“I” (2014) Music Review

- Akilan Nagarajan, Reviewpuram

1.Merasalayitten (Listen here)

Singers: Anirudh, Neeti Mohan |  Lyrics: Kabilan

The lyrics are pumping enough, and so is the tune. But the song may end up sounding cheesy. This song has been designed and arranged to be an instantly catchy song. Thus the album starts off with a song with doctored voice of Anirudh a bit sounding like STR in Thaman's composition.

2.Ennodu Nee Irundhal (Listen here)

Singers: Sid Sriram, SunithaSarathy | Lyrics : Kabilan

A beautiful rendition which presents the feel of a quest for love. The song is likely to feature in the emotional peaks of the film. That zenith has definitely been achieved with this number, which finally sets the album on track. This is a totally uplifting and inspiring track on unflinching love, which leaves you in a trance...

3.Ladio (Listen here)

Singer: Nikita Gandhi |  Lyrics: Madhan Karky

An instantly likeable club numberwith international appeal, which gets to a new high with its fusion of techno and dubstep. ARR’s versatility is on display with beats and tune that will set dance floors on fire. Madhan Karky has used not-so-common Tamil equivalents of common words we use everyday to describe the leading lady.

4.Pookkale Sattru Oyivedungal (Listen here)

Singers: Haricharan, Shreya Ghoshal | Lyrics: Madhankarky

This skilfully rendered duet takes a lot of time to take off, and hits a sublime patch in the middle with the lyrics presenting a brilliant wordplay with the subject “I”. The song is a sure winner and expected to stay on top of the chart.

5.Aila Aila (Listen here)

Singers: Aditya Rao, Natalie Di Luccio | Lyrics: Madhankarky

Initially, the song looks like it has been placed on one single loop, and the vocals and background will be revolving around the same. But it is the deviation from that initial splurge in tune that takes the song off track. A very inconsistent number, where again, you got to skim through a lot to reach the best parts. Every line in this song has two meanings. One is what you hear and the other is what you’ll see.

6.Ennodu Nee Irundhal (Reprise) (Listen here)

Singers: Chinmayi, Sid Sriram | Lyrics: Kabilan

A special track indeed for it not only reprises the lyrics and tune of the previous rendition, but also complements the former by reaching the same level of expression. Chinmayi has a field day, and will be getting more takers for her versatility.

7.Mersalayitten (Remix) (Listen here)

Singers: Anirudh, Neeti Mohan | Lyrics: Kabilan

A faster and heavier version of the original. This is more of a “v2” of the song rather than a proper “re-mix”. The arrangement is the same, it is just the pace that has been tweaked. A change in voice was expected, as Anirudh doesn’t really make a difference here. Rahman’s own crystalline voice would have done wonders to this number. Ends the album on a hastened note.

Summary

On the whole, the songs of “I” are nowhere near Shankar and Rahman’s previous combos. This album happens to be the weakest among their outings. To be clear, the songs aren’t “bad” in any way, but just that they will leave you disappointed if you had high expectations. We’ll have to wait for Shankar's grandeur, PC Sreeram's visuals to weave the magic...

Rating: 6.5/10