"Yogi" Soundtrack

‘Tamizh MA’ happened two years ago and after that there isn’t a single movie soundtrack of Yuvan, which one could call a complete musical feast. There definitely were few gems here and there but overall there weren’t movies that could feed the creative hunger of Yuvan Shankar Raaja. Well now, here it is the soundtrack of ‘Yogi’ that displays what Yuvan Shankar Raaja adds musically to the movie, when he gets genuinely inspired by the script. Yuvan has always delivered for Ameer and he does it again (though the movie is directed by Subrmaniam Siva, screenplay and dialogues are written by Ameer).

The album kick starts with a song where everything is electronic and it sounds quite unusual for a hero introduction song. I usually have lots of problems with such songs of Yuvan where he goes overboard with too many layers and e-sounds, but this song is done with a lot of restraint, each and every layer is catchy and has been added after a lot of thought. A sample for that is rough synth strings or saw motif that keeps looping around in the background which aptly fits in for the roughness of a ruffian that the song exclaims about. The lyrics too are sensible and though sung with a western attitude, it fits well for the toughness that the song requires. While the other version is clouded lesser with e-sounds but with more funky guitars, it is set on a different beat and the voice and lyrics are heard better. It is good that they didn’t name this track as a remix, because it actually is not, it is set to a completely different orchestration and it has to be heard without skipping.

‘Yaarodu Yaaro’ is a neat soulful melody with feel and rhythm reminding the songs of ‘Paruthiveeran’. The song has lengthier interludes with some amazing instrumental pieces and orchestration, especially that vocal harmony in the first interlude is such a heart-felt melody which I would definitely hum accidentally on any day few years later. Snehan beautifully describes the budding love between two extremely different people and sample this line where he describes Yogi falling in love as ‘Ithu Yenna Maayam, Sooriyanil Eeram’. And what can one say about Yuvan’s singing except ‘Nallathor Veenai seithu athai nalam keda puzhuthiyil yerivadhundo’.

With strains of ‘Yaarodu Yaaro’, the melody soon gets an identity of its own with the exquisite Sarangi solo (performed by Ustad Sultan Khan) in ‘Yogi Theme in Sarangi’ playing a very earthy melody sitting firmly on the rhythm of ethnic percussions. Though the template of the song is straight out of ‘Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal’ (7/g Rainbow colony), there are not many composers who care for such instrumentals in film music these days. And when you think that is the most that you could get from a Tamil film soundtrack, being a fan of such instrumentals, Yuvan serves up with one more theme which again is soulful and addictive. The beat of this theme is interestingly made by embedding a Tavil on synth pads and the strings, flute, Amalraj’s Violin all march one after the other playing beautiful melodies.

The soundtrack’s most entertaining and fun track arrives with ‘Seermevum Koovathiley’ and what a funny way to start the song, no one would think of ‘Seermevum’ and ‘Koovam’ on the same line. Ameer, Snehan (lyricist), Naveen and Jijuba get dirty, real and give a knock out performance in this one. The sound of Chennai Tamizh over years has gained a musicality, which is very evident in this song. With each section song tuned like a popular yester year song, the song should please all the front benchers in the cinema hall. A sure shot winner this one is. Snehan again shines through with his utterly down-to-earth lyrics in the song and can’t wait to watch what they are going to do visually with that Rudhra Thandavam bit at the end of the song.

And with that, Yuvan’s Yogi is 5/5 for me.