'Settai' - instantly catchy

Film: "Settai"; Music Director: S.S Thaman; Singers: Megha, Vijay Prakash, Gaana Bala, Karthik, Suchithra, Andrea Jeremiah, Chinmayi, Sricharan, Anbu Raju and Dhevan; Rating: ***

The soundtrack of "Settai", the Tamil remake of the adult comedy "Delhi Belly", doesn't have the cuss words and expletives of the original. The songs are catchy, hilarious and, most importantly, short. Each song is less than four minutes, and therefore holds the attention of the listener.

The opening track "Agalardhey agalardhey" by Megha and Vijay Prakash is one of the most popular songs of the album. Effervescent voices of the singers are strongly backed by extended bass beats played throughout the song, while the mellow tune of the synthesiser adds a nice ring to the song.

"Edhathaan kanduttey nee pudhusa" by Gaana Bala is one of the songs with lines that could easily be misinterpreted for double meaning words. However, Bala's lyrics, written with deftness, lean more towards being hilarious than sounding lewd. This is a typical Bala song crooned in his inimitable style, making it catchier than anticipated.

The next number is singlehandedly carried by Suchithra until Karthik is introduced to carry it forward. "Arjuna arjuna" may not make for the best song in the album, but is definitely one of the more stimulating songs. Thaman mellows down with his pick of instruments and largely backs the song with one or two instruments such as shehnai and occasional pads.

"Laila laila" is a heavy percussion-driven number with a touch of eastern flavour. Even though Andrea's voice adds some energy into the track, the overall composition turns repetitive with synth-based instruments. The jarring mix only turns irksome after a point in the song.

Chinmayi and Sricharan are the perfect pick for the refreshing number "Poyum poyum indha kadhalukkulle", which has witty lines by Madhan Karky. A heavy mix of acoustic and bass guitar brings forth the cheerful mood of the song. Even though Thaman's tune is catchy, there are instances in the song when one is reminded heavily of bits and pieces lifted from albums from other languages.

The theme music by Anbu Raja and Dhevan follows the tune and tempo of the Hindi chartbuster "D.K. Bose" from the original. However, the composer has refrained from using expletives and instead plays with random words and instruments.

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Settai