Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu Audio

Of late, we’ve seen some new director-music director pairs emerging in Tamil cinema. The two not only work perfectly together, but also deliver their best work when working with each other. The Gautham Menon – Harris Jayaraj combo is one such pair and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu is their third outing together. Considering the quality of the soundtracks in their previous 2 collaborations Minnale and Kaakka Kaakka and Kamal’s usual success with his films' soundtracks, great things were expected from this album. They’ve certainly been met. For lovers of soft, melodious songs, this is easily the best album in a long time.

1. Karkka Karkka…
An extremely catchy number starts off the album and I was hooked to this one right from the first listen. The song is in praise of Kamal’s character (looks like he is named Raghavan) but it is soft and very different in style and tone from the usual numbers that sing the hero’s praises. The lyrics are clever, flow smoothly with the tune and nicely convey the strengths of a cop. The rap bits sound out-of-place initially but grow on you and eventually seem like an integral part of the song.

Question: Is the first line KaRkka KaRkka KaLLam KaRkka; Endru Sollum Naran? If it is, then who or what is Naran?

2. Paartha Mudhal…
Like Suttum Vizhi Chudare…, this number too has steady, rhythmic beats and a pace that slots it between a fast number and a slow number. In other words, it sounds just right and so is instantly likeable. Unni Menon, without any noticeable Malayali accent, sings for Kamal. He last sang for the actor for Pon Maane… in Oru Kaidhiyin Diary but one wonders why there was such a long break since his voice suits Kamal very well. Bombay Jayashree, with her slightly husky voice, too sounds perfect for the number.

3. Manjal Veiyil…
The song’s tune is awesome and Hariharan sings the high pitches just right. The low-pitch Vennilave… bits continue naturally from the high pitches and serve as catchy interludes. My only complaint is with the lyrics. They seem too conversational and not poetic enough. They also don’t flow smoothly with the tune and so some of the words feel unnaturally stretched.

4. Uyirile…
Probably the most melodious number in the album, the song is almost haunting with its slow pace and minimal music. Srinivas sounds a lot like SPB and does a neat job.

5. Neruppe…
The only fast number (even that is only relatively speaking) on the album, this one is a folksy song in typical Harris Jayaraj style. Reminds us of Rangola… almost immediately but that is more because of the type of song it is rather than similarities in any particular sections of it.