These days, it is not often that you come across film albums not determined by market forces, with the basic mantra of music companies being :It’s all about money, honey. Result? You have music that caters to the fast-food culture, and good, sensible music gets a quiet burial. But once in a while there does blow in the whiff of fresh air, so to say music buffs that not everything is lost, like Album.

After an eclipse period of nearly one and a half years after the release of superhit songs of Dumm Dumm Dumm, Karthik Raja is back with Album. Kavithalaya’s films with Ilaiyaraja’s music like Sindhu Bhairavi, Punnagai Mannan, Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal etc. had great songs, which are still reverberating in the ears of music fans and to keep up that tradition Karthik Raja has put up great efforts and is indeed successful in giving a superb album.

The album begins with the peppy, dance number Thathalikkudhey rendered beautifully by T.Karthik, Thippu and Sadhana Sargam. Ilayaraja’s elder brother R.D. Bhaskar’s son Paarthi Bhaskar has penned the lyrics. The more you listen, the more it gets into you. The tune has unexpected twists and turns but still in synchrony.

Then comes the pick of the album, chellamaai chellam by Hariharan and Shreya Goshal and lyrics are by N.Muthukumar. Devdas fame Shreya Goshal makes her debut in tamil film music through this song. The song is sure to captivate the listener by its soft and lilting tune. At places it has shades of Kavidhaigal sollavaa song in Ullam kollai pogudhey.

Kaadhal vaanoli begins with Harish Ragavendra’s enchanting rendition and then Sujatha picks up the song and mesmerizes the listeners. It had been a long time since we had heard such songs in tamil film music. Lyrics by N.Muthukumar are so poetical and meaningful.

Next one is the bit song Muttaikull is a modification of a famous folk song of children by N.Muthukumar with enthusiastic voice of Bhavatharini.

Madhu Balakrishnan stole away the hearts of music fans’ in Bharathi especially ethilum ingu song. He returns back with his soothing voice in Pillai thamarai song. You can’t resist the feeling like hearing a mallu song.Lyrics are by Kabilan and after his super hit Aal thotta Boopathy song, which had meaningless lines, has proved his caliber here as a good poetical lyricist.

Next comes the pleasant surprise ,where Ilaiyaraja and Sadhana Sargam have joined hands in giving a beautiful folk number. Ilaiyaraja sings in Karthik Raja’s music after a long gap and Thank God his voice is not wasted in a pathos songs or Mother sentimental songs.

Nilave nilave song by Shankar Mahadevan and Tippu is sure to be a chart buster and youngsters’ favourite. It’s a fast paced dance number penned by Thamarai. The lyrics are very interesting which lists out various “isms” like Socialism, heroism, realism, hitlerism, kaadhalism, capitalism, etc.

It is really disheartening to be in a lag phase after composing for a few films and when your younger brother is a leading music director and father an already established musical legend. So Karthik Raja has taken a colossal leap in ALBUM and all the songs are cool. ALBUM gives no work for the Fast Forward button at all. Another thing to be mentioned is that, the lyrics are not injured by dominating percussions and that too written very decently.