Pooram Kaanan by Vijay Yesudas, Sithara Krishnakumar, Sooraj S. Kurup

Pooram Kaanan is one of those rare Malayalam tracks that manages to feel both fresh and familiar the moment it begins. The arrangement here is the work of Sooraj S. Kurup, and it shows genuine craft in how it builds and releases.

The vocal on Pooram Kaanan is among the better performances Vijay Yesudas, Sithara Krishnakumar, Sooraj S. Kurup has committed to record. On screen, Kunchacko Boban, Manoj K Jayan, Krishna Sanker, Shamili, Mia bring the emotional world of the song to life in a way that enhances rather than competes with the music.

2016 marked the release of Pooram Kaanan, and Pooram Kaanan was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

The 4:34 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.