latest spell from ARR

It's been 10 days and I carry it wherever I go. It's a perfect company for the long commute to work. Although I carry my iPod, the music of "Vinnai Thaandi Varuvayaa" has ensured I use it everyday. Ever since I bought the CD from Crosswords, the beautiful songs have been continuously playing in my music player and in my mind. It's been a while since Rahman created such brilliant music for a Tamil movie. I wasn't very much impressed with his earlier music in ATM or Sakkarakkatti. But VTV has smashed the bad spell and is here to stay in our memories for a long time.

Of the seven songs, my favorites are Hosanna, Mannippaaya and Anbil Avan. The music feels so fresh and captivating in Hosanna. It starts off as a soothing melody and shifts gear to a foot tapping number, followed by an interesting rap by Blaaze. The way he says Hellooo is just superb. I'm sure the visuals and the picturization will be brilliant for this song.

Although it is evident from the beginning that Mannippaaya is going to be a sad song, it's sung so beautifully by Shreya Ghoshal and Rahman himself. I first heard this song during the music launch when Chinmayi and Karthik sung with so much emotion and feel. The lyrics play an important role in this song and am glad that Rahman didn't give this song to Madhushree. I felt she could have done a better job with the lyrics of "MarudaaNi" in Sakkarakatti.

When I first heard Anbil Avan, I wasn't that impressed but this song definitely grows on you after a few times. The way ARR has blended the wedding tunes of Hindu and Christian traditions sounds so nice. Devan and Chinmayi have sung very well, especially the first saranam.

Omana Penne is a catchy number from the first listen. The title track sung by Karthik is such a good experimental song. I haven't heard such a mix of layers before. Kannukkul Kannai is not that impressive as a whole but a few portions are good. I think I need a few more times of hearing to start liking Aoramale which seems to be the favorite of many Rahman fans.

While getting lost in this beautiful soundtrack, one cannot ignore the perfect lyrics of Thaamarai. What a magical phrase she has written in Hosanna to capture the first feelings of falling in love - "pattu poochi vandaachaa, megam unnai thottaachaa".

I'm a big fan of Gautham Menon's movies and eagerly awaiting VTV, especially this being a musical film.