Onlookers Top 10: Here’s the list of best songs of 2018
As 2018 is coming to a close, let’s take a look back at some of the best Malayalam songs this year. Note that the list is in no particular order.
1. Cherukadha Pole and Kinavu Kondu (Sudani From Nigeria)
It is only apt that a heartwarming film like this has two soothing melodies. The beautiful relationship that Sudu shares with the two ummas and his club manager Maji is beautifully captured in these songs.
Cherukadha Pole:
Composer – Rex Vijayan
Singer – Rex Vijayan
Lyrics – BK Harinarayanan
Kinavu Kondu:
Composer – Rex Vijayan
Singers – Neh Nair, Imam Majboor
Lyrics – Anvar Ali
2. Poomuthole and Karineela Kannulla Pennu (Joseph)
Rookie composer Ranjin Raj struck gold with ‘Joseph’ as all the songs in the movie were noted, with ‘Poomuthole’ and ‘Karineela Kannulla Pennu’ becoming instant favourites.
Poomuthole:
Composer – Ranjin Raj
Singers – Niranj Suresh, Vijay Yesudas (Film version)
Lyrics – Ajeesh Dasan
Karineela Kannulla Pennu:
Composer – Ranjin Raj
Singers – Karthik, Akhila Anand
Lyrics – BK Harinarayanan
3. Vaanaville and Minnaminni (Koode)
Anjali Menon’s emotional tale of relationships had some fine songs that were instrumental in storytelling. She hired the services of two composers, M Jayachandran and Raghu Dixit, and both delivered their best. ‘Koode’ is easily one of the best soundtracks of the year.
Vaanaville:
Composer – M Jayachandran
Singer – Karthik
Lyrics – Rafeeq Ahammed
Minnaminni:
Composer – M Jayachandran
Singer – Abhay Jodhpurkar
Lyrics – Rafeeq Ahammed
4. Nilapakshi and Kaadhale (Maradona)
Another album that oozed freshness is ‘Maradona’ from the extremely talented Sushin Shyam. It is a complete album which includes a couple of delightful melodies and a striking Malayalam rap track.
Nilapakshi:
Composer – Sushin Shyam
Singers – Sushin Shyam, Neha Nair
Lyrics – Vinayak Sasikumar
Kaadhale:
Composer – Sushin Shyam
Singers – Sruthy Sasidharan
Lyrics – Vinayak Sasikumar
5. Ranam Title Track
This Jakes Bejoy track is a first-of-its-kind song in Malayalam with a completely unique tune. It has an international appeal with a mix of English, Malayalam and Tamil lyrics that paints a brief picture on the city of Detroit where the story is happening.
Composer – Jakes Bejoy
Singer – Ajaey Shravan, Jakes Bejoy, Neha S Nair, Saint TFC
Lyrics – Manoj Kuroor
6. Jeevamshamayi (Theevandi)
The blockbuster song of the year, ‘Jeevamshamayi’ topped the music charts for several weeks on the trot. Besides that, the movie has some other lovely foot-tapping tracks like the fun ‘Oru Theepattikum Venda’ and ‘Maanathe Kanalali’.
Composer – Kailas Menon
Singers – Harisankar, Shreya Ghoshal
Lyrics – Harinarayanan BK
7. Mizhi Niranju (Eeda)
This Romeo-Juliet story set in the backdrop of Kannur politics didn’t get a fair run in the theatres but the song ‘Mizhi Niranju’ was well received. A beautiful melody that traces the blooming stages of an intense relationship between two youngsters from different backgrounds.
Composer: John P Varkey
Singers: Amal Antony, Roshni Suresh
Lyrics: Anvar Ali
8. Vennilave (Queen)
Jakes Bejoy’s chartbuster songs played a vital role in the movie emerging as a sleeper hit. A broken hero, who has realized the need to ‘move on’, attending the mehendi function of his ex-girlfriend and wishing her luck is not something we normally see in South Indian movies. Usually, it’s the perfect situation for a drunk-soup song, but not here. That’s why ‘Vennilave’ is the pick of the album.
Composer – Jakes Bejoy
Singers – Harisankar, Sooraj Santhosh, Zia Ul Haq, Ajaey Shravan
Lyrics – Jyothish T Kasi
9. Rasaathi (Aravindante Athidhikal)
Vineeth Sreenivasan’s track record as a playback singer is impeccable with almost all his songs turning hits. And, when he teams up with Shaan Rahman, he never fails to deliver the best. ‘Rasaathi’ is easily one of the best from the superhit combo of Vineeth and Shaan.
Composer – Shaan Rahman
Singer – Vineeth Sreenivasan, Liya Susan Varghese
Lyrics – BK Harinarayanan
10. Poomaram
This Abrid Shine directorial has a stellar soundtrack comprising of 10 songs. While the movie has received extremely polar reviews, its music has won hearts unanimously. Its imposible to single out one out from this gem of an album.
Composers – Perumbavur G Raveendranath, Gopi Sunder, Faisal Razi, Leela L Girikkuttan, Arackal Nandakumar, Nasil P, KA Aneesh, Vishnu Sivasankar, Saayojya Das
Singers – Karthik, Faisal Razi, Chithra, Shreya Ghoshal, Shikha Prabhakaran, Ismath, Sarvasri, Nasil P
Lyrics – Ajeesh Dasan, Balachandran Chullikkad, Nasil P, Aashan Babu, Dayal Singh, Arackal Nandakumar, Dr. Padmabhushan Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman, BK Harinarayanan