O.S.Thyagarajan's album for Music Today called 'Kshetra Maala'
Accompanists: Delhi Sundararajan - violin, Thiruvarur Bhaktavatchalam - mridangam and Uma Shankar- Ghatam
Side A: Theratiyakarada - gouli panthu - adi - Tirupathi
Ilalo Prnatharthi - atana - adi - Tiruvaiyaru
Lalithe - bhairavi - adi - Lalgudi
Sundari Nee Divya - kalyani - adi - Tiruvotriur
Vinayakuni - madhyamavathi - adi - Kanchipuram
Side B:O Ranga Saayee - kambodhi- adi - Srirangam
Kshetra Maala, as the name suggests, is a string of Thyagara compositions on dieties of six different famous shrines. Veteran OST has sung these compositions unexceptionably. However, unless one sets great store by collecting songs kshetra-wise, there is really no big reason to buy this album. OST has done his job neatly, but there is nothing exciting about the album.
Six pieces rammed into a space of 60 minutes cannot possibly please a carnatic connoiseur--not when the album professes to be Carnatic Classical as opposed to Carnatic Devotional. Vinayakuni, the last number in Side A has been delivered at a disagreeably fast pace, obviously, because the artiste had to fill in some tape space.
In taking up O Ranga Saayee for a relatively elaborate treatment, the album does try to rectify the shortcoming (of quantity over quality), but that is only a little consolation.