Good review with nice explanation of why she thinks it's a let down, but I almost completely disagree with that opinion. VTV showcases ARR's genius in more subtle and unconventional forms and due to that, many, like this reviewer, will fail to experience this on the first listening. Also, expectations play a HUGE role in ultimately how one judge's a soundtrack.....too high expectations (yes there is such a thing, even with an ARR album) will always lead to disappointment.
Despite all this, many will simply not like VTV because...well...music is an art and art is always subject to interpretation and various opinions. --- In [email protected], Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> wrote: > > 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/ >
