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
