), we don't need just  bottle of water, we need to be drenched in rain. This charaNam comes through beautifully and Maestro gets me that mood and experience. Lovely!! Totally enjoying this punchy song now!!!!!

crimson king wrote:@ Akarsh

I too thought Vibhavari was a bit flat on that solo track.  On the other hand, she was def better than Bhava and maybe also say Bela Shende on Vaanam Mella. And the track is so good I didn't mind the slightly dull vocals.  I skipped over the two fast songs while Saradale is yet to sink in.

Nice also to hear lovely floating basslines on this soundtrack, again evokes Julie Ganapathy in that regard.

Definitely. agree on that.

I am kind of sitting on fence when it comes to okkasaari o vayyari - the rendition is too brash and violent and that rap is a big put-off for me. But the the tune in charanams is good and also that 2nd interlude on rock guitar (Raaja defied his age in that piece). Pretty much a mixed bag kind of song for me.

Absolutely fantastic album this Abbayitho Ammayi especially as there were no expectations or hype around its release. The richness of the melody in Edhuru Choodunna, Tholi Paruvam, Matallo Cheppaleni and Kanula Kalichi is more than enough for me to carry this album through. 

The fast paced songs are not run of the mill and has Raaja's stamp all along. Okasaari and Saradaale are very interesting tracks, the charanams are top notch. Didn't expect a Blaaze rap in Raaja's music but the song still holds up well for me, again the charanam is outstanding.

Lastly, what a refreshing orchestration throughout the album - don't know where to start, loved every bit of instrumental portions in the whole album. Recording is top notch and wonderful to listen to both in headphones and in a home theater setup.

Another little thing that I loved in Kanulu and Okkasaari is the subtle vibrato in the vocals towards the absolute end of the charanams. In Kanulu, it is in the pause just before the flute joins in at the end and in Okkasaari, it is the end of the charanam. I loved that detail...it's little things like this that has all the stamp of the Maestro.

And that's also why you still need live instruments.  You can produce a vibrato on a keyboard but it's not the same thing, esp with wind instruments.  A message that is increasingly lost on musicians and listeners alike, sadly.

As I listen again, I already like this more than NEPV/Megha, probably my favourite IR album over a pretty long period of time.  As much as I have appreciated with head and heart his efforts to adapt, dang, those vintage melodies rawk!  I guess even if he writes great Western melodies, the sound of Indian words goes better with Indian melody.

Coming to the current generation singers and their playback singing, consciously or unconsciously I think we have already made huge compromises especially in the last 10-15 years. Don't deny we got variety of singers, beautiful voices, but playback singing by them is a big question mark. Especially when singing for Maestro, and especially when the song requires to understand the situation fully and the singers becoming the characters of the movie, I can't refrain myself from expressing concerns. Since Maestro's composition is itself holding through, it is not coming as a damp squib. Because of this, they escape easily. 

We have even talked about this aspect in detail earlier I think regarding some singers. The big concern is the most talked about "star" singers of today are still not maturing in playback singing even after singing for at-least a decade. I can even take the upcoming singers, but not the established ones. This is not to just nitpick only one, since we are talking about singers in this movie, I thought I would express my thoughts. For example: I didn't feel much progress from a singer of Karthik's talent right from OLiyilE therivathu Devathayaa days to MaatallO CheppalEni. He kind of sounds monotonous to me singing in same style in every song irrespective of the situation or mood. He has a beautiful little muted voice just like SPB and the melodies he got is like no other. But did he really do justice to them is a question mark to me. என்னோடு வா வா பாட்டெல்லாம் எப்படி பாடியிருக்கனும்? A perfect situation to bring the mood to the front. There is a misunderstanding between lovers and the (male) lover has to convince her. Also, it has to be sung in an amusing way too. This is a kind of "அல்வா" song to any popular and star singer. But Karthik's rendition is a real bummer and stale. Imagine SPB in that song, he would have done wonders. There are so many little nuances he would have brought in that song. Most singers think singing in sruthi is enough to accomplish in playback singing. "Touch that note, touch this note" philosophy won't win any laurels. Leave SPB, Mano would have done wonders. மனோவை எல்லாம் கோவில் கட்டி கும்பிடலாம் comparing to these singers.

Same way, Chinmayi in the other song, though she rendered sweetly, it appears to me that she was in kind of nervousness to complete it. If you hear carefully, you can hear her controlled and cautious way of singing, rather than falling completely to the mood of the song. Why such hesitation and fear?

There are more concerns about other singers too, but the above examples are suffice to express my concern about all these young singers. I don't hesitate to tell that I severely miss SPB, Chitra and that group. Listening to those 80s and 90s and how bright they would have sung every song. Even now, they are capable of singing much more expressive than these singers. I am not sure why Raja is not using them except for some historical movies (there too sometimes he uses them in group which I feel they don't deserve). If SPB can still sing வாங்கும் பணத்துக்கும் why can't he sing other songs? What a rendition that one was ? His voice is still young. At-least one song in two films or so for them would elevate the soundtracks to abnormal levels. When SPB, Chitra are in the studios itself, other singers will get an opportunity to get influenced/inspired to sing much more effectively than they do now. My request is to use them at-least once in while, especially in solo or duet melodies to see the difference. I am already seeing a huge void in playback singing, Shreya Ghoshal being the saving grace (for consistency in rendering) and few others here and there.

This album is still spinning...
Weekend we completed seeing Rudrammadevi (Tamil).. Now Mrs. wants to keep listening to Avuna and punnami poovaai..
I mentioned in FB that Raaja is a guy who can do pattern printing on butterfly's wings and that too bold dashing ones.
this album is an example of that.. He is a wonder ..
Matallo IMHO required Unnikrishnan - though Karthik does a bloody good job of it.
And the song pleasantly reminded me of Om Shanti Om album's Chinna polike ledhu prema.. 
Beautiful songs!!

@ Vijay  

Karthik's voice is nothing like SPB's.  Let's just say the former is like those Chinese made atom bomb vedi called Vulcano which used to sell here in the 90s while SPB's is like a real volcano.     SPB's voice is way bigger than any of the current playback singers be it Karthik or Sathya Prakash or Haricharan, etc.  I don't know why this is.  This kind of change has happened across the board.  Compare Kishore Kumar's voice to Shaan's; the latter is so 'patla' as we say in Hindi.  Is there anybody today in America who can sing like Jim Morrison?  Something is badly messed up in the art of singing, if I may. 

I think within his voice limitations Karthik does well to produce a kind of contemporary sound which is what seems to be expected from him.  Even the heroes have changed.  SPB's voice was better for the patta-missai vaccha heroes;  in the 80s everybody had a fat moustache be it Kamal or Prabhu or even Mike Mohan.  Now I notice even Thala Ajith for all his badassery has no moustache.  I would probably like Matthalo more like SPB had sung it (even today's SPB at his age) but it would not go along with the personality of today's actors.  

As for Chinmayee, I must admit that I generally liked Chithra's singing more for the sweetness of her voice and technical perfection but rarely felt she could flesh out the emotions in the way S Janaki could.  In some songs she did but generally felt she held back a bit of her voice (or soul, which of the two was it?) and came across as a little shy (which is also her personality).  I am not talking about clowning songs like Maarugo; hamming is easier to do than letting go and yielding to the pathos/romance of an intense song.  So in that sense, Chinmayee substitutes reasonably for Chithra.  

Overall, SPB and SJ got Raja's music better, much better than the other singers working with him.  They are indispensable and as much as it was IR who gave them their voice, they have also enhanced his songs a lot and across such a wide variety of songs.

KSC & emotions are much greater in MFM (than in TFM where SJ is the queenest  )

Even at that level, she is miles ahead of the likes of Chinmayee IMHO.

In kanulu kalanu piliche, Chinmayee has some improvement over what she did in antha(h)puramulO of Rudramadevi, IMHO. 

She struggles initially but does a neat job in that beautiful last line of saraNam - thelusukO thelusukO ...(that'll possibly sound great even if I sing  - such a wonderful one that connects saraNam back to pallavi in the inimitable IR way).

The orchestration on a few songs in this film reminds me of the style that Raja has used in Oli Tharum Sooriyanum from Vaalmiki...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VaEVSbob44

Violin Vicky's Kanulu Kalanu post on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2O0VWjQLPI

Thank you for sharing the link to listen to IR newbie "Abbayitho Ammayi".
My Top 3 pick from "Abbayitho Ammayi" goes as
"okkasaari", "kannulu" and "maatellO".
In "okkasaari", when the singers seem to have a whale of a time enjoying their role , I have to admit that it gets highly infectious  and  I can vouch for that foot stomping rhythm to get even the laziest couch potato to move his body. The entire song,not just the second interlude is age defying.
"kannulu kalanu" - oozes "honey" all over and it has all making of that perfect hit which the maverick used to relentlessly manufacture in the 80's. It is really hard not to like this one. Nice rendition too.
MatellO is that apt bed time, uncluttered stream of milk and nectar . May be in the regular Mohanam scale of Raja , but in times where pseudo melodies masquerade as
genuines, this one is pristine.
Songs that could be a bit more better : "tholi paruvam" - singers need to sing with more verve. The synth beats lack energy and the intermediate music piece that is played between 2 lines in the pallavi , ala "muthirai ippOdhu kuthidu thappAdhu" song sounds pretty dull when compared to the organic sounds used in the latter song. But all these little nit-picks vanish during the second interlude that strike me as a bolt out of the blues. Only Raja could conceive such a beautiful surprise.
Okkasaari is a rap after all and Blaze and Co did have a blast. But a fast paced melody like "saradale" demands vocals with melodious voices like shreya, Shweta Mohan , Saindavi. Somehow  felt the flattened out western pop voices failed to bring out some  intricacies.
I completely agree with Vibavari's voice sounding monotonous, lifeless in the "edhukku choodunnu" song, that could have been another "kajurAho kanavilE" , also in KeeravAni  with a singer like Shreya or Shweta. hm...