subtly, with the nagaswaram forming the backdrop playing the Bilahari raga. The lyrics are overpowered by the instruments, sure, but Rahman attempts to evoke a certain mood in the listeners with this song and he succeeds.

Anbil Avan...
Vocals: Devan Ekambaram, Chinmayee
Lyrics: Thamarai

A joyful union of hearts, as indicated by the lyrics, the very suggestive instrumental bit of ‘anandam, anandam, anandame’ sung after marriages in Tamil Nadu along with the merest whiff of ‘When the saints go marching in’, two minutes into the song. The chorus is cheery and the use of cello and mrudangam sounds adds depth. A lovable number, inspite of all the synthesized sounds.

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa...
Vocals: Karthik
Lyrics: Thamarai

The subtle nuance of the guitars and violin need to be relished as much as Karthik’s soulful singing. A song of utter yearning, this is a number that may take time to sink in, being expressive in an unconventional way. The scale seems to be Kiravani.

Hosanna...
Vocals: Vijay Prakash, Suzanne, Blaaze
Lyrics: Thamarai, English Rap lyric is by Blaaze

Christian tradition defines Hosanna as the cry of adoration of the Messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem’. Rahman has boldly adopted it to express the joy that erupts in the heart of the hero when his soul mate walks into his life. This lovely number, a mix of a few genres, is richly layered with violin, flute and many other instruments and conceived very differently too. We hear bits of Mohanam and Natabairavi notes all along.

Could rock the charts.

Kannukkul Kannai...
Vocals: Naresh Iyer
Lyrics: Thamarai

Frantic appeals from the hero to his girlfriend to come back and heal him and the rhythms also have a fitting urgency about them. The shorter lines of the second charanam also carry the mood along. Neat notes from the strings for this number which seems to be based on the Harikamboji raga scale.

Mannippaya...
Vocals: AR.Rahman, Shreya Ghosal
Lyrics: Thamarai

Sabaash Rahman, for weaving some very pertinent Tirukkural couplets into this song, which has penitence as its strong underlying mood. Shreya’s voice conveys myriad moods as she moves softly through the song to the sweet accompaniment of guitars and violin. Again an unconventionally textured song.

Aaromale (Malayalam)...
Vocals: V.Alphonse
Lyrics: Kaithapram

Oh, this song just defies description! But it has a Rahman-esque addictive charm that cannot be ignored. Sad and pleasant moods alternate. A curious blend of guitars and malayala lyrics. The gentle rhythms that break out with the line’swasti swasti sumuhurtham’ cut into the sobriety of the song in a refreshing manner. You need some repeated listening to savour this.

Verdict:

In a rather telling interview with Nik Gowing of BBC, Rahman expressed his deep desire to bring South Indian (he sweetly included all the four states) music out of its narrow confines and popularize it all over the world because it had so much to offer. He has taken a huge step in that direction with this album. Though the music sounds global, it has some tasteful native sensibilities. Don’t look for anything conventional. How is the lay listener going to respond to this album? Will he allow his conditioned mind to expand and enjoy? Let us wait for the feedback