Talent First

If a definition of a musical prodigy is required, treat Shakti Sivamani as one of the primary examples as this 15-year-old is a producer and a singer from Tamil Nadu who has learnt production for eight years, and has been performing live since seven. That Shakti is passionate about his work is obvious, as you weave yourself through this album named ‘Unarvugal’ [which means “feelings” in Tamil], featuring Shakti handling instruments/percussion, composing music, and penning lyrics too. The influences of dubstep and R&B are obvious too, as one of the notable tracks on his album are “Penniyam”, which contains lyrics penned by his mother, Manonmani Appu, featuring singers Vrusha and Vishwa.

Shakti’s versatility is also evident on “Un Paarvayil” and “Maaman Ponnu”, but the most poignant of them is “Kanavugazh”, dedicated to his father, Appu Sivamani, which has the following anecdote as its basis: Appu was a successful entrepreneur when Shakti was born but, unfortunately, the flourishing business took a dip resulting in the family becoming homeless, before Appu returned to riches. Many of the tracks on ‘Unarvugal’ deserve recognition beyond its Tamil-language basis, especially several songs that I could immediately connect with: the infectious “Ulagilae”, the melodic, guitar-based “Kai Korthu” that contains fine vocal harmonies, and the ballad of “Mazhai Thuzhi”. If some of the selections could be recorded in other languages, the future certainly appears to be bright enough for Shakti Sivamani to consider wearing shades!

Listen and Download the song here: http://www.artistaloud.com/ShaktiSivamani

– Review by PARAG KAMANI.