Fresh tunes

Some albums enter the musical fray without much fanfare; their presence in the field is announced in soft whispers -- but all the more surprising by their eventual contents. Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, a Tamil product of Imagine Creations, is a movie that's been making waves not just for its kabadi-theme, but for its promotional stills as well as the music by V Selvaganesh (himself a khanjira artist), son of gadam maestro Vikku Vinayakram. This is V Selvaganesh's debut. Let's see what he has to offer.

Francis Krupa's Kabadi Kabadi is a typically rousing number that's all about the kabadi game and those who are presumably, about to enter the fray. It's a catchy piece which reminds you in places of Nimirndhu Nil. There is a piano interlude which changes track. Shankar Mahadevan has sung with his usual fluidity and vibrancy as he switches from gentle romance to fervour. The pace of the refrain 'kabadi' makes you tap you feet. The lyrics are quite pleasing as it's not all just about glorifying the players.

A neat flute piece begins Lesa Parakkuthu. It gets better as Chinmayee and Karthik take over to give a very pleasant rendering; Na Muthukumar has penned the words. With the flute playing a major part quite prettily, it's a mildly familiar rural tune that was favoured by A R Rahman in his Kizhakku Cheemaiyile days.

Vandhanam Vandhanam seems to be something of a karakattam number -- a strongly folksy number. Snehan's typically front-bencher-friendly lyrics will catch on. Pandi, Malathi, Maya and Vijay have rendered this one. The entire mood of the song is one of celebration and undiluted happiness which is quite infectious.

Karthik's Pada Pada starts off in a casual fashion; a medley of instruments follow to produce some gentleness. But this number, again, gives you a feeling of deja vu.

Strings of the guitar begin Uyiril Edho, a tune filled with gentle sorrow and angst. Sung by Haricharan, it first turns completely romantic, later switching to a melody that indicates heart-break. Na Muthukumar's lyrics seem to meander a bit.

Put together, the composer seems to have turned out a collection which seems, on the surface, familiar. That said, he has taken the time and effort to present some variation, which accounts for the freshness in a couple of numbers. It looks like we can expect good things from this debutant.

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