Songs and musician credits at the end.
Vennila, the first song to release from Vellai Yaanai way back in January (which feels like a different era now), sits well with the rustic environs that the movie seems to be set in, and is an instant throwback to the yesteryear Raja songs in the same genre. Sung by Vijaynarain and Sangeetha Karupaiah, the song features some lovely harmonies (arranged by Ananthu) and stays largely loyal to the retro setting, barring the guitar improvs by Keba Jeremiah. The other celebratory track of the soundtrack, on the other hand, is a contemporary folk piece. Carrying a whiff of ARR’s Maduraikku Pogaathadi in places, Thandhom Thana (written by singer Anthony Daasan) sees flautist Vishnu Vijay deliver some excellent solos. Leading the vocals on this fun track is Mukesh.
The other three songs of the album have composer Santhosh Narayanan dialling down the folk aspect and going dominantly Western with his arrangements. Vaazha Vachonae sees the composer in home turf – a haunting melancholic tune (sung splendidly by Vijaynarain) set to a sprawling backdrop that is largely comprised of violins by the Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra. The Casteless Collective’s Arivu who pens this one, continuing his one-song cameo routine in Santhosh Narayanan movies. The composer’s own vocals are the only weak point of an otherwise wonderfully crafted Aara Thedum – while the orchestration in general is top notch here, I particularly loved D Balasubramani’s naadaswaram solo echoing across the minimal soundscape in the interlude, and the frenzy around the saname refrain. The album’s final song Nellu Vaasam, going by its lyrics (written by writer Raju Murugan), seems to be the movie’s theme song. A pensive track that is set to an addictive groove – absolutely loved the bassline from Naveen Napier, and the assortment of percussion used by Jaicha – and highlighted by the kids’ chorus, this one is my pick of the album!
Vellai Yaanai. Thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack from Santhosh Narayanan.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Nellu Vaasam, Vaazha Vachonae, Thandhom Thana
Musician Credits
Song 1 : Vennila
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics : Uma Devi
Vocals : Vijaynarain, Sangeetha Karuppiah
Acoustic Guitars : Keba Jeremiah
Bass : Naveen
Indian Percussions : ‘4 Idiots’ Group
Tabla, Dholak : ‘4 Idiots’ Group
Urumi, Additional Percussions : Jaicha
Flute : Vishnu Vijay
Pianica : Santhosh Narayanan
Chorus : Jithin Raj, Malavika Rajhesh, Saisharan, Shanthini, Santosh Hariharan, Feji Ashwin
Harmonies Arranged by Ananthu
Special Thanks To : Chris Craker, Karma Studios
Additional Mix : RK Sundar
Song 2 : Aara Thedum
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics : Rajumurugan
Vocals : Santhosh Narayanan
Additional Harmonies : Ananthu
Nadaswaram : D. Balasubramani
Guitars : Keba Jeremiah
Bass : Naveen
Song 3 : Thandhom
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics : Anthony Daasan
Vocals : Mukesh
Acoustic Guitars : Keba Jeremiah
Bass : Naveen
Indian Percussions : ‘4 Idiots’ Group
Tabla, Dholak : ‘4 Idiots’ Group
Additional Percussions : Jaicha
Flute : Vishnu Vijay
Chorus : Rohith Fernandes
Song 4 : Vaazha Vechonae
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics : Arivu
Vocals : Vijaynarain
Strings by : F.A.M.E.’S. Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra
Strings Arranged by : Collins Rajendran
Orchestra Coordinator : Andrew T Mackay
Song 5 : Nellu Vaasam
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics : Rajumurugan
Vocals : Santhosh Narayanan, Shreenitha, Dharshan B M, Sidharth D Sekar, Idhazhiga I
Acoustic Guitars : Keba Jeremiah
Bass : Naveen
Indian Percussions : Jaicha
All Songs Composed, Arranged, Programmed, Mixed by Santhosh Narayanan @ Future Tense Studios
Recorded by Sukumar, Santhosh Narayanan
Mixed and Mastered by Santhosh Narayanan @ Future Tense (Chennai), Karma Studios (Thailand)
