Music Review: Maryan (Tamil)

Composer(s): A. R. Rahman
Film: Maryan

A. R. Rahman's full-throated singing opens the anthemic and invigorating Nenjae Ezhu, while Shakthisree Gopalan (of Nenjukkule fame) brings out the anxiety and grief beautifully in the pathos-soaked Enga Pona Raasaa; the song's minimal orchestration accentuating the soulful melody. Innum Konjam is plain marvellous, oozing a rustic charm that's superbly supported by Vijay Prakash and Shweta Mohan on the vocals, even as the incorporation of ghatam remains its easy highpoint (the track is quite reminiscent of Vidyasagar's Omanapuzha from Chanthupottu; same raga may be?). Vijay joins hands with the ever dependable Chinmayi in Naetru Aval, a grandiose melody that seamlessly fuses a plethora of genres to deliver a knockout, and Sonapareeya, its spirited middle-eastern vibe aside, gains immensely from a sprightly rendition by Haricharan, Javed Ali and Nakash Aziz. I Love Africa sounds more like an African'ized version of his Couples Retreat hit NaNa and the mishmash feels familiar if nothing else. Things get a fitting finale with Kadal Raasa Naan, a hyper-energetic folk number that's accompanied by an exotic percussive explosion and Yuvan Shankar Raja's coarse vocals, making it all the more addictive. Also watch out for Rahman's incorporation of strings and shehnai! Rahman's Maryan is definitely good, but the Kadal hangover that lords over it is impossible to shrug off.

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