No one has raised expectations more than M Sasikumar, the man who gave us Subramaniapuram, and naturally, anticipation is in top-gear from Samudhirakkani, the villain of the blockbuster too. Nadodigal, Samudhirakkani's next Tamil project which stars Sasikumar in the lead, looks like it's set to assuage everyone's appetites -- not least in the music department, which has been handled by Sundar C Babu. Let's listen to the tunes:
A burst of synthesised music suddenly gives way to ethnic percussion, and then Shankar Mahadevan's unmistakably ferocious voice takes over Sambo Siva Sambo written by Yugabharathy -- obviously a song resembling Nimirndhu Nil in its lyrics and drive to win. A trace of the sabha drama music of yore gives a timbre of newness to the song. The number scores chiefly because of the rousing tune and the vocalist himself, who does full justice to it. The pace matches the song, while the violin interlude brings the requisite thundering effect to the number. It's a familiar number, but it strikes the right note. You wait in anticipation about how it's going to be picturised.
Kabilan's Adungada begins with trademark nadaswaram, thavil and the works to deliver a perfectly rustic folksy song -- and to satisfy front-benchers, this one comes with an off-key singer D Velmurugan and crew (which suits the milieu), and raunchy lyrics. A chorus interlude suddenly makes you sit up with its appealing quality -- and then it's back to various women and their manifold 'attractions.'
Soothing keyboard orchestration commences Ulagil Endha Kaadhal, and Vaali's lyrics immediately grab you, not to mention Hariharan's fluid voice -- certainly a deviation from the normal, as the protagonist (presumably) questions the dance of destiny, and surprisingly, even sympathises with his beloved for having chosen another man. Raga Desh is always pleasing when it's used to denote gentle sadness, and proves the right choice here. Yes, there are routine references to the greatness of love, and though the tune struggles at times to fit itself with the words -- it does have a simple, gentle appeal which goes well the song's emotions. A pleasant number.
What sounds like snake music from the 80s, complete with dappankuthu instruments characterises Yakka Yakka, written by Na Muthukumar, and sung by a host of singers like Sendhil Das, V Chandran, M Sasikumar and M M Shrilekha. Various epithets are used to describe women, the most notable among them being that she's spicy biryani -- so you can guess what kind of a song this is. Run-of-the-mill.
Uyiril Pookkum Kaadhal, is essentially a repeat of Ulagil Endha Kaadhal sung by Hariharan, and segues into it as well -- but as with the previous number, Vaali's lyrics play a major part here. It's worth a re-listen just for that.
Sambho Jagadam, a short track, is a repeat of Sambho Siva Sambho as well -- sung by Shankar Mahadevan in an even more ferocious fashion, if possible. Hariharan takes part in The Pain of Love, a mild instrumental track, while the Naadodigal Theme is a n interesting medley of clashing instruments, shouts and catchy beats.
It might seem run-of-the-mill in the beginning, but Sundar C Babu has obviously taken some pains to turn out at least a couple of tracks that don't bore you to death with their repetitive quality -- and these save the album. You guess the picturisation would add more colour to the numbers. Worth a listen.
Rediff Rating: 
