24, the album music-directed by AR Rahman, is perhaps one of the most awaited in recent times. The single 'Kaalam Na Preyasi' sets the tone for something more to come.
Benny Dayal, Sid Sriram, Sanah Moidutty, Jonita Gandhi, Haricharan, Nithya Menen, Srinivasa Krishnan, Hriday Gattani, Sathya Prakash, Nivas, Deepak are the singers. All songs have been written by Chandrabose except My Twin Brother, which has no lyrics.
Kaalam Na Preyasi
Artist: Benny Dayal
Lyricist: Chandrabose
For a film whose subject is related to time, perhaps a race against time, or even something beyond that, this song is apt for a pre-audio release. Chandrabose's lyrics capture the essence of the protagonist's mission. He sings his time has arrived. The profound lines hint at the larger-than-life, all-powerful role of the protagonist for whom time as his lover is out to do his bidding. The lyrics suggest that the death-defying hero is esoteric. Turning Einstein's theory upside down, he is the quintessential 'shakti sakudu' out to wield the 'shanti kadgam'.
Prema Parichayame
Artists: Hriday Gattani, Chinmayi
Lyricist: Chandrabose
Chandrabose's lyrics bring out the pious emotions of the love birds. For all the poetic language, the melody endears the song instantly. The softcore divinising of love is juxtaposed with an instrumentation that draws its inspiration from a mix of influences like Carnatic and Western. The peaks and lows bring out the mood effectively. If Hriday Gattani's formidable vocals come in more than one shade, Chinmayi's mellifluous voice induces a sense of deja vu.
Manasuke
Artists: Sid Sriram, Sanah Moidutty, Jonita Gandhi
Lyricist: Chandrabose
Chandrabose's lyrics capture the idiosyncratic mood of the love birds. Sentences like 'vayasuke vishamuve..', 'nee valle gandaragolam..', 'gadi lo tirige gaganam nuvve..', 'pranam pose manmadha banam nuvve..' bring out the crazy imagination of the lover boy and the lover girl. Sid Sriram's vocals remind one of a song from Shankar's I. Sanah Moidutty and Jonita Gandhi's vocals are eminently apt for this song. The choice of the singers is striking because while the male voice is deliberately offbeat, the female voice is mainstream. Rahman prefers to keep the song 'hatke' so as to capture the 'gandaragolam'.
Daivam Rasina Kavitha
Artists: Haricharan, Jonita Gandhi
Lyricist: Chandrabose
This is a quintessential AR Rahman melody. Right from the tuning to the rendition and the lyrics, the song is appealing from word go. Chandrabose's lyical profundity is on display once again. 'Prema varsham laksha swarale..' are the song's soul as much as the musician's prominently melodic touch. Jonita Gandhi sets the poetic tone, only to be complemented by Haricharan.
Laalijo
Artist: Nithya Menen
Lyricist: Chandrabose
Nithya Menen turns singer with this melody. Chandrabose's simple yet evocative lyrics mirror the emotions of a mother toward her just-born child in plain but touching language. Rahman's music is imbued in mellifluousness. What can't definitely be said about this melody is that it's not up to Rahman's spectacular standards.
My Twin Brother
Artists: Srinivasa Krishnan, Hriday Gattani
Lyricist: Not Applicable
The last three and half minutes of the album is a theme song, sending out vibes of spooky darkness. There are no lyrics but for repetition of the words 'Ayushman bhava' all throughout. The reverberating beats might appeal only on the big screen. One actually feels it could have been from an RGV film. Only that it's not consistent in its genre: it could be a Sarkar or an horror genre.
Verdict: AR Rahman impresses with his instrumentation. Kalam Na Preyasi and Daivam Rasina Kavitha stand out, while Manasuke passes muster.
Rating: 3.25/5