From the maker of Super duper hit "Lagaan", which was nominated for Oscar , having Shahrukh, the superstar of Indian cinema in the lead role and with grand music of Rehman, "Swades" is the most hyped bollywood movie. Right from the producer-director to the first bench audience, everyone has their fingers crossed regarding the box office outcome of the movie. The music of "Swades" has been received very well, and it is already the topper of the charts. Usually our directors like Praveenkanth get the rights for Rehman's hindi songs and use them in their movies. But without giving that opportunity, the movie has been dubbed in tamil as "Desam". This time, Vairamuthu is missing and Rehman has joined hands with Vaali who has penned the lyrics for all the songs. More than 40 years of experience as a lyricist has helped Vaali in coming out with beautiful lyrics and at the same time with lip-sync to an extent.

Theenaanaa -(8/10)-S.P.B, Vignesh and Pooja- Starts with a soul-stirring humming in ever-young S.P.Balasubramanian's voice and the tune is instantly likeable and catchy. Except for the meaningless opening words, the lyrics are commendable. Master Vignesh and Pooja have done a good work lifting the mood of the song. The song has a fresh feeling and S.P.B's voice gives the necessary energy to the song that mesmerizes the listener. Warning: It is so difficult to let the tune go off our lips and mind.

Thaai sonna -(7/10)- K.J.Yesudas and Madhushree - Rehman has stunned the listeners with pleasant surprises like S.P.B and K.J.Yesudas after a long time. Though the opening humming reminds us of the classic "Deivam thandha veedu", the song is a neat melody, very soothing to hear during night. It is an excellent lullaby and the crystal clear recording quality is worth mentioning. Madhushree's tamil pronunciation needs to be improved.

Indha desathin kural- (7.5/10)- A.R. Rehman- The song begins with a scintillating Shehnai bit. The whiz kid of Indian music has done justice to the song by his soulful rendering. Vaali has come out with so touching lyrics and makes one wonder, if it was written keeping emigrating Rehman in mind. "Ayal naadu veedalla,vidithiyada thamizha" is one notable line. This song also features as an instrumental bit.

Mazhai mega vannaa-(7/10) - Chitra, Srinivas,Srinivasamurthy - Wow, Chinnakuyil in Rehman's music after a long gap. Only Chitra can handle such a beautiful melody number with such ease. The chorus parts sound odd when compared to the hindi version, not fitting into the tune. Since this is the song narrating the Ramayana, which is Vaali's forte, he has given very impressive lyrics. Instrumental version of this song is also very impressive.

Kaettenaa (7/10) - Madhushree and Aslam - This is one funny situation where "Baba kitchu" song from Baba is used in the hindi version as "Dekhona" and which has again come to tamil as "Kaetenaa". The song is set in a slow pace and a beautiful melody. Since this is a personal favourite of the director, with Rajinikanth's permission,he has re-used this tune.

Kaaviriyaa (7/10) - Madhushree - Recently Rehman is using Madhushree's voice in all his albums. Except for her odd tamil pronunciation, she has done a good job. The tune is catchy and gets into the listener instantly. Amazingly, the song syncs well with the hindi version of the song and the credit goes to Vaali.

Unnai kelaai (8/10) - Hariharan, T.L.Maharajan and Aslam - A fast number with Rehman's exclusive style of toe-tapping rhythm which is so peppy and enjoyable. Though the pallavi part resembles "kannai katti kollaadhaey" from "Iruvar", the song is sure to win the youth's vote. T.L.Maharajan, an underrated singer is aptly used by Rehman here and his voice suits the flow of the song. There is no need to mention Hariharan's style of rendering this song with such a style. Once again, Vaali's lyrics are inspiring and so philosophical.

After a long gap, this is a true musical treat from Rehman. Since it is dubbed in tamil, the album is more enjoyable. Rehman has used voices of S.P.B, Yesudas, Chitra and T.L.Maharajan after a very long time, which is so refreshing to hear. A must-buy for all music fans.