Songs and musician credits at the end.
Happened to watch the movie yesterday night, so a customary spoiler alert in case some throwaway reference might have crept in.
The mandolin/uke/charango strains that open Mazhai Kuruvi take the mind back to Phir Se Udd Chala. And like the latter, this kuruvi too takes flight in unpredictable ways (interestingly the phrase mazhai kuruvi never appears in the song), tethered only by the keech keech refrain. As whimsical as the melody is A R Rahman’s use of violins present almost throughout the song – the only aspect where the song loses out is the composer’s own inadequate singing. Soundscape of the soundtrack’s other romance-themed piece, Kalla Kalavaani, is possibly a more accurate representation of Ethi and Chhaaya’s relationship, and when that Nee Vandhu Sendranai refrain sung by Shaktisree Gopalan appears in the movie, it is a perfect fit. In the song however, everything else strikes a discordant note and in the end nothing really sticks. Hayati starts off in a similar manner to Kalla Kalavaani, with a soaring female portion, except here it is the titular Arabic phrase (Maysaa Karaa, the singer). While the singer has a lovely voice, the bits she gets to sing aren’t particularly great. It is the electronic groove and Shiv’s rap that make the song relatively engaging. Sevandhu Pochu Nenju is another composition that finds brilliant use in the movie’s BGM at different moments but doesn’t quite have the same impact in its entirety as a song. And a lot of its limited appeal comes from the intriguing use of vocals (Sunitha Sarathy, Arjun Chandy, Sathya Prakash).
With that out of the way, I come to my favourite part of the soundtrack. Bhoomi Bhoomi sees Shaktisree Gopalan in the lead for a second time in the soundtrack, and in even better form. While the singer handles the passionate rendition in spectacular fashion, complementing her at every step is Keba Jeremiah who handles both the lead guitar and bass. The sound occasionally seems to hark back to Raakh Baaki from Mom. Karthik sings – and owns – the angsty Praaptham, even as the composer sets up an intense, bluesy backdrop (guitar, keys, horns – all wonderfully employed) and some fine harmonies to support the singer. Finally, there is Madura Marikozhundhae, an acappella-esque lament delivered by Anuradha Sriram, Shweta Mohan (a sweet throwback to the many chorus songs that Anuradha and Shweta’s mother have sung for ARR) and Aparna Narayanan. While the ladies are brilliant with their rendition, the additional vocal layer beneath their singing accentuates the song’s disquieting vibe.
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. An album that, unlike the usual A R Rahman-Mani Ratnam movies, does not feel as satisfying on its own as experienced alongside the movie.
Music Aloud Rating: 3/5
Top Recos: Bhoomi Bhoomi, Praaptham, Madura Marikozhundhae
Musician Credits
Song Name – Mazhai Kuruvi
Singer – A.R. Rahman
Music – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Vairamuthu
Mixed by TR Krishna Chetan at Panchathan Hollywood Studios
Mastered by Suresh Permal at AM Studios
MFiT mastered by S Sivakumar at AM Studios
Additional Programming – Ishaan Chhabra
Musicians –
Charango, Mandolin, Ukulele – George Doering
Flute – Kamalakar
Sunshine Orchestra Conducted by Anupam (KM Music Conservatory)
Song Name – Kalla Kalavaani
Singer – Shakthisree Gopalan, Lady Kash
Music – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Vairamuthu
Mixed by Ishaan Chhabra at Panchathan Hollywood Studios
Mastered by Suresh Permal at AM Studios
MFiT mastered by S Sivakumar at AM Studios
Song Name – Hayati
Singer – Mayssa Karaa, Shiv
Music – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Shiv
Arabic lyrics and vocals by Myassa Karaa
Rap by Shivang Vaishnav
Mixed by Ishaan Chhabra at Panchathan Hollywood Studios
Mastered by Suresh Permal at AM Studios
MFiT mastered by S Sivakumar at AM Studios
Song Name – Sevandhu Pochu Nenju
Singer – Sunitha Sarathy, Arjun Chandy, Sathya Prakash
Music – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Vairamuthu
Mixed by Ishaan Chhabra at Panchathan Hollywood Studios
Mastered by Suresh Permal at AM Studios
MFiT mastered by S Sivakumar at AM Studios
Song Name – Bhoomi Bhoomi
Singer – Shakthisree Gopalan
Music – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Vairamuthu
Mixed by TR Krishna Chetan at Panchathan Hollywood Studios
Mastered by Suresh Permal at AM Studios
MFiT mastered by S Sivakumar at AM Studios
Musicians – Guitar and Bass – Keba Jeremiah
Sound Engineers
Panchathan Record Inn – Suresh Permal,Karthik Sekaran, Srinidhi Venkatesh, TR Krishna Chetan, Jerry Vincent, Santosh Dhayanidhi,Vinay Sridhar, Pawan Chilamkurthi
Additional Programmer – Kumaran Sivamani
Musicians Coordinators – Noell James, Vijay Iyer, TM Faizuddin
Musicians Fixer – R Samidurai
