Missing the Mark BY SUMITA SAMI <http://nazaronline.net/author/sumita_sami/> 29 JANUARY 2010 142 VIEWS 8 COMMENTS
<http://nazaronline.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/204b8_vinnaithandi-varuvaaya-2.jpg> “What is this?” asked a befuddled friend, when I gave her a link to A. R. Rahman’s latest soundtrack. “Harris Jayaraj?” And that was when I wondered if the maestro had, perhaps, missed the mark this time. I don’t mean to imply that Jayaraj isn’t a great musician in his own right, but Academy Award winner Rahman simply composes in a different plane of music. Which was why *Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya* is a let-down - although flashes of his genius are present, the album as a whole is unmemorable. Some songs are peppy enough to escape that judgement. *Anbil Avan* works with a simple but effective melody and Chinmayi’s perfect high notes. The rhythm, with its interplay of the mridangam, is particularly good. I hadn’t thought much of this song at first, but then I found myself replaying it again and again. Rahman experiments with sounds in *Hosanna*, and the track, combining a gentle yearning with Blaaze’s rapping, mostly succeeds. I didn’t see why Vijay Prakash (whose *Manmohini Morey* is frankly brilliant), had to be squandered here, but I can see why his voice is eminently suitable for * Hosanna*. The title song is, for the most part, lovely. *Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya* uses Karthik’s vocals and some excellent guitar work to create an achingly tender track. Halfway through, however, Rahman switches to a more conventional melody that seems to lose the melancholy - and the novelty - of the first half. *Aaromale* is perhaps the track that most thoroughly embodies Rahman’s style of music-making. It’s deliberately non-Indian in its use of the guitar, with the kind of menace you might find in spaghetti Westerns - especially when the beat picks up towards the end. Somehow, the electric guitar riffs, Alphons Joseph’s voice, and the Malayalam lyrics come together to make something darkly interesting. The rest of the soundtrack didn’t make much of an impression. *Omana Penne* is sweet, even charming, but Rahman displays an unhealthy obsession with auto-tune that detracts from that a little. Also similar is *Kannukul Kannai *, which begins promisingly enough with a smooth violin chorus, but then has little left to offer. Even Naresh Iyer’s vocals seem indistinguishable from the other male singers. And about the only opinion I had of *Mannipaaya* was that it was nice - Shreya’s vocals are crystal clear, and Rahman’s voice makes for a great contrast, but beyond the opening melody I couldn’t find myself liking it much. *Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya* is billed as “another unique love story”, its posters drawing inspiration from at least four hit movies in the past decade. Perhaps director Gautham Menon desired the same effect with the soundtrack - in which case he should have employed a composer more drawn to the conventional. Rahman’s songs do have a reputation for growing on the listener, but right now I’m not holding my breath. The music of A. R. Rahman is usually a combination of the bizarre, beautiful, and bold. Not much of any of this is present in *Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya* - which is why this soundtrack is ultimately disappointing. http://nazaronline.net/arts/2010/01/missing-the-mark/
