My Favorite songs of 2008

THENDRULUKU NI

A typical Vidyasagar number. He knows the knack of coming up with a touchy melody in his albums. The song has all ingredients to top the charts for it has melody written all over it. An 'alap' in the middle is sweet to listen to. Karthik is at his usual best, while Swetha Mohan is an interesting prospect to watch out.

KALLAI MATTUM

The pick of the album. It is a spiritualistic number penned well by Vaali. Begins with Om namo Narayana chanting and the sound of temple bells, it is a high energy song which sets the mood for the movie.
With Hariharan at his usual best, Himesh has produced good music that takes us back to the 13 th century.
The instrumentation and the synchronization for the song are catchy and attractive.

ULAGANAYANE

What better words can Vairamuthu write to describe Kamal Haasan. A perfect number to shake the legs, the songs has a good tune. The catchy orchestration and the lyrics of Vairamuthu describing Kamal Haasan's rare feats and the honor that awaits him in future would go down well with Kamal Haasan fans.

ANBE EN ANBE

Harris starts off with a melody. No better person that Harish Raghvendra has rendered his vocals. A classy song, it has melody written all over it.
With a catchy interlude and typical Harris style of humming, the song sticks to our heart immediately.

SAKHIYE

The song of the album. Harris is at his best oozing with great energy in the number. Krish in the company of Jayashree elevates the listeners to new world.
Watch out for the musical interludes.

KANGAL IRANDAL

A catchy classical melody this is. Lyricist Thamarai lends grace to the song with her lyrics. The song set on a classical raaga has western interludes in between. James Vasanthan's delectable use of the vocals and rhythm work out wonders. The good use of flute in between is noteworthy.

CHELLAMMA

A melodious song that sounds pleasant and sweet. The simple lyrics and soft instrumentation does the trick. The piano interlude by Prakash shows his maturity as a music composer. Hariharan's voice cool as a cucumber coupled with Sujatha's sweet rendition takes the song on a higher plane. This is a song that will find its place in audio charts for a long time.

TAXI TAXI

A perfect song for those who love to shake their legs. It is full of energy and vigor. Blaaze starts off in style, while Benny and Vion give him the right company. This is a typical youth chartbuster that should be heard all over Chennai in a few days. The peppy beats and open-throated voice of the singers give a unique feel.

DOST BADA DOST

It's long since a song on friendship had come in Tamil cinema. Musthafa Musthafa by Rahman in Kadhal Desam was perhaps the last that created magic on screen. Yuvan joins the league of Rahman with this song. It is certain that this song which cherishes friendship gets lapped up by students. Valee's lyrics is the other major highlight. The trio of Haricharan, Rahul Nambiar and Naveen does a good show.

CHELLAME CHELLAM

A typical Harris number, 'Chellamae Chellamae' has Harris' favorite singer Bombay Jayashree at her best. A melodious number, the song has a lot of sheen thanks to Jayashree's classical touch. Naveen joins the party later and excels at what he does best. A soothing melody, which has become a rarity these days, 'Chellamae' is a song that's like a fresh evening breeze on a sunny day. Chinese preludes and interludes work well with this song.

ADIYE KOLLUTHE

A perfect beginning with electrifying guitar that sets up the right memento for the anticipated flick. It is more a kind of a song played at rock band with a touch of melody in the middle. Shruthi Haasan has rendered her voice for the number which has Krish and Benny Dayal at their best.
Shruthi's open-throated vocal as interlude and the additional percussion in the song are a delight to listen to.

NENJUKKUL PEIDIDHUM

It is a soft melody. Providing one a feel of listening to Eric Clapton's number, the song sticks to our heart at the very first time. The soft melody which is laced with romantic lyrics by Thamarai, is very youthful. Though soft, it is very vibrant. Seemingly inspired by pop songs of 1980s, the song has Hariharan stamping his class all through.
Devan and V Prasanna gives him the right company. Thanks to Harris for the composition which has very less instrumentation and more of good lyrics.

OH SHANTHI

A faster version of 'Nenjukkul Peidhidum' number rendered to add up. This time SPB Charan and Clinton renders the song which has right pace sans electrifying instruments. Harris Jeyaraj has given the right western touch to the pacey number but has ensured that the essential melody in it is not lost. The beautiful vocal in the interlude is worth listening to.

MUNDINAM PARTHENE

A romantic song in which, the lover describes the beauty of his beloved in the most artistic manner. The lyrics are staged in the center. The blending of the guitar and the vocals of Naresh Iyer is the highlight of the song. A feel-good pop number, it is sure to become the craze of youngsters. The husky voice of Prashanthini sounds new.

ORU OREY OORILE

We have grown up hearing the stories narrated by our grand moms of the yesteryear. The song is typically set on a story telling mode. Kailah Kher's in an open throated voice renders the number. The song seems to be setting a momentum for the movie. It introduces all characters in the movie - father, mother and their daughter. Vairamuthu's simple but enchanting lyrics are amazing to listen.

VAA VAA

Madhu Balakrishnan seems to be the preferred voice of Vidyasagar. A regular in his albums these days, Madhu Balakrishnan's soft voice (resembling K J Yesudoss) is soul-stirring. Perfectly fits the melody numbers.
Vairamuthu's lyrics lift up the song. Patterned beats and soft music which doesn't dominate the lyrics is the hallmark of the number. Vairamuthu recalls the emotions of a proud father over his daughter's accomplishments well.

HAAN TU HAIN

‘Haan Tu Hain’ begins very much the cliché filmy manner but eventually drifts into the Qawali terrain. KK renders to this track and unlike the previous numbers the track isn’t a driving force for the film .The track is plainly average and the future of it depends on its picturisation and promotional element.

DIL HAARA HAI

‘Dil Haara’a rock cum folksy affair rendered by Sukwinder Singh. The lyrics have been penned by Piyush Sharma and the track has some motivating phrases. The pumping elements in the form of “oo-aah” signature and the electric guitars enhance Sukhwinder’s vocals. But, the track fails to really make it as one of those numbers that either sink into you or make you hum it and sounds quite familiar to various tracks done in the past be it from Omkara and the works. Yet the track seems to be doing well with its picturisation on Saif Ali Khan doing the rounds.

JOGI MAHI

‘Jogi Mahi’ has a certain narration of a story. The track takes off with Shekar Rajvijiani and soon Sukhwinder Singh is drawn in. The typical Yash Chopra number which has all the necessary ‘desi ‘beats will surely call for some great visuals. Himani Kapoor the Himesh Reshammiya favourite too lends her bit.

ROCK ON

The title track ‘Rock On!’ comes in with the pulsating theme of ‘Lakshya’. The tune has become more of the identity of ‘Excel Entertianment’. The track is a free-spirited rock number that speaks about life at a single glance and the concept of the second chance that life offers.This one is truly rocking and is soon headed to become the chant of generation next.

HAULE HAULE

Well, promos should've got your nerves loosened out on heeding to this tune. Indeed, it's worth listening for simple 'n' transfixing melody. A grand round of applause for Jaideep Sahni; lyrics are so grasping to your minds with an ease. Looks like it's time for 'Sukwinder Mania' in Bollywood. With his recent 'Fashion Ka Jalwa' quivering in audio markets, here comes a beauteous stroke with a different style (Remember, Shah Rukh and Sukwinder combo for 'Chaiya Chaiya' - 'Dil Se' was persuaded). Vaibhavi Merchant's spellbinding choreography is sure to turn entire spotlights on this number. How about rhythmic beats? 'Simple-free-and-easy' (sounds clichéd as zillion-times-heard-before). …

TUJHME RAB DIKTA HAI

And again, a pretty-pretty lyric penned by Jaideep Sahni takes on. Well, interlude starts off with mesmerizing notes on 'Santoor' pulling you in. Ab-initio, Roop Kumar's voice fleets fabulously well, but drifts down all of sudden in following parts. Things would've worked well, if a style-mark vocalist was offered to render his voice. Preludes are off just mediocre and once more, the musicians should've focused on these vistas. Possibly, these blatant flaws could get diminished if visuals go picturesque. Simple beats on percussions, running chords on slow-strings and flute played for preludes make it sound better.

BEKHA

And again, the teasers are sure to have got the tunes lined in your minds. Bekha seems to be appearing on the screens as young lad falls for the beauteous missy. As the courtesy goes, couple of samples on rhythmic tunes seems to have been picked from samples4.com. Martin's booming saxophone adds rich colors to the tango-typed rhythms. The entire song is about Karthik's ostentatious modulations on tongue-twisting words that have been fabulously enunciated. Saxophone, trombones, strings and piano keeps flowing simultaneously for the complete 5mins. Yeah! Getting to watch Aamir Khan in 6 different stylish get-ups should again make it more pop.

GUZARISH

Perhaps, with the sensational promos continually screened all over, 'Guzarish' should've really grabbed everyone's senses much before audio hitting the markets. All praises for Javed Ali as he turns entire glares with huskily-toned voice. Right from alpha; with his mesmerizing hum, Javed carries off the entire song with his plushy intonations. Well, does the song possesses Rahman's USPs? Obviously, synthesized-beats aren't so catchy. But don't miss the fantastic vistas of transfixing vocals filled-in and mandolin played by Seenu. Overall, it's a song that'll go straight into everyone's stereos and Ipods undeleted for long time.