CineGoer.com - Audio Reviews

Stylish, Contemporary and Unique

APK | April 09, 2007

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Rating: ***.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)

Rajnikant and Shriya

The most awaited release of this year is out, at least for South India. And while the posters and publicity look out of this world-with both the lead pair gone blonde in bad wigs, the songs are good. All the hype and expectations may actually be harmful for the movie, but the music by AR Rehman will definitely ensure that the viewers have something they know will be a treat to watch. Good songs with Rajnikant's typical mannerisms and histrionics are sure to please admirers and cynics both.

Belleilakka With a pacy chorus, Belleilakka is really swift and the rhythm is great. A song reminiscing about the home in the village, it is nostalgic in tone. SP Balasubrahmanyam, Raihanah, Benny lend their voices for this wonderfully express-beat song while Bhuvana Chandra, Suddala Ashok Teja and Kulashekar have penned the lyrics. Guess what, this time too many cooks did not spoil the broth. The chorus is fantastic in this song, and SP Balu proves that he can match word and versatility like before. ***.75

Style Hip-hop, reggae and rap feature in this song. It sounds like an international hip-hop number, and if you don't listen carefully, even the lyrics sound like that. But wait, it's actually Telugu. 'Adirenu nee style..'-specially formulated for the king of characteristic style-Rajnikant. Love him, hate him, you can't ignore him-and the same with this number. It's straight out of the streets of NY, and it's possible it's set there too. The lyricist trio is the same, while Rags, Blaaze, Tanvi and Suresh Peters render this number. Gangsta' Rap, nothing less. ***.75

Vaaji Vaaji A duet sung by Harinath and Madhushree, this has a flowery, breezy feel to it. Nothing extraordinary, this kind of a number has been heard before-but that doesn't take away its feel-good value. The three lyricists and the chorus are it again-sweet and simple. ***.25

Rajnikant

Adharanee The beginning of this sounds the same as the Mahesh Babu-starrer Nani's title number and MJ's Thriller can be compared to this song in terms of composition. Rehman and Sayonara (yeah, that's a name) lend their voices for this number. Everything about this song takes you by surprise-the composition, the unique voices and the lyrics. A superbly fun and stylish number, with English lyrics added for effect; one can understand the English lyrics. Stylish, that's the key-word. ***.5

Sahana Another duet, melodious and soft. It has that dreamy romantic touch to it, but with lots of instruments playing and an overactive chorus that seems to occur in many of Rehman's songs under Shankar's direction. Udit Narayan and Chinmayee suit the gentleness of this number perfectly. ***.75

The Boss Here it is, the title number. Style overload, and if anyone understands even a couple of the words, then please inform the others. But clarity notwithstanding, it just multiplies the oomph and glam quotient to this mega-production. The instruments used in this song are many, and the drums sound fabulous. ***.25

Last Word Unique compositions, out of the world voices, crazy lyrics and chorus-Shivaji stretches boundaries, in music and rhythm. Rehman can stand and take a bow, for all those critics who've said he's lost the magic touch. His touch still remains, and the freshness and individuality of this album proves that. All the numbers are fun to listen to, not to mention colorful and snazzy. For those who listen to a lot of Hip hop or even soft rock, this might not sound fresh, but to keep that in Telugu/Tamil without losing its flavor is wizardry-which is what Rehman does with Shivaji's music. The movie's verdict might be good or bad, but the msuc verdict is definitely rocking.