Kalaipuli Thanu's latest production venture Thirumagan boasts of a fine album, though lacking in originality.
Debutant AM Rathnakumar wields the megaphone in this venture starring S J Surya and critical favourite Meera Jasmine. Vairamuthu's lyrics have been set to the tunes of Deva -- but he can hardly take entire credit for the felicitous pieces, seeing how he has borrowed from his own and others' repertoire.
Set against a rural backdrop, Deva has composed tunes accordingly with a folksy flavour.
Poranthathu, which kicks off the album, is a buoyant piece sung by the composer himself and Tippu. Vairamuthu's lyrics glorify 'Tamilmannu' (Tamil Nadu) and endorse a casteless society. Percussion is traditional and highly vibrant reaching a high-pitched climax towards the end of the track. Combined with the nadaswaram passages, a rural effect is created. Nadaswaram strains and fast beats punctuate the whole number.
Following this track is Idhukkuthaana rendered by Naresh and Madhusree. This song has an erotic and suggestive tinge to it as well as all the following numbers. Vairamuthu has laced his lyrics with sensuousness without minimising their aesthetic quality. The song conveys a young girl's fear and at the same time, curiosity and wonderment about the physical experiences. Naresh's deep voice is a perfect foil to Madhusree's lilting voice, which is seductive and full of mischief. Rhythmic beats and instrumentation is enriched with flute and guitar strains.
Koora saela pottandi by Swarnalatha is a joyous song describing the prelude to a wedding ceremony. Here the girl, accompanied by a group of village belles, dances merrily to the sounds of percussion beats. Effortlessly flowing beats make the number interesting. However, the stanzas following the prelude are set to a tune clearly borrowed from Jhoot bole kawwa katte from the film Bobby, starring Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor.
Thirumaganae is up next. Soaked in melody and melancholy, Sadhana Sargam sings about the lovelorn girl pining for her lover. The number really keeps you hooked. Vairamuthu has used poetic metaphors while Deva has cleverly incorporated sounds of the village (birds singing, cows mooing) to the sounds of the veena and sitar. Sadhana's Tamil diction is good.
Thatti thatti by Naresh and Madhusree is soothing like a smooth flowing lullaby. In this track too, Deva has used natural sounds for instrumentation. Vairamuthu's lyrics provide a good blend of soft sentiment and passion. The tune is excellent but borrowed from Hindi songs.
Deva should have started the concluding number Shock adikkuthae with due apologies to Bharadwaj, as it is a poor copy of the latter's Gemini Gemini. There is neither music nor lyrical quality in Shock adikkuthae. This is the only number in this album where Vairamuthu also fails miserably.
This could have been a pretty good album, but seriously lacks originality.
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