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I’ve never been in such a desperate need for adjectives. Himesh Reshammiyya’s latest is so atrociously and consistently bad that I don’t want to waste perfectly valid alternate words that mean monotonous, predictable or even childish….should be useful for Himesh’s next! Except Rukhsat and Issi ummeed pe, thanks largely to Shaan’s vocals, the rest is one amateurish heap that just drones on and on. The heard-before feel is now replaced by sheer annoyance. And to top it all, this soundtrack actually has 9 songs with 5 numb remixes thrown in for additional anguish! Sorry Coke, but now, Thanda Matlab Reshammiyya!

Keywords: Upen Patel, Celina Jaitley, Bobby Deol

Are you ready is reasonably catchy - both versions. With a pace reminiscent of Malaysian Tamil pop, Gala gala has Poorani doing a Anuradha Sriram, à la Gemini. Agosh’s Gopal Rao resurfaces along with Suchitra in the buoyant Mutham that has Srinivas’ trademark vocal harmonies. Ni sa has traces of the Bru advert, but is a breezy fusion with excellent singing by Hariharan and Srinivas in the two versions. Un kannale fills the melody gap but the orchestration in this and in the interestingly-tuned Adha thottu seems a bit jaded. Srinivas’ music is adequately decent, but doesn’t actually stand out.

Keywords: Singer Srinivas, Shreenivas, Agosh, Gopal Rao

The free flowing Naana resonates eerily with imaginative orchestration even as it ultimately lapses into a predictable rhythm pattern. Aandipatti’s initial fervor is unfortunately not carried throughout the song but Ingivalai is consistently melodic with excellent vocals and canorous interludes. The composer pulls off his vocals again in style, for Indiya idhu, which mixes mod patriotic lyrics in a stirring musical package. Yaar thandha blends remorse soulfully while the Theme is a tad bland compared to Joshua’s fantastic themes in Kaadhal or even Uyir. Three very listenable tracks from the composer, from whom we continue to expect a bit more!

Keywords: Vikranth, Joshua Sridhar, Sadhana Sargam, Saindavi, Sunitha Sarathy

This could have been Beverly Hills 90210, but for Tamil lyrics. Even that sounds like Inglipees in this soundtrack that clearly has an overdose of Yuvan’s fetish for R&B/ hip-hop. Un paarvai & the two versions of Yaaro thankfully brings the Yuvan we have come to love, while Jalsa passes muster as the modern-day version of a gaana. The rabble-rousing Saroja represents the film’s title better than others. Yuvan’s and Anoushka’s singing in Ennanamo & Natpukkulae respectively, is coarse with nauseating pronunciation. If that’s intended as a fad, sorry - bad idea. Passable soundtrack that’s a lot out of Chennai.

Keywords: Yuvan Shankar Raja, Prem G, SPB Charan

Ek pal is a zingy track in true style Pritam style, but that na-na hook has a strong heard-before feel. Rajesh Roshan’s Jab chaye gets a groovy reworking while Labh Jajua’s Rabba khair rocks with punchy rhythms. Usha Uthup’s calypso track Wicket bacha is predictable, but makes up by enthusiastically rooting for India. Kahan kho gaya is very Vishal-Shekhar’ish, with Soham pitching in impressive vocals. The mellow and rock-loaded versions of I am coming home again are both neat, thanks to thoughtful lyrics by Vishal Dadlani. Pritam just seems to be going from strength to strength. One thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack!

Keywords: Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal, Danny Denzongpa, Kunal Kapoor, Rimi Sen

Director Ezhil takes the crux of Peter Segal’s 50 First Dates (2004), irons out the implausibility (everyday vs three years!) and dishes out an entertaining masala. Ravi and Bhavana are totally believable, while Yuvan’s tunes pitch in well too, though the background music hams. The only grouse is that Ezhil sticks to a conventional hero-worshipping template that seems to be the bane of recent Tamil movies. Its almost as if 50 first dates starts where Deepavali ends - for all the romanticism that we saw in the Adam Sandler – Drew Barrymore version, Ravi’s task begins just as the film ends!

Keywords: Deeppavali, Jayam Ravi, Bhavana, Vijay Kumar, Yuvan Shankar Raja

There’s still hope! Close on the heels of Ram Gopal Varma getting on our collective nerves by giving us a so-called soundtrack for Nishabd, with 2 original tracks and a plethora of terribly annoying older tracks from a host of movies, here’s a genuine soundtrack! The main theme, love theme and the Gayatri Mantra theme are fantastic orchestral pieces while Janu na impresses more for Swanand’s words. The pièce de résistance is of course Hamsika Iyer’s Chanda re! Simply delectable! Vidhu shows us that even with limited songs, you can have an absorbing soundtrack, without dipping into mish-mash mediocrity from older films.

Keywords: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani

Despite those juvenile lyrics, there’s something strangely catchy about Dingi dingi that you start humming it, right after it ends! Ilayaraja A R Rahman, is a gimmick lyrics-wise, but falls flat since the tune is pedestrian. The traditional Kaakkai siraginiley & Aanandham are treated with adequate respect, while Konji konji and Naandhaana’s simple, hummable tunes get a huge boost from Vinaya & Sadhana Sargam’s vocals. Thanneer pookale sounds like an interesting mix of Rahman and Bharadwaj’s styles…makes for a pretty good listen! Vijay Antony surprises with above-average tunes in this unheard film, the way he did in By2, last year!

Keywords: Vijay Antony, Sadhana Sargam, Naresh Iyer, Ninaithaley, Ninaithale

Its the same story with Amar Mohile, who composes the only annoying, fresh track (confusing huh? Its fresh as in ‘an original track’ and its annoying!) Take lite, which, even otherwise I’m going to take very litely. Vishal’s Rozana, on the other hand, is as solid as we heard it in the barrage of promos on the telly for quite some time now. Bachchan’s baritone has been utilized in a very appropriate, pondering track with great lyrics (by Munna Dhiman) and has an instantly likeable, sing-along feel. The less said about the so-called bonus tracks, the better. Some bonus, this!

Keywords: Amitabh Bachchan, Jiah Khan, Ram Gopal Varma

Mayanginen’s 2007 version, Pratidinam, Kajuraho kanavilor redux Kuyilalo and that impeccable Hamsanandhi (raagam) in Mallelo (smacks of Raathiriyil Poothirukkum) are what a jaded Raja fan longs for. Ninnu vethiki and Rela rela have everything one expects from Raja - vintage interludes and the bridges before the interlude begins! Sonu Nigam’s husky intones light up Raa gumma raa, who’s pallavi and anupallavi/ interludes and the twists going further are truly innovative! Any other composer would have incurred the collective wrath of many fans, but when Ilayaraja chooses to re-raga some of his tunes, we lap it up! Rightly and deservedly so!

Keywords: Aryan Rajesh, Hamsa Nandini, Ilayaraja, Vamsi