Muthumani Maalai - Indigenous folk with a twist

This song can be characterized as an indigenous composition uplifted by western classical elements but not one iota does it lose out on it's nativity. I have always been a big admirer of Raaja's folk based numbers. This is one genre that he has particularly redefined and literally made it his own by giving it a colour like no other. It sounds aghast intertwining touches of classicality to rustic earthy sounds but the output generated is simply a class apart.

This is another Sindhu Bhairavi laced number of the Maestro. The beauty of this stunner is the treatment of the swaras and the beautiful manner in which the alternate swaras of Rishabam and Madhyamam are brought upon to the mix.

The flow of the song is really adorable and gives such a feel good breezy effect when rendering it a listen. SPB and P Susheela elevate it a much further notch through their soul stirring singing. This is from the 1992 Pongal release Chinna Gounder which ran to housefull shows back in the day.

I loved playing this tune as its strewn with jewels aplenty and the bejeweled manner in which it's crafted. It may be a Naatu Pura Paattu by nativity but the song perse is all class personified having such a lustrous texture interlaced to it along with the subtle gamakas embedded that makes it an evergreen verdant green composition.

Scorcher of a Sindhu Bhairavi - Oru Naalum

When one digs at Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's oeuvre, it won't be a surprise to find that majority of his compositions would largely be set to tune in the ragam Sindhu Bhairavi. Even otherwise, that trademark resemblance (சாயல்) would be very evident. Probably it's a no brainer that this Ragam should definitely be one of his top most favourites. Incidentally he also composed for a movie titled by the same raga name of 'Sindhu Bhairavi' in the year 1985 which to date is considered one of the finest classical based soundtracks ever in the annals of Tamil Cinema.

A standout feature of this Raga is that it is very flexible and tends to take in a lot of twists & turns. The curves and jumps across notes adds a sublime touch to it. Of course it's also based on the ability of the composer since if not used properly it can end up distorting the composition to a major degree and can stain the raga. Maestro however is a master craftsman and plays with it splendidly thus also ensuring to not dilute the austerity. It is also a raga which tends to touch upon almost all the 12 notes of a scale including the 2 Ri's Ga's Ma's Da's Ni's along with the foundation notes Sa and Pa.

One of my favourite Sindhu Bhairavi compositions of Maestro happens to be the 1993 release 'Ejaman' that had the song Oru Naalum sung resplendently by the evergreen pair of SP Balasubramaniam and S Janaki. It's an absolute pearler of a Sindhu Bhairavi where the notes traverse across octaves and the phrases intertwined unmistakably give the essence of this wonderful raga. The riffs & runs authorify and stamp this Raga in all it's embellishment. A small stab at playing portions of this scorcher of a Sindhu Bhairavi.

Poove Sempoove - Mellifluous Waltz

I wonder what incentive Raaja had to come up with a song as mesmerising as Poove Sempoove for the movie Solla Thudikuthu Manasu. The apt adjective to describe this number would be 'Mellifluous' as it's incredibly sweet possessing a flowery smooth flow and full of soul. It's so pleasing for the aural senses and simply creams you over.

What I especially adore about this wonder is the Waltz beat which keeps going 12 12 12 perfectly synchronising a 3/4 time signature played on melodic minor scale in Gowri Manohari ragam. There are so many triumphant transitions that simply shake you over and it might be quite a mystery to know they all appear as part of the same song though when individually heard may connote something totally different.

For the love of the Waltz beat in this vintage composition, just tried something slightly off beat by playing it like in a guitar mode by strumming along as the melody keeps mellowing. I just hope it drifted along fairly well and was not way off the mark.