Better late than never, right? Tunes Weekly is here with top six (not five) songs of last week. Keeping one track from this lot for the next week will be too late, so we decided to make it six in this edition.
And this time, we have an A.R. Rahman song, compositions from two Malayalam film music debuts, and a Kannada rap among the entries.
Here goes this week's chosen six.
Nilaa Vaanile (Shikhamani)
Yet another music director is making his debut in Malayalam cinema. For this duet in Shikhamani, composer Sudeep Palanad gets accomplished singers Vijay Yesudas and Swetha Mohan on board. The brief pre-pallavi portion is enough to convince you to stick with the song. The track then moves to its romantic zone ensuring a smooth transition. The tune is fresh, comfy and is backed by some neat orchestration. 'Nilaa Vaanile' is a song that has Malayali charm written all over it and will sure make you sway.
Vattolam Vaaniyare (Leela)
Biju Menon is the latest actor to have ventured into singing in Malayalam film industry, and composer Bijibal entrusts the star with a witty song on the city of Kottayam. Biju's unpolished vocals fit the bill. Bijibal maintains the native touch of the short track with folkish beats. 'Vattolam Vaaniyare' is a fun track to listen to.
Mei Nigara (24)
Sid Sriram has that unique voice that we easily identify with, and A.R. Rahman has been tapping the young singer's potential with experimental numbers in his soundtracks. 'Mei Nigara' from 24 is the latest song in that category. This isn't something you've heard earlier. Rahman has added a lot of layers into the song; it is unpredictable and has elements of R&B synced in with its beats. Sid Sriram is phenomenal and so are the two female singers—Sanah Moidutty and Jonita Gandhi. And mind you, it is slow poison—you may not like it in the first couple of listens. But trust ARR, you are most likely to play 'Mei Nigara' on a loop soon.
Mazhaye Mazhaye (James and Alice)
Gopi Sunder repeats his singers Karthik and Abhaya Hiranmayi and the feel of his own song 'Thanne Thanne' from Two Countries in 'Mazhaye Mazhaye', and it stills works big time. Guitar tunes flow like how raindrops come down, in sync with the romantic song's mood. Karthik does not need lessons here and sings like a dream. Gopi also applies his trademark, gibberish chorus after the pallavi neatly. The violin piece after the anupallavi and the charanam enhances the melody. Abhaya has only a teeny-weeny portion to sing. 'Mazhaye Mazhaye' is highly reminiscent of 'Thanne Thanne' but that does not stop it from being a appealing number.
Kannukal Kaalidari (Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti)
'Kannukal Kaalidari' is the most innovative track of Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti and is written, composed, and crooned by Sooraj S Kurup. The musician inventively blends a bit of rock, folk and melody to carve out this number that can get addictive after a couple of listens. The roll of percussion after the pallavi, along with bass strings, makes it even better. A quality Santhosh Narayanan-ish number this, and we had experienced something similar in the composition 'Ta Ta Ta Tang' from Darvinte Parinamam from another debutant musician Sankar Sharma. So happy to see songs traversing different terrains in Malayalam.
Amma (Kannada rap - Gubbi ft. Tejas Shankar)
After featuring a mesmerising track from 'Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu' in the last edition, Tunes Weekly has a Kannada song this time as well. And it is not a film song. 'Amma' is a lovely number born out of a collaboration between Kannada rapper Karthik Gubbi, Tejas Shankar, the lead singer of Bengaluru-based fusion band Lagori and composer Amit Anand. Tejas opens the mellifluous song and his mesmerising vocals will tug at your heartstrings. With the platform neatly set, Gubbi does a smooth sail with his rap portion. Tejas wins Tunes Weekly's special praise for the soulful rendition and Gubbi's rap ends the song on a high note. 'Amma' is a perfect tribute to motherhood.
Bonus track
Any Game of Thrones fans here? Here's something for you. Watch out for the priceless expressions of the artist - Karan Chitra Deshmukh.
