Neenillade Nanagenide?

The album has got a late-'70s - early-'80s feel to it: a time when bhavageethe was at its best. A period when the best of Kannada poetry was set to timeless tunes, rendered by musicians who loved poetry just as much as they loved music. This album captures, in its sound, that essence.
As I listened to this compilation what came to my mind were those songs treading the bhavageethe-ghazal line like "Mattade besara ade sanje ade ekanta... ", "Ella maretiruvaaga illa sallada nevava". They carried a sense of silence in them. Many of the compositions in "Neenillade nanagenide" have that same sense of space, though there isn't much of a sparkle in the lyrics. It also gives you the much-needed reprieve, particularly when you're feeling exhausted by bhavageethes tossed around by an over-zealous orchestra, with mostly synthetic sounds.
"Elli hoguve nee nilla baarade" is my personal favourite simply for the manner in which it has been conceived, completely in sync with the lyrics with M.D. Pallavi doing a fantastic job of it. The composition is full of unanticipated moments: it shifts not just in terms of register, but also in perspective. In fact, the violins change the whole standpoint so beautifully. Pallavi negotiates the subtleties in composition with great finesse.
The opening of the song has a lovely chord progression on the guitar. Much like the unforgettable phrase in the lovely "Tum itna jo muskara rahe ho" in the film Arth. The build-up on the tabla is equally striking. "Ninna nage biridaga", also by Pallavi, is again marked by bright and unexpected moves and glides. In fact it redeems the rather grovelling lines, so complete with submission. The violins deserve a special mention in this particular song.

I created the following transliteration by listening to the rendering by M. D. Pallavi.
ನೀನಿಲ್ಲದೇ ನನಗೇನಿದೆ
ಮನಸೆಲ್ಲ ನಿನ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ನೆಲೆಯಾಗಿದೆ
ಕನಸೆಲ್ಲ ಕಣ್ಣಲ್ಲೇ ಸೆರೆಯಾಗಿದೆ

ನಿನಗಾಗಿ ಕಾದು ಕಾದು ಪರಿತಪಿಸಿ ನೊಂದೇ ನಾನು
ಕಹಿಯಾದ ವಿರಹದ ನೋವು ಹಗಲಿರುಳು ತಂದೇ ನೀನು
ಎದೆಯಾಸೆ ಎನೋ ಎಂದು ನೀ ಕಾಣದಾದೇ
ನಿಶೆಯೊಂದೇ ನನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ನೀ ತುಂಬಿದೆ
ಬೆಳಕೊಂದೇ ನಿನ್ನಿಂದ ನಾ ಬಯಸಿದೆ

ಒಲವೆಂಬ ಕಿರಣ ಬೀರಿ ಒಳಗಿರುವ ಬಣ್ಣ ತೆರೆಸಿ
ಒಣಗಿರುವ ಎದೆನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಭರವಸೆಯ ಜೀವ ಹರಿಸಿ
ಸೆರೆಯಿಂದ ಬಿಡಿಸಿ ನನ್ನ ಆತಂಕ ನೀಗು
ಹೊಸ ಜೀವ ನಿನ್ನಿಂದ ನಾ ತಾಳುವೆ
ಹೊಸ ಲೋಕ ನಿನ್ನಿಂದ ನಾ ಕಾಣುವೆ

If you enjoy the song by imagining the object of the song to be your lover, you can feel a certain set of emotions; if you enjoy the song by imagining the object of the song to be God, you can feel a certain different set of emotions. Isn't this song wonderful!