Reviews : Audio Reviews : Audio Review: Aa Okkadu

Tolly2Holly Films
Aa Okkadu (2009)

Producer: Ganesh Indukuri (debut)
Co-producer: Sudhakar Chaganti (debut)
Director: N.S. Murthy (debut)
Music Director: Mani Sarma
Audio Rights: Lahari Audio
Lyrics: Veda Vyas (1), Bhaskarabhatla (2, 4), Anantha Sriram (3), Sahithi (5)
Playback: Dr. Naarayan & Chorus (1); Suchitra (2); Vijay Yesudas (3); Ranjith & Jyotsna (4); Ranjith & Rahul (5)

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:
At the outset, the album might seem to offer nothing new but Mani Sarma's careful handling of orchestration and tuning stand out on repeated hearing. Lyrics are good and can be mostly made out clearly despite constant BGM in nearly all songs. Playback choices are also apt, though some are trite. Mani Sarma should be appreciated for the care in recording the songs too. It's refreshing to listen to songs that'll linger on for a while after stopping too, particularly when such songs come from an all-new film-makers team. (The producer and co-producer, the director, and the heroine Madhurima are totally new in their fields, and popular sidekick/villain Ajay is debuting as a hero with this film.)

1. raadhaamaanasa raagasugandhaa, kRshNaa, gOvindaa!... (Duration: 4:31 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: Mani Sarma's seemingly new find, Dr. Naarayan (who also sang in Pista), has a very soothing voice that suits melodies such as this one. Like many others, however, he falters in pronouncing the letter cha in words like " ch oopE" or in giving the needed emphasis on dha in ma dh u or maa dh ava and nearly every time the letter occurs.
Lyric: This is a devotional song with a lot of praises for Lord Krishna, with impressive wordplay. " dharmamu karigi naligina vELa cheralO chErina O yaduveeraa!" is an ambiguous expression that doesn't clearly point to the birth of the Lord as Krishna, making it seem like He was jailed at a time dharma failed.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The flute bit in the first interlude could have been more soothing in a song on Lord Krishna. The use of saxophone in the interlude is nice. The classical tune is still catchy to even the uninitiated.

2. mooti meedaki meesam vastE... (Duration: 4:32 minutes) (Rating: 2.5/5)
Playback: Suchitra is her usual husky voice in this mass-oriented song.
Lyric: Wordplay such as " dam dam dam maarO dam dam dam, rammanTOndi vayasu ratham...mushqil kaadE ishq rhythm" is notable all through the song. Mixing liberal Hindi like is common to recent mass-oriented songs in Mani-Bhaskarabhatla combo and this song is no exception. The lyric justifies the theme but is much too overt in its expression throughout the song. All those individuals involved must think if some more restraint should be necessary in song lyrics, and of course, this comment is generic in nature and not applicable just to this one song.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The BGM is rich but not too heavy and the percussion in the interludes is generally good and foot-tapping. The tune is typical of Mani Sarma's mass-oriented songs and has a similar tempo, and is catchy in parts.

3. oorukO manasaa, oorukOvammaa!... (Duration: 4:06 minutes) (Rating: 4.25/5)
Playback: Vijay Yesudas sounds very much like his dad in pronouncing gamakaalu, and in aalaapana - and that's, of course, a compliment! He gets the audience into the mood of the song within the first couple of lines with his pacifying rendition apt for the song.
Lyric: The lyric is remarkably short in length but is quite on the spot with an inspirational message. Lines such as " niraaSanTE neeTi vraata... enta sEpu niluvagaladE?", " avadhulE lEni oohatO andani Sikharam andukO, chEtanamtO chEti geeta maarEnE" stand out impressively in this touching melody.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The strings in the interlude bring in a fusion effect to the classical tune based in raaga Sahana.

4. First time choosinappuDu nuvvanTE ishTam lEdulE... ( adEdOlE...) (Duration: 3:57 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: Ranjith pronounces Telugu very loosely in this song, while Jyotsna is better in her pronunciation and suits her modulation to the mood of the song.
Lyric: The lyric is more in the league of Chandrabose's usual style, and is about a girl who realizes the worthiness of the male lead.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The guitar in the interlude draws the attention of the audience. The tune has noticeable middle eastern influence in parts, but the beat brings in a different, racy feel to the number. The tune lacks freshness though.

5. paDalEmraa, paramESaa, peddOLLa ee ghOsha... (Duration: 4:28 minutes) (Rating: 3.75/5)
Playback: Rahul and Ranjith sing this peppy number with the required vigor but falter sometimes in the pronunciation, including in word "paramESaa" where they pronounce the Saa as saa, and sometimes the pronunciation is not discernable due to the fast tune and/or mispronunciation.
Lyric: The lyrics, particularly in the pallavi (lead stanza), are quite catchy. The lyric says that boozing is not really wrong, pointing that most people do it but just find fault with youth going to bars. A basis for supporting liquor is also satirically pointed to the fact that money from liquor sales funds most government provisions and discounts.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The beat keeps audiences' minds tied to the song. The tune instantly catches up in the first hearing. The lyric seems to indicate that the song takes place inside a bar; the BGM is suitable for the scene.

By NaChaKi

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