CUCKOO SONGS REVIEW

The opening passage that sounds like throwback to the classic Raja-era infact serves well as a good misdirection to the actual sound of the album – an alluring acoustic experience. With very complementing vocals from RR and Divya Ramani, the song organically unravels itself over an acoustic arrangement where the muted approach acts as the perfect foil for instrumental highlights such as the entry of the slide guitars and the cuckoos of the flute which heighten the sensory appeal. 

The song appears to possess the personality of a folk tune but is dressed up far too elegantly with a symphonic arrangement to distinguish its roots. RR’s singing adds to the immersive listening experience and so does the excellent flute segments, particularly during the outro.

The consistency of the mesmeric sound continues as Kalyani’s freestyle singing makes for some fine counterpoints with the backing strings. The chorus is charming on its own but at its best when the vocals come together in harmony. Yugabarathi’s lyrics are equally admirable on this track. 

Folk injected with traces of funk with the vivid synth and bass sound. While the nadhasawaram presents a celebratory side the track is largely quite somber in nature, and Santhosh Narayanan balances both moods quite deftly. Folks specialist Andony Dasan, stepping out of his comfort zone in places, is seen pushing his range and coming through with a strong performance.

With the magnificent chorus revealed early on, Santhosh Naraynan takes the listener through some enticing segments backed by emotional verses, before returning once again to Vaikom Vijayalakshmi’s glorious passage of ‘Ponna janmathula senja thavamo’ towards the end. The ability to create such an aura with such few instruments certainly spells Santhosh at his very best.

A jazz styled template for Gana Bala featuring some nifty piano work and clever backing vocals arrangement that fill up the spaces as Bala sings/speaks his way through. The cheeky lyrics in the second half of the tune featuring some of the popular songs are a fine use of wit, considering that the characters are blind.