Kayal – Music Review (Tamil Movie Soundtrack)

kayal poster 2Of the two songs that Haricharan sings in Kayal, Paravaya Parakkurom rides on a charming folk tune that is given a breezy treatment by composer Imman, particularly excelling on percussion and violin solos (Karthik Iyer, the man). In the second, haunting (in a prominently Raja-esque fashion) melody called Unna Ippo Paakkanum, Haricharan is joined by another competent singer Vandana Srinivasan and together they pull off a fine rendition as expected. The arrangement too is top notch, an alluring combination of flute and strings and guitars, with occasional appearance of the brass section. Yen Aala Paakkaporaen is credited to Shreya Ghoshal and KG Ranjith, though the female voice strangely doesn’t sound like Shreya at all! Lovely singing nevertheless, and some superb ghatam playing in the background. In Yengirundhu Vandhaayo though, Shreya sounds very much like herself, as she delivers a characteristically flawless effort. The tune is on the weaker side here, but the arrangement (strings especially) and the singing make the song worth it.

The staple kuthu entry for the soundtrack is checked off with Deeyalo Deeyalo. And as usual, the brass band setup makes for a catchy listen, and the clarinet solos by Kumar are an added bonus. Adding to the list of Gaana Baala, Anthony Daasan and other specialists in this genre, is Orathanadu Gopu, who also sounds quite promising. It is good to hear Balram after a long while, in Yenga Pulla. The arrangement is kept quiet around the vocal bits, letting the man’s voice be the focus. And that works very well, especially in contrast with the grand orchestral interludes. Koodavae Varamaadhiri follows that minimal route too, except there is no orchestral digression here – it is just 2 minutes of Alphonse Joseph reciting Yugabharathi’s lines while an ambient synth sound from Imman forms the backdrop.

Kayal. Imman adds yet another well-made soundtrack to his already impressive-looking 2014 portfolio.

Music Aloud Rating: 8/10

Top Recos: Unna Ippo Paakkanum, Yen Aala Paakkaporaen, Yenga Pulla






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