New songs in Tamil

First is the sensuous number "Chellame Idu Irava Pakala" sung by Karthik and Sunitha Sarathy from the movie "Kalaba Kadhala" composed by newcomer Niru. It's sure to become popular and is certainly worth a listen. "Eruvar Vazhum", another small duet from the film "Aathi" is an OK one. But the song that is likely to become a dance hit from the same movie (though it sounds stale) is "Olli Olli Udambe", a Karthik and a different sounding Anuradha Sriram duet. "Paakathe" from the film "Aaru" with nice tunes in the charanam will please you. It's a break for Tippu who I believe is married to the popular singer Harini. "Soda bottle" is the another "dapankoothu" number from "Aaru" which is bound to become popular. Check them out.

Who is likely to replace Chithra

Before I even try to answer that let me not give the impression that Chitra is going to be dethroned overnight by the multitude of great new singing talent that the Malayalam music industry is never short of.

I won't consider Sujatha who with a voice that is getting better every year as someone who is going to take over the crown although she is good competition. A couple of years ago I thought the crown may go to newcomer Gayatri. With a huskier voice, training in Hindustani besides Carnatic, influences ranging from Rafi to Dire Straits and some great songs I was under the impression she could replace Chitra. But ever since I saw Manjari sing live on T.V, Chithra's "Karmugil" from the movie "Nandanam" I knew the south Indian film audience could look forward to some great vocals from this promising new singer. I was surprised to see her duet with Illayaraja for his mega concert but maybe for good reason. Trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani and with influences such as Latha Mangeshkar and Mohd.Rafi besides a host of other Indian singers she is quite a contender for the next big female voice from Kerala.

I checked her songs on MusicIndiaOnline and I couldn't believe her range of singing. Simply put her songs are difficult for others to sing. Her Reena Roy(remember her?)/Sunitha looks are another plus. Check out the following links to her songs. First Stop, the album "Mazhayilaroo". "Maaleya Sandhyee" must be the first song you need to listen to and I am sure you will be hooked. Follow that with "Pinneyum" and then to "Paadu Pranayamee". Next stop, the album "Pranayamai" and check out the song "Thaane En Thamburumooli".
Final stop the song of movie "Ponmudipuzhayorathu" and check out "Oru Chiri Kandaal", a duet with Vijay Yesudas. Music for this movie is by Illayaraja and Tamil listeners will even find similarities between this number and the number "Poonkathave" from the movie "Nizhalgal" whose songs were also composed by the maestro.

Not forgetting Gayathri here are links to two of her great numbers. Check out "Enthinee Kanna" from the movie "Sasneham Sumithra" and "Thamaranoolinal" a duet with Venugopal from the movie "Mullavalliyum Thenmavum".

Rabbi Shergill just exited the top 10

What an impressively long run in the top 10 on MusicIndiaOnline charts for an album in such a rare category - SufiRock and that too after more than a year of its release. Ever since the attention grabbing video for "Bulla Ki Jana" aired on T.V I have always been inquisitive about Rabbi and his album. After another video "Jugni" I just couldn't wait to sample the well produced album and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be.

"Bulla Ki Jana" must be the first song you should be listening. My punjabi friend also says this is a spiritual song. Follow that with "Ek Geet Hijar Da" for some lovely singing. Your next stop must be "Gill Te Guitar" which is a faster paced song and a happier one with some good guitar riffs. "Heer" - faster than the previous number, sung well and with good guitar playing this song is a treat too. "Ishtihar" is a slow number but melodious and does not get boring. "Ajj Nachna" is the one that sounds typical Punjabi and again not-boring. "Jugni" sounds as stylish as it looks on the video. "Tere Bin" with more indian perscussion is another lovely number. "Totia Manmotia" is the only unattractive number but then you can always forgive the only exception on the album. Never boring with lovely tunes on the intruments and on the vocals this album is a very good buy. Check it out at musicindiaonline. Rabbi

Pankaj Avasti's 9

Gone are the days when pop albums made in the sub-continent sounded amateurish. These days the quality is of a very good standard. One such album is "9" from Pankaj Avasti. The album boasts of well produced and well made music with plenty of lovely guitar licks. It would have become a hit had there only been more variety in the songs as most of the songs have a similar feel to it. The song that is a must listen on the album is "Barson se Barse". Deep and a bit haunting it's a great number. The other songs that I found quite impressive were "Teri meri batein" and "The Last Beat". The rest can get boring. Take a listen on MusicIndiaOnline. Pankaj Avasthi 9

Two little known great songs

Some very good songs hardly see the light of day and here are two of them. One is a Yuvan Shankar Raja composition, a small song sung by Unni Menon and chorus called "Unakku Endru Oruthi" from the recent movie "Oru Kallooriyin kathai" starring Arya and Sonia Agarwal. I wonder why this song wasn't extended to a regular length song.

The other one is Harris Jayaraj's "Yaridamum" by Harini and Ramesh Vinayagam from the movie "Thotti Jaya" starring Silambarasan and Gopika. I am told that the song is not played in the movie. You will fall for Harini for her vocals on this melodious number.

Yuvan's latest offering, a must listen

A couple of big hits this Christmas season are from Yuvan Shankar Raja. One of them is already on top of the www.Raaga.com tamil charts called "Eno Kangal" from the movie "Kalvanin Kadhali". Sung by Sadhana Sargam and Yuvan it is a song you cannot and should not miss. Sadhana sounds great as she did on "Snehidhane" from the movie "Alaipayuthae". S J Surya who has a knack of making great videos (remember "Thottal Poo malarum.." from "New") I am sure may have a great video for this song too. I am looking forward to watching it. Two other songs that are listenable are the raunchy "Kudakooli Koduthachu" and the small "Uyir Piriyum velai". The other movie that Yuvan has composed music and songs is for "Pudupettai" starring Dhanush. The audio release for this movie is interesting in that that it has an English movie soundtrack feel with many instrumentals and songs named in English. The songs that grabbed my attention are the two "Dapan Koothu" numbers "Yenga area ulla varathe" and "Varriya" with the latter less in lyrics. The former has potential of doing to Yuvan what "Oram Po" did to Illayaraja decades ago. Check them out at the following link. "Yenga area ulla varathe", "Varriya"

Colours of India by Ganesh-Kumaresh

I can't wait any longer to post a review on this lovely album. If you don't have this album I suggest you make a bee line to your nearest music store and get it without fail. If you thought Illayaraja's "How to Name it" or "Conversations", the fusion album from L.Subramanian/Stefan Grapelli were some of the finest fusion albums that came out from South India here's an album that is going to be talked about for some time. The tunes on this album will please, elevate and soothe your mind.

"Taj Mahal" must be the first song you should be listening to. A beautiful instrumental befitting the monument and follow that with "Utsav". Wait till you hear the vocals on "Utsav". You won't believe that even vocals can get you on a natural high. These two songs alone are worth the price of the CD. Ganesh-Kumaresh and company are going to be remembered for a long time for these two songs. "Gambhira" is a lovely intro to what's in store on the CD. The musicianship here is top notch. Arun is tight and fantastic on his drum set here. Chanchal is a lovely jam in typical carnatic style showcasing the talents of the musicians without sacrificing composition. Starting as an ensemble and finishing off with solos from the precussionists this is a superb compostion. Ahimsa is a delightful soft Hindi devotional song on non-violence that also calls and refers other religions.

Colours of India is the only spoilt song on this album. A long and out-of-place composition reflecting various music styles from around the country it fails to match the creativity and of the stellar compositions "Taj Mahal" and "Utsav".

The musician who grabbed most of my attention was of course Arun Kumar. He made the drums sing and talk. There was so much meaning to the fast and furious playing, even Sivamani could learn a lesson. Check out my review of Sivamani on my personal blog.

Beg, borrow, steal, or buy this album.

Until then, listen to it on musicindia online.
Colours of India

Ragaa or MusicIndiaOnline?

I am sure many of you who have been listening to music online are aware of www.raaga.com. They have been facing stiff competition for sometime now from another site www.musicindiaonline.com. The latter has a much bigger collection, spanning several languages and genres unlike ragaa whose collection is limited to songs in just 4 languages. There are also top 10, 20, 50 and 100 countdowns of the best current songs in each of the categories. Plus plenty of news of the latest happenings in the music and the film industry. The best part however is this. No 'adverts' or annoying pop-ups before each song or songlist just like it was with Raaga when Raaga began online. However I would advise you to be in touch with Raaga as I found latest releases appearing faster there than on Musicindiaonline.

One tip. Register for a free login and maintain your own collection.