Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Anniyan Audio

Anniyan can be considered the acid test for Harris Jayaraj. The music director had a fabulous 2003 with movies like Saamy, Lesaa Lesaa and Kaakka Kaakka but didn't quite make a mark in 2004. Considering A.R.Rehman's soundtracks for previous Shankar films, Harris had some big shoes to fill this time. One could say he has not risen to the occasion but at the same time, he has not completely let Shankar down either. Anniyan is definitely not his personal best but does include a couple of good tracks. And keeping in mind Shankar's talent at song picturization, the other tracks cannot be completely written off either.

1. Andankaakkaa...
A folksy tune that reminds one of Uppu Karuvadu..., especially because of the Shankar connection. It is a fast song capable of getting our foot tapping. Jessie Gift's unique voice helps make the song interesting at places and Randakkaa uttering is quite catchy.

2. Iyengaru Veetu...
With the recent assault of loud and fast duppanguthu numbers on my ears, I have automatically begun to like slow and melodious tracks. This one gets my recommendation based on that though the tune of the 2 paragraphs sounds vaguely familiar. Track begins with a familar Carnatic number and Hariharan's golden voice flows smoothly.

3. Kaadhal Yaanai...
A fast track that loses its appeal quite soon. The song seems to about someone called Remo and has a lot of English words. The rap-like interlude is by females for a change and is catchy. After the Tsunami mention in Kanaa Kanden, this song has the singer comparing a woman to Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the sound of a bomb falling in the background! What's this obsession of lyricists with finding love in tradedy??!!

4. Kannum Kannum...
One of those typical numbers where the beats are fast and the lyrics are silly and meaningless. The lyricist has obviously been given a free hand to come up with words that don't have to mean anything as long as they rhyme!

5. Kumaari...
The song caught my fancy on the first play itself. Shankar Mahadevan sings in a captivating, slightly slurring voice with Harini joining him at the very end. The tune is mostly melodious but picks up its pace at a few places. The fast spots are the best parts of the song with the lyrics sharp and slipping very well into the fast tune. The meaningless interludes are typical Harris Jayaraj(remember Omahaseeya... and Illahi Ullaahi... ?) and add pep to the song.

6. Stranger in Black... (Theme Music)
This one's only music and it sounds a lot like the new age stuff from groups like Enigma and Enya. But since I'm a fan of new age music, I didn't mind the track. Very relaxing and soothing.

11 Comments:

At 12:58 AM, Blogger Houseowner said...

hi,

got here finally! yet to check out anniyan music, but ive heard say its really good! :)

cheers!

 
At 5:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wasn't expecting HJ to match ARR's class. But this was not even HJ's personal best. Isn't that itself a big letdown for Shankar? The lyrics are crap for most of the songs and the tunes sound repetitive of HJ's earlier tunes.
My personal favourites are

Kumaari for Shankar Mahadevan's brilliance. Nice tune.
Iyengaar Veetu Azhage - Hariharan and Harini- awesome combo to sing this brahmin aathu song with those brahminesque lyrics.

The only mistake HJ didn't do his the choice of singers. He has got the right singers to sing for the tunes he has composed.

The disappointment of listening to such songs in a Shankar's movie make me think to the extent that Shankar could have waited to make this movie until ARR was free. That was the kind of value ARR's soundtrack gave to Shankar's movies.

If ARR wasn't available, I personally feel he could have gone to YSR whose 7GRC theme music seems to be the inspiration for Anniyan's theme - Stranger in Black. Both got the same gothic feel to it.

 
At 7:55 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Iyengaar Veetu Azhage...this in a movie called Anniyan?!...Heh...Somehow all the songs in Saamy felt like they matched the general demeanor of that movie. Anyway, I can't wait to watch Anniyan. What was the last movie in which Vikram did a similar role? Samurai?

 
At 1:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think Harris Jeyaraj tries too hard to emulate Rehman...I've never been a huge fan of him (I loved "Kaaka Kaaka"- thats abt it) mainly coz I actively dislike the "oh, I could do this like Rehman" touches...and, I hate the fact that he's already started repeating himself a lot...at such an early stage in his career...

 
At 11:33 PM, Blogger Balaji said...

maverick, looks like our thots on the album match exactly, right down to our favorite tracks and our thots on the theme music. but i feel HJ is a better match for the big-budget, commercial flicks Shankar is known for than YSR. YSR seems to deliver better in smaller, more personal, slighty arty movies than in regular, commercial ones.

gopi, looks like sada is playing a Brahmin gal in 'anniyan'. hence the song... yeah, i guess 'samurai' would be the last vikram flick where he played a crusader for justice...

ram, HJ does remind one of ARR but with the huge influence raja and ARR have had on tamil music, it would be tough to give us good music and not remind us of one or the other. i personally think 'lesaa lesaa' was his best so far...

 
At 1:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Going by the promos of Anniyan and with Vikram playing a Brahmin and a crusader, looks like we have got Gentleman konjam
Mudhalvan konjam
kalandhu seidha kalavai.

And also, with a snap of Vikram in a lawyer's dress, it raises questions if this is a rip-off from Ben Affleck's Daredevil.

Haven't we got similar flicks in tamil before - Krodham, Naan Sigappu Manidhan ???

 
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