Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of February 2024. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Ithu Nalla TharunamSinger- Sanjay SubrahmanyanMusic Composer- Sean RoldanPoetry- Ramalinga Adigal (Vallalar)Poetry Selection- A.S. PaneerselvanLanguage: TamilGenre: RockMood: EnergeticThe whole album is a collection of some amazing poetry written by Ramalinga Adigal (Vallalar) and a selection of 6 songs from over 5818 written by the great man. The poems are selected by A.S. Pannerselvam and with Sean Roldan composing melodies for these poems, Sanjay Subrahmanyan delights us by singing these songs. I loved the whole album comprising of 6 songs and I urge you all to listen to the mastery of Sean and Sanjay and their good intentions behind this project. This song called "Ithu Nalla Tharunam" talks about inclusive spirituality and the fight against bigotry, things needed for this day and age. The song has this brewing rock flavour and it reminds me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's "Something Something" from the album 'Anjali'. Sanjay impresses me within a few seconds with that sexy humming. The guitars and drums are essential cogs in the wheel of rock music and here we have some splendid contributions from Vikram Vivekanand on guitars, Shalini Mohan on bass and Ramkumar Kanakarajan as the drummer. How has Sanjay managed to make this move from classical Carnatic music to this style of music? It is a question that has an obvious answer and it is, that the man is a genius! In cricketing terms, Sachin Tendulkar never really had even an iota of trouble shifting from Tests to T-20s. The chorus segment with lead and backing vocals is the highlight of the song, and there in the end Sanjay also delivers a Carnatic classical-styled ghamaka. At the interlude, we get to hear a Renaissance-time string instrument called The Lute played by Arngeir Hauksson, which sounds like an ethnic pluck. The alaap that Sanjay does is just breathtaking and the song has some amazing new instrument names I learnt like the phenomenal Hurdy Gurdy. The instrument used to be played in churches before the advent of the Organ Piano. Steve Tyler plays the Hurdy Gurdy, Giles Lewin is the violinist, and Pete Watson is on the Accordion. There are moments especially the chorus where I felt like there was a Raag Naatai influence. Kalyani Nair does the arrangements for the Celtic Folk Ensemble as well as the strings section. The Orchestra is by FAME Skopje Studio Orchestra and the sessions' producer is Andrew T. Mackay. Glenn Keiles is the recording engineer with assistance from Freddie Light. The Director of the video is Rafiq Ismail and the dancers are Arvind, Rubin, Dhanush, Ranjith, Elango and Kiran with choreographers Kishore, Deepak and Karthikeyan@rseanroldan @sanjaysub @tarakesan @shalinimohanbass @ramkuu @arngeir_hauksson @kalyaninair86 @2. Kasakura YelayeComposer: Pradeep KumarLyricist: Pradeep KumarVocals: Shreya Sundar IyerLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music/ Symphony OrchestraMood: EnergeticThis is phenomenal and groundbreaking stuff from Pradeep Kumar. A composition, production, vocal execution that surely demands great vision is what I witness here. The intro of the song does feel like "Adikkuthu Kuliru" sung by Superstar Rajnikanth in the movie 'Mannan'. The vocal performance stands out as one of the best I have heard by an Indian singer in 2024 thus far and credit goes to Pradeep for spotting a talent like Shreya and allowing her to shine.The strings are emphatic almost dominating the soundscape like a Bond movie OST and we have the one-and-only Rithu Vysakh playing the strings with the arrangements done by Kalyani Nair. What is amazing is how Kalyani has arranged the strings section in a standalone fashion and they are operating like a separate instrumental track, unlining many songs where the instrumental melody is similar to the song's pre-chorus lines. We can hear the majesty in the double bass played by Shallu Varun and Pradeep deserves praise for writing the melody and lyrics for this one. I love the anupallavi where she sings "eriyala pogayala viduthala enakkilla", and the background strings are beyond excellent in this segment. Shreya's skill and execution stand tall when she sings the words "Kathaadi kattividuda" with a nice shuffle on the second word and difficult notes to perform. The humming that follows is magnificent in style and the way Pradeep introduces the Thavil here is a mark of his genius, it is played by Rajinimurugan. The interlude is a great symphony of the acoustic guitars by Pradeep, along with Rithu's strings and Shallu's double bass. The verse is a bit hard to comprehend and execute, but that is where Pradeep's creativity seeps in. The thavil's beats per minute pick up when she sings " en avasaram yen puriyala", and I hope this was intentional. Sujith Sreedhar is the mix/master engineer at 2 Bar Q Studios and he does a brilliant job to fuse all these varied elements. Shreya makes a mark with this song, and I hope this is the first of many more in Tamil! I will next be listening to the whole album of "Nalla Perai Vaanga Vendum Pillaigale" scored by Pradeep Kumar hoping to find more treasures. @pradeep_kumar1123 @shreyasundar @kalyaniniar86 @npvvpoffl @shalluvarun02 @rithuvysakh @sujithsreedhar 3. Daluma Composed and Arranged by Vidya SagarProgrammed By Anthony Karuna, Ganesan SekarVocals - KarthikLyrics - Ku KarthikLanguage: TamilGenre: Light MusicMood: Romantic/happyVidyasagar the legend, is in the mood! He has been composing some amazing music in Mollywood of late and I just featured a song called "Maname Maname" sung by Hariharan which rose to the top of the weekly Indian charts. Here he is scoring in Tamil for an upcoming movie called "Double Tuckerr" and this is a fantastic sign, showing the great skills of this composer. Karthik sings it like a smooth criminal and the intro guitars make the impression that I am listening to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". It is a very happy and upbeat song and the kicker arrives with Rajesh Vaidya on the Veena solo in the interlude. The arrangements quickly shift from a semi-classical nature to a Jazz style with the drums and Horns also getting aligned. Ku Karthik writes these witty lines that are playful. I love the lines "Reboot aayachu life u ma, update aayachu jart u ma" both from a melodic and lyrical standpoint. The melody also reminds me of MSV's "Athaiyadi Methaiyadi" and Ilaiyaraja's " Ennavendru solvathamma". The keys and rhythms are programmed very effectively by Anthony Karuna and Ganesan Sekar, but let us take away no credit from Vidyasagar's amazing arrangements of the Horns, guitars, Flute and Veena. Nikhil plays the flute, and the tracks are mixed by Anthony, with Varsha Vallaki as the recording engineer. @vidyasagarmusicofficial @karthikmusicexp @vaidhya_rajesh @ragish.varshavallaki @anthonykaruna @kukarthikoffl 4. Anbe AnbeComposed & Programmed by: Karthika MahadevSinger: Saindhavi Lyrics: Madhan KarkyLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music Mood: RomanticWhen I play a song more than a couple of times in succession, it must mean I love the song, because when I have to listen to 400 a week, I won't have time for loops and replays. I am featuring Karthika Mahadev for the very first time and I must thank her for her patient responses to all my queries. Karthika has composed and programmed this melodious number taking us back a couple of decades in time and Madhan Karky joins the gang with his sharp and relevant lyrics. 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of January 2024. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Katchi SeraComposed & Performed by Sai AbhyankkarMusic Produced by Sai AbhyankkarLyrics by Adesh KrishnaAdditional Vocals by Sai Smriti Music Programmed & Arranged by Sai Abhyankkar Language: TamilGenre: PopMood: Happy Sai Abhyankkar a.k.a. Abhay releases this brilliant pop number would deserves to be at the top of the charts undoubtedly. I am thrilled to see such amazing talent exhibited by Abhay, who has single-handedly created this banger. He has written the melody, sung the lines and along with that arranged and produced the song to perfection.It all begins in such a mellow fashion, but the moment Abhay starts singing our hearts just grow fonder. The cool and casual style of delivery is executed brilliantly and let us not forget Adesh Krishna's apt lyrics. Sai Smriti sings in the background and delivers those stylish and teasing Konnakol lines. The impactful bass is accompanied by engaging keys, synths and the Vocoder, all played by Abhay. Do remember to check in the song's official video on YouTube as it has some stunning choreography by Anusha Viswanathan and all the dancers from The Dancers Club. The interlude is filled with the Nadaswaram by Parthiban, the DIY Duduk and Bawu played by Ashish and all the wonderful rhythms programmed by Abhay. Many musicians assume that a song with a couple of catchy lines is good enough for the listeners to enjoy, but Abhay deserves huge appreciation for going further and giving us a cherished experience and you can feel the hair rising with the melodious notes of the stanza as he sings " yaarum parthu ninnu pesavilla". He sings the lines with such finesse and it is like he knows the magic formula to make a song sound hypnotic and addictive. Whether you understand the lyrics or not, I urge the readers to listen, see and dance their way to bliss with this one. The electric guitar is played by Rohan Sebastian, while Abhay is on the acoustic guitar. Yanka Rhythm Group is in charge of the reverberating live rhythms, and the tracks are mixed by Sai at YOLO Records and mastered by Rupendar Venkatesh. @abhyankkar @thinkindiecollective @tatva_man @directedbykenroyson @anu_viswa @thedancersclub @rupendar_venkatesh @my_deceptive_cadence 2. Megham Pol Aagi Song Composed Arranged by JAKES BEJOY Lyrics: THAMARAISinger : KAPIL KAPILANMusic Producers : JAKES BEJOY, HARISANKAR VLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music / PopMood: HappyJust like I have consciously decided to include instrumental music every week, I am also going to get Tamil songs into the list as long are worthy of the spot. Last year I published a monthly on Tamil music ( Tamil being my native tongue) and kept them away from the India weeklies, but now I believe the larger crowd will benefit and take inspiration from the great Tamil songs too if I include them in the weekly playlists. This one is from an upcoming Tamil movie called "Nirangal Moondru" and it has some good music as of now with the first single turning out to be a delightful melody. Kapil Kapilan sings it with such finesse and there is romance flowing through his delivery. Thamarai writes beautiful lyrics that blossom in love just like the name Thamarai which means "Lotus". I just love the anu pallavi " kaatrum veesuthe, kaathoram pesuthe" is terrific musically and lyrically. The rhythms and keys are terrific in the programming. The trumpet by Babu solely adorns the interlude segment with Jakes and Harisankar V being the men in charge of production. The stanza continues to serenade us and when Kapil sees a shift in the trajectory with the line " Naan ezhutha kavithaiyellam unnodu, nee nadanthal nizhalai pinnodu" is a stunning landing line from the charanam to the chorus segment of teh song. Kapil's mild vibrato does more than enough to steal your heart. The clarinet (programmed) is excellent in the written notes and execution and makes for one dreamy interlude. The session is arranged by Daniel Joseph Antony and Maneeth Manoj. The guitars, mild strings section, horns and keys celebrate the melody to its fullest. The recording engineers are Midhun Anand, Daniel Joseph, Maneeth and Midhun Manoj. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Midhun Anand. @jakes_bejoy @kavignarthamarai @maneethmanoj @midhunmanojj @midhunanand_official @daniboy__73. ThaensudareMusic Composed, Arranged & Produced by Sean RoldanSingers: Sean Roldan, Shakthisree GopalanLyricist: Mohan RajanAdditional programming by Ashwin Raja  Language: TamilGenre: Light MusicMood: RomanticThe album 'Lover' has some amazing songs, and I recently did a full album review on IG giving it 4/5 as the rating. This song along with 'Velagaadha' are the two standout songs. Sean Roldan motors along as one of the best composers we have in India and I cannot rave enough about the focus he applies to composing a good melody. Vocally, Shakthisree Gopalan makes the heartthrob and hair rise all over your skin. The singing is powerful and technically sound, her tone also devastates with that tinge of sadness. The Piano gravitates the pathos, but nothing hits the nail on the head like the Violin solo and the strings. We have the uber-talented dynamo Rithu Vysakh as the One-man String Quartet. The Viola and Cellos are pulling us like strings attached to our bodies and we have to sink deep into this tragic melody.The melody and the arrangements, especially the strings section bear a lot of similarity with Santhosh Narayanan's "Agasatha" from the album 'Cuckoo'. Rithu does a terrific job in producing the string quartet in the interlude. Sean Roldan is the male lead vocalist and the inherent tone in his voice induces some pathos, and hence works like magic. Ashwin Raja does all the splendid additional programming, and the touching lyrics are by Mohan Rajan. Aswin George John is the recording engineer at Sounds Right Studio and Rupendar Venkatesh is the mix/master engineer at Mix Magic Studios. Silver Tree is the Music Management Team. @rseanroldan @shakthisreegopalan @mohanrajan_lyrici @srigouripriya @manikabali87 @ashwin.rajaa @rithuvysakh @aswin_george_john @silvertreeoffl @rupendar_venkatesh4. Kaakarattan Composer- G.V. Prakash KumarMusic Producer- Sathyaprakash Main Artist- Vidya Vox, Rajalakshmi SenthilganesanLyricist- YugabharathiLanguage: TamilGenre: Folk-PopMood: HappyGV Prakash begins 2024 on a great note and isn't that true for Tamil music fans as well? I felt Coke Studio Tamil Season 1 was quite successful and saw the creation of some excellent music, and we are here to witness the birth of Season 2. The stringed instruments we hear are the Mandolin, Ukulele and Saz played by Sachidanand Sankaranarayanan and then the folkish texture emerges with Balasubramani's Nadaswaram. One can still feel that fusion effect with the bass guitars by Derick McArthur. Yugabharathi continues his great form with lyrics as he did in 2023. The lead vocalists are Vidya Vox, Rajalakshmi Senthilganesan who just provide varying tones to the vocals. I love the strings in the interlude, but I can never take my ears off the sizzling bass guitar notes in the background. I am reminded of AR Rahman's "Maanoothu Mandhaiyile". GV Prakash is the composer but it is Sathyaprakash who produced this with a lot of style and substance. The fusion stems from bringing the folk percussion and tapes by Livingstone along with drums by Kumaran SS. The Thavil is played by Shruthiraj. The stanza begins with Vidya Vox's sweet and stunning voice and there is a touch of innocence in her voice. GV has composed a very likeable an

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of December 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Lovendra Cassandra Composed, Arranged and produced by Marshall Robinson Singers: Sathyaprakash, Shilvi Sharon Lyrics: Marshall Robinson Additional Lyrics: Kavyanayagi, Shilvi Sharon Voice Over: Alexander Babu Language: TamilGenre: Indie PopMood: HappyI was wondering, why does this voice-over sound so familiar? It had to be the supremely talented Alexander Babu who is one of our finest stand-ups. He has this perfect imitation of the Tamil Brahminical dialect and Marshall Robinson wisely uses this as the intro for a song that is also written with that same dialect in mind, I had a ROFL moment with the whole "lovendra cassandra, en veetla venandra". Marshall goes on to compose, write, produce and arrange this song and it is one clever project overall. Elvis Gabriel is the guitarist giving it a reggae style, and I can relate to ARRahman's "Mustafa Mustafa" from its style and tempo. The melody has some shades of Reethigowla Ragam, me and that is why this semi-classical pop fusion style is so heartwarming and fun. The song is so ebullient thanks to the rhythm programming and singing style which is so casual. The second stanza has the Mridangam by Sumesh Narayanan incorporated to give it an even closer touch to Classical Carnatic music. Kudos to Abin Pushpakaran at Blu Academy for mixing all the tracks and giving us this enjoyable product. Shilvi Sharon breezes through with her English lines. The additional lyrics are written by Kavyanayagi and Shilvi. @marshallrobinson.music @meenakshigovindhrajan @lovendracassandra @dsathyaprakash @shilvi_sharon062. Velagaadha Music Composed & Arranged by Sean RoldanSinger : Kapil KapilanLyricist: Mohan RajanFemale Voice : Aparna Harikumar Music Producer: Ashwin Raja  Language: TamilGenre: Filmi PopMood: RomanticSean Roldan's glorious 2023 continues with this fantastic song coming in December. This is from a new movie that will release in 2024 and the first single has already made a massive impact among fans. The combination of actor Manikandan and Sean Roldan could work out very well here too in the movie "Lover" just like it was flawless for the movie album " Good Night". Kapil Kapilan is taking the world of South Cinema by storm as he sings playback for all languages. Sean Roldans weaves a simple but soulful melody and Kapil is the vehicle to land the song at its rightful destination. The slight Lo-fi and electronic pop influences are not something that Sean attempts often, but he gets it fused with a hummable melody making it a great listen. Mohan Rajan is the lyricist, telling the subject "velagadha enna vitttu valagadha". I like this word 'velagadha' so much more than the stronger word we often hear ' pogadhe'. The song is composed and arranged by Sean with Ashwin Raja producing it. The feeble but beautiful voice of the female belongs to Aparna Harikumar. The stanza is just rich and it makes the heart just grow fonder. Towards the end, Kapil just goes on to improvise, and in a way, it works just like how Arijit has been doing over the years. Ashwin George John is the recording engineer, Rupendar Venkatesh is the mixing and mastering engineer and the music management is by Silver Tree. @kapilkapilanmusic @rseanroldan @mohanrajan_lyrici @nikhila_sankar @rupendar_venkatesh @rupendar_venkatesh @ashwin_george_john @ashwin.raaja @aparnaharikumarh @silvertreeoffl 3. Yaarum Kaanadha 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of October 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Maya Maya SINGERS: PADMAPRIYA RAGHAVAN, CHRISTOPHER STANLEYLYRICS: KARTHIK NETHASONG COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY JUSTIN PRABHAKARANLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music/ PopThis light-hearted movie was wonderful to watch and had some amazing moments to cherish. The song sounds better when heard in the audio rather than in the movie "Irugapatru", but credit goes to Justin Prabhakaran for consistently giving us good songs to hum and sing. He has composed, arranged programmed with all additional programming by Sebastian Sathish. Padmapriya Raghavan is on fire with her vocals and she sings it with such grace and also induces a mild element of teasing and playfulness. The sound of the classical guitar played by Shirish Malhotra adds a layer of romance, and accompanying elements like the bass guitar by Naveen and Trumpets by Vijay, are spotless in execution and arrangements. The song feels like some Latin Pop thanks to the classical guitar and Christopher Stanley matches upto Padmapriya with some passionate vocals. I love the humming portions that make the song groovy. Then the combination of the rhythms and trumpets is gentle on the ears but gigantic on the hearts. Bharath Dhanasekar, a composer with very good talent handles the rhythm programming. The breezy melody will occupy your head for days. The recording engineers are Adhithya Sivakumar, and Kashyap Rammohan, mixing is Balu Thankachan with assistance from Paul Daniel. Gethin John at Hafod Mastering handles mastering duties. @prabhakaranjustin @padmapriya_pp @singerchristopherstanley @karthiknetha_official @adhithya.sivakumar @sebastiansathishmusic @thebaluthankachan @barath_dhanasekar@shirishmalhotra 2. Chella Kalliye Song Composed and Arranged by Sam C.SSinger : Kapil KapilanLyrics: Sam C.SProgrammed by C.D. AnbumaniLanguage: TamilGenre: Light MusicThe movie Parking is being appreciated by reviewers all over and it feels nice to know that good music is also present in good movies. Sam CS is probably at the peak of his powers and his list of scores both in Tamil and Malayalam is finally making the world notice his potential. Keba's acoustic guitars are almost played like the Ukulele and Kapil Kapilan just powers through with his fabulous vocals. The song just transforms into something impactful when the lines " enna maathina maayavi". Sam shines as a lyricist too here.  Keba also plays the electric and bass guitars and Sam composes such an elaborate anupallavi segment here that we hear so many changes, arrangements, a humming etc. Kalyan's electric violin comes in as the interlude and Kiran plays the flute. The elaborate strings section is thanks to Chennai Strings Orchestra. The recording engineers are CD Anbumani, Abishek AR, S Aakash Edwin, with K Mahima Chowdhary as music production manager, Balu Thankachan as mix/master engineer @samcsmusic @thebaluthankachan @kebajer @cdanbumani @kapilkapilanmusic 3. Nagaraatha Nodiyodu Singer: Kapil Kapilan Song composed arranged and programmed by Sam CSLyrics: Karthik Netha Language: TamilGenre: Light MusicThe second S

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of September 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Unakku Thaan Music: Santhosh NarayananSingers: Santhosh Narayanan, Dhvani KailasLyrics: VivekHarmony Vocals: Aditya RavindranLanguage: TamilGenre: Light Music/ LullabyEven as Bollywood struggles to get its musicians to score decent music, they have come to a model where a single movie album has multiple composers. It is in a state of shambles, while industries like Kollywood still keep outclassing with single composer-focussed albums. Here is something new though with "Chithha" having its first single by Dhibu Ninan Thomas and then it was Santhosh Narayanan with the next. If the first song was one of the most melodious of 2023, this special song by Santhosh will touch your heart and grab your attention with a symphony of phenomenal violins and heartwarming lyrics. The unbelievable layers of Violin are thanks to the performance of Anupam Roy with Karthik Manickavasakam's arrangements, and Vivek is the man behind those touching words. Santhosh composes, produces and sings this melody. Santhosh burdens you with his voice and delivery and the mild sadness of the song will get to you thanks to him. The Piano starts flowing like a stream of water that you feel like getting your feet into. It is tempting to focus, but then the focus once again shifts to Anupam's violins when the anupallavi goes " En paarvai unnodu, un bommai kannodu, pesamal vinnodu, naam midhanthu povom, kaathoram adi aalolam". The interlude is enhanced by the Violins and the amazing accompanying vocals of Aditya Ravindran. The layers of vocal harmonies singing the humming are phenomenal and it gets better with the Clarinet joining in and Santhosh singing " pa pa , pa pa pa pa paa". The pause is welcome and sets the tone for the more cheerful and playful stanza. This is thanks to the amazing live rhythms by Karthik Vamsi and Dhvani Kailas' cute vocals reminding me of "Vaa rayil vida polam va" from 'Pariyerum Perumal', also by Santhosh. Santhosh delivers an emotionally apt vocal performance and the outro is fitting and beautiful with the humming, Violins and rhythms coming together. Rupendar Venkatesh, Pranav Muniraj and Santhosh are the recording engineers, with Ruoendar on mixing and mastering and Meenakshi Santhosh functioning as the musicians' co-ordinator. @musicsanthosh @adityaravindran95 @pranavbalu @worldofsiddharth_ @deerajvaidy @meenakshi_santhoshnarayanan @rupendar_venkatesh @thinkmusicofficial @karthikmanickavasakam @_anupamroy 2. Kadhal Payanam Performed by Atulya Karalil, Pradeep Kumar, Vaishakh JyothisWritten by Kablian Shankar, Vaishakh JyothisLanguage: TamilGenre: PopThe voice of Pradeep Kumar resonates the moment he utters the first notes and there are not many like him to sing with such deep emotions in the Tamil space at least. We have the composition by Vaisakh Jyothis and the lyrics by Kabilan Shankar, with Atulya Karalil as the other lead vocalist. I am featuring these artists for the very first time and they sure have impressed me immensely. Josy plays the flute solo, and the acoustic, and electric guitars are played by Anandu Gopal. Atulya holds herself with great style and that is tough to do next to a performer like Pradeep. Atulya's voice is as sweet as they get and she does these brilliant ghamakas with her lines "maamalai mele payanam thodarvene". The electric guitars, bass guitars, and flute solo all make for some fantastic instrumental support. The song keeps getting better with the anupallavi lines like "percentile naam moozhkalaam". The Veena intervention creates moments of ecstasy. Alan Santhosh is the bassist and all the additional vocals we hear belong to Aravind Murali. When I hear the tone of the song, especially the intermittent swaras I am reminded of AR Rahman's "Anarkali" from 'Kangalal Kaidhu Sei' and "Kannalane" from 'Bombay'. Viasakh makes it interesting with a Lo-fi tone and style. I do hear some influences of Raag Abheri, especially with the Veena interludes by Rakshita Ramesh and swaras sung by Atulya. The stanza builds beautifully with even more melodious richness. This is a fantastic and creative production. Ashbin Paulson is the mix/master engineer. @vaisakhvj @pradeepkumar1123 @atulya_music @shreyasundar @josyflute @rakshitaramesh @ashbin.paulson

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of August 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Nam Tham Composed & Arranged by Kalyani NairLyrics: Pradeep KumarSolo Vocals: Kalyani NairOne-man String Quartet: Rithu VysakhLanguage: TamilGenre: A-capella I cannot feel more elated to write about and feature a woman composer at the very top of my week's list. Kalyani Nair is one of the most talented in India and she is rising steadily with every passing day. The Indian Choral Ensemble (TICE) is the brainchild of Kalyani and Karthik Manickavasakam and this single from her upcoming EP is a testament to the talent that Kalyani can boast of. She composed and arranged the song with lyrics by Pradeep Kumar. The seeds of Nam Tham probably were sown long back in 2009 according to Kalyani. In Carnatic music, we call compositions as Ragam Thanam Pallavi, with all 3 segments adopting different styles. Thanam is like a Raga Aalap but with syllables A, Nam and Tham. This composition is based on this with some Tamil lyrics later in the song written by Pradeep. Kalyani's very first tryst with classical Hindustani music was in Raag Kalavati and hence this composition follows that scale mostly. This is the kind of song that can turn your sour, bitter day into something more meaningful and magnificent. TICE is in full flow and no it is more than 40 members strong. We have the high Sopranos with the performers on First Sopranos are Padmaja Sreenivasan, Samanvitha G. Sasidaran and Sushmita Narasimhan, 2nd Sopranos Nidhi Saraogi, Nalini Vittobane and Mezzo Sopranos having Sriradha Bharath and Avantika K. The way these vocalists combine is pure magic and it all comes from Kalyani's years of experience and love for A-capella music. She has arranged vocal harmonies for some of India's finest composers like Santhosh Narayan, Pradeep Kumar and Sean Roldan. The way we hear so many layers and with so many lags, and just past the 1-minute mark, the whole bunch sings " Nam Tha" and we are transported to paradise. The intensity keeps rising and we have the introduction of the strings, with Rithu Vysakh being the 1-man string quartet. The Altos are comprised of Fathima Henna, Aishwarya Ravichandran and Vidhya Vijay on First Altos, Triya Sushma, Nithyasri A on Second Altos. The Tenors are Pranjal Thakore, Sarthak Kalyani, Manikandan Chembai and finally the Basses are Karthik Manickavasakam, Ragu, Dhiyanathiru T, Arul C Durairaj, Regis Tony SD and S Kingslin Pon Bhabha. Kalyani performs the lead vocals when we reach the halfway mark in Tamizh and I hope we have musicians across the country take inspiration from such magnificent work. This along with the next song at number 2 is proof of why music in the South dominates the rest of the country. B Prasanna is the Stereo Mix/Master engineer, and the recording engineers are Lijesh, Davidson and KS Maniratnam@theindianchoralensemble @kalyaninair86 @rithuvysakh @pradeep_kumar1123 @karthikmanickavasakam @b_prasanna 2. Nesam Maruma Singer : Anjana RajagopalanLyrics: Mohan RajanMusic: Girishh GopalakrishnanLanguage: TamilGenre: Opera Nessun Dorma is a famous Aria performed by many Opera Singers. It was written by Giacomo Puccini, but popularized by Pavarotti after his performance for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. This team of Girishh, Anjana and Mohan have re-created India's first Opera SIngle. It is a Himalayan task and has only been possible thanks to the ingenious efforts of the team of musicians. Every word which is originally in Italian, has been recreated to sound similar but the words are Tamil. For example, the title "Nesam Maruma" sounds almost the same as "Nessun Dorma". If we get to the arrangement, it is thanks to Anjana Rajagopalan and the whole production and adaptation are carried out by Girish Gopalakrishnan. These are some of India's brightest talents and so let us celebrate them. When it comes to this vocal performance, I have no words. People who have come from Chennai, are quite aware of Anjana's abilities as a vocalist, especially in the Opera style, but this is something else. We are probably listening to the best vocal performance of 2023 by any Indian artist. Just Listen, enjoy and don't mind if you get a tear or two rolling down your cheeks. The more you hear, the more you tend to appreciate the work that has gone into it. The strings section, and the Harp all are so beautifully arranged. But a standing ovation is needed for Girishh, Anjana and Mohan. The backing vocalists are Roshni Sharon, Shilpa Natarajan, Valentina Gasper, Ebenezer Arunkumar, Prashant Gasper, Dobbin Raj and Regis Tony SD. After she hits that final high note the, strings section takes over and this is what magic is. Subbiah Arunachalam is the recording engineer, Sai Shravanam is the mix/master engineer. All the amazing symphony we hear is performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague with Samarth Srinivasan supervising the recording session. 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of July 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Paththu MilligramPerformed by  Benny Dayal , Bryden & ParthComposed & Produced by - Bryden LewisLyrics by - Madhan Karky Genre: Indie PopI have been enamoured by the musical prowess of this duo called Bryden & Parth. They have taken the Indian music scene by storm, and I have already featured 3 of their singles from the album " Chameleon World". Now this Tamil song is at the top of the Tamil JUly charts. What can I say? Well, the album is destined to be the No.1 of the year in India for 2023. The duo of Bryden Lewis and Parth Chandiramani march along and they employ an ideal suspect to kill this song vocally, Benny Dayal. He has a trained voice, with immense skill to sing multiple styles and naturally carries a profound zest to perform a song. Bryden plays the electric guitars and Parth is scintillating on the Bansuri. The lyrics are interesting talking about Bhakti and worship. Osigo Mango is the bassist per usual and the gang is having a ball when you listen, it feels great to have such fantastic Rock styled music in Tamil. I love the line " Unaketha pola madha rulesa mathikko, adhu worl aalena madhatha mathikko". The concept is so refreshing talking about the triviality of religion and especially the rules which are forced upon us. Siddharth Kamat is the keyboardist and we have the drums played by Liben Tom and Kamal on percussions. We also have this Latin Jazz-styled percussions and guitars engaging together with the flute solo. Shruti Dhasmana and Benny are on backing vocal duties towards the Gospel-esque end. Benny is on fire reminding me of AR Rahman and Sid Sriram's "Adiye". The cover art looks fantastic and it is by Alicia Goveas, Vivek Thomas is the mixing engineer and mastering is done by Robin Schmidt. The recording engineers are Rahul Narayan and Vivek.@brydenparth @madhankarky  @robin.schmidt.mastering @vivekthomasproductions @rahul.narayan.15 @aliciagoveas @bennydayalofficial @parth_chandiramani @brydenlewis @osigomango @libentom @siddhartkamath @kamaldrummer @shrutidhasmana2. ManidhaSong conceived, composed and arranged by Manoj KrishnaVocals: Manoj Krishna, Gana Balamurugan Lyrics: Dilip Kumar Music Producer: Manoj Krishna Vocal Harmonies Arranged by Kalyani Nair Genre: Gana/BluesI have been featuring Manoj Krishna in my Tamil monthlies for more than a couple of years now, and he has had some fantastic semi-classical numbers released. But this time I am most elated because he has tried something new and fresh. The joy is multi-fold because Manoj shines in this composition Gana Balamurugan sings in this style known to Chennai Vaasis, called "gaana". Manoj then accompanies with a beautiful aalap and his vocals carry the classical Carnatic style. Kalyani Nair, Sushmitha Narasimhan, Manikandan Chembai and Manoj Krishna perform the Choir vocals and the arrangements for these are done by the supremely talented Kalyani. You have to take multiple attempts to understand all the amazing things that are transpiring in this song. The vocal arrangements need special attention, but you also need to focus on the vibrato by Manoj when he sings " vazhka unakku kadavul thandha parisu", especially the last word. Manoj had composed, conceptualised the song and also arranged the live instrumentals. We have Vijay Ganesan on electric guitars and all the additional programming is by Ashwin Raja and Sachin Bharathvaj. Dilip Kumar writes excellent lines and we have some fantastic keys and synths in the interludes, where I get a sense of Sindhubhairavi Ragam in Manoj's aalap. The highlight is the humming where they go " yea yea yea yea yea..... yea yea yea". A big round of applause to Dilip for relevant, deeply philosophical yet witty lyrics. " lifu oru mayajalam, kandapadi podun kolon, uyiruuku thaan velaya pesun kaalon". Enjoy the song a learn a little more about this guft called life. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Rupendar Venkatest and Anish Mohan i

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Yaavum Gnaayum Song Composed, Arranged and Produced by Yuvan Shankar RajaLyricist: YugabharathiSinger: Shivani PanneerselvamGenre: Synth-PopNever have the sound of guitars felt so funky and cool in a while, and this song captures your imagination the moment the title of 'Modern Love Chennai' comes on. The arrangements ooze style and this has to be Yuvan Shankar Raja's best song since 'Rowdy Baby'. Yuvan displays what his pedigree is all about and if these sounds don't urge you to listen, then wait for more.Shivani Pannerselvam is singing this like a dream, that you never want to get out of, like in the movie 'Inception'. This dream sounds and feels so much better than reality, but Shivani's vocal prowess and performance are real. The control she exhibits in delivering these lines is sensational, especially in the tenor/baritone scale. The stanza is beautifully composed and gives you that hummable feeling, and Yuvan ensures that the tone of the song remains intact. He does some fabulous production towards the end as you can feel the keyboard programming creating that intensity in the background. Kumaraguruparan .M does the mixing and mastering and the brilliant lyrics are by one of the busiest lyricists in Kollywood, Yugabharathi. @itsyuvan @shivanipannerselvam 2. UravuPerformed by Padmapriya Raghavan, Sean RoldanWritten by Sean Roldan, YughabharathiGenre: Melody/PopWe have the best two songs of the month both from Amazon Prime Video's Modern Love Chennai. This is Sean Roldan's magic and he is spreading love through the amazing power of music. The song is composed, produced and arranged by this composer who is showing some amazing resurgence of form of late. It is on par with the number 1 song of the month in almost every aspect. Padmapriya Raghavan is glorious as the female lead vocalist and I am hearing after a long time since that crowning jewel of a song 'Megathoodham'. I just love the line "Oru Kadhai ing mudivathaikandu kalakkamum etharkadi" and it is not just the melody in the notes, but Sean's voice and the strings section, Accordion and guitars in the background that just conquer my heart. Yugabharati writes these amazing lines. The anupallavi segment is so rich and it gets better with "uravennum perum kathai , uyirgalin thodarkathai". The whistle just makes a solid interlude for a love song. Sean hits the jackpot with a beautifull crafted stanza and I was blown away at around the 2.10 minute mark when Padmapriya sings "Uravennum Perum kathai" and the Piano plays some succulent and dreamy chords. @rseanroldan @padmapriya_raghavan @yughabharathi3. UrudhiSong Curation: Sean RoldanSong Narrative: Sean RoldanVocals: Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Arifullah Shah RafaeeWritten By: Krithika NelsonComposed By: Sean RoldanMusic Arranged & Produced by: Sean RoldanMixed by: Toby Joseph at TobsGarageMastered by: Randy MerillSomeone please call the fire station, it is an emergency. That's right, Sean Roldan is on fire!!!!!. Here is the Coke Studio Tamil song featuring renowned Carnatic Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan and Nagoor Styled Tamil Sufi singer Arifullah Shah Rafaee. The union between the two styles is seamless and feels like a match made in heaven. The song is composed by Sean Roldan and written by singer-songwriter Krithika Nelson. 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Chill Makka Song Composed, Arranged And Produced by Sean RoldanSinger: Pradeep KumarLyricist: Mohan RajanMusic Producer: Sean RoldanGenre: Latin Jazz/PopIt is no mean feat to have two splendid songs in the same album. It used to be a regular occurrence when Ilaiyaraja and AR Rahman used to have 4 to 5 fabulous songs packed into a single album. Anyway, Sean Roldan has done a tremendous job with both 'Naan Gaali' ( NO. 1 Tamil song last month) and Chill Makka topping this month. This is a Pradeep Kumar special, as the playback specialist shows why he is fantastic not only in morose songs, but he can pack a punch in breezy singles as well. If 'Naan Gaali' felt like a tribute to Maestro Ilaiyaraja, this feels like one to ARR, as I get a sense of some similarity with 'Kick Yeruthe' from the movie 'Padaiyappa'. Bhuvanesh Narayanan on Keys and Ricardo Jimenez on trumpets set the tone straight away giving the song a Latin Jazz tone. When a song is produced in this style, rhythms become a crucial element and this is where RK Sundar comes in for producing and recording the rhythms. It is then Pradeep chilling out with his vocals and you can sense the minute vibrato and improvised ghamakas Pradeep brings to the table.Vijay Ganesan makes his presence felt on the electric guitars, while Aalaap Raju shines on his bass guitars. The line "Enni paaru, Sonna Kelu" is when you can hear the fantastic interplay between Trumpets, bass guitars, Keys and rhythms. The stanza begins with some nice Accordion sounds accompanying Pradeep's lead, and the most astonishing line is when he sings "Kolla inbam irukku, athai alla neram othu" and kudos to Sean, Mohan Rajan on lyrics and Pradeep for getting it done perfectly blended. The recording engineers are Manoj Krishna, and Aswin George John with Cedric Sherwin, and Guru Hariraj assisting. The second interlude is beautiful with the Keys, Harmonica, and electric guitar. Balu Thankachan is the mix/master engineer with Paul Daniel assisting. MP Vijay of Silver Tree Management is the manager for Sean Roldan. @rseanroldan @mohanrajan_lyrici @the.meethling @pradeep_kumar1123 @vjganesan @bhuvanesh_keys @aalaapraju @ricardo.jimenez.music @silvertreeoffl @thebaluthankachan2. Thaaragaye Music: Barath DhanasekarLyricist: Hemanth Prakash Singer: Abhijith AnilkumarGenre: Filmi PopI am extremely delighted with Barath Dhanasekar's composition in the new album "Halal Shawarma" because there are two fantastic songs which are getting featured here this month. A few months ago I featured a very beautiful melody by him in Telugu called 'Naa Dhaarullonaa'. This song is composed and produced by Barath with Abhijit Anilkumar on vocals and Hemanth Prakash writing the lyrics. I remember Abhijit's fantastic number for the Malayalam album "Vaashi" last year and here he reminds me of singer Haricharan, especially in the higher pitch singing "Tharagaye tholaivagidave, aarirule". Hemanth Prakash writes these beautiful lines.Sanjay Balajee beings the proceedings with a beautiful solo on the flute, giving out the song's opening, and Naveen Napier plays the bass guitar. The song has a rich Pallavi and Anu Pallavi as well, and here we have sounds of the acoustic guitar by Sam Solomon and Veena by Anantha as well playing in the background. Pavithran Jack and Shiva Sai play all the percussion. Paying closer attention there is also a layer of the flute and vocal harmonies in the background, so well done Barath for the fantastic arrangements and production. Dan Kristen does all the keyboard programming, with Rokesh Antoney and Immanuel Raj on additional programming. We have a Harris Jayaraj styled fast-paced, Veena and bass guitar-filled interlude aided by catchy rhythms. Barath composes a very exciting stanza with this line being the best "ranamana enathullam, thudikkum aazhangalil". This is one fantastic single with Abhijit excelling in all the ghamakas, timed and executed to perfection. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Roshan Sebastian. @abhijithanilkumar_ @flute_balajee @dystopian_hippie @napier_naveen @saregamatamil @percussion_pavithran @dan_kristen @roshansebastian 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Naan GaaliSingers - Sean Roldan, Kalyani Nair Lyricist - Mohan Rajan Programmed, Arranged and Produced by Sean Roldan Genre: Filmi Melody/PopSean Roldan has been a busy man of late composing songs for Coke Studio Tamil, but more than the songs there I have been incredibly impressed with his score in this movie 'Goodnight'. It is a movie that is being raved about thanks to a great screenplay and acting performance by Manikandan. Kollywood for ages has been dependent on songs and background scores to elevate a movie and its messaging and Sean Roldan like before has set out in the right direction for this movie. His songs and score for 'Jai Bhim' in 2021 were excellent and with 'Goodnight' his songs have created enough hype for me to watch the movie too. I have long been proclaiming that the trio of Pradeep Kumar, Sean Roldan and Santhosh Narayanan is the greatest thing that happened to Tamil music since 2010, and with all of them rising, Sean stands out as the closest we have to Ilaiyaraja in terms of the core melody of a song. Sean's formula for success is simple - to keep the song's melody pure and rich. He does that with this amazing song and with his unique vocal tone we only fall in love more. Kalyani Nair the multi-faceted musician joins on board as a vocalist and she fully handles the arrangements of the strings section. It is outstanding in the stanzas, interludes and especially the outro. The song is programmed, arranged and produced by Sean Roldan. The lovely whistle and in close quarters we have Ashwin Suresh playing the acoustic guitars, and he also plays the electric guitar. Watch out for the fantastic keys that come in during the opening lines.When he sings "Balcony Kathula, vasam than kooduthu" we hear the fantastic strings in the background thanks to the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, and it is composer Balasubramanian G who is the Orchestra Coordinator. The song's tone reminds me of Sean's score for the album "Power Paandi". The supreme convergence of guitars, strings, keys and rhythms is just like a symphony of love. The interlude which has the guitars playing and the mild pauses on the drums and strings reminds of Genius Ilaiyaraja's works as well, especially when you hear Kalyani's humming. The stanza picks off from that humming and we are taken back to the 80s and 90s when Janaki used to dominate in such songs. I have been critical of Sean's vocal performances of late especially when the notes are high-pitched, but here he is on fire. The line "heartu rateu eruthe, fuse pona lifelum, bulbu brightu aaguthe" is magical, to say the least. It makes my life and day brighten up like a bulb when I hear these notes and the strings section works overtime in the background. Mohan Raja has shown his wittiness with these fantastic lyrics. The sorcery of the guitars and female humming continues in the second interlude and I am thankful Sean went for two stanzas, something I miss in today's songs. Aswin George is the recording engineer at Sounds Right and the song is mixed and mastered by Balu Thankachan at 20db with Paul Daniel assisting this session. Songs of the Maestro like "Rojan poo aadivanthathu" are what I keep getting reminded of when I hear this phenomenal chart-busting song. Thank you Sean Roldan and team. 2. Timeless LoveSong Composed by: Ilaiyaraaja Arranged and Produced by: Yuvan Shankar Raja Lyrics: Madan Karky Singer: Yuvan Shankar Raja, Kapil Kapilan Genre: Blues/PopI played this song with very low expectations because the music has been decent if not very good in a Venkat Prabhu film. As the song began I was slowly intrigued and by the time we hit the stanza, I was sold. The song had credits mentioning Yuvan Shankar Raja and I came to know that he is the man behind the terrific arrangements and production. Kudos to Yuvan for coming up with the goods again, but little did I know that the song was composed by the Maestro Ilaiyaraja. The stanza is clearly in his style and it also shows what he is still capable of. Napoleon's seductive flu solo plays in the beginning, almost like "Elangathu Veesuthe". Kapil Kapilan lends his astonishing voice and he shines in such vocally-demanding songs, we have a fantastic Blues-pop song here. The finger flicks, the Saxophone and the Upright bass are so intricately arranged. The song feels very much like Maestro's 'Puthu Mappillaikku" from 'Aboorva Sagotharargal'. The Trumpets and Trombone are played by Babu while the Saxophone is executed by Raja, and they all come alive in the interlude. The melody in the stanza is the highlight and who other than Ilaiyaraja could come up with a tune like this? My favourite lines are " pencil aale enthan vazhvai maatri theetinaay...kalloori naatkil yaavilum en thogai aaginay". As a music lover and a music journalist, it is for these moments that I live and pray. These lines to me feel like a bit of Bihag Ragam. Kapil Kapilan, who I have long been claiming as one of India's finest vocalists now performs for Ilaiyaraja and with this kind of panache. The second interlude is a supreme coming together of all live instruments and feels like a fine piece of Theatre music. The brisk tempo drops just in time for the start of the stanza, and that is fantastically innovative. The male harmonies are by Sam, Sarath Santhosh, Narayanan. The song mildly also reminds me "Oho Megham vanthatho". M Kumaraguruparan has done the mixing and mastering.