By Vijayalakshmi Sridhar [ September 24, 2008 ]
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Vaaranam Aayiram Music Review: First on Galatta!

When Gautham Menon and Harris Jayaraj get together, they make musical magic. With Vaaranam Aayiram, which has taken nearly two years in the making and is even today awaited with bated breath, the duo keeps their promise of giving music lovers a range of eminently melodious songs. From mellifluous ballads to peppy urban beats to quirky folk rhythms, Vaarnam Aayiram is for keeps. And so the chords go…

1. 'Mundhinam' Singers: Naresh Iyer, Prashanthini
This one reminds you of George Michael’s cult song “Keep The Faith”… and yet, it's different. It’s a peppy, young romantic number with a little infectious rattle here and some jazz-like pieces there. It will take you back to the time YOU were in college, full of life and love.

2. 'Yethi Yethi' Singers: Naresh Iyer, Solar Sai, Benny Dayal
Morcoccan meets Carnatic classical meets young energy – that’s Yethi Yethi in a nutshell. This song is bursting with exuberance and some naughty cockiness.

3. 'Nenjukkul Peidhidum' Singers: Hariharan, Devan, V. Prasanna
Undoubtedly one of the finest songs in the film, it is a blend of a soft ballad, gentle guitars and captivating lyrics. Be prepared to close your eyes and simply lean into the mesmerizing voice of Hariharan as he carries you along the flow of this song.

4. 'Oh Shanthi Shanthi' Singers: Clinton, S.P.B. Charan
And if you’re done leaning, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee with the bright and energetic mix of the same song. Definitely bridging the culture gap, this song brings together almost-rock beats, evocative yet simple lyrics and fusion instruments and the result is… BOOM!

5. 'Adiyae Kolluthey' Singers: Krish, Benny Dayal, Shruti Haasan
Galatta’s pick of the album. It’s hot, it’s rock-meets-Tamil, it’s young, infectious and a seamless confluence of melodies that blend with an electric beat guaranteed to get your feet off the ground. Be prepared for real enjoyment!

6. 'Annul Maelae' Singers: Sudha Raghunathan
It seems almost out of place, this song. It embraces all things ethnic and nothing urban, except for the mild guitar strains in the background. A deeply melancholic song, one needs to develop a taste for it, especially after the previous numbers. Sudha sounds uncannily like Harris’ usual favourite Bombay Jayshree, with her brand of husky wistfulness.

7. 'Ava Enna' Singers: Karthik, V. Prasanna
Another surprise. Completely folksy and yet, Harris’ brand of electronica peeks out every now and then. It’s sassy, sexy and very tribal – only you won’t be able to tell if it’s purely southern or also has some other ethnic influences too, in its finger-drumming beat and twanging instruments.

The SONY Touch

When Sony BMG entered the world of Southern movies and music content acquisition, there were mixed responses – some were scared that this giant would swallow the smaller players up, some welcomed a possible radical shift to a more universal and professional working system and yet others simply thought they were throwing funding money away. But at the end of the day, they have proved that they have what it takes to be a global music giant, as they acquired some of the most popular music of this year, including A.R. Rahman’s Sakkarakatti, Himmesh Reshammiya’s Dasavathaaram and Harris Jayaraj’s Vaaranam Aayiram.

You may remember A.R. Rahman signed his first mega deal with Sony years ago, to produce both film and non-film music albums and achieved great global success. With the Sony name comes a host of modern and professionalism-driven processes – they believe in the power of technology, blitzing publicity and a pan-Indian presence for all their content, regardless of language barriers. Thus has Sony taken Southern music and movies to a higher plane of global reckoning. With