FRESH TUNES : SOME OF THE BEST TAMIL SONGS RELEASED IN FEB 2023! DON'T MISS!

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1. Theekari

Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh Narayanan

Lyrical writer: Vivek

Singer: Santhosh Narayanan

Language: Tamil

Genre: Ballad/Alt-Rock fusion

I keep telling in my reviews, that there is none like his, and Santhosh Narayanan is the most talented composer and producer in India today and that has been the case for the last 5-7 years at least. Some could dismiss it saying that it is just my opinion, well then you better stop reading this and start listening to the number 1 song in India for last week. You can then make up your mind.

It is very heartening to see Santhosh or SaNa as he is known, make inroads to Tollywood, and Mollywood too. Back in December, we saw his work for the Sony Liv web series 'Faadu' in Hindi. Getting back to this track, Ori Vaari is the original Telugu song but has been simultaneously released in Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil. The song is a testament to SaNa's unmatched ability to combine diverse genres within one track, use solid instrumental arrangements and produce the track with an enviable style.

Only a composer with terrific vision can even get the groundwork laid and see through its perfect execution. The song starts off with SaNa's inexplicably magnetic voice and the sound of the glass percussion played by him. Aditya Ravindran plays all the additional keys and he has now become SaNa's most trusted aide. I just cannot imagine this song without the impact of the bass guitars and it is played by Rupendar Venkatesh like an unassailable champion. Santhosh will be remembered as one solid composer who used bass guitars in all his compositions to the fullest potential, a feat like Maestro Ilaiyaraja.

The interlude is mesmerising with the strings section, thanks to Fame's Skopje Studio Orchestra (Macedonia) with Sasha as conductor and our won Karthik Manickavasakam arranging the strings to perfection. Joshua Rodrigues at the Bohemia Junction is the Orchestra coordinator. The interlude section reminds me of the interlude of "Vennilave Vennilave" from 'Minsara Kanavu' composed by AR Rahman. It probably has influences of Raag Pilu (Kaapi in Carnatic). Then the stanza begins and we have the wonderful Piano and continuous riff of the strings in the background staying right after the interlude. The chord progression and the way the notes are composed are a testament to SaNa's capability.

The masterstroke comes late in the stanza and you keep listening to the way the line "Kaathula uyiraaduthe, Kaneerula kaalam poguthe, mana saaya idam theduthe" ends. The backing vocals and notes drop off like from the top of a cliff and this suddenness and unexpected shift is what makes SaNa truly great. The second interlude is another piece of genius with the Clarinet, and the bass guitars accompanying like Robin for Batman. The 2nd stanza is completely different and it moves the style of the song itself from a Ballad, pathos song to an Alt-Rock number. Words can never be enough to appreciate the work of SaNa and his team of musicians. The 2nd stanza also makes me wonder if there is some influence of either Dharmavathi Ragam or Madhuvanthi Ragam. 

Pranav Muniraj plays the acoustic guitars, while in this section it is Aditya Ravindran blasting away on the electric guitars. The stanza gains traction and we hear the rhythms, guitars and trumpets all converging and delivering excellence. The song is recorded by Santhosh, Pranav, Rupendar and Karthik and the mixing and mastering are done by Santhosh and Rupendar. Meenakshi Santhosh is the musicians' coordinator. Santhosh sings this brilliantly making it his best vocal performance yet. The lyrics are brilliantly penned by Vivek who captures every bit of emotion right through his words.

@musicsanthosh @adityaravindran95 @karthikmanickavasakam @rupendar_venkatesh @pranavbalu @musicsoundart

2. Nee Mattum

Written, Composed & Performed by: Krithika Nelson

Music Arranged & Produced by: Alvin Presley at Play Presley Studios

Genre: Semi-classical/Indie-pop fusion

Krithika Nelson has been on my radar over the last couple of years and she has been steadily rising as an indie singer-songwriter and even more as an artist in Kollywood. She dons multiple hats, like being an Assistant Director Mani Ratnam, being a superb lyricist, a heartwarming vocalist and a keen and intelligent composer as well.

The last time I was blown away by her was when she sang for Gopi Sundar in "Paathi Nee Paathi Naan". Now this song is moving upwards and forwards and completely mesmerised me. I urge that all you music fans check out her work, especially this song. To me, there is a sense of Raag Bihag because I keep going back to Ilaiyaraja's 'Un Parvaiyil oraayiram'. Krithika once again serenades with her fantastic voice and she probably is one of the most underrated vocalists then, because I feel she deserves to be singing so much more than what she is.

The guitars are ecstatic, and it is because we have the talented indie musician Alvin Presley playing the acoustic as well as electric guitars. Alvin is the reason we are hearing the fantastic sound design thanks to his production and arrangements. The song has a very AR Rahmanesque sound and that can be nothing short of a brilliant compliment. At times you wonder what to focus on, whether Alvin's insane production and electrifying guitars or the love and vulnerability shown by Krithika through her delivery. When she sings "moochadaikkuthe" you can hear it and feel it as well. Krithika comes out tops with her writing and composition as well.

The interlude is once again lead guitars playing with a strings section and acoustic guitar accompaniment in the background. Krithika excels when she sings in the lower pitch, and Alvin does wonders on the keyboards as well. The track is mixed by Alvin and mastered by Vivek Thomas. Merwin Santhosh, Prithvi Chandrasekhar are recording engineers

@madrashe @arjunchidambaram @thinkmusicofficial @alvinpresley @nehasamuel @leelavathi_kumar @subikanifabint @merwin_santhosh @vivekthomasproductions

3. Goppurane

Music Director: Shaan Rahman

Singer: Srinidhi Sriprakash

Lyrics: Karthik Netha

Genre: Folk/Pop

Shaan Rahman is a star in the Mollywood music scene and he is pretty consistent as well. Here Shaan composes a song that is very different from a lot of work I have heard him do in Malayalam Cinema. The song offers so much in terms of its variations in styles. The singing is just on point and Srinidhi Sriprakash could not have delivered it any better than this with that oomph and attitude.

The lyrics by Karthik Netha also are extremely witty and relevant and OK Gopi is one of the stars of the show with his Nadaswaram Solo interventions. Shaan's Keyboard programming and production must be given its due credit as it modernises this folk-styled song. Rajeev P Bellikoth plays ethnic percussion, and I love the part where the song shifts from being synth-heavy to just being a folkish dance as Srinidhi and the chorus sing "Hari om, hari om". We have Mithun Jayaraj, Swetha Ashok, Nanda and Punya on the chorus. This is one beautiful and flawless feather on Shaan's cap for sure.

This stanza maintains that element of surprise with a beautiful melody that surrounds itself with some fantastic arrangements of the Keys and harmonies. The fast-paced notes and lyrics that Srinidhi sings to end the stanza are one prime example of how varied and interesting this composition is. They come once again the outro of the song at the end of the "Saami kanna kuthum, neethi kaana kuthum' lines. The song is mixed and mastered by Harishanker and recorded by Biju James.

4. Kanjaadai Poova

Music: Santhosh Dhayanidhi

Vocals: Karthik, Rakshita Suresh

Lyrics: Uma Devi

Genre: Dance-pop

This song is from a movie called "Vallan" and Santhosh Dhayanidhi who is a talented composer takes me back to the days of Maestro Ilaiyaraja. His composition and arrangements are truly fantastic and when you get two fine vocalists in Karthik and Rakshita Suresh in the male and female lead. Uma Devi is the lyricist.

Even the way the song starts, it reminds me of Ilaiyaraja's "Adiye Manam nilluna" sung by SPB and Janaki. It then moves into a nice dance-pop style of song. The strings and guitars and rhythms keep the song's tempo, energy and quality quite high. The song has a very rich pallavi and a fantastic anu pallavi reminding us of the 1980s and 1990s when songs used to be this good. The fantastic and glaring trumpets along with a well-executed humming by Rakshita round-up the interlude.

Santhosh Dhayanidhi makes sure we have an elaborate stanza as well and both Karthik and Rakshita have a ball delivering these lines.

5. Thangameeney

Composed and Arranged by Diwacara Thiyagarajan

Singer: Kapil Kapilan

Lyricist: AK

Genre: Filmi Melody

It has been a while since I featured Diwacara Thiyagarajan and I have always been fond of his work. I am glad after this wait the song that he has composed is completely worth that wait. Kapil Kapilan is a brilliant pick to sing, and I have been rating him as one of India's finest playback singers today. The song is a fantastic example of a folkish-pop and I am thrilled to see Diwacara employing so many elements like backing vocals as well as an elaborate Orchestration.

The female backing vocalists are Sushmitha Narasimhan, Sivaranjini Chandramouli, Suprajaa Sairam and Akshaya Shivkumar and male harmonies are performed by Aravind Annest, Velu and Vikram Pitty. Shibi Srinivasan does the backing vocals arrangement and he excels at it because it is one of the finest highlights of the song, the way the harmonies come in with a lag and forms a nice layer. Nathan's flute and the female harmonies form a nice interlude, but right through something that keeps me intrigued and pepped up are the Indian percussions played by Karthik Vamsi.

There are some fantastic guitarists here and that is the reason the song is rich in its instrumental value with Godfray Immanuel on acoustic guitars and the Guitalele, Vijay Ganesan playing the classic as well as the acoustic guitar. Naveen Napier as usual is enthralling on bass guitars. Kapil's brilliant vocals are filled with emotions making the stanza so enjoyable but the strings section that accompanies throughout is a huge plus for the song.

We have Anjana Rajagopalan who is one of the brightest musicians in the country today arranging the strings along with Vignesh N Saamraj, but Anjana is entirely in charge of Orchestration, Orchestral Programming and Score. The Chennai Strings Orchestra is in full flow with B Yensone conducting the session. The whole song is an example of talented and hardworking these young musicians are with their total commitment to producing and arranging music of the highest quality.

When it comes to the Strings Orchestra we have Sasi, Sebastian, Kerala Kumaran, Vijaya Baskar, Imam, Murali Krishna, Samson, Balu on Violins, Hemanth, Baskar, Anita Francis on Hemanth, Baskar, Anita Francis, Gopinath on Viola and on Cello it is V R Sekar, Viji. The team of musicians need to be complimented for the work here like recording engineers Biju James, Abin Ponnachan, Avinash Satish, KK Senthil Prasath, Divine and Kashyap, Vinodh Ravi Sundar as mixing engineer and Abin Pushpakaran as mastering engineer. Vinodh Ravi Sundar has also produced this song. AK writes beautiful words and his title line is reflective "Thangameeney, ninappila thulli kuthikkara" of his talent.

6. Nila Mugam

Music Composed by Sebastin Rozario

Singer: Sam Vishal

Lyrics: Ahamed Shyam

Music production: Sebastin Rozario

Additional programming: Vivillian

Sam Vishal has been quite busy as an indie artist, singing for multiple songwriters and some of his songs have been featured by me right here. This one is composed and produced by Sebastin Rozario and it captures the modern sounds quite well depending on some fantastic keyboard programming and production. The synths keep hitting you with Sebastin fully operating the production. Karthick Devaraj is the music consultant and one can see his influence in the proceedings. Vivillain does all the additional production. Sai Shravanam, the expert engineer handles the sound design and engineering for the song.

The interlude is brilliant as it combines the Tabla and the saxophone and fusing them is a treat for the ears. Nikhilram plays the saxophone and Venkat is on the Tabla. Our minds travel to Ar Rahman's 'Duet' and the genius Kadri Goplanath's prowess. Riyasdeen Riyan does all the Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering.

7. Pathu Murai

Singers: Armaan Malik, Saindhavi

Music: Arjun Janya

Lyrics: Vivek

Genre: Filmi Melody

I am not sure if Arjun Janya composed before this in Kollywood but this is a welcome move. I have enjoyed Arjun's compositions over the last few years and he is one of the most consistent and talented composers out there, completely dominating the Kannada movie scene. We have two fantastic singers here in Saindhavi and Armaan Malik and they deliver with such poise. I however felt that Armaan could have had better Tamil diction while saying a few words.

Armaan's vocals are splendid though, right from his opening line, and Arjun's stamp of authority is clear from the melody and the strings section all along. The Pianos, playing alongside the Tabla and the humming in the background create a beautiful backdrop for the interlude. T.Udhayakumar does a wonderful job of mixing the track. Saindhavi is just owning the lines when she sings, and Arjun's composition feels a lot like Vidyasagar's score, loaded with a hummable melody and the goodness of all instrumental arrangements. The flute and Thavil adorn the second interlude along with the ravishing electric guitar. The chords and the strings along with backing vocal layers are truly mesmerising especially when we get back to the pallavi.

8. Beer Song

Music Composer: Dhibu Ninan Thomas

Lyrics: Rokesh

Singer: Gana Guna

Genre: Gana

How can we have a list of Tamil songs on a playlist without having a gaana song. So Dhibu Ninan Thomas who is one of my favourite composers over the last couple of years comes in and creates a whirlwind of a song. The vocals are by Gana Guna but he is backed up by Dhibu, Maniratnam and Kapil Kapilan in the chorus. It reminds me of some of Santhosh Narayanan's songs, and that too is meant to be a compliment.

Santhosh Chandran plays the mild guitars and Naveen Napier is terrific on the bass guitars. The best line of the song goes "Naan kadalu mela methakkaren, nee aakasuthula parakkara". For a gaana song it is important to have the perfect percussion, and that is where Sruthiraj comes in. The humming at the end of the stanza that goes " hmmm aa aa aa" is just brilliant to hum along, and dance to. Dhibu plays the Harmonium and the Piano himself. In the background we can also hear the wonderful Orchestra arranged by Kalyani Nair and it is The Budapest Scoring Orchestra. Maniratnam and Dennis are the recording engineers, and while Balu Thankachan does the mixing and Shadab Rayeen does the mastering. Another wonderful musician Balasubramanian G is the Orchestra Coordinator. Rokesh is the lyricist.

9. Eppo Namma Kalyanam

Music composed by Shuba Rajesh

Sung by Shuba Rajesh and T N Arunagiri

Music Arranged and Programmed by Goutham Vincent

Genre: Folk

It is always a fun situation to be in, I mean a wedding ceremony and what better way to capture that magic than through music? I recently came across this musician Shuba Rajesh who resides in the US, but has been quite active in the indie Tamil music space. I have liked some of her songs from the past and this time I considered this worth reviewing and featuring here. The album she has composed is called “The Big Fat Wedding Album”, and for now, this is the song that I fell in love with the most.

Shri. Balasubramanian (Adyar) is one of the stars thanks to his Nadaswaram solo. The song takes me back to AR Rahman's brilliant album 'Kizhakku Cheemaiyile' and especially the song "Maanuthu manthaiyile". A renowned musician/producer Goutham Vincent joins the bandwagon on this song and produces it quite effectively. TT Ravi is the lyricist and he makes it relevant for today's times by getting in both English and Tamil lyrics.

Shuba has a delightful saccharine-laden voice that keeps you hooked, and she also exhibits the playfulness of a bride. Libin Robinson has played all the other Indian instruments through a programmed sample. It is a simple but joyful song. The track is mixed and mastered by Arjun Dileep. I wish some of the lyrics fit the meter of the song better.