IR's New albums - Ver 2008

IR is back to his style of orchestration. NICE .. :) Its is amazing to listen to the usage of Violins and Flute in Unakulle. Kannakuku is awesome.
Eventhough ulagam sounds annoying with the female volcals, the interludes are very good as someone mentioned here its surprising IR has used the raaga.com loop and the similar kinda string usage as yuvan did in "AMAV" Oh Baby is that jsut me .. wat do ya'll think.
Neveretheless, It gives me strong hope that IR is coming back with a bang with his "Style" of music which all of us are yearing for all these days! Verdict, except Dhanam Dhanam all songs are listenable. Not a bad album afterall.

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Originally Posted by Hulkster

Its not that..its just that people here decipher raja's songs like other MDs. The true fact till this day is that all his songs have been enriched by the feel of his orchestration and understanding of the situation. You cant expect a anandha raagam like tune or pothi vecha malligai tune for the situations in dhanam....

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Hulkster,

anantha ragam, poththi vachcha are the best orchestrated songs of those times, the 'sounds' were cool when they got released. But his usuage of synths nowadays has been a big let down for his fans. Because we are exposed to cool 'sounds' from other MDs. I assume the problem is IR so accustomed with his composing technique that is best fit for manual orchestra. He still has not found his territory in synths. My wish is he should experiment with atleast one song recorded and orchestrated by Yuvan and composed by him. Then he will understand the difference, until then he is going to follow the same style.

:(

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Originally Posted by popeye11

its surprising IR has used the raaga.com loop and the similar kinda string usage as yuvan did in "AMAV" Oh Baby is that jsut me .. wat do ya'll think.

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Yes, one in the first interlude and another in the second interlude. I was shocked :shock:

But i dunt see any predominant synth in this album though except for certain parts in dhanam which spoils the song. And isnt the orchestration in this album only "raja-passible"? The reason i felt so excited is because of the orchestration and the overall backgrounds.

Anyway as for him using synths it depends...he will only go back to manual orchestra if the film truly needs it like twinkle twinkle little star's bgm or maybe pazhassi raja. Otherwise he does not care much like how we did not give a damn for his mumbai express and i dunt think we deserve it. :exactly:

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Originally Posted by krish244

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Originally Posted by MrJudge

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Originally Posted by krish244

BTW, I loved that "Mona...enakkum number kuduma" advertisement in galatta.com

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loved?? :shock: irritating before every song starts, there is no forward button also :evil:

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Yes, I got irritated too, but as there was no forward button, I had no choice but to love it :).

Krishnan

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They used to have a forward button earlier.. they have removed it now..Dang it, it was horrible listening to the "Enakum Number kuduma" Vaayla asingama varuthu.. :hammer: :angry2: enna panrathu.. IR in paatai rasika, indha kodumai ellam thaanga vendi iruku..

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Originally Posted by popeye11

They used to have a forward button earlier.. they have removed it now..Dang it, it was horrible listening to the "Enakum Number kuduma" Vaayla asingama varuthu.. :hammer: :angry2: enna panrathu.. IR in paatai rasika, indha kodumai ellam thaanga vendi iruku..

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Yeah me too frustrated. But now Raaga.com has it and the quality also good, maranthum galatta.com visit kidayaathu :D

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Originally Posted by MrJudge

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Originally Posted by popeye11

They used to have a forward button earlier.. they have removed it now..Dang it, it was horrible listening to the "Enakum Number kuduma" Vaayla asingama varuthu.. :hammer: :angry2: enna panrathu.. IR in paatai rasika, indha kodumai ellam thaanga vendi iruku..

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Yeah me too frustrated. But now Raaga.com has it and the quality also good, maranthum galatta.com visit kidayaathu :D

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Super~

Cant wait to hear the songs in CD quality. Iam sure it will sound a lot better.

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Originally Posted by Hulkster

But i dunt see any predominant synth in this album though except for certain parts in dhanam which spoils the song. And isnt the orchestration in this album only "raja-passible"? The reason i felt so excited is because of the orchestration and the overall backgrounds.

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Come on, all of the songs have synth usage.

My point is when he was at the top, his songs had both, orchestration and cool sounds (way above from his contemporaries), but now even though his orchestration is good, he loses mainly because of the sounds he selects. I think people will sit and enjoy if his does with cool sounds. The music environment is different now, he needs to force himself to change things around. Or someone close to him (like KR/YSR) should explain to him. I think KR is also into this synth trap.

So having one IR version and one YSR mix in an IR album will be good to test that. :)

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Originally Posted by Hulkster

Negative reviews but mostly in preference order and as usual none can understand the orchestration. The same thing happened for the best album in recent times by the name of mumbai express when loads of people thought the fast-paced jazz number yeley nee yettipo was some immature attempt at synth :banghead:

Well i guess the final nail was for mumbai express...after that we are certainly not worthy of listening to anything else and i should not have even raised the decibel for this album after some people looked at the trailer and said it reeks of ordinary numbers. :angry:

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Hulkster - am :banghead: :angry2: for comparing Mumbai Xpress with Dhanam - Mumbai Xpress is a class act, a perfect example of how LIVE Jazz would sound with minimalist Indian classical (minimalism is what IR so good at - he can dilute any raagam without losing the raagam's original identity) elements - "kurangu kaiyyil" is jazz at its best with unconventional lyrics and song structure both of which were completely complemented by hardcore jazz, while "poo poothadhu" was the icing on the cake - this song is an evergreen melody for the ages!

Dhanam just does not fall into that category at all - maybe the Kamal factor extracted the best out of IR in Mumbai Xpress with a strong/adamant emphasis/demand for live jazz instruments

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Originally Posted by raja_fan

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after reading the many reviews here, I almost expected another pathbreaking album like AGNI NATCHATIRAM,

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Sorry ! Neenga endha kaalathil irukkeenga ?? Inime adhellaam nadakkira kaariyamaa ...

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if Mumbai Xpress can happen, which WAS/IS a pathbreaking album in Indian cinema for the use of LIVE JAZZ, why should I not expect another pathbreaking album from IR ??

donno why IR is breaking hearts like mine little by little, instead of going back to what he is best - creative melodic usage with rhythms that make you sit up and listen

>>>Mumbai Xpress can happen, which WAS/IS a pathbreaking album in Indian cinema for the use of LIVE JAZZ

Pardon my ignorance, but who says so that it is path breaking?

The main problem with fans like these is that you live in heaven of your own and expect every one to be there and those who do not see your vision you accuse them as blind.

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Originally Posted by zz

>>>Mumbai Xpress can happen, which WAS/IS a pathbreaking album in Indian cinema for the use of LIVE JAZZ

Pardon my ignorance, but who says so that it is path breaking?

The main problem with fans like these is that you live in heaven of your own and expect every one to be there and those who do not see your vision you accuse them as blind.

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zz, whats wrong with him expecting god songs from IR or claiming that MX was path breaking ? Whats ur problem here ?

You very well say MX was crap and dhanam was crappier , but u cant say that irir123 can't expect !

Many of us are closely related to raaja to an extent that his success has become one of our reasons to be happy , more than enjoying music as it is ! right or bad , this is how it is .

After the decent output for UO, dhanam is a saRukkal. Totally unimpressive, IMO. Expected at least a couple of numbers as in the case of 'azhagi' that are emotional but...KB gives this movie 65 marks, to wait and see for the response of public.

zz is correct, MX was dismal. jazz or x or y, if something is not interesting to listen - who cares?

In any case, as there are already tons of songs of IR that one can explore for a lifetime, who cares for the dhanams here and there:-)

Looks like IR's unaffected territories yet are WCM & ICM. Let me wait for pazhassi rAjA.

Ada da da daa !!

Nanbargale..solluvadhai kelungal..Aditthu kollaadheergal !

MX is not IR's best and Dhanam is not his worst !

IR has always been like this. Even when he was at his musical peak, not all the songs in all his movies were hits :)

So set your expectations according to the film..For Dhanam as some one said, idhuve adhigam.

I will be happy even if two songs of this film were picturized well and make rounds for few weeks in channels :)

Pardon my ignorance, but who says so that it is path breaking?

To a large extent, guitar prasanna has appreciated the jazz of Mx

Dhanam has lovely orchestration and lovely interludes, two features that made what IR he is over a long time. It is thoroughly enjoyable if you just forget about other things, stop comparing, and just listen to it for what it is. Its surely not going to turn up as a hidden gem like EVK 20 years from its release date, but it is certainly an enjoyable fare.

Dhanam mp3:
http://freetamilsongdownload.blogspot.com/
its torrent, but downloads quite fast.
claims HQ mp3... sounds better than online versions, but if this is really the CD quality then IR needs a new sound engineer.

Whether MX was path-breaking or not, that was a class act IMO. It was not the first or last time jazz has been used in IFM but thats immaterial. The point is, how it was used and how the net result was. To me, personally, MX was Raaja in prime form

Dhanam album - Ayyo!!! Producers are going to feel a terrible pinch if the movie also flops as audio has already shown where it will be.

Probably I shouldn't have complained about 'Azhagi vara..' in UO.

app-e - dhanam is not only an ordinary sarukal - it slid down to the center of the earth.

Review of MUMBAI XPRESS album by SEAOFTRANQUILITY:

http://www.seaoftranquility.org/revi...ontent&id=4824

"........led to us receiving a review copy of another, very different Ilayaraja piece, Where Crime Meets Confusion, a far more approachable but nevertheless very Indian album. Very different from the previous record we reviewed - this one is the soundtrack to a Bollywood movie made by Kamal Hassan"

"Where Crime Meets Confusion contains a bit of everything. There's a very jazzy section in "Monkey Chatter" with a synth-pop rhythm and staccato piano style, that could have been at home on any continent. There are pure movie sound-track atmospheric sections, "Bander Ki Dug Dugi" is an interesting vocals-oriented piece with a lilting rhythm carried by upbeat singing in a not-quite-western style - that isn't quite Indian either. There are plenty of spoken-voice sections, but not knowing the language, and because the CD comes with the bare minimum of artwork, and no booklet, we don't have a clue about the storyline.

One of the highlights of the album are the very pretty female vocals in a soft, midrange soubrette-like style. Some of the female spoken-voice sections are quite attractive as well, with an accentuated and unusual (to Western ears) sing-song lilt often associated with the Gujarati languages.

The album ends with 9-minute piece with three minutes of what sounds like an unskilled child actor in dialog with older actors, and develops into a soft ballad with barely a hint of the Indian vocal style - a sort of 50/50 fusion of Indian and Western styles.

You just might get a kick out of it. Not progressive, and certainly not rock, but the compositions are solid, the performances are very professional, it's more Western-oriented than most Indian music, and you might find it enjoyable."

Added: March 1st 2007
Reviewer: Duncan Glenday
Score: 3 stars out of 5

Thank god

some of you do not like songs, so paadalgal hit agum :lol:

Any links for better quality Dhanam songs, Just want to listen once before buying CD. Thanks

rosoma.j, please see below:

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Originally Posted by rajasaranam

raaga with better quality than galaata
http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001343.html

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the ajoy verma - Ilaiyaraja -Gulzar film is said to be complete (dont aks me how i know) - it has vinay pathak in the lead role. We can look forward to some deep ghazal like melodies from Raaja.

I had the opportunity to hear high quality dhanam songs in a hometheater.

Ore vaarhtaila sonna

Thalaivar Adi Pinnirukkar......

New type of experimentation.....

best
Fliflo

I guess some of the people here are just too "outstanding" ; mumbai express was dismal is the worst comment you can give to a masterclass jazz album like that. And that itself proves my point that we dunt deserve to review IR albums when we cant even understand his composing ability. To say that dhanam is totally unimpressive despite all the techniques that is a hallmark of IR present in there is comical. :wave:

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Originally Posted by MrJudge

Come on, all of the songs have synth usage.

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They do but not to the extent of spoiling the album except for dhanam dhanam song. The backgrounds and the orchestration takes away whatever synth there was in the other songs.

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Originally Posted by app_engine

After the decent output for UO, dhanam is a saRukkal. Totally unimpressive, IMO. Expected at least a couple of numbers as in the case of 'azhagi' that are emotional but...KB gives this movie 65 marks, to wait and see for the response of public.

zz is correct, MX was dismal. jazz or x or y, if something is not interesting to listen - who cares?

In any case, as there are already tons of songs of IR that one can explore for a lifetime, who cares for the dhanams here and there:-)

Looks like IR's unaffected territories yet are WCM & ICM. Let me wait for pazhassi rAjA.

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MX was interesting to listen..its just that we prefer to listen to a typical "IR" tune(note the irony here). You people ask for refreshing tunes and when he gives something like yeley nee yettippo and kurangu kaiyil maalai all of you guys complain. And the worst part is you guys call yourself IR fans and dunt even understand a single thing about what he did in MX. :banghead:

Hmmm.. Are you people ready to move beyond MX ????????

Bringing MX again and again in n number of posts is really irritating !! :(

What if MX is the No.1 album in TFM ? Did the director or Kamal do justice to the songs and make it reach the people ?

What IR wants badly is this - reaching the people. If atleast 2 songs of Dhanam reaches people well, I would be more happy about it than any MX which only the fans talk about in a remote forum !

IR can give another MX in any time when the right opportunity comes, but he should maintain his presence in the field. That is more important now !!

Please come out of your obsession with MX here and move forward.

We have Mallepoovu and PR next month. So be ready for more and more posts :)

We have Mallepoovu and PR next month

Esp the BGM ! Do we have any website which has maayakannadi BGMs?

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What IR wants badly is this - reaching the people. If atleast 2 songs of Dhanam reaches people well, I would be more happy about it than any MX which only the fans talk about in a remote forum !

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Exactly.

I never meant that MX was bad , but saying that the jazz number in that is world class is a bit too much.

The main problem with IR is kind of sychopahncy that surround him from his fans, co workers and every one in the Industry. Why? Isn't there any one there to call a spade a spade? No body has tried it. I am sure expose IR to what he has been doing for last many year you will get back the IR many are longing for.

As sloshed said, that Synth instru should be sent some where out of universe.

Patrons of great music from IR have no-where to go but to accept what ever IR dishes out these days as music. They also have a block in their mind set that there is no music beyond IR. Problem for HC fans for IR is that they do not know to enjoy the diverse style of TFM and hence have to swallow music like UO and numerous other film music that IR has been giving for last many years. I do not have problem with their swallowing, but after you swallow if you claim that those hard rocks are the best one available to man kind to cherish, I cannot bear that.

Some one needs to push IR. Bala, Kamal were able to do that to an extend, but that is not enough. IR has long ceased to be a self starter. IR of 80s still rules the radios and fm channels, but IR of todayis still in the race (should have quit in 90s itself) and his career graph is going steeper and steeper day by day.

7 pages in 2 days for the sound track of movie Dhanam!!! Thats amazing.I haven't listened to them yet, so i can't comment on that.

Anyway , about IR going down or north, it doesnt matter. he has not been in the race from mid 90's. AS most of IR fans here, i want some good quality songs from him, Thats it.

And how on earth some of you guys are expectin IR to come out with scintilating numbers for every movie. common guys we are not in 80's.

Moreover if the movie/director can extract some good tunes from IR , no one can stop it. Did virumaandi/Pithaa magan/Julie Ganapathy etc disappointed you?

So guys , dont expect much for an avg movie, then you will get much more disappoined. rather just listen to the songs with open mind.

I cant stop repeating this, for the people who criticizing IR's recent works, IR had given the answer long back in late 90's to a reporter when he asked "why your recent songs are not as good as your 80's songs"

IR " oru thadava thirumba nalla kettu parunga!"

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Patrons of great music from IR have no-where to go but to accept what ever IR dishes out these days as music. They also have a block in their mind set that there is no music beyond IR. Problem for HC fans for IR is that they do not know to enjoy the diverse style of TFM and hence have to swallow music like UO and numerous other film music that IR has been giving for last many years. I do not have problem with their swallowing, but after you swallow if you claim that those hard rocks are the best one available to man kind to cherish, I cannot bear that.

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I am a HC IR fan , but i am listening to TFM, arabic, african, Hip Hop, Reggae, Funk, Pop, Rap, World music. Still I dont have any trouble to listen/enjoy recent good numbers from IR.

It doesnt mean, that we dont have any other options, if you find something good in IR's tune, whats the problem in enjoyin it?

As you have the rights to claim that IR's recent numbers are mediocre then i also have the right to call it as a great tune.But the problem here is generalizing our opinion.every one have their own taste. so i can't claim that Dhanam has to be cherished by everyone, and the same applies to you, that you are not supposed expect everyone to condemn IR for his work in Dhanam.

Many HC IR fans real problem is they can't go beyond 80s songs. They are always expecting such kind of songs. They simple don't realize during 80s Top film project were in IR's hand but now? any top hero? any top directors? (except Bala) any top producers? ada atha vidunga any good film he has done at recent times? Even highly acclaimed Cheran failed miserable both getting good songs and delivering good film :banghead:. New directors have to learn from BR, MR, Kamal, KB, Mahendran how to extract good music but before they badly need to know how to film a good script.

A fan will be happy if IR give good music whatever project he accpets or if he don't compatible with this he should be selective and should away from his jalras from film industry. He has to avoid to listen "Anne namba paiyannae neengathan music pottu kodukkanum", etc.

Also I wonder why he is not concentrating to compose music beyond films? Fund problem? or he need somebody or something to invoke?. Mr. Raaja we need pure musical albums like HTNI, NBW, etc, if you will do we behind you

After two days of listening,

I am not able to pick the best from Ilamai kanavugal, Kannanukku and Unakkulle !! All the three are awesome

The "na na na.." humming in Ilamai is amazing ! :2thumbsup:


The regrets in the album is "Dhanam dhanam.." for its childish lyrics and IR rendering "Koothu onnu" ( indha stage-la avar idhai avoid panniyirukkalaam )

[quote="zz"]

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Patrons of great music from IR have no-where to go but to accept what ever IR dishes out these days as music. They also have a block in their mind set that there is no music beyond IR. Problem for HC fans for IR is that they do not know to enjoy the diverse style of TFM and hence have to swallow music like UO and numerous other film music that IR has been giving for last many years. I do not have problem with their swallowing, but after you swallow if you claim that those hard rocks are the best one available to man kind to cherish, I cannot bear that.

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:roll: well thinking about what you've said, it still reads as if this were your problem, not the problem of HC fans - if you have some equally good food to cherish (than the stale UO rock that HCs cherish) well dare to place it before them - share - convince - prove it - dont just lament that 'I cannot bear that' ! Instead, you have a healthy choice of showing HC IR fans that something better exisits. Well then, eagerly looking forward to you talking about your non-IR music explorations which were better than stale UO rock food that we have been eating of late :lol:

Three excellent tracks. A treat to IR fans.

http://visionofvinith.blogspot.com/2...ic-review.html

After reading the positive posts and inspite of giving it a very careful multiple hearings I couldnt find anything nice about this album.I really cannot understand whats all the fuss about a very average album by IR. Forget comparisons with his eighties albums, I will any day appreciate if IR comes up with something like Madhu. But I find this(dhanam) album totally mediocre.

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Originally Posted by kj

After reading the positive posts and inspite of giving it a very careful multiple hearings I couldnt find anything nice about this album.I really cannot understand whats all the fuss about a very average album by IR. Forget comparisons with his eighties albums, I will any day appreciate if IR comes up with something like Madhu. But I find this(dhanam) album totally mediocre.

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Karthik's song is very good. Classical "Kannanukku" and painful "Kattilukku" are the best tracks IMO.

Rest aren't that good. :(

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/ut/s/tamil/20