Songs at the end of the review (link via @phanishankar)
Composer MM Keeravani’s grand sound in Mamatala Thalli comes with a whiff of déjà vu about it; I was instantly taken back to some of his own songs in similar settings. That is not to take away from the beauty of the song however – the tune, the delivery by Satya Yamini and her backing vocalists, and the arrangement which gradually builds up in intensity and layers – all neatly executed. Jeevanadi’s minimal setting and slow pace makes it a pleasant listen while it lasts (it doesn’t last much, just about a minute and a half) but isn’t something you would return to often. Good job by Geetha Madhuri on vocals though. Even with the occasional contemporariness that sounds out of place, Dheevara packs enough punch to go with the Baahubali’s majestic nature. Behind the mic Ramya Behara and Deepu deliver well. The tune lends itself quite well even to the mod adaptation in the English Version. Ramya does a commendable job here too, this time alongside Adithya.
Keeravani packs lines from Shiva Tandava Stotram with Inaganti Sundar’s Telugu words in a rousing percussion-heavy piece (hindolam/malkauns raga based, my guess) called Sivuni Aana, and delivers the song himself, again with some excellent backing vocals (led by Mounima). The lead demanded a stronger voice though, methinks. The violins give Pachcha Bottesi a dramatic, promising start before it relegates itself into a middling romantic duet that fails to make much of an impression despite the presence of Karthik and Damini. Manohari is relatively more interesting; has a decent tune (rendered well by Mohana Bhogaraju & Revanth) and a nice foot-tap-y groove. Nippule Swaasaga (Maahishmati) gets off to a soulful start in the composer’s voice before taking an ominous turn – chorus doing chants to a booming strings-brass backdrop. Should go with quite an impressive spectacle in the movie, but as a standalone song not so much enjoyable.
Baahubali. Keeravani’s soundtrack matches the grandeur that SS Rajamouli’s visuals promise, but is often found wanting on the quality front.
Music Aloud Rating: 7/10
Top Recos: Mamatala Thalli, Dheevara, Sivuni Aana
