Nothing new in Vamanan

Post Subramaniapuram, expectations regarding any member of its cast and crew are high, and it's no different for Dream Valley Corporation's Tamil movie Vaamanan as well. And any Yuvan Shankar Raja album carries with it, its own band of followers. With lyrics penned by Na Muthukumar, here's what the album has to offer:

Mellow guitar strings begin Na Muthukumar's Edho Seigirai, sung by Javed Ali and Sowmya Rao. Proceeding steadily, the tune, nevertheless, seems rather lacklustre except during the refrain when it manages to ascend out of mediocrity, and makes a mark. The lyrics resemble a thousand other such romantic songs. Perhaps the picturisation might add more colour.

Blaaze, Suvi and Mohd Aslam begin Lucky Star in typically Yuvan fashion -- heavy beats, nasal voices and repetitive notes. With rap interludes forming part of the song, you suddenly realise how essential the accompanying lyric booklet is as that is the only way you're ever going to understand the words.

Money Money begins intriguingly, with Preethi exercising her vocal chords in characteristically sensuous fashion, while DJ Earl provides a rapping background. A part of the lyrics are borrowed from ABBA, and that form a reasonably catchy refrain. Midway, the number moves slightly from the 80s music to a couple of Arabic notes, before moving back to American slang. It is standard fare from Yuvan and pretty much run-of-the-mill.

A heavenly chorus starts off this Hindustani-esque number which comes in as a definite musical relief, as Roop Kumar Rathod takes off in the melodious, slow-paced Oru Devadhai. With its marked similarities to Jodha Akbar's Khwaja Mere Khwaja, it might not scale extraordinary music heights but when it comes after the crash-bang numbers, its appeal increases. The percussion and sarangi interludes are pleasant to hear, and for the first time, the rather trite lyrics fit in.

Enge Povadhu begins with a mournful lament, suitably in Vijay Yesudas's voice but the resemblance to Vaaranam Aayiram's Anal Mele is striking in the pallavi, which gets diluted into a commonplace melody. Heart-wrenching anguish is what it aspires to, considering the lyrics, but it doesn't quite manage to rise to the occasion. 

Yuvan is fast becoming one of those music directors who have evolved a template of their stock tunes and borrow liberally from oft-repeated melodies. Vaamanan is one such album in which he has not offered anything new. 

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