FRESH TUNES : SOME OF THE BEST TAMIL SONGS RELEASED IN OCT 2022! DON'T MISS!

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Poraare Enna Vittu

This composer has surprised me beyond words and to get a couple of songs in the same album featured in this review is a mighty task, 'Aattral' in this case. Last year the song "Hey Nee" was reviewed and just a month ago a brilliant number called "Poovizhi Penne" was among the best songs of September 2022. Now we have a brilliant melody composed by Ashwin Hemanth and he ropes in Pradeep Kumar to serenade us. The Piano and guitars set the tone, with all key arrangements by Manoj Dhinakaran. Pradeep's mesmerising and pacifying voice provides enough meat to this number written by Ram Ganesh. The accompaniments pick up and one can hear the bass guitars by Napier Naveen Kumar and Cello in the background by Raphael Weinroth-Browne . The song has a rich pallavi and anupallavi as well which is a rarity these days ahs Pradeep goes" Kadigara koottukkula mullethum suthavilla". The line is beautiful in tone and well-written by Ram. Wow, that is the word that occupied my brain when I heard the wonderful notes on the Sarangi and played like a Maestro by Manonmani in the interlude. The song has a feeling of a lullaby that gets it deserved recital thanks to Pradeep's deeply emotional delivery and the way the high-pitched lines come off is truly magical. Vignesh Pai does the vocal production, and Chandrasekaran T K is the music advisor. The track is mixed by Abhishek Dharshan and mastered by Kiran Lal. Velavan B is the Kochi Musician Coordinator.

Paathi Nee Paathi Naa

The movie is getting some well-deserved attention and I truly believe the songs and their quality have a role to play in the movie's success as well. I loved 3 songs in the movie and just like 'Aattral' , 'Nittham Oru Vaanam' is a splendid album. In this case we have the expert Gopi Sundar as the composer, and I am so happy for Krithika Nelson who is rising like an unstoppable star. She has been featured by me here on this website for composition and singing in he own indie project, and the lyrics for PS1 and now singing and writing for a mega-star composer. The song starts in true Iliayraja style with acoustic guitars, bass guitars and Violins all merging even before the vocalist begins. The voice of Krithika takes you to places only a medicinal herb can. The low pitch is a difficult place to be singing in and that too with this much authority and Krithika achieves it. "Pathi nee Paathi naan, paathai nee patharam naan", I am sold in the first line itself and Krithika deserves massive credit for the singing and the thought behind the lines. But Gopi's notes are phenomenal here and they remind me of "oora therinju kitten". The introduction of the Ganjira is a master stroke along with the Tabla into the anupallavi. Gopi delivers a brilliant number here with some strings in the background and Keys as well. The interlude has some excellent vocal humming and the notes have quality etched all over. The stanza is interestingly a melody that deviates from the pathos that the pallavi and anu-pallavi generated. The stanza is too filled with some excellent interventions on acoustic and bass guitars and strings in the background. The second interlude has instruments from the Horns section coming in and I can very confidently that this is one of Gopi Sundar's best songs in Tamil. The lines in the stanza sort of remind me of "Samjhawan" from 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania'.

Malar

The song evokes feelings of love and separation and there are many meanings to the title. One being that the lady, the protagonist falls in love with is a florist, and Malar can also refer to the beauty of a flower and how that too can be something dangerous. Ashwin Aryan has composed and sung this touchy emotional melody with spectacular lyrics by Mohan Kandhaswamy. Sidhartha Gabriel is the Ex. Producer, Mohan also directs this video. There are elements of Raag Yaman (Kalyani in Carnatic)in my opinion and the song oozes even more quality as we proceed, it vividly reminds me of the great Hindi classic number "Iss Mod se jaate hain", composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. The cinematographer is Gokul Krishna with Karthi as editor, art by Jegannathan K, VFX by Royston. The colorist is Kirubaraj Prince and Vysakh Sobhan handles the DFX with Finny Kurian on mixing and mastering. The programming adds some excellent colours and tones to give it an indie pop flavor. The guitars and vocal harmonies in the interlude make the song very complete and not just uni-directional. There is a more playful nature to the song in the stanza thanks to some well-chosen keyboard and rhythm programming elements. The song feels beautiful just like a flower and just like me all you readers probably now have to keep track of Ashwin Aryan's musical journey.

Anandha Thavame

We had one song from 'Driver Jamuna" a couple of months ago, but that was more of a 1990's synth-pop number. This is straight down Ghibran's alley as he gets a very energetic and anthem-styled song going. There are an array of famous singers here like Aravind Srinivas and Deepak Blue, the lead female vocalist being Rajeevi Ganesh who I am hearing for the first time. She definitely sounds like someone who has a background of classical vocal training. Kabilan pens the lyrics and he creates these vivid pictures in the mind through his words. Ghibran produces and arranges the instruments, especially in the interlude. V Sritharan is the supervisor and Gold Devaraj is the music assistant. We hear the fantastic Mandolin by Sachidanand who also has played the guitar, Kalimbas and Ukulele. The song's tone resembles that of "Munbe Vaa" by AR Rahman, especially in the interlude. Hemanth and LJ Vijay need to be credited for all the additional song arrangements. Rajeevi shows skill in exploring either ends of the vocal pitch and she comes out ith flying colours. The male humming and Tabla are wonderful additions and the track is mixed and mastered by Chandrasekaran TK with recording engineers Wesley and Chandrasekaran. Andria Miranda and Britto David do the Production management.

Anname 

It is so nice to write about musicians and their projects when I have not featured them before. The song starts like a dedication to the "Lion King" OST with those mesmerising bits of humming. Nivas is the vocalist who rose to fame on the reality singing show Super Singer'. and the song is composed by Abhijith Ramaswami and Nivas. This is a duo project sho call themselves "Jith-Nivas". I love how the song uses these background harmonies and slowly the song moves into a Tamil rural folk style. Vivek Ravi is the lyricist and I am reminded of Ilaiyarajas melody "Ennavendru solvathamma". It is amazing that these guys have experimented by fusing the A-Capella style along with folk and the end-result is fabulous and fresh. I am told that the different layers of vocals we hear all belong to a single vocalist who has done 37 different vocal layers. Abhijith has composed and produced the song, with Ijaz Ahamed mixing and mastering. The video is shot and produced by Vignesh Saarangam.

Aathi En Mela

Nivas K Prasanna is one of the hottest talents in India and he already at such a young age has an enviable body of work. This song is composed, arranged and produced by Nivas with Vandana Srinivasan as the lead vocalist. This song is from a movie album called 'Sembi' and Prabu Solomon pens the lyrics. Listen to the hauntingly beautiful humming in the beginning accompanied by strings in the background. The Chennai String Orchestra dazzles with the strings section execution, conducted by Prabhakar. A lot of excellent programming work has gone into the song especially the rhythms. I was a bit confused to call whether the song is more of a Kaapi Ragam or Madhuvanti Ragam influence, but maybe it has both in certain segments. The track is engineered by Biju Sam with Abin Ponnachan assisting. Alex Samuel Jenito with Hevin Booster and the music supervisor. The vocal texture, the song's tempo and rhythms all remind me of AR Rahman's "Oru deivam thanda poove". A strong vocal performance by the female chorus comprising Niranjana Ramanan, Reshma Shyam, Pooja and Sushmita along with Navin Iyer. The stanza has immense sadness brought out well by Vandana and the segment here probably has traces of Ragam Sivaranjani as well. The track is mixed and mastered by KS Maniratnam. I love how Nivas completely makes an unpredictable turn after the lines" Vayasu yerum katchi maarum, manasu ala payum". The flute in the background during "chellame, en chellame, vellame en vellame" is simply outstanding reminding me of Ilaiyaraja scores. The track is mixed and mastered by K.S. Maniratnam.

Orr Kadhal Kanaa 

Is this is even a tamil song? That could be the impression when you look at the names of the artists involved, but it is one heck of a number, somebody like even an Ilaiyaraja will nod in approval. Justin Prabhakaran is really making strides into the world of Indian music, and this became clear ever since his score for a Hindi Netflix movie 'Meenakshi Sundareshwarar'. Justin probably is a composer inspired by AR Rahman and even his choice of singers from non-Tamil-speaking states is reflective of the genius' style. We have Goldie Sohel, Adnan Sami and Harini Ivaturi as the lead vocalists with backing vocalists as Shibi Srinivasan, Aravind Annest, Vikram Pitty and Balaji Sri who have been regular suspects in this field. Dan Kristen is fantastic on the guitars and he also handles the additional programming. Barath Dhanasekar plays the drums and we can feel the tone of AR Rahman's "Yakkai Thiri" in a much mellowed-down tempo and energy of-course. The title lines are just fabulous helped by brilliant chords, guitars and drums. Both Adnan and Goldie deliver a fresh sound that also feels emphatic but the sweetness comes from Harini's vocals. I love the way the stanza ends with vocalists exchanging lines, meanwhile the electric guitar and drums adding the rock flavour. The beginning of the stanza with Harini singing is where I get a sense of Ragam Darbari Kanada. Balu Thankachan mixes along with the Paul Daniel, Hariharan assisting and Gethin John has mastered the track. Dileep Nair and Divine Anthony are the recording engineers. The beautiful words are written by Uma Devi. How brilliant is the picture when you hear the words "orr kadhal kana, ennai aala parkkuthe"

Ilakana Kavithai

This is a Tamil version of a Kannada song from the new movie 'Banaras' composed by the brilliant B Ajaneesh Loknath. He also handles the rhythm and keyboard programming with Chennai Strings Orchestra delightfully in the strings section. The moment KS Chitra starts singing, the heart simply melts, and it has a flavour of the 'Bombay Theme', thanks to the bells in the background and lullaby style. Pradeep Kumar is the male vocalist and he has been frequently singing in Tamil and Malayalam these days I am glad this amazing vocalist is getting these opportunities. The song in the opening lines and in the interlude gives away a Kaapi Ragam influence. The last segment of the stanza, just before the landing part where Pradeep sings in the high scale is the highlight because that is also where Pradeep always shines vocally, "thedum ekkam nenjil theerathamma" is beautiful thanks to Palani Bharath's lyrics. The Accordion both in the background and in the interlude is a beautiful addition.

Manase

It is never easy as an offspring to overcome the bright spotlights cast on their celebrity parents, because they continue to be living under their shadow unless some incredible effort is made especially if they belong to the same field. Amrith Ramnath has been working hard and thanks to immense talent and dedication, he has been able to score, sing and release some wonderful singles and EPs of late. I am glad I have been witness to this and it is his work alone that makes every single of his worthy of a feature on Behindwoods. This is a mind-blowing number that will keep you glued and I like that Amrit brings in a host of contemporary musical greats to deliver this project. Santhosh Narayanan who defines music in India according to me, has mixed the track with Rupendar Venkatesh doing the mastering. The supremely talented singer-songwriter MS Krsna has played the guitars in the track. That spectacular effort is audible right at the beginning by MS Krsna. Amrit's voice faintly reminds you of his mother Bombay Jayashree Ramnath, but Amrit has his own tonal additions that just serenade you into peace. The opening lines tell me that maybe there is a Khamas Ragam influence in this. The apt lines that speak to you and paint a picture are written by Mathu Vaithi. Closely following Amrit's vocals in the background is Purva's voice and she does a fine job in the harmonies. The funk is provided by Napier Naveen on the bass guitars. The stanza is peppy and up-beat and takes a deviation from the melodious pallavi. The arrangements and production are also responsible for making this a loop-worthy number

Unakkena Naan

This is the second song from the album 'Nitham Oru Vaanam' and as I said, Gopi Sundar shines and creates the perfect musical recipe for a travelogue. The vocalists and Deepthi Suresh and Deepak with Krithika Nelson as the lyricist. The guitars, humming and Tabla blend in perfectly to project a melody in AR Rahman-esque style. Deepthi Suresh sings it with enough joy and cherished emotion and the Keys and bass guitars along with female harmonies accompany in the background. Krithika truly makes a mark with her lyrics saying " pazhaya kathai, pazhaya murai athai marappom, puthu puthuthai kanavu inaippom". Deepak gets the Mollywood vocal tone that we would have heard from an Unni Menon in the past. The song has some resemblance in some ways with Pritam's "Kabira", maybe because of the marriage setting or the use of the Shehnai. The best line of the song musically is "Iru manam seruthe, iru kathi seruthe, iru veedugal seruthe" and love how the notes deviate and extend into the title line. Gopi must be appreciated for getting in so many elements and he does an envious job in the interludes, such a rarity these days.

Ora Siricha

I have been missing his songs for a while now, and it is a pleasure to feature Stephen Zachariah once again after 2021 saw a flurry of special singles. Stephen has composed and arranged this number and his lead vocalists are established singers MM Manasi and Srinisha Jayaseelan. As far as I have known and listened, Stephen scores melodies brilliantly and this is a very diverse style and it shows that he is quite skilled as a composer. The additional vocalists raise the adrenaline with their opening lines and the list of singers include Abrahaam Nithya Pandian, Sam. P. Keerthan, Velu, Balaji Sri, Padmaja Sreenivasan and Lavanya Jayamohan. This is a fantastic dance number, better than most we hear and ones that become famous. Keba Jeremiah plays the guitars, Charango and Oud with some great skill and the interlude has Balesh playing the Shehnai. Stephen doesn't resort to just heavy percussions and a fast tempo, his stanza is melodious showing us that dance numbers can be good tunes as well. Both Srinisha and Manasi add style and tease you with their singing, it is flawless. The song in certain segments does remind me of the old dance number " Adi yennadi rakkama" sung by TMS. Kumar Morgan does additional music production, and it is Vicky B on rhythm programming and Priyan on Keyboard programming. The track is mixed by Pradeep Menon and mastered by Abin Pushpakaran. B Velavan is the music co-ordinator. 

Dhoom Dhaam Koothu

This is Santhosh Narayanan's foray into Tollywood and many have immense expectations. I loved the teaser music which was in true SaNa style. I have listened to the 5 versions of this song and somehow loved the Tamil version the most mainly because of the bridge section sung by Meenakshi Elayaraja. The Tamil version has the most delightful experience in this segment and the vocalists Santhosh Narayanan and Santosh Hariharan make merry and have a ball singing this one. The Mahender Band members include Godavarikhani D. Mahender MD Sadhik N Santhosh Srikanth Naveen Sunny Sagar Rakesh Kalyan Laddu Kaddi Kanakaraj Pawan Sravan Akshay Bablu Laddu Elsun Shekar Shiva Manisai. This is a song to just let loose and dance your heart out. SaNa proves that no genre can be his Achilles heel. The song reminds us of "Puzhuthi Parakkum paaru" also by Santhosh. Naveen Napier is brilliant on bass guitars, as this is as important as the vocals and percussion in the song. The additional live percussion is arranged and played by Krishna Kishor Chatti & Tasha - Asif, Imran, Krishna Kishor. Vivek impresses with his lyrics as he does for most of his numbers. The highlight is the bridge section when the percussions transform and Meenakshi sings like a distant dream. The recording engineers are Santhosh, Karthik Manickavasakam, Lijesh Kumar, Mani Ratnam, Pranav Muniraj, Rupendar Venkatesh and Merwin Santhosh. The track is mixed and mastered by Rupendar.

Manasu: "Mind"

I have known Nishad G as a fantastic music journalist and music reviewer who analyses songs with incredible precision and microscopic vision. I am happy to now be reviewing his own music score for an instrumental number called Manasu:"Mind". Nishad has composed and produced while some more fabulous musicians get involved in the project. Rijul Chakraborthy who has been featured by me a few times plays the Piano and Keys, but the hero is Soprano Saxophone by Haruto Oosaki. Hrday Sunil is on the guitars and Hiroshi "Matsukichi" Matsubara plays the drums. One of my favourite producers in the indie space is Ashwin Vinayagamoorthy and he comes on board along with his close aide Sivanesh Natarajan in mixing and mastering the track. Anjana G plays all the additional keys. The track takes me back to the days when I first heard Kenny G. Yoichiro Ishino is the recording engineer.