SAKKARAKATTI -Music review

Starring Shantanu Bhagyaraj, Ishita Sharma and Vedika, this is a youth-based story: of a rich girl falling for a middle-class boy. The movie and the album are both eagerly awaited by fans, because we have two giants (Rahman and Dhanu) coming together! Rahman has always been known for his bold experimentation and technical virtuosity. He has set tunes for 6 songs here. How has this album fared? Let’s have a look at what he has to offer, shall we?

1.Taxi, Taxi…

Vocals: Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Viviane, Javed Ali, Lyrics: Na.Muthukumar

The song itself has very strong rhythms and the bell-type tinkling sounds that make up the rhythms are truly new to the ears! Appears to follow Natabhairavi scale with notes like ‘saa-ri-ga-ma-ga-ri-saa’ tripping along. Plenty of extra sounds have been tucked in. You have to strain a little to catch the lyrics. Sings in praise of a’ simple uncomplicated’ friend. More of a ‘ rappy’ number. Even the interludes are heavy into rhythms. No particular mood is projected.
2.Marudaani…

Vocals: Madhushree, A.R.Rahman, Henry, Lyrics: Vaali

Very nice opening bars we have here, that flit gently around our ears but the rhythms follow soon enough. Rahman seems to employ some kind of booming hollow rhythms that simply rattle your ribcage when you listen to them for sometime! Vaali’s lyrics seem to speak about true love but they don’t seem to rise above Rahman’s musical score! One is vaguely reminded of Maand raga. The last line is evocatively stretched and falls pleasantly on the ears.
3.I Miss You da…

Vocals: Chinmayee, Indai Haza, Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar

This is a well conceived song with a strong accent on melody, in spite of the rhythm accompaniment. The yearning and longing felt by the lady who is missing her lover are so effectively conveyed by Chinmayee singing in a husky soft voice. The chord’ saa dha, saa pa’ occur throughout the song which adds to the melodic appeal. Sindhubhairavi seems to have been used here. Listeners could warm to this song soon. According to Rahman’s website, this song seems to have been picturised in an expensively erected, futuristic setting!

4.Chinnamma…

Vocals: Benny Dayal, Chinmayee, Lyrics: P.Vijay

Lovely flute bars and a delightful folksy ‘mettu’ enliven this song
right away.Different tonal articulation by Chinmayee and Benny Dayal keeps pace! A tantalizing mix of Harikambodhi and Sankarabharanam seen in the song. Well assembled swaras like’ga ma gaa ri sa rii ga’on the flute add the right touch of folksy feel. The refrain’ Chinnamma, silakamma…’ the flute solos and the song itself, they all blend beautifully together. Thankfully the rhythm is subdued, for once. Will climb the charts soon.

5. Eley…

Vocals: Krish, Naresh Iyer, Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar

This piece has a western feel to it—more like a pop number. A song which typifies youthful feelings and enthusiasm for life. Well integrated guitar and violin sounds keep the song light and easy on the ears. Plenty of English words too! Nice complex rhythms. Again the Natabhairavi scale seems to have been used.

6.Naan Epoudhu…

Vocals: Reena Bharadwaj, Lyrics: P.Vijay

A woman’s wonder at the inner transformation within herself. Sung softly by Reena. The sweet sounding interludes trip along with the girl’s heart! Like song no.4 this also shows traces of the same two ragas. Has an easy rhythm. Verdict:Rahman has this unique knack of grouping very different sounding instruments and blending them well to express his own musical idiom and mood. Here we have an adequate demonstration of it .Each song has a different feel to it. The D and F scale appear to have been very thoughtfully used. But one thing does seem to leave us feeling uneasy---frequent change of chords and relentless rhythms somehow rob the richness of the musical nuances that he wants to convey. We are sure Rahman is equally aware of this, too. Recently he announced that he wants to concentrate on melodies more. Let us wish this technical wizard all the very best in this