Music review - Solo

A music album with 21 songs! That’s what filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar offers in Dulquer Salmaan-starrer anthology, Solo, and probably it would be one of those never-before and never-again experiences for music buffs. The songs in the album contribute to creating the right ambience for each of its four stories and some of the songs will definitely enjoy popularity for long. The album has songs categorised for each of the avatars of the protagonist — The World of Siva, Rudra, Trilok and Shekhar. Despite the large number of composers involved in their making, the songs stand out with quality music.

The World of Siva
The World of Siva has four songs, two of which are different versions of the song Aal Aayal Thara Venam, by band Masala Coffee. In the first, the sweet singing style of Sooraj Santhosh is well complemented by co-singer Varun Sunil, who gives a folkish touch to it. The instrumentation is a nice balance of the traditional and the modern. The Thanthaane portion effortlessly gives it a sing-along feel.

The second mix, Walk and Kill is a comparatively slower version with some great guitar riffs in between. There is not much of a difference in the vocal treatment, but the claps that punctuate the song, which is the predominant BGM, makes it lively and zestful.

The highlight track of The World of Siva is Aigiri Nandini, sung by Govind Menon and Meera. A new age take of the age-old bhajan, the song has all it takes to draw the modern crowd to a traditional number. The paced up portions in the second half of the song is packed with a rock kind of energy, with powerful vocals and dramatic orchestration.

The original composition of Ragini Bhagawat, Shiv Taandav, is the last track of this category. Sung by Saylee Talwarlkar, it’s a chant-like Hindi song. It creates a chilling effect in the beginning, and slowly gathers speed. It’s one of those songs that can be enjoyed both as a chant and a head-banger.

The World of Rudra
The World of Rudra, just as the World of Siva, has some traditional-yet-new age type tracks, and its highlight is the first track Roshomon, composed by Prashant Pillai. The song has lyrics by Harinarayanan and is sung by Ashwin Gopakumar, Arun Kamath, Niraj Suresh, Sachin Raj, Rakesh Kishore and Alfred Eby Issac. None of the voices stand out but the track is a breath of fresh air in every way possible.

The second song Sajan More Ghar Aaye, sung by Jhanvi Shrimankar has some traditional lyrics and music by the band Filter Coffee. Peppered with some zealous konnakkol by Swarupa Anantha, the song is both soothing and peppy at the same time. Techno sounds dominate this composition. The track appears again in the World of Trilok.

Sita Kalyanam is the final song of World of Rudra and it is composed and arranged by Sooraj S Kurup. This much-loved wedding song has a nice blend of western and eastern music. Renuka Arun and Sooraj S Kurup are the voices behind this track. It flows perfectly from the part Raadha Ragasiya which makes it infectious and arresting.

The World of Shekhar
The most energetic and youthful track of the entire album belongs to the World of Shekhar, through the song that’s named Singa Kutty – Bring on the chaos. Its lyrics and vocals are by Ankur Enkor Johar, Raghav Jock and Chinna Ponnu, and music by Sez on the beat. The change of rhythms midway is what makes it one delicious helluva track, and it makes you wonder how the next transition will be.

Abhinav Bansal composes the next track, Kandu Nee Enne, which is written by Dhanya Suresh. Vijay Yesudas is behind the microphone for this song, which is a regular, easy flowing love track with nothing exceptional about it.

One of the most famous songs of band Agam, Paathirapoo Venam, makes an appearance as Oru Vanchi Paattu in this album. The die-hard fans of this song are less likely to be charmed by the ‘filmy’ version of the song, as it isn’t as zestful as the original. Sung by Harish Sivaramakrishnan, it has lyrics by Manu Manjith.

Shashaa Tirupati sings the next song Thaalolam, again written by Manu Manjith. The song, in raag Aarabhi, is quite similar to the previous vanchi paattu, but has its own personality, regardless. It has what it takes to draw you back to it, multiple times, through a wonderfully crafted lullaby – boat music mix.

The World of Trilok
Trilok’s first song is Separation, a track sans words. Ashita Ajit’s rendition is well supported by Govind on the violin and Rajesh Cherthala on the flute, and the song represents beautifully the warmth and forlornness of a woman madly in love.

Up next is Shiva Omkara, borrowed from Ragini Bhagawat’s original composition and adapted well to set the mood to the dark world of Trilok. The brute force of the chant and the controlled rendition is enough to set this track ablaze.

Sidharth Basrur sings Karaiyaadhe, composed by Gaurav Godkhindi and its English version A New Day. A soulful, rousing single, it’s minimalistic and mellow. At the same time, it’s catchy and fun enough to make you listen till the end.

The Cyclist Theme, a word-less, free-spirited track by Gaurav Godkhini, rounds off the album with some high-spirited, dramatic notes.