Albeit I never follow Vijay's movie/music premiere, I was hooked on to ATM, the moment I came to know that 'Mozart of Madras' has wielded his baton for this movie. After Sivaji's runaway musical hit, ATM's music piqued lot of expectations among hoi polloi. And has Rahman lived up to the expectations? Here's a peek at what ARR had to offer in ATM…
* Ella Pugazhum (Singer : AR Rahman)
A booming intro song! Typical ARR style. Promises to invigorate a drowned spirit. Preludes and interludes sounds just perfect, Rahman notching incredible decibels with his high-pitch( at times vociferous) is a good listening experience… Will throw ‘Vijay’ fans to an irrecoverable state of hysteria. Cinema Halls are in for a big diwali bash with this opening song… And be prepared for 'once-more' requests... They are going to be aplenty of them… However, after constant repetition of this song, I couldn't help noticing the residues of ' Ararai Kodiyil' song from 'Anbe Aruyire'…
* Kelamaal Kaiyile(Singer : Sriram Parthasarathy, Saindhavi)
My pick of the album. Fresh. Pristine. Never-heard-before tune!!! The blend of Sriram-Saindhavi duo is magical. And I guess this 'Kokilam-Kokilam' pallavi, will become ubiquitous… Sure, it will top the charts.
* Maduraikki Pogadhadee( Singer : Benny, Archith, Dharshana)
As soon I was done with the first 2 songs, out of the blue I was confronted with this 'folk'ish number. And I must confess, ARR has not scored heavily with this song. I found reviews, drawing comparisons of this song with his erstwhile classics of 'Kizhakku Chemaiyile'… I could only pooh-pooh these Rahmaniacs... They want to praise him, regardless of whatever he does… Songs he composed for 'Kizhakku Chemaiyile' , 'Tajmahal' or 'Sangamam' were legendary… Beyond Comparison...And people are making a mockery, by doing such out-of-line comparisons…
* Nee Marlyn Manroe(Singer : Benny, Dayal, Ujjayinee)
This song started -off promisingly and sunk without a trace. Rahman's effort to sandwich a techno with Rap, has went in vain. Occasional Tamil lyrics interlaced with lackluster tune, makes it one forgettable song.
* Ponmagal Vandhal(Singer : MD Aslam, Ember Rap)
When Rahman first experimented with a remix ( Thottal Poo Malarum),I got despondent! Just because, this genius had lot of original music to offer, why should he resort to remix… Definitely I am not belittling people who venture out doing remixes and stuff… But what we expect out of ARR is fresh and original music... And this ain't one! The only consolation is the terrific husky-voice of Aslam...
* Valayapatti Thavile(Singer : Madhumita, Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee)
I was hardly able to distinguish ‘Maduraikki Pogadhadee’ and 'Valayapatti Thavile' for quite some time… After repeated listening, I was comfortable… I still felt something nagging… Then I quickly realized it was very similar to 'Kummi Adi' from 'SOK'…
ATM music might be embraced with thumping hands by Vijay fans... But certainly not an album, Rahmaniacs can boast about… A complete let-down!
