Ilaiyaraaja - The Singer

[crajkumar_be]

Ilaiyaraaja, the singer is rather much maligned and underrated in my opinion. The songs which he chooses to sing (or at least his versions which are officially released) would not be the same if sung by any other singer (with very rare exceptions). Balu Sir says Mohammed Rafi is the ultimate *playback* singer. I would pick Ilaiyaraaja right after Balu Sir when it comes to singing, playback or otherwise. His voice may not be the smoothest, it may not have certain conventional endearing and polished qualities but it is the rawness which gives such a unique experience to the listener. When Raaja sings a song, he is actually telling a story.
Lets discuss and share opinions on Ilaiyaraaja's singing (playback and otherwise).