Saaral - Audio Music Review - By Vivek

Saaral – Drizzle

This is a new album recently hit the music market. The composer of this album is Gopakumar & Sanjeev Phillip Thomas. This team has teamed up with Benny Dayal, the latest music sensation.Whatever song he has sung as on date is superhit. Watch out their website for more information

www.saaral.in

This album has 7 numbers

paavaiyae nee –unnikrishnan 

yaethaetho – sanjeev phillip Thomas and gopakumar 

vizhiyoram – benny dayal 

ennil endrum – benny dayal 

azhagaal kollai – benny dayal 

oru party – sanjeev phillip Thomas 

parvai aazhkadalil – sanjeev phillip Thomas

paavaiyae nee –unnikrishnan - Lyrix: Gopakumar & Jayavarthan

unni melodiously at his best.

yaethaetho – sanjeev phillip Thomas and gopakumar - Lyrix: Gopakumar

this is tuned well targeting the youth. Good beats. All the interludes has interesting sounds. Well sung by gopakumar & sanjeev phillip Thomas. 

vizhiyoram – benny dayal - Lyrix: Gopakumar

this song is the best from this album. The starting tune is superb. Beautifully sung by benny dayal. I should say this is the pick of the album. After listening to this song, I keep humming this song every now and then. Good one gopakumar. This song will keep rocking in coming days. I was really surprised to know that this favourite song of mine is written by Gopakumar. Well done Gopakumar. All the words used in this song are expressive and catchy. I especially liked these lines, Sila naeram, sila nimidam, silai aagiraen!

ennil endrum – benny dayal - Lyrix: Gopakumar

this song has good beats. Sung well by benny dayal.

azhagaal kollai – benny dayal - Lyrix: Priyan

this slow song has another melodious feel. In between portions has good beats.

oru party – sanjeev phillip Thomas - Lyrix: Iqbal

paarvai aazhkadalil – sanjeev phillip Thomas - Lyrix: Priyan

these two are passable numbers. Nothing much to write about.

Overall a good album.

This being the first album of Gopakumar, I should say a Good one to begin with. Vizhiyoram by Benny Dayal is by far the best one ! I would rate 3 out of 5 for this album.

PUNCHLINE: Saaral – Siru Thooral

Saaral Rocks - By Aswin Kini

In one of my previous posts, I had written about a Tamil Music Album that was to launched by my friend Gopakumar. Well! I had recommended the album in my blog solely trusting Gopa’s love for music and his habit of humming lovely songs. I trusted that such a person would only compose good songs! On September 29th, 2008, the date of the launch of the album, I had purchased a Saaral CD directly at the launch venue, Allianse Francaise at Nungambakkam. The CD costed 99 bucks and was affordable. I had bought the CD solely for remembrance and of course out of curiosity. I also had the future celebrity Gopu sign on the CD that I bought :). With the satisfaction of having attended the launching ceremony and also having bought a CD, I left the place.

When I was returning home after attending the launch, I was a bit apprehensive on how the songs would be. So ,once I reached home, I promptly placed the CD in my DVD player and started listening to the songs. The first song, Paavaye, sung by the reputed and ever-reliable Unnikrishnan, was melodious and worth listening. At that moment, I though “Okay, the first song is good, let me hear the other ones too”. When the second song, Ethedo sung by Sanjeev Philip (Lyrics were composed by Gopakumar, who had also sung the third stanza in the song), started playing, I was happy to hear a peppy cum melodious number. 

By the time, I started heard the fourth, fifth, and sixth songs all sung by Benny Dayal, I was tremendously satisfied and very happy for having bought the CD. Then came the sixth and penultimate song, Oru Party, sung by Sanjeev Philip. 
Boy! I was a bundle of joy on hearing that song. Once I completed hearing the entire set of songs, I kept on playing the songs all over again. Without my knowledge, I had truly become a fan of Saaral. To sum up the album, it has 4 melodious numbers, and 3 peppy songs. Some of the songs are a mix of melody and fast beats (Pardon me I don’t know music jargons, I can only say whether a song is good or bad).

Well Friends, I would strongly recommend this CD, Saaral, available at all Music World and Landmark outlets. It costs 99 Indian rupees. Of course, busy people can order a copy, from Sare Gama, to be delivered directly to their homes, by visiting their website. Trust me! The CD is worth every rupee of the 99 bucks. 

Well, you may ask me, “Why should I buy a music CD paying 99 bucks when I can buy two pirated DVDs of new films”. My answer is, “Simple! It’s your choice; I am recommending the CD, because it has 6 very good songs worth listening to. Trust me! the CD is truly worth it".

So, if you are a music lover and want to listen to some good music, please do visit any Landmark or Music World outlet in Chennai and buy a Saaral CD. For more details, visit www.saaral.in

Disclaimer:: I have no commercial interests with this album. I am recommending this album solely for the fact that the songs are good and worth listening.

Musical dreams - By Preethi Iyer

Ok... so I finally did it !!!! I finally 'bought' music :) Now, before you start asking questions as to what am I talking about, and what is this buying music thing, I guess I should let you in on some background. Now, from as long as I can remember, I have always been surrounded by music. I think I should rightfully thank my mother for this, for introducing me to this exquisite world while I was still snug and safe inside her. She has often told me how my Dad got a brand new SANYO 'tape-recorder' (imported from Dubai) a few weeks after I came into existence (still safe and snug). And as it always happens with a new thing, they were so excited that they got a bunch of tapes recorded (you know... all the favorite songs) and they would play it over and over again. With my dad off at work, my mom would usually finish her daily chores, send my sis to school, and then sit (with me) in the balcony and listen to the melodies from the tape-recorder. I guess she was just as proud of the fact that her husband got it (for her :)) as she was of the fact that she was relaxing with heaven in her ears, and me dancing around inside her belly :)

So, fast forward to 2 yrs, with me sitting on my swing and belting out 'Pillayaar, Pillayaar, Perumai Vazhyunda Pillayaar' (a song on Lord Ganesha) to the T, with the tape-recorder assisting me with the instrumentals. My mom always says that I was a prodigy (donno why she uses past-tense, I still like to think of myself as that sometimes :) ), and a musical genius (I love my mom :) ). So, to cut a long story short, I have always been into music, and like I was saying earlier, I have always felt at home when I am either listening to or singing something... anything! (FYI... I am also a very good singer... without ever having been to a music class. You should see my certificates, awards and medals :-) )

And somehow, I donno if I should categorize it as fortunate or unfortunate, but I have never purchased a music cassette or CD, till a few weeks back. Sounds weird, right? I mean, I would think it weird if someone was as fanatical of music as I was (and still am!) and never actually went to the store and got themselves the newest album or soundtrack. Honestly, I have never done that. Infact, during my school and college days, I would sit in front of the TV and record songs :) Yes, the tape-recorder served us faithfully for many a year. (I think it is still lying around somewhere in the attic back home.) I had a pretty good collection of my fav songs that I recorded from MTv and other 'cool' channels during that time :)

Also, I had people gift/give me cassettes and later on CDs. I was quite happy with whatever I had. Now, I have more to my collection ... thanks to the download era. So relatively speaking, I never actually chose to get a certain kind of music home just because I liked it and wanted to listen to it as much as possible. I listened to anything and everything and found my favorites among them. But recently, I was fortunate enough to come across some music that I had to have :) And I realized that I didn't want to wait for it to be up on the net, or 'borrow' from someone. I wanted to own it, in the same manner that I 'owned' all the music that I recorded in the tapes during my teenage years. So, I went ahead, took a bold step and got myself a copy of some real nice music I have heard in a long time. I got myself 'Saaral' :)

Saaral (www.saaral.in), which translated from Tamil, means Drizzle, is one heck of an effort that comprises the geniuses of Gopakumar, Sanjeev Phillip Thomas, and Benny Dayal. I am not much of a fan of Tamil music, but surprisingly I have been discovering some good songs and tunes. And, as I listen to one of my favorite songs in this album (Parvai Aazhkadalil), I am glad that this is the first music I 'brought home'. Soulful lyrics, amazing composition and strong vocals has made Saaral occupy a rightful place in that heart of mine. It also merits another extra teeny-tiny place, for the fact that Gops (Gopakumar) is a dear friend. But even otherwise, I think I would have loved Saaral for what it actually is - a sincere and honest effort that has invaded my musical space and is here to stay.

Saaral has 7 amazing tracks. Now, I am not an expert or anything (even though as per my mom, I was/am a prodigy), but I do know good music from bad (bad is probably a very nice word to use for some of the tunes being churned out these days :) ) and also maybe just how good a piece of music really is or could have been. So, below is my listing from the music of Saaral, music that I have immensely enjoyed over the past weeks.

1. Pavaye Nee - This is such an amazing song! Amorous lyrics... wonderful flute and tabla combination. And, to have Unnikrishnan sing it, is just heavenly! His voice and style is infectiously unique. I am so glad Gops got him to sing this beautiful piece. One of my absolute favorites.

2. Ethetho - Now this is what I call funky!! When I first listened to this song... it took a while for it to sink in. But then, I was hooked :) Catchy and melodious at the same time, techno, yet with a good vocal base, it sure grows on you. And, to hear Gops sing... not bad at all !! ;)

3. Vizhiyoram - Another lovely song. Beautiful lyrics! Has a wonderful earthy feel to it. Benny has done complete justice to this song :)

4. Ennil Endrum - Again, a funky number, I love the instrumental in the beginning of the track. I donno why.. but this track kinda makes me wish I was at a beach party :-D

5. Azhagal Kollai - Absolutely love the music in the beginning! Very well composed and executed. Benny's voice works its own magic.

6. Oru Party - Quite a different piece from the rest of the tracks. The thing that struck me in this track is Sanjeev's voice modulation. It's as if he has tuned his voice to match the music rather than the other way around. Not on my top list of favs, but a good song nonetheless.

7. Parvai Aazhkadalil - Unabashedly, this is my FAV song in the entire album. I kind of thought that I would be loyal to Pavaye Nee, but this kinda swept me off when I wasn't even looking :) Amazing lyrics (I can proudly say that I understand almost 85% of the lyrics... which is not bad at all :) ) and beautiful composition. It kinda has this new age charm to it without going overboard. From start to finish... I have only one word for this song ... Beautiful!

Now, if you are wondering why I have gone to such lengths (pun intended!) for after all, a music album... well, cause its not just a music album, it is Gops's music album (check the website to know about its genesis). A dream that he has nurtured and has seen fulfilled with his music breaking the inner world and daring to make a mark in the outer. We are all achievers, of course, in our own merits, but it does take courage to do something worthwhile, to make something intangible, to fulfil something more precious than life... to dream, and to practically watch it come true. Saaral is a piece of music ... a dreamy piece of music, for all those who want to make it out there... being someone.. something.....

Honoured and humbled - By Anuradha

I sit down to write a post with a feeling that it's high time I posted something. However, I cannot focus on only one subject. Seems another assorted post is in the offing. Or, a confused one.

I have had a multitude of new experiences over the last two months. Now, one would argue that an experience is always new when it happens. However, when I say 'new', I mean 'fresh and unprecedented'. One of such experiences was an invite to the launch of a music album and the consequent feeling of being honoured and humbled. No, I was not involved in the music album in any way. I was invited to the launch by virtue of being an acquaintance of the person who was behind the launch of the album. Gopakumar, the man behind Saaral, a Tamil music album, was a colleague of mine at IBM. He moved to Chennai sometime ago. He made sure he updated me regularly on the album's workings. So, in September this year, when he informed that the album was due to be launched, my happiness knew no bounds. I had a tough time containing my excitement. When I reached Chennai on the D-day (September 29), I was humbled by the splurge of talent around. Being unfamiliar with the popular faces of the Tamil film and music industry, I kept bugging my new acquaintance (a lovely lady called Kumudham) for information on the people who arrived at the launch.

The famous faces and the launch had no trace of pomp or arrogance. The occasion had humility sprinkled with the right amount of pride. When the album's songs were being played, I could not resist tapping my feet or nodding my head to the tunes. I could not fathom a single word of the songs but they still seemed to make sense to me. And they say we are different. That moment, I felt I belonged to Chennai as much as I belonged to Bangalore or Kolkata or Dhanbad. If we were asked to remain in our states, how would we relish the friendships and tastes of the different lands of our country? OK, I am digressing. Will keep this for another post.

When Benny (Benny Dayal) sang a peppy song from the album on Sanjeev's (Sanjeev Philip Thomas) guitar tunes, people found it difficult to resist the temptation of hitting the floor.

I was humbled at the sight of the singers, Unnikrishnan, Karthik, and Naresh Iyer. And I felt proud at being introduced to Benny and Sanjeev who obliged me with their autographs on the album's cover. Gopakumar was of course the first one to autograph! I cannot quite imagine his feelings at being able to finally make one of his dreams come true. Oh yes, he is the main music composer of the album, lyricist for a few songs and singer for one.

After the event, I was a part of an informal dinner with Gopakumar's family and a few friends. This guy has always been someone for whom family comes first. Even with ambitions of movie making, a fulfilled dream of a good music album, a passion for photography and a secure job, he has his wife and daughter as the number one priority on his list. I wonder how he manages. But I guess, people like him are the ones who can. During dinner, I casually remarked, "How do you manage to make music, work on making movies, stick to the passion of photography apart from attending a 9-9 job? People do not even find time to watch movies!" With a smile, he said, "I watch movies too."

Sillunu Oru Saaral!! - By Sripriya

 Can I call this an accident? perhaps the quickest journey in my life and a swt/memorable one that’s going 2 stay as long as I would… It was a double bonanza for me – yup meeting Gops, alias Gopakumar, along with the one thing that has/is/will be a livewire for me MUSIC – hmm sit back and I think, think, think, thinking…. Can’t really figure out how and when, so aptly said it was an accidentJ One moment I was chatting with him and the next I get to know he is working to launch his own music album! 

Even before I heard this album I fell in love with it for its beautiful / soothing title “saaral” - it’s the effect of air joining hands with raindrops and together coming along to pat us! That’s saaral - just the name always brings a smile and pleasant feeling within me, as if am already standing out there in “mazhai saaral”! 

Before I could get over this sweet shocking surprise (not because I doubted his talent but because where did he get the time man! a million dollar question!) another one was awaiting – Gops invite to the launch of the album and top of all coincidences/ miracles, me being in Chennai during that time! Should say I was never-ever more excited in my life but the mere thought of being invited to a music launch was a dream come true for me!!! Taking a minute here, thanks Gops – alongside your dream launch my one tini-mini dream of attending a launch came true J and believe me I did experience some “saaral” that day standing outside the hall, that was nature’s way of welcoming this album – might be J 

About the event itself I could write but to retain focus… I was waiting for the minute to lay hands on the CD and when the moment did arrive I knew it was very aptly titled “saaral” – from that day till now these songs have been soothing me to sleep – wherever I am, songs go with me – what’s it in the album that’s grabbing my attention so much? The moment this question raises I have answer(s)… Lovely melodies with some evergreen music, most importantly very audible/understandable lyrics (simple yet beautiful), great choice of words, followed by rendering by the singers – no one killing Tamil!!! 

Album begins with none other than Unni’s rendering of “Pavaiye Nee”– do you need a better starter for your first album? I don’t even stand a chance to describe his voice or singing – no wonder Gops floats when remembering his experience of Unni singing for his music! That’s a dream come true on its own! But not to mention the lyrics and music would be an understatement – “nenjukul un parvaiyudan por nadathum porkalathil, oru pakkam neeyadi oru pakkam nanadi…” move on “sottum neer koondhal danai yeti nindru kai pidithen; netriyil pottu vaithu en netridanai adil pudaithen… poo votha idhazgalil vandaagi then edupen” – WOW!!! Let me add another WOW to the music here : it just flows…and u float with unni’s voice in the bkgrnd. 

It doesn’t end there go on to the next song of the album… simple masterpiece and my pick of the album: it’s a right mix of music and lyrics which can cater to all ages! Sung beautifully by Sanjeev and of course “man of the moment” Gops – rightly chosen song for your voice and dictum; ask for rhyming lyrics “…o paavaiye en paavaiye un paarvaiyin vizhiyoram imaiyagave inai sareve….” then comes “kannoram vandha kaadal mella nenjoram vizhundu; nenjoram vanda kaadal mella uyirodu kalandu…”; “podum un paarvai, podum mouna baashai; ore morai kooradi nenjil ulla aasaiyai; saaral pola vandu endhan vazhvil eeram theitu chendrai…” WOW WOW!! For sure your foot will sing along with your throat!

 

Keep going… the third song “vizhiyoram” by Benny is again a melody with some interesting music “vizhiyoram thangum imai neeyadi….sila neram sila nimidam silai agiren; silai unnai dinam kaana manam vadinen, oyamale endan nenjil nindrayadi….vedantham sollum vedangal ellam vendam vendam penne!” TELL ME a better way to show your love/feelings – listen to the start music - Easily a WOW!!! Benny has done full justice to the song! Another one that will make ur body swing! 

How can I not talk about this song – listen to the music! Its so soothing man! “azahagai kollai azhagai” a beautiful mix of instruments – especially the tabla at the start (am I right Gops – was it the tabla or any other?) benny has done his bit here to maintain the feel of the song! I would rate this as the topper for music in this album! c the explanation for a fleeting moment “vizhiyodu vizhi serum oru pulliyil vilagada mounangal namai soozhume” 

Album ends with a beautiful blended music “paarvai azhkadalil” by Sanjeev – nice rendering. “paarvai azhkadalil ennai veezhtinai, imaiyai pidithe nan neendhinen!... un kaadal padagil eri karaiyai adainden kadali!” – what an ovamai!!! 

Such pure & lovely music, great lyrics and hear it out for the use of appropriate and beautiful Tamil words : Overall a ‘floating experience’ and in public words “Fultush paisa vasool album” J what comes thru is the genuine love for music – Hats Off Gops!!! This in itself is a feather in ur cap! 

Am not sure will I be able to end my “talking” about the album… every time I start off, I have something to say – might be I am still awed by the will power of Gops to make his dream come true and in such a beautiful manner & by the fact that I could associate myself as a FAN – just the autograph part is pending! J 

Let this only be a start for a great journey ahead…. You are hearing me right Gops?  

 By  Sripriya