A.R. Rahman is at it again. After having been absent from the Tamil music scene for over a year, he is back with a new album, composed for S.J. Suryah's new directorial venture "Ah...Aah".

The anticipation that surrounds an impending release from Rahman's musical stable is akin to the atmosphere that prevails before J.K. Rowling releases her latest on the boy wizard we all know and love so much. And, in both cases, the days after the release are filled with frenetic discussions on whether the latest product meets the standards set earlier.

The album starts off with a veritable bang. "Anbe...Aaruyire", sung by Rahman himself, is vintage A.R. stuff, quick and racy, with just the right bit of melody thrown in - this song is likely to be the ringtone in vogue for the next few months.

With such high expectations having set in, the second track is a trifle disappointing. "Mayilirage" is a romantic duet belted out by Madhusri and Naresh Iyer. It is melodious, harmonious and hummable, but it is not extraordinary.

The third track is, however, far better than the second. Rahman comes back with a vengeance, so to speak. There is a defiant tone that underscores Hariharan's rendition of the song; reminiscent of the classics Ilayaraja composed years ago.

The fourth track, "Thigu Thigu", is another that doesn't capture the listener's imagination immediately. But a few listens later, one is likely to find that the song has stuck to the head and one just can't help but hum it softly all the time.

"Thazhuviudu" is unfortunately a huge letdown. A seductive number, one can readily imagine the (almost definitely half-clad) heroine swaying to get the hero turned on. This is a track that is along the same lines as "Thoodhu Varuma" (from "Kaakha Kaakha") and is the kind of song that has been all too pervasive in the recent past.

The last song, "Maramkotthiye", however, is uite definitely the favourite from among all the songs in the album (excluding "Anbe...Aaruyire", which is in a class of its own). Shankar Mahadevan has, as always, done a splendid job! Also, this song features English rapper Blaaze, who is pretty much a fixture in most fast-paced Tamil numbers these days.

On the whole, "Ah...Aah" is an album worth buying. However, the listener may wonder whether Rahman is repeating himself. But one thing is for sure - it's the best album around at this time.