Songs from the movie "Manapandhal" starring Saroja Devi/SSR composed by the duo VR created a natural foam of haunting molodies coupled with poetic lyrics of Kannadasan describing a deep and devoted love.
One such melody that fascinated me all through my early years was " Unakku Mattum Unakku Mattum..Ragasiyamn Solven..Antha Ragasiyathai Oravarukkum Solli Vidathe". A song that was born out of fertile and creative colloboration of musical genius of VR and Smt. P. Susheela during TFM's rennaisance period.
Assemble PS & VR, the resulting product is one of unique style that combines sophisticated compositions, lyrics, heavenly voice and arrangements with roots music and tradition. The mentioned song details almost the buddha-like characteristics of a person who earns the character's (singer's) love.
I am always convinced that composers very much lean upon ther own cultural/musical nomenclature, but, liberally borrowing from the heritage of spanish, portugese, gypsy, french, italian and russian influences.

The song resembles in some sense (folkloric) like a classic colombian melody "Bunde Tollimense" that was composed by Albert Castillo in 1914. PS had many a break-points under VR's magical wand, but, this song had an urgency and a purpose as well. Looks like they might have gone to the drawing boards like the soul singers.

This is about someone's jubilation of love. Around that was built such a sophistication, the percussion, and the harmonic equilibrium with all the pieces of PS's vocalise perfectly interlocking with the song sequence.

How does one do that song after song after song........Well PS might have pushed for greatness each time and that was her state of mind. You could see the music and PS's voice weaving so smoothly without a sign of fragmentation. The duo and PS kept coming up with a winner.
You want to listen to this song over and over again. That's consistency. Its a mystical journey, an incredible ride that draws you in with every pulse (like the prelude from 'Papa was a Rollin Stone"). PS's legacy is hard to fill and her molodies dont fade and feel dated.
There's no heaviness; she lets the gloom and joy speak for itself. Rather, she keeps her tonal textures light and supple, poetic flow exciting, and goes for broke at the climaxes, yet, they weave into each other with purposeful continuity.
Her transitions from one passge to another are seamless (like Sergei Rachmaninoff's "song for voice and piano"-Vocalise).
Starting with a sometimes brooding landscape at a leisurely glide, she settles easily into one of the most beautiful melodies ever penned providing the perfect denouement. The orchestral balance is perfect, moving underneath a sheet of oceanic ambience as if she herself controlled it with her voice
This is a top-notch performance. Hope everyone agrees with that.