'Crazy' kiya re...

Its been a long time since I saw him on screen and I was 'super' excited to watch him judge and sing in between in this week's Airtel Super Singer Junior. Do you know who am I talking about? It's Harish Raghavendra. It's for his voice I got a cassette full of his songs as a gift, it's for his voice I ran from behind the stadium which holds 1000s of people to the front to watch his 'live' performance. Although his voice is not heard in the charts frequently, his voice is still afresh and has the same specialty of diction in it. I had the privilege of making my friends become fans of his voice :) One of his latest and one of my favorites of his' is here:

The 'fantabulous' finals...

I don't know if the title is well justified but that's how it is being called by the anchors of 'Airtel Super Singer 2008'. I did not watch last week's mokkai episode but at the same time did not want to miss the finals as I have been in this 'looonnnggg' journey with the contestants but as a spectator ;) I am not a great fan of 'Old is Gold' type songs but did watch the entire episode to see how each one of the contestant perfoms. And my views here...

I am not going to repeat what judges said :) In the order of my favourite performances today:
1. 'Unnidam mayangugiren' - by Ajeesh. I loved Ajeesh's voice and whenever he said 'En arumai kaadhalile(an improvisation here at the end)', it was great. But I am not sure if it comes like mayangu+giren as Ajeesh sang. I thought it should have been sung as a single word...Anyways, I voted for him. The one title that I would give him is 'Man of improvisation'
2. Ravi - It was a clean performance and as I have always seen, he emoted so much that he sunk into the song. The one title I would give him is 'Mr Versatile' as he can even do great rap songs like the one he did on 'Karka 'Karka' from Vettaiyadu Vilayadu
3. Ranjani - To me, she has emerged as a talented singer. She delivered what was expected and the one title that I would give to her is 'Ms. Nightingale' as she has a very sweet voice :)
4. Renu - Among the stage show singers whom I have watched so far, my top favourite is Renu for one main thing called 'the diction' which is one area that most of the singers failed to prove and even slip at times. Although I did not vote for her this time and the last time and she may or may not win the title of the show, I'll be a big fan of her always. Her performance cannot be categorized into 'Wow' group today and hence she is in the bottom two on my list. My title for her would be 'Woman of diction'
5. Prasanna - His performance today was just normal. I cannot even say 'Great' or 'Good' but it was OK. My title to Prasanna is going to be 'Mr Perfomer' since he can just pull out the crowd and make them dance to his tunes :)

And on tomorrow's performance trailer which was shown, I am actually excited to know that those songs to be sung tomorrow are my favorites especially 'Uyirile' (Vellithirai) and 'Engirundhu Vandhayada' (5 star) but I don't think I know the song that Prasanna is about to sing...

And with 'Makkal theerpe Mahesan theerpu' as a verdict criteria, the title winner to be chosen by the people could come as a surprise...you never know who is going to be crowned.

A 'variety' jukebox

I love listening to all these songs and love watching the #3 especially :) This list involves a lingustic mix although most of these are very popular. Each one has an originating history in my jukebox.

Rock On - Socha hai
After watching 'Dil Chahta Hai' and 'Rock On', no wonder that Farhan Akthar became one of my favorites :) Although his voice is unique, I like this song and the guitar chords used in between.


MLTR - Paint my love
This is one of the top two songs that was taught to me during the western music class when I was introduced to English music albums.


Swapna Koodu - Karupin Azhagu
One of the songs that I love to watch which ensembles a jolly mood. To me, everything in the song looks beautiful :)


Khadgam - Nuvve Nuvve
I had a telugu friend in hostel when I was in Chennai who used to sing very beautifully. This is that one song which she used to sing to me often and that's how I came to know about this and since then I started liking it.


Azhagiya Theeye - Vizhigalin Aruginil
All time favorite...Most of my friends also like this

Varaprasadham :)

I've been waiting to write this blog for few days. Sometimes when I listen to some songs, I feel the divinty in the voice of the person who sings it. And when it comes in the form of a concert with SPB, Chitra and Vairamuthu, it can be definitely called as 'varaprasadam'. I did not know that there was such a concert until one of my friends told me last week. First of all, I should thank her for making me to listen to such a
wonderful concert. There are some portions which I loved and I am going to highlight those here. The content referring to this post may be old but their voices are still afresh :)

* Vairamuthu introduces SPB as 'Sareeramum Saareramum ilaikadha Baalu avargal'
* Also Vairamuthu quotes 'Puvikku arasanaga irundhirundhal Baaluvin idaiyalavukku thangathai thandhiruppen, aanal naano kaviarasanaga aiyvitten..Adhanal indha thanga changili mattum tharugiren'
* The uvamai of 'Thappa Thappa?' and 'Thappathapa' in Paadariyen Padipariyen - The way Vairamuthu explains it is great
* On the 'En Kaadhale' song, he says 'Baalu idhai paadirapdhai kaetal, innoru murai kadhalithu thorkalam polirukiradhu'...true it is :)
* How can someone emote in a song so much??? I always wonder how SPB does it with ease in any song, be it 'Pothi vacha maliga mottu'(when he says 'aaha..' with such a romantic touch) or 'En Kaadhale'(sings as if
he feels the pain of lost love) or 'Sangeetha Jaathi mullai' (as if he has lost his eyes and crave for his lady love)
* It was great to listen to songs like 'Kannamoochi Enada', 'Paadariyen Padipariyen', 'Andhi mazhai' rendered by Chitra. Although 15-20 yrs have passed since she sang these songs, there's a freshness always which is a gift
* Being SPB on the other side who is an improvisation mannan, Chitra couldn't control her laughter and she too tries to improvise and smiles like it did not come well but it did
* 'Vaana magal naanugiral, veru udai poonugiral' - Wat a lyrics!!!
* I have heard these lines of 'Pothi vacha' but never knew the inner meaning of it until Vairamuthu explained it...'Aathukulla nethu unnai nenachen, matha neram poga manja kulithen'...I thought whenever the heroine did not think of hero, she takes a shower...Wats der in it? ;) But actually it is: vekka neram and not matha neram :) When the heroine thinks of the hero, she may grow red because of the shyness; To hide it from the hero, she takes a tumeric shower :) [I know my translation is too poor but you have to adjust :)]

Although some of these songs were my favorites even before watching this concert, it has proved the worth of watching especially when Vairamuthu explained it. It is indeed a musical treat...A varaprasadam! I would highly suggest all the music lovers who had missed watching this concert, to watch and enjoy the beauty of such voices and lyrics :) Type in 'SPB Chitra concert' in youtube and there you are!!!

'08-09...10...11...????

I have heard and believed that only soap operas can last for 5-6 years but I think there's going to be a record break by a TV reality show called 'Airtel Super Singer' which started in 2008 and may go for another 2-3 years. A TV show's TSP soars based on the interest shown by people/its marketing strategy and this show is going to lose all its lustre for dragging the show with unwanted episodes like the one today. As everyone who watches may be waiting to hear who's the 4th contestant going to join the final show, they are dragging this with the judges wildcard round. People have already voted and why there is another wildcard round? Sigh....$%^&*. I could hear people murmuring (like me) 'Dei...Enda ipdi mega serial maadhiri javvvvaa iluthittu poreenga?'....

And now for today's show and my comments on it:
Vijay Narayan - There are so many great classic hits of Ilayaraja and this guy chose one mokkai song. I just forwarded his performance :)
Ranjani - If she's not selected for the finals, as everyone, I would think there's some politics that might have happened not to choose her. Hope that does not happen because she has a great voice when compared to other four contestants on the wild card round
Prasanna - I usually like his on stage perfomance and today it was OK but not great
Santhosh - Although there were few flaws and especially sodhappals in pitching, I liked his rendition
RaginiShree - It looked like someone asked her to read 'Swasame Swasame' lyrics and try few sangadhis in between to show that she knows music. The breaths in between each line - Only Ragini can do it. The beauty of the song was entirely lost. If judges dont give positive comments, Ragini might end up crying and hence all the judges said 'You are an excellent and promising singer'

If this show does not end in another 2 months (which is highly unlikely to happen but I saw some youtube comments saying this is going to end in June;)), I have made a resolution not to watch this show in future :) How many of you are with me? :)

- From a die hard music fanatic

Who's next???

I was a great fan of 'American Idol' in 2007 but this year, I have not watched much but I've been following the updates in the web part of the version. In 2007, I used to watch it for Sanjaya and deliberately wished to vote for him even though he was not a great singer when compared to the other top contestants of the show (being a desi, this was a way to show my patriotism ;)) And this year, it's for Anoop Dogg as he's popularly called...But he had to go out in the last episode because of the valuable comments from the judge Simon Cowell...So, my desi patriotism has come to an end for this year in terms of AI. Waiting for the next year's AI to see if someone like Sanjaya or Anoop shows up...Who's next???

The Lil' champs...

In the recent videos that I have watched, these two have been my top favorite for these obvious reasons - The song, the rendition and the innocence in their voice.

Anakha's voice - When I heard it first time, I told myself - Chancea illa, ennama oru voice...Epdi ipdi ellam?
Vasundra's voice - I cannot categorize it as an outstanding voice but the childishness in it attracted me :)

The 'Musical' fe(a)te

I have the habit of starting the day with a devotional song and it's been 'kandha sashti kavacham' or 'Venkatesa subrapatham' most of the times played from my youtube quicklist every morning. I wanted to play some other song for a change today and there came 'Maha ganapathim' but it showed a picture of Shabana Azmi instead of Sivakumar. I was surprised and played that video to see what it actually was and where it came from. I must say that I was impressed by the music and the singing which led to watch the musical fe(a)te in the later part of the day as a movie.

Three lives - Abhinay's, Swarnalatha's and Priyanka's connected by the title of the post. Abhinay is an aspiring musician whose mother dies in a road accident when he was a kid. Priyanka is a business woman who helps her mother in her business and she sings at times. Priyanka loses her father in the same road accident where Abhinay had lost his mother. Swarnalatha is Abhinay's periamma and she's a versatile carnatic singer who lost her son when he was a kid in the same road accident. It's as simple as this - Abhinay comes to his native village to tell his dad Naser that he's going to form a music group which Naser resists by his looks. On the 'devasham' day Abhinay gets a chance to meet Swarnalatha and Priyanka where the musical journey begins and rest is the movie.

There's nothing great about the movie but I liked it for two main reasons - 1. The musical fusion at the end of the movie 2. A simple naration without any hullaballo. Now, on the various aspects of the movie:
1. Music - Usually when I watch movies, I just forward the songs except when I know that there are few songs that I like in the movie. There are only two movies in the recent past where I did not hit any button other
than a 'Play' - One is 'Rock On' and the other one is this movie which I am talking about. I am yet to explore on who sang the track 'Thaye Yasodha' in this movie but it was great listening to it
2. Cast - IMHO, Abinay was a decent looking guy who has performed his part as given. He reminded me of my favorite VVS Laxman at times :) Priyanka was good looking especially in those sarees but I did not like her voice. Swarnalatha (S Azmi) - a typical south indian mother look and I loved seeing her traditional wears - 'Mangalyam' and those cotton sarees and the thalai kuli towel :) Naser and 'Thalaivasal' Vijay - Their part was small but I liked T Vijay's matured role as Swarnalatha's soothing husband
3. Comedy - There's nothing as comedy in this movie but I could only smile rather than laugh when the Annapoorna part comes in the form of a cow :)
4. Romance - Romance was like a sprinkled water in a huge bucket. Just a hug, a cycle ride tells it all between Abhi and Pinki
5. A bit annoying - Munna's behaviour and Pinki's mom's modern look
6. My takeaway - You gotta have some sort of inspiration in life to do something different that you like
7. My rating - 4.8 stars out of 5

And, do you know what movie am I talking about? Here's the poster:

Uyirum neeye...

After a long time, I had a chance to hear this song especially after listening to Ravi's rendition in Airtel Super Singer today. As usual, he did a great job but I thought it should have been more tender.

Original version by Unnikrishnan is a great rendition. And these lyrics, it speaks for itself...I like it!
Here is the Youtube edition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NovCNFS1O1M

Uyirum neeyae udalum neeyae unarvum neeyae thaayae than
udalil sumandhu uyiril kalandhu uruvam tharuvaay neeyae
un kannil vazhiyum oru thuli poadhum kadalum urugum thaayae
un kaaladi mattum tharuvaay thaayae sorggam endbadhu poyyae

vinnaip padaiththaan mannaip padaiththaan
kaatrum mazhaiyum oliyum padaiththaan
boomikku adhanaal nimmadhi illai
saami thaviththaan thaayaip padaiththaan

Decade & Drawing...

If I remember correctly, the last time I drew something was in the Engg drawing(ED) class which I hate to the core for two reasons 1. I did not understand anything 2. Only class that can drive me to a hibernation period from the minute it starts till it ends. By fortune, I did succeed in the first attempt of the exam itself...GOK how it happened :)

Drawing has always been a hobby before those ED days. I used to draw whenever I was at home and used to paste those drawings in the old calendar cardboards and design it with the gift wrapper papers at the edges and then hang it in the hall with the hopes that it would get someone's attention and become centre of attraction (high hopes :))

I was talking to my sis about her jewelry making class and that made me to try out my hands in the pencil drawing after a decade. It did not come great but it got the shape and outline as I thought. But I did not hang it at the hall or anyplace this time :)

Idhu Kaakava Kuruviyannu kaekadheenga..enakke theriyadhu...;)

T'R'ibute

It's a long overdue post that I wanted to write about this couple which in a way has led me to write more here. It's not only about that couple but the ones that I like or maybe we can call that I am a fan of these 'R's. Let's check it out (Do I sound like a TV anchor? ;))

1. Ross, Rachel n Relationship: Being an avid F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan and Ross's, I couldn't stop praising this lovely relationship that shaped itself in all the episodes. They say that hate each other, date others around but finally reaching each other and unable to give up their relationship, the emotions that behold, the way Ross reacts and tries to stop her from boarding a flight, when Ross tries to date Charlie and how Rachel feels about it...I simply love to see them in action and in their emotional bonding.
2. Rehman: It looks like I have been writing more about ARR nowadays...maybe golden globe and oscar nomination hit me badly :) If I had to list out the songs that I like from his creation and innovation, my hands will go feeble....But a song from his voice which can bring tears to many and a feeling to most of us is my top pick - Vellai Pookal. Everyone who loves music (who doesn't?) will have one particular song for which they say that they can just die by listening to it. To me, it's this particular song from Kannathil Muthamittal. I wish I could get a chance to see one of his live concerts in my lifetime.
3. Robin Sharma: I love reading his books. 'The Greatness Guide' is one that I can read anytime. The thoughts that are endorsed in his book with practical examples is simply amazing. This motivational guru's next creation - I am waiting for it!
4. Renu: Not a known celebrity; Unless you watch Vijay TV's Airtel Super Singer 2008, you wouldn't know her. People talk about gifted voice, but if it's a truth that I can see it, that belongs to this girl. The breath control, the sustenance, the diction, the wholesome voice, the emotion...wat else is needed to listen to? She can mesmerize anyone by her voice :) And another gift that she has, being humble. I wish she reaches the finals and become the lady voice of the year!

5 stars & fantasies...

Heard from friends that they have had fantasies of dancing with Asin, walking with Aishwarya Rai, smiling with Surya, bowling to Sachin, cooking with 'Paravai' Muniyamma, sailing with Baywatch beauties along the shores of Miami beach, meeting Madhavan et al...But I have had fantasies about a Musical home. Does it sound weird? Home full of musical instruments like Guitar, Piano, Veena, Flute, Thabla, Saxophone, Drums, Clarinet, Violin. Tats all comes to my mind now. When someone knocks the door, there should be music. When the door opens, there should be music. Music for pooja room - A divine sound with a blend of veena and flute tunes. Music for bedroom - A romantic melody that soothes ears :) Music for hall - I don't need it because that's where my TV is. Music for bathroom - A fast beat song with drums that makes me not to come out of it :) Music for kitchen - A Saxophone or from a Ghazal of Hariharan's voice. Music for dining room - Not much of sangadhis, swarams but the one that feeds a light feel to heart and stomach :) Music for the entertainment room - That makes me dance. I would love to live with music.

And here's a musical feast which I loved it to the core. Flute for its divinity, Veena for its soothing sensation, Ghadam for its thalam and piano for the mild touch on its brim. It was a great improvisation and I was delighted to watch these 5 stars performing here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTryjstiImM

Double Bonanza...

Ended up yesterday by watching the joyous moment, for being a music lover and ARR fan - Yeah, I watched ARR bagging awards in the critics choice and the Golden Globe. Few observations on that front...
1. In both ceremonies, whoever pronounced his name called him by A.R.Raman and not as A.R.Rahman. I guess they thought 'h' was silent :) but we, Indians could make out the difference it makes
2. Anil Kapoor stood up and cheered Danny Boyle for winning the Best director award for 'The Slumdog Millionaire'. But could not see him when A.R.R bagged - Guess the camera was out of focus
3. Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto was joyous as how I was (jumping and clapping) when the Isai Puyal said 'This is for India' showing his trophy
4. Last but not the least, I couldn't believe how a man of so much fame come into the stage and talk with composure. He said 'It's surprising!...' and 'Unbelieveble' and to me, it's so, to see him being 'down to earth' :)

And now, I am waiting for the Oscars...I meant 'to watch' :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cBy0crMuCk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs8828I9w7U

Here's P.O.

Paadum Office - After a break, it's back! It brought me those pleasant memories that I had 3 years back. It was not called Paadum Office earlier. It was called as a corporate music show and I dont think it was shown on TV.

It was the first time I saw it in the newspaper and heard it from the HR folks at my office inviting people to join. Being a music lover and having a close friend who is good at singing, I insisted him to try although he was reluctant. There was no doubt about his great singing capability but he was hesitating because he had stage fear. But I dont want to see someone's potential being wasted and hence somehow forced him to take part.

From the day he enrolled in the competition, we used to discuss about the songs to choose and what would be the advantages/disadvantages of rendering such songs. Finally, he chose 'Unakena Mela Nindral' from Simla Special. I was there with him on the preliminary round encouraging him. Fortunately or Unfortunately, that song was sung by someone who went before him and he was tensed. He gave me this magical wand and said 'Whatever comes, it's your choice now; Tell me one song that I should sing'. I was happy that he trusted my choices and at the same time, did not want to choose a song that may throw him out of the competition.

I gave reasons for choosing this song - 'Nenjankootil' from Dishyum. 1. I was damn sure that noone there will attempt that song 2. It did not have lot of aalaps or hard sangadhis or the fast breathtaking notes 3. I have heard him singing that before and I liked it. He agreed and sang that on stage when his turn came. He was nervous at the first few lines of Pallavi but rendered it very beautifully till the end.

When he came back from the stage, he asked me if he did it well and if he will get selected for which I said 'I dont know, but I liked it except the first few lines'. He was confident that he will get into the top 10 out of 93 contestants. And before they announce the results, I had to leave to meet another set of friends. After an hour, he called me and said he got into the top 10 to face the finals. Got this details from him that the judges said 'Choosing an easy song and rendering it great is much better than choosing a difficult song and trying to prove yourself but failing badly'. His first try was worth it and happy, we were!!!

And here is one of the rendition from this friend of mine (Sriram). I am dedicating this post to him and his wife Sowmya...Un song Unakke Sriram :))



Kanava... | Music Codes

July maadham...

One of the songs that I like the most. I don't know how many songs like this goes into my 'one of the songs that I like the most' list. I cannot say what's that makes me feel great about the song except that it makes me feel happy and I enjoy singing along with it. Anupam's husky voice in this song and the legend SPB's casual and flawless notes is great! The subtitles and the jodi's dance in this video makes it greater though :) Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypXWf-WK-Ps

Dedicated to ????

It's not different or difficult to name a person whom you want to dedicate a song to. This happens in most of the satellite TV shows but seeing the Super Singer relationships episode moved me into a different zone. Although I see it with utmost interest every other day (passionate about music being a reason), this episode somehow makes me feel that everyone who has sung so far has done it very well. I could not even point out a person and say that he/she did badly. Is it the songs or the singers or their dedication to a person whom they wanted to, made a difference? Without a sense of doubt, most of them dedicated to their moms and gave them a gift which made them move into tears (moms can easily do it, u know? ;)) and I feel they deserve it. In few cases, it was a dedication to sisters. In some cases, it was friends and in some, it was relatives. I was wondering if at all this has happened to me, I would have been in a baffled situation. In most of the cases, it was only through my self motivation, I have done it. So, it would not have been a surprise if I had said 'It's me whom I wanted to thank and gift to' (though it sounds crazy). But if I was given a second option to choose a person other than me, I would have gone for this person who has motivated me atleast to some extent. It's Saranya, a friend of mine who I know only for 4 years. She encouraged me to sing in a wedding reception which was a futile attempt :) But she keeps encouraging me still without knowing the aftermath disaster :) Two days after her 2nd wedding anniversary, I would like to dedicate this song to her :) She was about to make an attempt on this song few days ago and hence I figured out this would be the song that she would have heard number of times recently and hence putting this as a dedicated one :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApQcVAYWHs

The Musical Mazaa....

After a very long time, I had a chance to talk to someone on the musical musings. It was my friend, who is a great singer with whom I had a conversation with. We were listing out few songs one by one and I thought I would listen to those songs once I hung up the phone. I did what I thought of. Here is the list:

Thanga Thamarai Magale
Azhagana Ratchasiye
Vaa Vaa Anbe Vaa
Thendral vandhu theendum podhu
Sreeranga ranga naadhanin - Not my choice :)
Sirpi irukudhu
Azhai kadal vizhigalil - Song by a blogger - My choice though :)
Eera nizha
Kalyana Thenila
Kaadhal Kavidhaigal padithu
Idhazhil kadhai
Nee oru kadhal sangeetham
Un Parvayil
Innum ennai enna
Endhan nenjil
Nee pathi Naan pathi
Keeravanil
Naan thedum sevandhi
Kuliruthu Kuliruthu
Pothi vacha malliga mottu
Kaadhalin Dheepam
Thendral vandhu ennai thodum
Thedum kan parvai
En iniya pon nilave
Aanandha Raagam
Vizhigalil Aruginil
Ini naanum naan illai - My choice :)

We did miss lot of songs that we like but these are the songs that came to our mind at that moment. The nuances of the song, which lines are the best, how did the male/female singers sung the song in particular pallavi/charanam - We did talk a lot about it and I felt so happy in listening to these songs after a stint. Each song has its own beauty...

HR - Part II

I have been writing about him since I am a huge fan of him. I did not have any intentions to write about this part II until there came a situation. I had my dance sessions y'day and was very tired after coming back. Had my dinner and was about to sleep. Since I had to give sometime after dinner for digestion, opened my laptop to watch Jodi #1. After watching that, I hit on the KWA link to see who's the guest this week. To my surprise, when Anu said that she's going to invite the singer of 'Melliname Melliname', all my drowsiness went off and I was back with all my energy and excitement to watch HR. HR came with his all time smile and I thoroughly enjoyed all his singing esp. Nirpadhuve Nadapadhuve to the core. Perfect diction, sruthi and when he sings, I feel a sense of music within itself without any BGM. And he sang my recent favourite of his 'Anbae en Anbae' from Dhaam Dhoom. With only kelvi gnanam, he has come till this - Tat sounds great to me :))) And now, I am more pepped up to listen to his songs in my ipod.

SS continued...

As I wished and quoted my top 3 favourites of SS, Ajeesh, Ravi and Rohit has cruised into the main round of Super Singer. But Bavadharani Ram did not make it :( Though most of them were not quite comfortable in singing the Western song trained by 'Malgudi' Shuba, each one of them ended up in a different tune and tempo. But it was good to watch and I started liking the verses of the song and here it is!

I want to be happy
But you are not happy
Till you make me happy too...
Life is not worth living
Unless you are giving
Let me make you happy too...
Pa Pa Pa ra ba ba tu tu......

I keep singing it in my own tune and tempo as others did and the good thing is there's noone here to judge me :):)

Sharanu Siddhi...

As a start, I want to dedicate this song to Lord Vinayaga. This was the first ever carnatic song I learnt (3 years ago). I lost touch and trying to revive my passion towards Music. I had been groovy here and there and misspelt few words but I landed OK. Long way to go!


Sharanu Siddhi... | Upload Music