Guppy – Music Review (Malayalam Soundtrack)

guppy malayalam poster

Songs and full credits at the end (thanks to Vino Varghese for song links).

A sprightly combination of guitars (Preeth P S, Wilson Isaac) and folksy percussion (Ganapathi, Venkat, Kiran) forms the backbone of the incredibly catchy Thira Thira, even as Madhuvanthi Narayanan (daughter of composer Ramesh Narayan, his other daughter Madhushree is also a playback singer, who won the state award last year) aces the vocal department, with support from Suchith Sureshan and Vijayan Ambalappuzha. The song gets even better during the interlude with S Balesh and Kishore Kumar’s fine solos on the shehnai and sitar respectively. Tamil singer Anthony Daasan is a perfect fit in his debut Malayalam song Gabriyelinte; a well-realised street style Christmas song that once again features excellent arrangement from composer Vishnu Vijay, combining brass elements with folk percussion. The song might take you back to the Christmas time fares and pappaani processions if you have grown up in Kerala!

Yesteryear singer Lathika becomes the next to join the ranks of Vani Jayaram, Minmini etc. ending her long hiatus with Athiraliyum, a song that carries a sound evocative of the singer’s heydays. Giving her company is Vijay Yesudas, a fitting choice as in all probability in the original time period the male counterpart might have been his father. Nice gesture, bringing the singer back, but the age clearly shows in her voice and that is the main factor going against this likeable melodic piece. Thaniye starts off almost like a prayer, gradually building up intensity to that central hook in a sprawling soundscape that features some lovely guitars (thought I sensed mandolin too, though no mention in credits) and sitar. But the song belongs to singer Sooraj Santhosh who does a spectacular job, negotiating the low and soaring notes with equal finesse.

After some exceptional work on the flute earlier this year (for the uninitiated, he recently played flute in Vaanam Paarthen from Kabali and Kisa Paathiyil from Kismath), flautist Vishnu Vijay makes a fabulous debut as composer with Guppy, which I hear is a fine movie as well.

Music Aloud Rating: 8/10

Top Recos: Thira Thira, Gabriyelinte, Thaniye

 

Full Credits

Song: Thira Thira

Singers: Madhuvanthi Narayan, Suchith Sureshan, Vijayan Ambalapuzha

Lyrics: Vinaayak Sasikumar

Music: Vishnu Vijay

Percussion: Ganapathi, Venkat, Kiran

Electric and acoustic guitar: Preeth P S, William issac

Shehnai: S Balesh

Sitar: Kishore Kumar

Programmed by Vishnu Vijay

Additional programming by Ishaan Dev

Mixed by Abin Paul

Mastered by Shatab Rayeen

 

Song: Thaniye

Singers: Sooraj Santhosh, Madhuvanthi Narayan

Lyrics: Vinaayak Sasikumar

Music: Vishnu Vijay

Guitar: Preeth P S

Sitar: Kishore Kumar

Arranged by Vishnu Vijay

Programmed by Sushin Shyam

Mixed by Abin Paul

Mastered by Shatab Rayeen

 

Song: Gabriyelinte

Singer: Anthony Daasan

Lyrics: Vinaayak Sasikumar

Music: Vishnu Vijay

Brass section: Jaison, Johnson, Jaimon

Trumpet: Ben Sam Jones

Saxophone: Varun Kumar

Percussion: Ganapathi, Venkat, Kiran

Additional percussion: Prashanth

Programmed and arranged by Vishnu Vijay

Mixed by Abin Paul

Mastered by Shatab Rayeen

 

Song: Athiraliyum

Singers: Vijay Yesudas, Lathika

Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed

Music: Vishnu Vijay

Acoustic guitar: Preeth P S

Saxophone: Varun Kumar

Percussion: Ganapathi

Flute: Vishnu Vijay

Sitar: Kishore Kumar

Programmed by Sushin Shyam

Arranged by Vishnu Vijay

Mixed by Abin Paul

Mastered by Shatab Rayeen

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