SV Krishna Reddy's new film Leta Manasulu, starring Srikanth, Kalyani and Gopika [of Naa Autograph] has Keeravani composing tender songs like those in SV Krishna Reddy's earlier hit albums - Mayalodu, Subhalagnam, Yamaleela to name a few. All the songs have been worded without any unnecessary gibberish just sticking to Telugu words. But sadly, most of them are sung by non-Telugu singers. Continue reading for more.

1. Toli toli korika
There cannot be a better example than this where the singer, talented yet alien to the language, just kills the song with terrible pronunciations. And I am talking about Madhusree. For starters, she is the one who sang Sankuraathri kodi [Yuva]. She is talented beyond doubt but her mispronunciations are inexcusable. And Keeravani has to be blamed for this. What's ironical is that Keeravani, who pens this song, could actually be happy with the way his words are sung. Tippu is his usual self. Music wise, this is just an okay number.

2. Kanula kEla
Though the song has typical Keeravani orchestration it aids in the smooth flow of the song. And the beauty of the song lies in Bhuvanachandra's sweet lyrics where the hero is trying his best to make his angry wife smile. Bhuvanachandra's lyrics are a revelation of his talent, which is mainly synonymous with a glut of mass songs he has penned in the past. Bindu and Keeravani sing this one nicely. (A similar song - Entandanga undo [sung by Unni Krishnan, Suneetha, music: SV Krishna Reddy, lyrics: Sirivennela (?)] - about a husband trying to woo his wife, who is cross with him, in SV Krishna Reddy's Ugaadi is worth recollecting.)

3. Kur ku kooru
I don't get it. I just don't get it why Keeravani spoils another song in this album by opting for a non-Telugu singer, Shreya Ghoshal. (Phew!). Bhuvanachandra's lyrics talk about the pranks of the gal in her village and the singer doesn't do full justice singing his words. Shreya's effort to sing this song, that has a continuous flow of words for most part, is appreciable but that doesn't necessarily translate into a desirable outcome.

4. Leta manasaa
This serves as a good lilting music piece to ease the tension of a busy day. Sit back, play this music bit, sip your favorite coffee, close your eyes and while bringing out all the tension of the day, devour the soothing effect of this. Suneetha's aalapana gels perfectly with Keeravani's music. Two suggestions for people liking this one. Firstly, have you tried Chitra's alaap version of Maa ne kaha [Zakhm, music: MM Kreem]? That's a beautiful number with just Chitra's alaap and no lyrics per se. Secondly, there is this slow yet fascinating number Manasaa [sung by Chitra, music: SV Krishna Reddy, lyrics: Sirivennela] from Aahwanam. You may want to try these.

5. Aanaati mana chelimi
This song talking about 'aanaati chelimi' takes you back to 'aa rojulu' [those bygone days]. The instrumentation and the lyrics (by Bhuvanachandra) are 80's like. Keeravani and Sadhana Sargam sing this one. Another okay number but with good pallavi.

6. Tannana tannana
This is the best number in this album. Keeravani's lyrics are not extraordinary but at the same time they are not ordinary either. In an album with 5 songs, of which three songs are sung by singers whose pronunciations are comparable to Savitha Reddy's dubbing for Telugu heroines, trust me its a relief to listen to Chitra sing this one. Keeravani gives her good company. His orchestration makes this one a mellifluous melody.

Overall, the plusses of this album are the two instantly likeable melodies - Kanula kEla and Tannana tannana. And the downside of this album is too many non-Telugu singers unable to deliver the goods well. I am not lamenting just because of the non-Telugu factor. Haven't we enjoyed a non-Telugu singer like Chitra, who rarely faltered with her pronunciations, sing Telugu songs? So, it's not my ire against non-Telugu singers. It's just that when the music director opts for such singers, it is his responsibility to make the singer deliver the goods well. The main drawback of Hindi singers singing in Telugu is that since they are not too familiar with what they are singing; their modulations are not good enough. Sadhana Sargam, Shreya Ghoshal and Madhusree are highly talented singers with some of the best Hindi songs in recent times to their credit. Madhusree's Kabhi neem neem [Yuva] is a winner mainly because of her rendition. Shreya Ghoshal is surely emerging the numero uno singer in Hindi with various hits to her credit. And Sadhana Sargam's Aao na [Kyon? Ho Gaya Na] is a rage today. But their popularity alone is not good enough for us to accept them with their current levels of pronunciations of Telugu words. Keeravani's tender compositions in this album, for the most part, come with trifling pronunciations by the singers. And that's not too encouraging.

This audio is marketed and distributed by Madhura Entertainment.

Sreya Picks: Kanula kEla, Tannana tannana

Click here to read the other articles by Sreya Sunil

Other audio reviews by Sreya Sunil
Arjun
Naa Autograph
Pallakilo Pellikoothuru
Gharshana
Sri Anjaneyam
Arya
Naani
Nenunnanu
Anji
Varsham
Andhrawala
Kal Ho Naa Ho
LoC Kargil
Shivamani
Okariki Okaru
Boys
Vasantham
Simhadri
Donga Ramudu & Party
Oka Raju Oka Rani
Nijam
Johnny
Raghavendra
Appudappudu
Gangotri
Okkadu
Manmadhudu
Thottigang
Khagam
Eeswar
Nee Sneham
Bobby
Nuvve Nuvve
Gemini
Chenna Kesava Reddy
Okato Number Kurraadu
Sontham
Baba
Holi
Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru
Allari Ramudu
Indra
Jayam
Sreeram
Kanulu Moosina Neevaye
Vasu
Santosham