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Kantri Music Review - Cool KaNTRi

APK | March 29, 2008

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Rating: ***.5 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)

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Make way for the cool cats. If Pawan Kalyan had Devisri's youthful music for Jalsa, NTR comes with KaNTRi. With international influences used perfectly to suit the Telugu language and make way for new genres in Telugu music, this season has two good albums that live up to the expectations. Whether the music will grow and stay on for a long time or the hype will be short lived (in other words, depending also on the movie's fate), only time will tell. As of now, Kantri is a good compilation courtesy Mani Sharma, a variety of lyricists and good playback.

123 Nenoka Kantri Obviously this is the title track. The mood is somber, with heavy metal rock influence elevated with the strings in the song. Karunya (who sang the popular 'Yekantanga' for NTR in Ashok) is accompanied by none other than the star himself. NTR mouths the lines '123 nenoka kantri.. naaku nene raju mantri..'. NTR, Karunya and Naveen make an unusual playback combination and Mani makes sure he uses them well. Meher Ramesh himself pens youth-oriented lines meant especially for NTR with words like 'Young Tiger' etc. (which he is called). The instrumental and the chorus rocks the number and lends to the cool quotient of the entire album. ***.75

NTR and Hansika Motwani

Vayasunamy If Indian Idol runner up kickstarts the album, can the SaReGaMaPa runner up be far behind? Hemachandra and Sunitha render the number beautifully, especially the tricky tongue twisting lyrics. The shehnai is used really well, and the instrumental along with witty lyrics by Sirivennela make this romantic duet sound like one of those old Telugu (or even Ilayaraja-Vamsi combi) numbers. Of course, Sharma's distinct style is unmistakable. ***1/2

Ammoha Karthik and Chitra render a lovely duet, soft and rhythmic, mellow yet foot-tapping. An English chorus and catchy lines by Veturi make this romantic hip hop song easy on the ears. Another winner in Kantri, and after the intensity of the opening song, the subtlety of this romantic number gives the album a lot of versatility. ***1/2

I Go Crazy Rahul Nambiar woes the girl with a western touch, Hinglish lyrics and Jey responds in true Telugu style with a classical tinge to the music while she mouths her lines. They change midway, with Nambiar turning to semiclassical style and Jey going western. The fusion lyrics courtesy Anantha Sriram and the mix-n-match instrumental makes this a peculiar number, albeit interesting. ***

Janthar Manthar This is a fun number, rendered with much gusto by Ranjith and Reta. The lyrics by Anantha Sriram are on the lighter side and the entire song is in that tone. ***

Raamare Shankar Mahadevan and Sunidhi Chauhan's powerhouse voices make this dance number rock, and in trademark NTR style. He sure likes to celebrate festivals in his flicks (Holi song (Rangu Rabba Rabba) in Rakhee). 'Dhol Bajao..Ee Roje Sankranti', so says Ramajogaiah Sastry. An energetic dance number, without which NTR's fans would never forgive the makers. ***.25

Pick of the Album: 123 Nenoka Kantri.

Last Word Mani Sharma has found a midway between class and mass, perhaps post Kushi. The front benchers like his music as much as the 'classy' kids or the college students; even those who pretend not to listen to or like Telugu music. One thing is clear. This is NTR's classiest music till date, without at least one song just to please those who wish for total paisa vasool (remember Simhadri?). But it is still a Paisa Vasool album, with almost all the numbers being entertaining and enjoyable.