Jalam

Mollywood: M Padmakumar���s Jalam is already the talk of the town, with two of its songs being shortlisted for nomination for the Oscars, in the category for Best Original Song. A short, sweet yet melancholy album composed by Ouseppachan with lyrics by Dr Madhu Vasudevan, the songs are rooted in tradition, strong in spirit with lyrical strength and melody, and stand out amid the plethora of tracks hitting the market with its overall brilliance.The intro notes of the first song Koodu Vaykkan sung by Shaktisree Gopalan begins on the lines of a western blues track. However, it impressively diverts to a connectable, melancholy Malayalam song. The tune and the lyrics complement each other quite well, though the poignant composition comes across as slightly theatrical in the age of fast-paced tracks with trivial lyrics. The album follows the same mood in its next track Pakal Paathi, sung by Binny Krishnakumar. Put together in the rarely used Raghu Priya raag, it���s interspersed with bountiful minute classical sangathis to express fear, angst and other delicate, pensive emotions. The wistful feel continues to the next song too ��� Bhoomiyil, again sung by Shaktisree Gopalan. The unfair benchmark of mass popularity can work against the album, but nevertheless, the songs deserve attention for their mere quality.