Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (Music)

Vaayai Moodi Pesavum marks the second outing for director Balaji Mohan of 'Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi' fame. With Mammooty's son Dulquer Salman making his Tamil debut, VMP has Nazriya, Madhubala, Pandiarajan and many others to its starcast. Music is by debutant Sean Roldan. Does this album have good sounds, despite keeping its mouth shut?

Shut Up! Vaaya Moodu! Pesadhe! : Singers - Sean Roldan, Balaji Mohan, Lyrics - Balaji Mohan

Balaji Mohan fills up the lyrical department with his funky lyrics in this number. Filled with catchy phrases throughout, this song is about speaking with your mouth closed. Unique start to the album.

Kadhal Ara Onnu Vizhunduchu : Singers - Sean Roldan, Shakthisree Gopalan, Lyrics : Muthamil 

Sean Roldan jumps brings brilliance straight into this track, both with the vocals and the orchestrations. Shakthisree's voice too, fits like a tee as this is a track which is sure to top the charts in the coming days. Superb work from the bass and electric guitarists, they truly add life to the song.

Mr Fix-IT Theme : Chennai Strings 

Being a complete instrumental, this one is brimmed with violin snippets which are highly engaging.

Podhum Nee Ini Varundhadhe : Singers - Haricharan, Lyrics : Muthamil

The composer induces the feel of a soulful Ilayaraja melody with Podhum Nee Ini Varundhadhe. Haricharan's vocals are soothing, while the acapella chorus come up with a flawless rendition. Though this might a slumber for some, the song is compelling to those who are a fan of the tune.

Udaigiren Udaigiren : Singers - Aalaap Raju, Lyrics : Karky

The only damp squib in the album, Udaigiren is a number sung in pathos for a man's love. Karky's lyrics do aid this track in a good way however.

Beedhiya Kelappa Jazz Theme : Instrumental

With a deep dive into the jazz genre, Sean Roldan comes up with a number which just might be of use in the comic sequences. Glimpses of a jazz dance sequence come up to one's mind too.

The Sound of Silence - Dubstep Symphony : Chennai Strings

Already put to use in the teaser, this makes use of the dubstep genre with ingenious work on the strings. Another peculiar theme in the album.

Maatra Paravai : Singers - Pradeep, Kalyani Nair, Lyrics : Karky

Sean Roldan saves his best for last with Maatra Paravai, which is a fitting finale to the soundtrack. Pradeep and Kalyani Nair's impeccable voices provide the song with a stirring feel , which makes this song one of the best coming out of the album. Special mention to Karky's lyrics, which are completely anapestic.

With novel experimentations in the jazz and R&B genres, first timer Sean Roldan concocts a dream debut for himself. Using the singers to their complete potentials, he has crafted out a different soundtrack which will taste its success after the tunes set in. Notably, the songs have been composed around the film, in order to provide a musical touch to it. Congrats to Sean Roldan, for this album is one which is sure to taste a 'quiet' success.

Pick : Kadhal Arai Onnu Vizhunduchu

Verdict : An elite debut from Sean Roldan.

3.5 / 5

Vaalu (Music)

STR's Vaalu is a film which has spoken about for a long time. Right from the teaser release back in 2012, this film has been on and off the marquee, as the team is now finally locking the release date. The highly expected soundtrack of Vaalu leaked out over the internet this Friday, after which the makers decided to release the album officially. Has Thaman scored this time around?

Engadhan Porandha - Singer : STR

STR jolts this tune down his throat, as he is at complete ease while crooning this track. The song which begins with a charming tune then shifts into a light melody. The lyrics are something to bother about as they are loony, loaded with lines justifying a person's second (and so on) love.

Hey Vasamoakka - Singers : Anirudh and Andrea 

Thaman's choice to go with Anirudh's vocals hit the jackpot as this song turns out to be even more lovable with repeated hearings. The STR-Hansika mentions are a treat, with Andrea too hitting rock bottom in the English portions. Will climb up the charts in a while.

Inky Pinky ( You're My Darling ) - Singer : Thaman 

The composer gets back to his comfort zone here as he zooms across this track with a lot of zest.  Funky lyrics enclosed, Inky Pinky is an energetic number right from the start till the very end.

Love Endravan - Singer : STR

Released as a single earlier, Love Endravan is another proven chartbuster in the album. STR's vocals add life to the song, as it is sure to make fans go crazy with the impressive visuals.

Vaathiyaaru ( Thaaru Maaru ) - Singer : T.R.Rajendhar

Thaman saves his best for last. With T.R.Rajendhar on the mic, Vaathiyaaru is an instant addiction. The verse 'Thaa.. Thaaru Maaru' is superbly carried out, as this song is sure to hit the apogee with STR's thunderous dance moves. Cheers to Thaman for slotting in the Mankatha and Manmadhan themes like a tee in this one.

After an array of mediocre Tamil albums, Thaman returns with notable hit material in Vaalu. Albeit one might hail the overuse of autotune and the rehash of his older rhythms, this album does possess some enjoyable music on the whole. With STR's dynamic foxtrots, Vaalu will go places. Slip on your dancing shoes and switch on the music, for this sure is a soundtrack which is high on energy.

Pick : Vaathiyaaru

Verdict : The STR - Thaman combo works again. A zippy album targeted at the masses.

3.5 / 5

OKMK (Music)

Director Chimbu Devan is back to wield the megaphone with Oru Kanniyum Moonu Kalavanigalum (OKMK). Starring Arulnidhi, Bindu Madhavi and Ashrita Shetty in the lead, OKMK has music by Moodar Koodam fame Natarajan Sankaran. So how has he tossed the tunes for this one?

Bachelor Enakke - Singers : Premji Amaren, Gaana Bala

Released earlier as the promo track for the film, Bachelor Enakke is a bony light kuthu number. The song doesn't cling onto you at any point, hence ending up as a damp squib coming to the promotions.

Moonu Kodi - Singers : Chinnaponnu, Manicka Vinayagam

Drums, drums and more drums are brought into this village-ish kuthu number. Unfortunately, even Chinnaponnu's vocals fail to save this raspy track.

July Madham - Singer :  Naresh Iyer

July Madham remains the only saving grace in this tedious album, with Naresh Iyer's voice taking centre stage. The interludes are well panned out, finishing up on a pleasant listen.

Themes - Natarajan Sankaran

Three of OKMK's themes comprise of a single tune played out in three different genres. The music here is highly electronic, as the composer seems to have made them using a simple software such as Atari. All the four music bits are unimpressive, and one would be skeptical about hearing them even in the background score.

OKMK is an album which doesn't even try to create an impact. Almost all the songs fall flat, ending up as a mundane listen for the music lover. Hope Chimbu Devan's script writing manages to keep our attention intact, in order to help us overlook the musical department. 

Pick : July Madham

Verdict : Stale second outing from Natarajan Sankaran.

1 / 5

Jigarthanda (Music)

Dark comedy is fast rising to become a frequently touched genre in Tamil Cinema. In a Madurai setting, Karthik Subburaj returns to wield the megaphone with Jigarthanda starring Siddharth, Lakshmi Menon and Simha in the lead. Music is by Santosh Narayan, let's see how this albums emerges out.

Kannamma is the first track and a whacky one at that. Antony Dasan and Rita's bizarre renditions help the song immediately catch the listener's attention. As usual, Santosh Narayanan's mixing and beats are very unique with the weird yet catchy chorus grabbing our attention.

In a film like this, one does need a rap song. Ding Dong checks that column up, with aberrant vocals by Mose and Arun Raja. The English portions are a treat, whereas the Tamil portions clearly set a dark mood for the film with a raw energy. It must be said that the background saxaphone is a perfect choice and the vocals are definitely different.

Antony Dasan's rural voice is mixed up with a Punjabi marriage tune in Pandi Naatu Kodi. Deft!

Santosh Narayan puts all of his heart into a song, Dhesayum Ezhindaney. Meenakshi's Iyer's crooning fits to the gloomy mood of the song, her voice is so carving and adds the much needed bliss to the song.

The composer grabs the mic with Baby, which is a cool song with hillbilly music. The violin usage along with the drum beats setup the dark comedy flavor inthe song. The variations are gentle as Santosh's voice perfectly suits the song, giving the similar feel of hearing a retro western song in Ilaiyaraaja's voice.

Jigar is one of the heavy tracks in the album, providing a strong dubstep feel, which works wonders in its way. The instruments which are used add a suspense element to the song so as the vocals.

Thanda and Ottam are instrumental tracks which are simple but effective.

Hoo Haa is another ad-jingle sounding track which will be used in the background score.

Jigarthanda is more of an OST than an album. Most of the songs will be used as montage music, in the background score of the film. This kind of music is crafted for the film, rather to be clingy to the charts. Withal, here we have an album which is mysteriously whimsical and erratic in its own ways.

Pick : Jigar

Verdict : Santosh Narayanan is a freak. Totally out-of-the-box material, once again.

3 / 5