Returning to the language she debuted in (way back in 1998!) after a gap of 5 years (last was the tamil version of Johnny Gaddar’s title song), Nandini Srikar snares another beauty to add to her impressive 2012 portfolio, Aaha Kaadhal. Playing to her strength, Yuvan Shankar Raja gives Nandini a semi-classical piece (raga bahudari-based, it would seem) that she delivers to perfection while in the backdrop is some absolutely brilliant interplay of keys and strings. The violin solos in the second half are to watch out for, wonder who the player is. What makes Kaadhal Endhan Kaadhal score past its dated tune and synth-dominated anthemic template is the expressive singing by Neha Bhasin and some imaginative additions in the background, like the morsing and naadaswaram. Karthik seems to sound slightly different singing the breezy Mazhai Mazhai alongside Shwetha Mohan. Particularly liked the verbal exchange mode that the song goes into in the charanams.
Padapadakkudhu Maname once again sees the composer in good form, with some particularly lovely use of the harmonium. What let me down though was the (processed) vocal section handled by Krish and Blaaze. Yuvan on the other hand does a decent job at the singing the techno-flavored Unakkaagave. The highlight here too is the arrangement though, with a lot of experimental elements in the interludes. And finally there is the super imaginatively arranged dance song Stop the Paattu, that again sees a fab mix of instruments. Doing an equally commendable job at the rendition is Ramesh Vinayagam.
With a bunch of engaging songs, including one of his career best efforts in Aaha Kaadhal, Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal is definitely Yuvan Shankar Raja’s best score this year (special hat tip for the employment of harmonium pretty much all through the soundtrack).
Music Aloud Rating: 8/10
Top Recos: Aaha Kaadhal, Stop The Paattu, Mazhai Mazhai
