NGK Songs - Music Review: Works as a standalone album but underwhelming for the combo

Suhansid Srikanth

I would be lying if I am not expecting for anything but a bang-on astounding album from Selvaraghavan and Yuvan. They are a combo that came up with stunning packages like Thulluvadho Ilamai and Kaadhal Konden. They are the ones who unleashed a masterpiece album like 7G Rainbow colony for a love story with newcomers! Pudhupettai is a game-changing soundtrack for a political thriller genre! Amazing choice of singers.. phenomenal lyrics by late Na.Muthukumar.. exquisite variety of songs.. consistently daring, innovative and experimentative is what you remind of their works! And, after bit of a gap.. here comes the audio of NGK.. from the beloved combo!

Thandalkaaran .. that came out as single is a foot tapping number sung by K.G.Ranjith. It takes a dig at current politics and what's happening out there. The hook music that comes throughout is catchy. Kabilan's lyrics are provoking with a line like 'Ooru Cheri onnaa illaiye namma naattil! Kaadhal senjavana vetturaan nadu roattil!'. The song stands contemporarily relevant as well as more of a character track to the film!

Thimiranumda.. is an adrenalin rushing track written by Vignesh Shivn. 'Sirikkura mugathula keerala pottaa.. adikkura saththame adikkadi kettaa.. thimaranumdaa!'.. 'Veedhi vellathula midhakkura bodhu.. maadi veettil irundhu paaththaa paththaadhu.. Angerndhu naama kaththunaa kekkaadhu.. Iranganumdaa!'.. The lyrics almost like a written dialogbaazi! The interludes and the bit towards the closure of the song glitters with shades of vintage Yuvan. There is one powerful lyric though indicating probably the motive of the film.. 'Edhukku porandhomnu oru naalu unakku puriyum Nanbaa.. Adhukku apram ellaame therikkum paaru Nanbaa!'

Anbe.. written by UmaDevi is a love duet about a girl looking upto this man! The number sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Sid Sriram takes you to the mid 2000s where you get such slow paced melodies without beats or the rhythm popping out. Lyrics like 'Thanimaiyil thunai varum yosanai.. Ninaivinil manakkudhun vaasanai..' are everything you have heard of in songs like this all these years. Yet a lyric like 'Namm uravae.. oru anuvin pirivil anbil aagudhe' comes across as a little gem!

Pothachaalum.. ✔ is what you can listen with your eyes closed and bet that it is from a Selvaraghavan - Yuvan combo! The powerful rhythm and the beats are stunningly dramatic. Selvaraghavan pens the song.. and a line like 'Tholodu thol saerkka varuvenda! Thamizhan nee sirikka uyira tharuvenda!' made me think of Kalaignar's iconic saying about how he would serve Tamizhargal as a catamaran! Sivam's vocal is tetra fire!

Bottomline: Though with respect to the combo's yesteryear terrific track records, NGK is easily the weakest album.. the songs do stand intriguing, powerful at places and quite something!

Rating : 3/5