Six years ago, Vineeth Sreenivasan made his directorial debut with Malarvadi Arts Club and he got his pal Shaan Rahman on board to compose the movie's songs. The duo is four-film-old now and is awaiting the release of their latest film Jacobinte Swargarajyam, starring Nivin Pauly, another buddy of theirs. That makes it the trio's third film together.
Over these six years, the fans' expectations from a Vineeth-Shaan film have only hiked from movie to movie. All the four films of Vineeth dealt with various themes, and Shaan was at his comfortable best churning out fitting, lovely music for each of the albums.
Now, Jacobinte Swargarajyam, a film that tells the story of a Dubai-settled Keralite family, has 5 songs. Listening in.
» Ee Shishirakaalam
(Singers: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Kavya Ajit; lyrics: Harinarayanan B.K.)
You know how good it feels to wake up to a winter morning, a perfect mix of dewdrops and bright, comfy sunrays tugging on your sleepy eyes? 'Ee Shishirakaalam' gives you just that ambience – a feel-good, breezy melody, made rich with delightfully sweeping violins. Singers Vineeth and Kavya perfect the proceedings with their fresh vocals. 'Ee Shishirakaalam' makes you smile for all the good reasons.
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» Thiruvaavaniraavu
(Singers: Unni Menon, Sithara Krishnakumar; additional vocals: Meera Scharma; lyrics: Manu Manjith)
‘Thiruvaavaniraavu’ is a heart-warming melody on Onam, the lyrics of which will make Keralites nostalgic. Shaan's soulful tune and simple programming makes us fall in love with the track. It is good to listen to veteran singer Unni Menon after a long time. Sithara is a fine companion to him as the female voice. The pleasant song hits its highs with the ‘poove poli poove’ chorus and the gleeful humming by the talented singers. ‘Thiruvaavaniraavu’ is another splendid melody from Shaan Rahman.
» Dubai
(Singers: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Suchith Suresan, Liya Verghese; lyrics: Manu Manjith)
Looks like Shaan can compose a melody like this even in his sleep. 'Dubai' is the third melody of the song and Shaan does a fantastic job, delivering a light, yet passionate number. The song has its sturdy backbone built on guitar and mandolin strings. 'Dubai', written by Manu Manjith, is a short one with the duration of a little over 2 minutes, and spells pleasant to your ears. Vineeth Sreenivasan leads the vocals, a sweet smile lurking in there for you to unravel, and is in the apt company of Suchith Suresan and Liya Verghese. First class job, Shaan.
» Ennilerinju
(Singers: Rzee, Sithara Krishnakumar; lyrics: Rzee)
Shaan had Malayalam rapper Rzee doing a rap portion in the composer's hit song 'Ente Maavum Poothe' from last year's movie Adi Kapyare Kootamani. With 'Ennilerinju', Shaan continues his association with Rzee and hands him over a full rap song. Rzee's pumped up vocals, accompanied by Sithara's vocalising of Carnatic swaras, makes it an engaging listen.
» Home
(Singer and lyrics: Ashwin Gopakumar)
'Home', a lovely English track, literally takes us home, bringing a perfect end to this quality album. Again, two friends, who founded the Kochi-based upbeat band 'When Chai Met Toast', are at work here. Ashwin Gopakumar, the vocalist of the band is the singer and lyricist and he excels in both the roles. And Achyuth Jaigopal's adorable work on guitar makes us swing our heads with the flow of the strings. 'Home' is where we are now, thanks to Ashwin and Achyuth.
Verdict
When friends with the same wavelength work together, it becomes all the more fun, right? Jacobinte Swargarajyam is just that, with quality written all over the soundtrack, which has an endearing feel to it. 'Dubai', 'Ee Shishirakaalam' and 'Thiruvaavaniraavu' are our picks. And, that is in no way to degrade the remaining two songs which are first-rate numbers as well. Shaan-Vineeth combo strikes again and there's melodies galore.