My parents, who are music lovers and very knowledgeable about classical music, have always admired Rahman's music. However, there was always a "BUT" whenever they would talk about Rahman, or if I was praising Rahman's music in front of them. That "BUT" was followed by, "Rahman is a genius, has different music, but he's more into rhythm and his songs are very difficult to sing....". Even on music reality shows like SaReGaMaPa, previously, when someone would sing a Rahman song, at least one of the judges would say, "Yeh Gaana Bohut Mushkil hai", or "This song is very difficult".
Granted, my parents and others from that generation have not heard Rahman's music in total or to the extent that we have, so they are not as aware of many of the timeless melodies in both Hindi and Tamil by him. Since, Guru, however, and esp this year, however, I have noticed a big change in not only my parents' attitudes towards Rahman, but from others' from that generation, who revere the timeless mmelodies from their time. Whenever I bring up Rahman now, they are all praise and have no more "BUT" or "HOWEVER" in their descriptions. They are listening to his CDs more and even revisiting old classics from Rahman, which they previously would label as too rhythmic or too difficult to sing. Maybe they are getting used to his style, but I have a feeling they are recognizing a shift in emphasis as described below. I too have noticed that Rahman has been emphasizing melody much more of late and creating tunes that are much easier to follow and digest, yet not compromising his signture or brilliance. There may be changes in his arrangements, sound, etc., but I really do think that Rahman's sense of melodic composition has been more emphasized with better contours and form. Since Roja, Rahman has always been a melody king, but I feel that he is letting the melody and the singer take on a more important role in his compositions than sound, some arrangements, and rhythm. For the elders, it's a welcome change. For some of us youngsters, and Rahman fans, it's not as welcomed. As far as I'm concerned, Rahman is THE only torch bearer from the evergreen era of bollywood music which had timeless melodies that are enjoyed even today. Just goes to show how Rahman's music is appreciated by all regions and all ages.
