Musician credits at the end. You can listen to the songs here.
Listening to the effervescent road trip song (presumably) Paranne, the mind invariably goes back to another travel song that composer Raghu Dixit created not very long back – Shugal Laga Le. That’s not to say that the song’s infectious energy levels won’t have you grooving along, nonetheless – aside of Benny Dayal’s rendition (Dixit playing an effective chorus) of Rafeeq Ahammed’s lines, it is John Paul’s banjo bubbling along in the backdrop that contributes most to the song’s allure. The joie de vivre is a running theme also in the title song penned by Shruti Namboodiri. The arrangement is once again spot on, highlighted by the brilliant use of plucked strings (John Paul again) and some fine touches like the smattering of reggae elements in the second verse – but the clear winner here is the vocal department. Anne Amie is in splendid form leading the singing, while Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy (last seen co-composing the spectacular soundtrack of Aruvi) does some fine incorporation of vocal effects with the chorus, and Nazriya Nazim’s conversational snippets are the icing on the cake. Composer rounds up his Malayalam composing debut with the gorgeous, dreamy melody Aararo that was employed by the movie’s makers a few days back as the song to announce Nazriya’s return to films after a gap of four years. Rendering the song is fine fashion once again is Anne Amie, handling the gentle tune as skilfully as she did the boisterous Koode. A slower, more minimal version of the composition with modified lyrics is sung by Raghu Dixit himself. Nicely sung, though I prefer the Anne Amie version.
Remaining two songs of the soundtrack come from M Jayachandran. Vaanaville’s tune and arrangement are associable with the composer’s signature style from another time, so a throwback to that sound feels nice. And he gets Karthik to sing the track, who delivers as commendably as he always does. Composer does even better in his other song, the lullaby called Minnaminni that once again carries the ethereal feel that Aararo did. While the tune itself progresses beautifully, the lush backdrop sees a delectable mix of Rex Issacs and group’s violins and Kamalakar’s woodwinds. And topping everything is the singing by Abhay Jodhpurkar who – aside of sounding his soulful best – shows a remarkable grasp over the diction as compared to his last Malayalam song.
Movies involving Anjali Menon have always featured impressive music – Koode adds to that track record. A commendable composing debut in the industry for Raghu Dixit and the veteran composer M Jayachandran delivering well on his part.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Aararo, Minnaminni, Koode
Musician Credits
Aararo
Music: Raghu Dixit.
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed.
Singer: Anne Amie.
Music Production: Nakul Abhyankar.
Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, Charango, Mandola: John Paul.
Additional Guitars: Raghu Dixit.
Recording Engineers: Raghu Dixit and Nakul Abhyankar
Recorded at: RDX Productions, Bangalore.
Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Balu Thankachan at 20dB SoundStudios, Chennai.
Paranne
Music: Raghu Dixit.
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed.
Singer: Benny Dayal and Raghu Dixit
Music Production: Nakul Abhyankar.
Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, Charango, Mandola: John Paul.
Additional Guitars: Raghu Dixit.
Backing Vocal Harmonies: Nakul Abhyankar.
Recording Engineers: Raghu Dixit and Nakul Abhyankar
Recorded at: RDX Productions, Bangalore.
Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Balu Thankachan at 20dB SoundStudios, Chennai.
Minnaminni
Music: M Jayachandran
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed
Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar
Song Programmed by: Mithun Ashokan & Antony George
Flute & Recorder: Kamalakar
Backing vocals: Unni Elayaraja, Namitha & Ninzy
Rhythm Programmer: Rikky & Antony George
Strings section: Rex Issacs & group
Music conductor: Unni Elayaraja
Music manager: K D Vincent.
Song Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by: Ranjith Rajan @ Muzik Lounge Studios, Chennai
Assisted by: Midhun Manoj.
Label: Muzik247
Koode (Feat. Nazria Fahadh)
Music: Raghu Dixit.
Lyrics: Shruti Namboodiri
Singer: Anne Amie, Nakul Abhyankar
Spoken Word: Nazria Fahadh
Vocal Percussions and Vocal Effects: Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy
Music Production: Nakul Abhyankar.
Guitars, Charango, Mandola and Bass: John Paul.
Additional Guitars: Raghu Dixit.
Recording Engineers: Raghu Dixit and Nakul Abhyankar
Recorded at: RDX Productions, Bangalore.
Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Balu Thankachan at 20 dB Studios, Chennai.
Aarorum
Music: Raghu Dixit.
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed.
Singer: Raghu Dixit
Music Production: Nakul Abhyankar.
Electric Guitars and Bass: John Paul.
Acoustic Guitars: Raghu Dixit.
Pronunciation Supervision: Sethu Thankachan, Balu Diwakaran and Aparna Viswanathan.
Recording Engineers: Raghu Dixit and Nakul Abhyankar
Recorded at: RDX Productions, Bangalore.
Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Balu Thankachan at 20 dB Studios, Chennai.
