The seasonal favourite Haricharan’s singing is exceptionally soulful in Unmai Orunaal Vellum, but the song as such works only intermittently. Barring a few moments of brilliance in the arrangement, particularly around the interludes, the song is a rather tedious listen. The other melody fares better in comparison; En Mannava has a more appealing tune that is delivered neatly by Aditi Paul and Srinivas. The arrangement once again soars during the interludes, especially for the way A R Rahman overlays the chorus and Asad Khan’s sitar phrases. The anthemic sound and A R Rahman’s voice would invariably mean that Indiane Vaa evokes memories of older songs of the same kind. It is an engaging listen nevertheless; I found the use of percussion particularly interesting.
The soundtrack’s towering highlights are the two remaining tracks though. If the title Mona Gasolina made you raise your eyebrows, wait till you hear the song! Wacky lyrics (Madhan Karky) and a trippy mix of Latino and techno elements with folk instruments (that thavil-shehnai combo!) and outlandish sounds thrown in for good measure. Singers Mano (singing for ARR after ages!), Neeti Mohan and Tanvi Shah contribute with their share of madness even while handling the singing tunefully. And finally, there is of course, a song from THE S P Balasubramaniam – Oh Nanba. ARR goes for a retro gangster theme-based sound here, giving it a mod twist. The dominantly Arabic-flavoured arrangement sees some fabulous work from the brass section (Blasco Monsorat, Kishore Sodha, Raghav Sachar) and on guitars (Keba Jeremiah). The backing vocalists too are well-employed, Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam’s rap adds a nice touch.
Lingaa. A soundtrack that shifts from regular to awesome thanks to those last two songs. I am very much looking forward to see how these songs look onscreen!
Music Aloud Rating: 8/10
Top Recos: Oh Nanba, Mona Gasolina, En Mannava
