Been reading for some days about Naresh Iyer on the web and on numerous blogs. Although I did watch V channel Super Singer last year, I never got to see Naresh cos I started watching the show when the 6 finalists were shortlisted and from there on.

Naresh has been making waves for sometime esp after the music of Rang De Basanti came out and his Paatshaala, Roobaroo, and Tu Bin Bataye became popular. I, like every other music aficionado, started searching for other songs sung by this guy, and came across some Tamil albums namely Ah Aah, GodFather and Saravanaa. Listened to those songs, but this one song struck me like none other (the rest really didn't have the AR touch, but then I assume that I probably have to listen to them properly to let them grow on me). The song I got  hooked onto is Mayilirage from Ah Aah, sung by Madhushree and Naresh Iyer. The song is quite a piece, with wonderful thavil beats, that probably only AR Rahman can mix like this in this day of music :). I know nothing of Tamil actually (I can understand some words but I've never really been able to converse in the language/understand the song meanings - hey, btw if someone knows the meaning of this song or can translate it for me, I will be obliged to you :) ) but even I found Madhushree's pronunciation totally irritating. Tamil songs are usually free flowing, and Madhushree stutters across each word and the lyrics sound totally wierd when she sings the song. I love her voice though, so maybe I could bear with it.

Naresh Iyer in this song is radical. Listen to this part which he sings somewhere in the middle of the song (I took the lyrics from another blog :) so don't blame me if some parts of it r wrong - I anyway did make a few changes based on my hearing) My heart skips several beats when I listen to his voice here, I visualize wisps of feathers floating around and I feel those tugs and thumps of love deep inside me ...

uyirai thodanga varum
nee dhaane mei ezhuthu
naan podum kai ezhuthu anbae
ulagam mozhiyil varum ellame naer ezhuthu
kaadhal dhaan kal aRithu anbae

This guys voice is made for soft numbers. His voice in Tu Bin Bataye in Rang De Basanti is also amazing, esp. when he sings

mann ki gali tu phuhaaron si aa
bheeg jaye mere khwabon ka kafila
jise tu gungunaye meri dhun hai wahin
tu bin bataye mujhe le chal kaheen
jahan tu muskuraye meri manzil wahin

(Now these lyrics I can understand ;) ) Hearing him is like the feeling you get when tiny silvery snow flakes touch your face... his pronunciation, and the way his breath echoes some parts of the words; I'm totally hooked. I have heard some of the fast and peppy numbers he's sung and I think he's done a really good job, but with these two songs, he's the one new singer I'm really looking forward to hear more of.

Rahman has this penchant of picking up really class stuff out of the masses, and Karthik and Naresh are two of the real gems he's picked up in recent times. I have heard people say Naresh sounds like Karthik, but for me they belong to two totally different genres. Naresh's voice has a rough edge which is totally intriguing (listen to Roobaroo to get my point), while Karthik for me is trained and soulful, controlled yet free-flow (listen to Oru Maalai from Ghajini, Kiru Kiru from Kaadhal and Ale Ale from Boys).

Well, thumbs up to more music from these two new guys, and to Rahman for discovering them!