Album Notes

Charulatha Mani is a popular Carnatic Musician and Cine Playback Singer. She has been performing Carnatic concerts worldwide for more than 10 years and has sung in more than 20 films for top composers including Vijay Antony, A.R. Rahman, Dina, Harris Jeyaraj, and others. Her many movie songs include chart-toppers such as "Chillax", "En Ucchi Mandaiyile", "Kaaka Kaaka" and many others. Charulatha's frequent TV appearances include the long-running "Isai Payanam" JayaTV series of over 100 episodes on Ragas in Film Music.

This album is a live recording of a Madras Music Season concert, December 2011. Performing in the lovely ambience of the Buddha Gardens, Charulatha, presents a mix of classical kritis of Thyagaraja and Dikshitar with Ragam, Taanam, Neraval, Kalpana Swaras, and also popular Tamil Favourites of Bharathiar, Papanasam Sivan, Mayuram Viswanatha Sastry, and a Namdev Abhang, rounded off with a lively Thillana in Raga Desh.

In her inimitable style, Charulatha intersperses the pieces with explanations (in Tamil), conveying the meaning of the lyrics and the ragas used.
Blessed with a voice of attractive timbre and comfortably wide tessitura, Charulatha's renditions do justice to these exquisite compositions. The artiste's raga explorations are inspired. The shorter pieces are chosen for their universal appeal, and are performed with aplomb and verve.