Vaaranam Aayiram -- Music Review

Music by: Harris Jayaraj

Annal Maelae (Sudha Raghunathan) -- A soft song sung that it is almost like a carnatic song with a simple tabla background that slowly evolves into a pleasant yet minimal orchestration. Don't miss out on the haunting flute interlude after the first paragraph. Nothing to complain about in this song. Nothing impressive either. Allow the song to play.

Ava Enna (Karthik, V.Prasanna) -- It starts like a soft Kuthu song!!! (What a paradox). It is simple and yet beautiful. What is different about this song from the regular kuthu songs is the lyrics. Clean meanigful lyrics is not something that we associate with a Kuthu but this one breaks that tradition. A tune that might not make you go out and dance but a song that would surely make you sway your head in appreciation. The ending of the song is where I was not very comfortable with as the tune seem to have got lost with some stupid voices in the background. Other than that, this is a song that can be enjoyed. Allow this song to play.

Yethi Yethi (Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer, Solar Sai) -- Sounds very similar to 'Ohh Maama Maama' when the song begins but soon starts to go in a different path. There is also one particular point where it sounds like 'Taxi Taxi'. Interspersed with the 'usual' Harris funny sounds. The differnce between this song and the others is the use of English words in the lyrics. Go for the forward button.

Mundhinam (Naresh Iyer, Prashanthini) -- Starts with a dialogue rendition by Surya. As always, Surya has trouble with 'zha'!!! Naresh Iyer breezes through this beautiful duet. And the voice of Prashanthini is so sweet and she pronounces the words perfectly(and so much better than the Tamil killing Madhushree's). The prelude is something that has to be enjoyed in peace with a headphone. Then, there comes the interlude that rises the bar for the song a few notches. Then there is the so easy on the ear singing. Even for the complex words, they sing it so lightly without killing the word. An amazing song. Go for the rewind button once the song gets over.

Nenjukkul Peidhidum (Hariharan, Devan, V.Prasanna) -- With clear traces of 'Mudhal Naal Indru', at the beginning, I was having apprehensions of how this song will turn out to be. What turns out is a mesmerizing number with the soothing voice of Hariharan. The vintage Hariharan is back in this song and with HJ, they create magic. This song is indeed a drizzle in the hearts. Go for the rewind button once the song gets over. Over & over again!!!

Adiyae Kolluthey (Krish, Benny Dayal, Shruthi Hassan) -- This song has been there in the net for sometime now. I was not sure at that time whether this song is from 'Vaaranam Aayiram' but now I am sure. The song starts like a rock music live in concert. Did you like 'Uyirin Uyirae'? If yes, then you would love this song. Shruti Haasan gives perfect company to Krish & Benny Dayal. If you were shaking head for 'Ava Enna' song, I am confident that you will be dancing for this song. The 3 distinctive voices are beautifully interwoven to produce yet another brilliant song. Any doubt on what you should do? Its obvious.Go for the rewind button once the song gets over.

Oh! Shanthi Shanthi (Clinton, S.P.B.Charan) -- This is one song that tOtally caught me by surprise. It starts like a pathos song, then moves over to be a fast paced song and then again keeps switching tones. SPB Charan does what we have always associated with his illustrious father. The singing while smiling or smiling while singing is a trademark SPB signature and Charan does that to perfection in this song. A great way to finish this album. Go for the rewind button once the song gets over. An even better solution would be to put the last 4 songs in a loop in your winamp.

Perfect tamil lyrics, simple yet haunting tunes, brilliant interludes and unobtrusive music are what we have come to associate Harris Jayaraj's music with. And when HJ works with Gautham Menon, it has always brought out some mesmerizing songs. Combined with the stills that I have seen for this movie, the music definitely raises the expectations for the movie. Harris Jayaraj along with Thamarai have indeed delivered what were expected of them.

Last Shout: Buy 2 CD's of this album. I am sure that one of them will get wasted because of all the rewinds and revisits.