Ilaiyaraja album brings back the 1980s

Chennai, June 30 (IANS) Ilaiyaraja, according to many, is the greatest musicdirector the Tamil film industry has ever seen. Think Ilaiyaraja and immortal tunes like "Priya Priya" and "Kanne Kalaimaane" come to mind.

There is, therefore, no dispute that Ilaiyaraja was the king of the 1980s. But the new millennium sees battle lines drawn between music directors like Harris Jayaraj and the maestro's own son, Yuvan Shankar Raja, not to forget the great A.R. Rahman.

It is an open question whether an old warhorse like Ilaiyaraja still has within him the magic to weave tunes to enchant the masses.

So, what's his new album "Adhu Oru Kanaa Kaalam" like?

The first track, "Antha Naal Nyaabagam", sung by Vijay Yesudas and Shreya Ghosal is hum-able, but enchanting or memorable it is not.

Track two, "Kaathuvazhi Nadaiya", sung by the maestro himself, surpasses all expectations.

The first few seconds of the song, devoid of any instruments whatsoever, not only takes the listener by surprise but mesmerizes him in a few seconds. However, the rest of the song fails to match up to the quality. It is an enjoyable track nonetheless, and Ilaiyaraja's vocal delivery has an eerie undertone to it, lending a certain bite to the track.

The third track, "Unnalae Thookam", though enjoyable, is not the kind that is likely to get the charts buzzing in 2005. It is extremely retro, and the song takes one back to the 1980s.

The rest of the tracks in the album aren't worth too much of mention, though one wouldn't go so far as to actually term them insipid. All of the tracks are hum-able, but none of them stays on in one's consciousness for any longer than a few minutes - even after repeated hearings.

On the whole, the album is strongly reminiscent of the classics of the 1980s. One however gets the feeling that Ilaiyaraja is repeating himself. But if you're a hardcore Ilaiyaraja fan, you will not like to miss "Adhu Oru Kanaa Kaalam".