Listening to a Yuvan Shankar Raja can be an interesting experience. This is due to the fact that you never know which Yuvan will turn out – the one who is a worthy successor to his genius father and superbly talented brother or the commercial MD who sleepwalks through his composing sessions. The last Yuvan album I heard was Billa II and it seemed to me that he slept through the entire composing session for the same. Hence it was with trepedition that I picked up MPMK and boy I was surprised – this featured the good yuvan – one who was capable of catchy tunes and rich orchestra work. Here are my thoughts on the album.
Imagine being asked to sing at a gathering and you start after a pregnant pause. Aaha Kadhal is a typical example of the same. Nandini Srikar helms this lovely song , which talks about the effects of cupid’s arrow on a person. The song starts with a lovely guitar which soon merges with keys , violins et al, to create a heady mix. The violin plays an extended cameo in the second interlude with the flute , creating so rich a feel that one wonders if Karthik Raja had any hand in the orchestra work. This one had me hitting the repeat button so many times that I didn’t progress to the rest of the album for quite a few days. Aaha Kadhal is one of Yuvan’s best in recent times and definitely worth the hype its getting.
Neha Bhasin is one of Yuvan’s favorite singers and Kadhal en Kadhal does nothing but reinforce the fact. Neha croons her way into our ears and hearts , the morchang and Nadaswaram helping her a lot. What stays with you for a long time is not her superb voice quality but the addictive Nadaswaram hook – so much so that I’ve taken to humming the hook at my workplace , earning quite a few stares and am in the process of creating an entire ringtone from the hook – and yes while it’s not the vintage wine that Aaha Kadhal is , Kadhal en kadhal holds its sway on one’s ear thanks to that Nadaswaram hook and percussion.
A piano begins the proceedings for Mazhai Mazhai which is a tad bit jaded tune wise. Karthik takes the center stage with the lovely Swetha Mohan to ace this number which is a very pleasant listen. The interludes feature a lovely flute and string segment , which is faintly reminiscent of Yuvan’s Paiyya days. I know for sure that it will be a rain song or will be shot in mountainous terrain. Rumor says that this was initially recorded with Sonu Nigam and I wish the makers had included his version in the OST too. It would have definitely made a very interesting listen and I think Sonu’s voice would have suited the song a tad bit more.
Padapadakuthu is quite an interesting song but the processed voices spoil it for me. The orchestra work is spot on , and its quite an engaging tune but the excessive processing of the vocal segments spoil the song for me. Nevertheless this is a number which will do a round of quite a few discos . The best part of the song for me is the organ segment from 2:23 – 2:56 – nothing else stands apart.
The last time I heard Yuvan Shankar Raja sing , I cringed in distaste . That was because Saayndhu Saayndhu could have been a super number but for the crappy singing. But one has to agree that sometimes Yuvan’s off key singing has its own charm , unakkagave being a stellar example. A love ballad with electronic sounds , the song grows slowly , new age sounds and all that. As I speak , I’ve started humming touch by an angel , much to the amusement of my roomies.
The Soundtrack ends with another stunner helmed by Ramesh Vinayagam. The nayanam and trainesque percussion herald a ultra modern kutthu pattu / love failure song. Stop the pattu has Vinayagam crooning away to glory about his ex to the accompaniment of the superb nadaswaram and thavil. This is Yuvan in splendid form and the song will stay on the FM radio circuit for a long long time. Thakathimichak Thakathimichak indeed and watch out for the guitar , nadaswaram interplay in the second interlude – naughty and nice
To round up – MPMK brings baclk Yuvan of the good old days – the one who knew about crafting addictive tunes and showstopper melodies. Listen once and stay addicted amigos!!!!
The Yellowed Parchment 