Identical but not same

If you don’t refer to the singer list in the CD, there is a high likelihood that you’ll confuse between Vijay Yesudas and Madhu Balakrishnan. Both aspire to fill the void left over by Yesudas (given the legend’s absence in the film music space). Vijay Yesudas belongs to Yuvan Shankar Raja camp and sings mostly for movies composed by YSR and Ilayaraja. Madhu Balakrishnan belongs to the Vidyasagar camp and is not usually seen in movies composed by other music directors (except for a few Ilayaraja movies).

Both Vijay and Madhu have been making a mark in the Tamil music scene. Recent songs like Tajmahal Oviyakaadhal (Kalvanin Kaadhali) and Dhavani Potta Deepavali (Sandai Kozhi) prove that Vijay Yesudas is here to stay. Vijay’s Naanaga Naanirundhen (Gambheeram) and Enakku Piditha Paadal (Julie Ganapathy) remain my all time favourites.

Madhu Balakrishnan shot to fame with Parthiban Kanavu. In terms of sheer numbers, he has not sung that many songs to get noticed. Madhu Balakrishnan’s Oru Kili and Thangakkili (both from Paramasivan) are definitely worth a try.

With very little to differentiate between them, there is a possibility that one of them will lose out in the long run.

Vidyasagar gets inspired by Mudhalvan

Inspiration is not new to the music industry. Vidyasagar might not be as bad as Deva but he doesn’t have a clean slate either. He had directly lifted a piece from the string quartet Bond for a song in the movie Parthiban Kanavu. His recent release Thambi is not devoid of such inspirations. The song Sudum Nilavu seems to be strongly influenced by ARR’s Azhagaana Ratchasiye (Mudhalvan).