Kulir 100 degrees C has good music

Every music album reaches you with some amount of hype that automatically sky-rockets when stars are involved. But N-Viz Entertainment's Kulir 100 degrees C, an Anita Udeep film that supposedly deals with school students, comes with an understated freshness. Its music director, Bobo Shashi, has put together an interesting set of tunes. Here's the lowdown on it:

Boom, rendered by Benny Dayal and Abhishek, begins in an ordinary way, but manages a few surprises. Technically, it starts as a rap and keeps up the momentum, even as it shifts from catchy beats to Arabian music and rhythm. But Pa Vijay's lyrics are not inspiring.

Hip Hop Hurray is a joyous, delightful song and has the Latino swing in full. BoomerangX takes the credit for the lyrics, while Coco Nandha and MC Bullet have performed with enthusiastic abandon. You may not understand what's being said but the peppy beats make up for it, and make you want to listen to it repeatedly.

Beginning with serene guitar strings and Simbhu's voice (which is uncannily similar to a young Ilayaraja) murmuring the lyrics along with Rap Abhishek, Shivam and Srikanth is Manasellam (Unplugged). V Ilango's lyrics seem more fitting to that of a lover, rather than a friend who has passed away. Still, the gently sorrowful tune does take over and infuse you with sadness, and the guitar adds to the effect, even if the rap spoils the effect at times. 'I didn't know the word 'friend' had an 'end',' is rather touching.

A car starts, intriguingly, in Sirakinri Parakkalam  and that's the cue for Geetha, Rekha, Saritha, Archana, Benny Dayal Swami, lil-j, Bobo Shashi have all taken a hand in singing Purple Patch's lyrics. The tune, a synthesized music medley which goes all the hog with lyrics that sound like they've been bitten out, remind you faintly of A R Rahman's Oorvasi. After the previous two numbers, this one sounds a bit flat.

Krish's Un Uyir Nanban begins with the guitar and his fluid voice touches all the high notes to Abhishek and Shivam's lyrics. This one, if not very scintillating, is your mandatory love song with romantic musical notes and slightly breathless vocals.

Nallavan Kettavan begins in an intriguing fashion with a villain's horrible laughter, odd bell peals and an appropriate modern screeching voice and howls while Coco Nandha and MC Bullet contribute their voices to BoomerangX's lyrics. Meanwhile, evil villainess laughter and threats continue on an aside, make you wonder exactly how this one is going to be picturised.

V Ilango's Manasellam, this time rendered in a somber fashion by Ranjith is serene and sorrowful this time around , a little lacking in spice, compared with its Unplugged version. Show me the meaning of being lonely might be lifted from Backstreet Boys -- indeed, the tune itself resembles it closely -- but it's still an engaging melody, for all that.

Newcomer Bobo Shashi has certainly gone all out to provide an interesting album. Kulir 100 degrees C is definitely worth your time and money.

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