Sivaji Audio

1. Ballelakka...
There are some rules to be followed in a Rajni film and one of them is that the introduction numberbe sung by SPB. Rahman followed the rule in Muthu and Padaiyappa but deviated from it for Baba - with disastrous consequences. He does things right this time with the awesome Ballelakka..., which provides a great start to the album(and to the film, I'm sure). It is one ofthe fastest opening songs for Rajni in recent times and the fast tempo of the first few lines gets our feet tapping right away. SPB is phenomenal with his breathless singing for the Sadugudu... lines and as usual, adds his own touches like the harsh repetition of Tiruthanikkaa... and the mild laugh when singing Oororam Ayyanaaridam kathi vaangi pencil seevalaame.... The song slows down in the 2 paragraphs and does remind one of Devuda Devuda... sometimes. The lyrics, which are nice and simple, ask one to enjoy the simple pleasures offered by our villages and praise the good heart of our villagers.

2. Sahaanaa/Sahara
Sahaanaa... is a beautiful melody sung by Udit Narayan and Chinmayi. Udit seems to have really worked on his pronunciation(especially if you compare this to kuLuvaalile..., the previous song he sung for Rajni) and utters most of the words well. Sahara... is a slightly slower version sung by Vijay Yesudas and Gomathi. Vijay sings it very soulfully and it is very soft and soothing. Gomathi has a very strong, unique voice and renders the Thiruppaavai beautifully.

3. Style...
When Style... starts, it doesn't sound like a Rajni song at all. Blaaze's voice definitely doesn'tsuit thalaivar and the lyrics sound like they are sung by someone fair-skinned while thalaivar has a dark complexion(which he and others have referred to proudly in the past). But the section that goes ada ada ada... definitely makes this a Rajni song. Style is pretty much the word we associate most closely with Rajni and this segment will make any thalaivar fan get goosebumps as it calls his walk, his toussled hair, his laugh, his talk, etc. all stylish before ending with vara vara ellaame style! The song sounds a bit like one of those Caribbean songs but the Ragalai Sei... section in pure Tamil is a pleasant surprise in the middle of the otherwise English-heavy song. The lyrics are pretty much indecipherable for most of the song but there are some nice phrases in there once we do decipher them(my favorite is Rajni singing irundhaaye uruvathil ettaai..., which suits Shriya just perfectly :-).

4. Vaaji Vaaji...
This is a more traditional duet without any Rahmanesque touches. It has a nice tune and rhythm and is instantly likeable. Hariharan sounds a little different and his voice isn't as smooth as usual but Madhushri sings well and her correct pronunciation is a pleasant surprise. Vairamuthu doesn't write anything exceptional but his touch is evident in words like aambaal and mouval (which are apparently flowers) and cleverly naughty lines like kumariyin vaLangaL; kuzhandhaiyin siNungal; muranpaadu moottai nee.

5. Adhiradikkaaran Machaan...
Rahman lends his unique voice to this number that has really grown on me since the first time I listened to it. Its kind of a funky song with good guitar pieces and the lyrics praise thalaivar to the skies (the references are all to 80's icons like Roger Moore and Eddie Murphy. Not sure if it was done because the song is used in a flashback or just because those names are more popular among the target demographic). The Billa Ranga Baasha dhaan; ivan pistol pesum besha dhaan line rolls of the tongue nicely and is the pick of the song's lyrics.

6. The Boss
The song's start vaadaa vaadaa... reminds us of naandhaangoppandaa... from Ram Lakshman. That song was sung by Kamal as he fought with the bad guys and this song's lyrics(i.e. the little that can be understood!) make it sound like it might be used in a similar situation. The lyrics are light-hearted and fun, and silliness and rhyming seem to have been the first criteria as Jet Li is rhymed with idli, sixer is rhymed with puncture and jujubi is rhymed with jilebi (the sivaji vaayil, jilebi thaanda is actually a nice line that brought back some memories since I remember finding out in school that the words Sivaji Vaayile Jilebi, when written as 3 lines in Tamil, read the same both across and down).

The album has made both the Rajni fan and the Rahman fan in me happy!