Pirandha Naal Vazhthukal ARR Sir.

Here's wishing ARR a very happy 39th! I've been listening to his Water songs. As much as RDB was for the masses, I'd say Water is for classical music enthusiasts. There was another set of Water songs that were leaked out earlier and I thought those were mind-blowing. The CD doesn't contain one of the songs that were part of the leaked out set. The rest are pretty much the same except for the added instrumentation. Did ARR get wind of the leak and decide to throw a little extra in to entice people who have the leaked out version to go get the original? Hmmm... I really can't seem to pick a fav out these songs.

Chan Chan or what we thought was called Aayo Re Sakhi is a beautiful piece. What can I say, the part where Sukvindar croons koyal bhi kuhu kuhu gaane lagi, brings to mind these lush pictures of mango trees and rivers and ...and whole lot more. Rendered beautifully and set to perfection, this is one of my favorites. It has me closing my eyes and just immersing myself completely in it's beauty.

Piya Ho is another of my favorites. The sadness of the song is so evocative, so telling on the mental anguish this woman is going through. It reaches right into your heart and touches your soul. There is this haunting loneliness that is apparent in the song which tugs at my heart. Again this was another song that was sung with so much feeling it makes me want to cry.

Talking about crying..Naina Neer Bahae is literally a tear-jerker. It is also extremely beautiful and is also a song that tugs on my heart strings. I don't think I'll get the true meaning of the song until I see the movie. Prem tho hai Gangajal isme.. vish amrit ban jaaye...do I need to say anymore? Sadhana Sargam has seriously outdone herself. I never thought I would be able to hear her do what she did with Snehidane, but she does it over and over again in Piya Ho and Aayo Re Sakhi as well, as surpasses anything she had ever done before. Tha added instrumentation only makes the song more beautiful.

Shyam Rang Me sounds like a fun song. When a Hindu woman becomes a widow, her life is literally stripped of all color, and its not just the feeling that all women irrespective of religion feel, it is that color that society snatches away from her. So I could picturise this song with the yearning of some color being added to the main character's life. Wonder if its picturised on a Holi song??

Vaishnav Jan To is a song that we, as Indians, are well aware of. ARR adds his own soft, beautiful touch to it. I wonder what happpened to the Bangari Marori that was also leaked out with all the other songs. Maybe that will be added to the Indian version, so all those who bought this CD will buy the new one with the added track? I mean who wouldn't? Especially when I see that the tracks on the CD are far more beautiful than the ones that were leaked.

To conclude all I can say is that I definitely see why ARR rated this album a 10/10. The sheer beauty of the music takes my breath away. Only ARR could possibly lay it on real thick with a fast moving RDB and then strip away all those layers and bare the soul with Water. The imagery that these songs bring to mind is something that I have never experienced before. I don't know if you had a good b'day Sir, but I sure as heck did, what with this great CD as a premature b'day gift to myself? Guys n'gals, rahmaniacs, non-rahmaniacs, music-lovers, lend me your ear. If you don't already own a copy try to get your hands on one asap. It's worth every
penny you would have to spend on it.

I think a couple of my passions came together on this one. Water and ARR :) What not to like.

P.S: This post was to have been done, completed, and posted on the 6th of January, and was even started out on that day, but due to my being extremely busy , was able to be aired only now.