Summary:
Rajanna has a very distinct flavour compared to many other recent albums, in terms of the orchestra, lyrics, and composition. Even the vast repertoire of singers listed for the album show the wide choice of Telugu singers we have today (though some of the singers are non-Telugu). It's interesting to note that the album has 12 tracks but that just one track is over four minutes long! For those audience that have not been interested in the folk genre very much, this album may take repeated hearing to make a mark; those who like soft melodies and/or folk songs would anyway keep repeatedly hearing to these haunting songs! The visual imagery that is created with lyrics for the melodies is vivid and beautiful, while those that are abundant with emotions are also very apt.

1. gijigaaDu tana gooDu vadili... (Duration: 2:48 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: The playback is soothing and suits the theme of the song. There are some mispronunciations by one (Sanjeev?) of the two singers: such as tela instead of tala (the first time), and the more common mispronunciation of the dantya cha in chaaTu, kaa chukunnaa, choopu and so on. (The pronunciation is right though in the word din chukunnaayi.)
Lyric: The lyric is quite simple and yet has notable alliteration such as " konDekki tana yEDu gu~r~raala banDekki panDakki raarammani...". The song outlines the attachment of the child Mallamma and the protagonist Rajanna while also indicating the respect Rajanna garners. The reference to the weaver bird ( gijigaaDu or gijigaaDu piTTa) and the reference to "batukamma panDaga" bring a very native touch.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: Starting out with soft, folk instrumentation, this melodious situational song maintains the softness through the tune and the interludes. The aalaapana at the end changes the tone of the song to bring in some concern and agony as justified by the lyric. The tune itself is folk-styled and reminds of the popular attaa lEni kODaluttamuraalu... when it starts off but the song soon blooms into its own freshness.

2. raarirO rEla raarirO rEla raarirO rElaa! ( sooDavE, sukka, sooDavE!) ... (Duration: 3:28 minutes) (Rating: 3.5/5)
Playback: All the singers modulate their voices to suit the tone and render the dialect in the lyric suitably.
Lyric: The lyric shows how the village folk venerate the Mother Earth, while going through the daily routine of the village folk. Anantha Sriram should be appreciated for using appropriate vocabulary and slang for most part of such a song.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The orchestra is an appreciable blend of folk and modern instruments; the flute is undoubtedly the highlight in the whole song. The lyric chEnEta chappuLLu sangeetamavvaala is enriched aptly. The partly-classical and partly-folk tune catches up with a few times of hearing.

3. ka~raku ~raati gunDellO, ragulukunna manTallO... (Duration: 3:25 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: Kailash Kher croons with Keeravani in this heart-wrenching song. The choice of singers is very apt, as their natural voice modulation can bring out agony very effectively. The highlight of this combination can be heard when they both sing together.
Lyric: The lyric seems to mark an important turning point in the film when the little girl Mallamma leaves the place she's born and brought up at.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: Keeravani chooses madhyamaavati raagam for this soothing yet pathos number, which is hauntingparticularly in the middle of the song as the song takes off into a higher pitch. The beat is good and provides an unintrusive platform for the song. The tune is good in parts.

4. lacchuvammaa, lacchuvammaa, laDaayilE... (Duration: 4:51 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: The playback is unclear in the beginning and later at places, also because of the racy tune in parts, such as in the repeating line E tappU temalaka vastunnaa pOtunnaa gaanii ettukOvu, hattukOvu, EndO yEmO! If such lack of clarity is ignored, the song does
Lyric: The song seems to mark the celebration of an event (marriage?). Owing to the backdrop of the song, expressions borders on vulgarity along with some interesting usages such as " naDumuku dishTi teeseyyanaa!". The language is rustic with usages like labju and singiDi which are not often heard in Telugu film lyrics. For Suddala Ashokteja, such lyrics come naturally and effortlessly!
Tune/Interlude/BGM: This is one of the two racy tunes and the only mass-oriented song in the album. Yet the tune goes with a classical touch based on mOhana raagam.The drum beat sets the pace of the song foot-tapping, and makes its own space towards the end of the song. It may be remembered that Keeravani set a new trend way back in early the 1990s with andananta ettaa taaraateeram... ( Kshanakshanam), ending the song with an exclusive performance by the instrumentalists only. A little bit from the percussion resembles S.V. Krishna Reddy's composition DeeriDeeriDeeriDeeriDee... from manasulO maaTa.

5. chiTTi guvvaa, chiTTi guvvaa, cheTTu pilichindi!... (Duration: 3:12 minutes) (Rating: 3.5/5)
Playback: Venu modulates his voice to suit the tone of the song, and Shivani enthuses the rendition with her voice. Sanjeev is good too but when he's on his own at the end, he renders the swara " ri" as " re" sometimes, in Hindustani style while Ramya pronounces it right and adds her value to the song.
Lyric: The song seems to indicate the general happiness and passing time in a family. Expressions like " velugula panTa" are notable in this short lyric. Words sung by the child are generally short and simple, and that indicates the lyricist's care in penning the song.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune starts off slow and gets racy soon. The lead stanza is catchier than the rest of the song. The percussion is notable, particularly before the song takes off into rendering musical notes (indicating the skill level that the little girl has reached, possibly).

6. okka kshaNam... (Duration: 1:45 minutes) (Rating: 3.75/5)
Playback: The song is rendered by five male singers, all of who have done an appreciable job. The female voice is not credited. One of the singers (Revanth?) mispronounces " okka" as " vakka" in the beginning, as is commonplace in some coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Lyric: The lyric is filled with veera rasam all through. Thus, the words and expressions used in this song are starkingly different from the other two lyrics by Anantha Sriram in this album. The expression " aagaraa... okka kshaNam" however downplays the bravery otherwise highlighted in the song and sounds more like pleading when repeated frequently. Also, the arrival of mRtyumEgham (Death Cloud) signified by a phyiscal description such as jaTaajUTadhaari (Lord Shiva, depicted as one with braided-and-tied hair or jaTaajUTam) does not seem very apt.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune has enthusiasm and courage written all over it. The beat and BGM in the interlude set the pace for the charaNam. The composition is typical of Keeravani and catches up within a few times of hearing.

7. gooDu chedi~ri kOyilakUna daaTe konDa kOna... (Duration: 3:32 minutes) (Rating: 3.25/5)
Playback: Shweta Pandit's voice does not seem the best choice for this song but her modulation is suitable to render the agony in the lead lines. The mispronunciation of the letter Sa in the word aa Sa (as aa sha) should have been noted and avoided at all times.
Lyric: The lyric continues the tone of the first song in the album, asking Rajanna to make a plea to God to take care of the little girl Mallamma following the situation depicted in song 3. Requesting the village to get closer to the tired girl is a touching, innovative expression. (It may be noted that all three songs are written by the same lyricist - Keeravani's real-life father Sivashakti Datta, or K. Shivadatta as credited.)
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The tune starts of as an independent pathos number but dons the tune of the first song of the album, owing to the theme. The song is accompanied by minimal BGM and drums that set the mood of the song. The musical ensemble towards the end seems to indicate a mood change in the song. Thus, this number is an impressive blend of a pathos tune, a rehash of the tune from another song, and an instrumental bit.

8. kaaligajje ghallumanTe palletalli mElukunTadO, maa ammalara, akkalaara!... (Duration: 1:29 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: Surender sings like a pro he is. Chaitra is sweet with her humming.
Lyric: This simple and short lyric tells how rural lives are connected to folk music and dance.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The folk tune is quite catchy and lingers in the minds of the audience. The BGM is in tune with the theme of the song. Drums are lively.

9. aapakammaa pOraaTam ( vey, vey!) ... (Duration: 3:10 minutes) (Rating: 4.25/5)
Playback: Revanth pours his emotion into this song. The starting ( saakii) seems to have been sung by Keeravani himself (not credited).
Lyric: The lyric is a joyous, motivating cheer that seems to indicate that injustice is finally being punished. One of the words in the lyric requires censorship. (Since audio albums do not undergo censorship, this word has calmly found its place in the lyric, though it may be used as a representation of the reality itself.) Starting with the expression "oopiri janDaa ega~rEy!", the song has an appreciable motivational spirit to it.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The song is totally based on drum beat thematically, as is suggested by the lyric too! The tune, the BGM, and the interludes carry the emotion of the song very efficiently.

10. dorasaani kOradaa (Music lesson) ... (Duration: 1:05 minutes) (Rating: 3.0/5)
Playback: Amritavarshini is impressive. She is probably accompanied by Sanjeev Chimmalgi (not credited).
Lyric: The inlay card reads " dorasaani kOradaa..." but this bit is essentially a recital of musical notes only.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: There's an emotional feel to the musical notes. The beat seems to indicate the thematical significance of the bit.

11. mElukOvE, chiTTi tallii!... (Duration: 2:03 minutes) (Rating: 3.75/5)
Playback: Sudarshini's soothing voice elevates the song and reflects the mood aptly. It's tough to make such an impact vocally when the BGM is nearly absent!
Lyric: A short song of awakening ( suprabhaata geetam) that compares Ganga (a character?) to various beauties in the Nature. The expression " toorupamma poddu puvvu poose" is nice.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: The mellowed tune suits the song well. This song comes with the least instrumentation and is yet impressive with just the tune and whatever BGM is present.

12. ammaa, avanii, nElatallii yani... (Duration: 4:34 minutes) (Rating: 4.0/5)
Playback: Malavika's mellifluous rendition is impeccable and impressive, even at high notes.
Lyric: This is yet another lyric that focuses entirely on praising the Mother Earth in chaste Telugu, with notable rhyme. The lyric also throws light on the attachment the role has with Mother Earth. The lyric has a deeper story to tell, it seems, when one notices that the lyric talks about the role sacrificing her life for Mother Earth.
Tune/Interlude/BGM: Tuned in the soothing mOhana raagam, the song bears rich orchestration, with percussion and strings standing out. This song also emphasizes the thematic importance of formal training in music that the character undergoes. The first few lines have a very catchy tune. The rest of the song is effectively carried by strength of the instrumentation.

By NaChaKi