Top Indian Songs of the week 12th May 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 12th May 2024

1. Cholo Shobe

Performed by Benny Dayal, Charles Nazareth

Written by Anil Lal

Produced by Kappa Originals

Language: Malayalam/Bangla

Genre: Folk-pop

Mood: Energetic

When I heard this song, I knew I was listening to the best of the week and this made me jump up in joy. Very rarely do i come across such magnificent music, that I immediately set out to find Charles Nazareth's IG handle so that I can message him about my immense admiration for this single. With Benny Dayal on lead vocals, this folk-pop number will blow away your mind and captivate you beyond belief. 

I have always wondered how the 2 states of West Bengal and Kerala are so similar in things like love for fish, football and communism. Maybe this was a dedication to that strong bond and common desires between these states, as Charles fuses Kerala folk music with Baul from West Bengal. He tells me that the song is a positive take on migration and that the lyrics in Bangla mean " Let us go to the world of laughter". Kudos to Anil Lal who has written the words in both Bangla and Malayalam, and this should be the anthem of migration globally, that is how good this is. 

Kappa Originals must also be appreciated for constantly supporting world-class original music from Kerala. Benny is on fire and this is the best performance I have heard in the last couple of years. The backing vocals by Charles, folk percussion by Arun Roop, and ethnic strings by guitarist Anurag Rajeev Nayan make it a very authentic folk-pop fusion. The pre-chorus begins and you hear so many elements like the flute by Jijin Raj, and the strings section with very effective keys and rhythm programming as well. The Veena interlude by Bhanu Ullas has mild influences of Raag Reethigowla, according to me and Charles ensures that even this interlude doesn't stray towards something classical, so he gets the pop and EDM influences on board. 

The bridge section's melody is bliss to the ears and I can only stand up in ovation for this phenomenal work. Amal Mithu is the mix/master engineer. Bevan Correa plays the electric guitar to add some zest to the song

@bennydayalofficial @charlesnazareth @kappaoriginalsofficial @amal_mithu @anil__lal

2. Nyabagam

Composed, Produced and Arranged by Amrit Ramnath

Lyrics by Bombay Jayashri

Vocals by Amrit Ramnath, Sindoora Jishnu

Language: Tamil

Genre: Ballad

Mood: Contemplative

The album 'Varshangalukku Shesham' had Amrit Ramanth make a stunning musical debut in Mollywood and I gave it a top rating of 3.5/4, and the more I hear it, I feel ensnared by the music. This is the second-best song on the album, according to me and the ballad is powerful and rises like a tormenting and raging storm. "Vaaramal , tharamal, manam engo poguthey" which comes in the anupallavi section is powerful not just because of Bombay Jayashri's writing but also the combined effect of the lead vocals by Amrit and Sindoora Jishnu. 

I love the Pianos that gently play in the background and the astonishing impact of great arrangements and production by Amrit is key to the song's likability. We can also hear the feeble entry of the strings section as Amrit and Rithu Vysakh arrange this section with the latter performing it like he always does - a one-man quartet. The lyrical value of the song is immense with lines like " oru murai en pizhai maranthu vanthidu", and they get the right treatment from Amrit and Sindoora soaking in the pathos and longing. Rithu makes me weep as he plays the Cello in the foreground, followed by the Viola and Viola in the deeper layers, as this is a stunning finish to the song. The tracks are mixed by Nitin Muralikrishna and mastered by Ronak Runwal, with Maniratnam as the recording engineer. 

@amritramnath @jayashriramnath @sindoora.jishnu_ @rithuvysakh @palindromamusic

3. Ulagham

Performed by bebhumika, pixl.

Written by Bhumika Anantharaman, Prithvi Prakash

Produced by Bhumika Anantharaman, pixl., Audiocliq

Language: Tamil

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

This is a beauty, with such an amazing vocal performance. It is simple yet stunning, and Bhumika Anantharaman a.k.a. bebhumika has performed the vocals with the song written by bebhumika and Prithvi Prakash. Prithvi herself is a fantastic singer-songwriter who has been featured by me last year for a fabulous English song called 'Butterfly'. The guitars and the simple percussion are delightful. 

bebhumika's singing is filled with such passion and poise and the listener who can understand Tamil will just want to learn this song and perform to a loved one. The way she sings " en jenman unakkaga, un kooda neram oduthe, ulaghme neeye, unnudan naan vazhven" is such an earworm and the heart swells in joy. The backing vocals are also nicely executed and arranged. What a singing masterclass! thank you Bebhumika, i have tears rolling down gently down my cheeks and I hear this!

@bebhumika @pritsprakash @pixlpxl

4. Kallara 

Music - Sricharan Pakala

Lyrics - Rambabu Gosala

Singer- Shreya Ghoshal

Language:

Genre: Pop Fusion

Mood: Romantic

Shreya Ghoshal gets a banger of a song to perform here, as sometimes the song that she gets to sing is a big letdown and not worthy of her terrific abilities. Sricharan Pakala has been featured by me before and here gets to score this stupendous semi-classical pop fusion song. The influences of Reethogowla Ragam are quite obvious. Rambabu Gosala is the lyricist, and the peppy and upbeat programming is by Joy Rayarala, S. Anant Srikar and Sricharan Pakala.

The interlude with Swaras and the heavy keys and rhythms along with the Mridangam is the highlight of the song. Shubhashish Manchala does all the additional programming along with supporting backing vocals. Gautham Raj plays the solo violin with great efficacy and Sricharan plays the Acoustic and electric guitars. The stanza has this extended melody with Shreya doing unfathomable vibrato, Srikala induces more of an EDM Pop style in these notes here. The song gets elevated thanks to the vocals and the mindblowing production and sound design. The music assistants are Raviprakash Chodimalla, Shubhashish Manchala, Pavan Raj and Soujanya Bhagavatula. The tracks are mixed by Joy Rayarala and mastered by S. Anant Srikar. Abhay Rumde is the recording engineer. 

@sricharanpakala @shreyaghoshal @adityamusicindia @rambabu.gosala 

5. Chapun Chopan Nesala Shalu

Singer - Priyanka Barve

Lyrics - Shripad Arun Joshi

Music - Nilesh Moharir

Programming - Vikram Bam and Nilesh Moharir

Language: Marathi

Genre: Retro-folk/Light Music

Mood: Happy

I have huge respect for composer/producer Nilesh Moharir, and obviously, this is not my first article featuring this Marathi musician. To me, he is excellent at fusing retro, folk and semi-classical flavours into pop and light-music genres. Shripad Arun Joshi is the lyricist, and all the brilliant programming is by Vikram Bam and Nilesh. Priyanka Barve is one of India's finest playback singers and here she demonstrates every ounce of her unabating akill. 

Priyanka gives beautiful twisted vibrato in the song's sthayi and antara and she is supported by a very strong team of chorus singers viz. Aditi Prabhudesai, Pragati Joshi, Aarohi Mhatre and Madhura Paranjape. The song's mood is happy and energetic and it gets that flourish from Satyajit Jamsandekar's rhythms. Vikram Bam is the guitarist and the folkish Mandolin is played by Dinesh Bhosale. There are traces of Raag Pilu that I hear. As we get to the outro I feel the impact of stirring Mandolin, funky bass guitars, enticing harmonies and the thumping Tabla. Ajinkya Dhapare is the mix/master engineer and Ankesh Chandankhede is the recording engineer. 

@nilesh_moharir @sagarika_music @priyanka.barve @shripadjoshi17 @ajinkyadhapare @sayali.paradkar @vikthebam

6. Dil Nahi Todenge

Song Composed, Arranged and Produced by: A.R. Rahman

Singer: Javed Ali

Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir

Language: Hindi

Genre: Symphony Retro/Light Music

Mood: Patriotic

AR Rahman is having a terrific 2024, and this song is one more testament to that statement. We have a terrific symphony orchestra in the intro section, thanks to the strings, woodwinds and horns played by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. The song exhibits the tone and soundscape of retro style, representing the 1950s and 1960s. AR Rahman is the composer and he has also done all the amazing arrangements and song production, with Hiral Viradia as the Music Supervisor, and all the additional programming done by Shubham Bhat and Sarthak Kalyani.

This is one song where I loved the writing with words like "Deeware todenge, record jo bane hain, saare todenge, magar yeh wada hain ki hum, dil nahin todenge". Kudos to Manoj Muntashir for the lyrics. The song reminds us of the old patriotic number " Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja". I feel this has more intricacies and a better melody for sure. Srikant Krishna is the score orchestrator and he gets the entire set-up of all the live instrumentals up and running. The woodwinds, strings section and rhythms are outstanding with non-stop accompaniment.

Let us move to the lead vocals, where Javed Ali is at the top of the A-game, he brings in the fervour and aggression in the chorus segment and when he has to sing with love and tenderness in the verse. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Pradvay Sivashankar and the sound engineers are Suresh Permal, Karthik Sekaran, Sreekanth Hariharan, Sarath Santosh, Aravind Crescendo, Suryansh, Sathish V Saravanan, S.Sivakumar, Pradeep Menon, Manoj Raman, Sathya Narayanan, Ainul Ul Haq, Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh, Hriday Gattani, Nitish Kumar, Harshil Pathak and Naval Chikhliya. 

@arrahman @javedali4u @manojmuntashir @sarthak.kalyani @hridaygattani @hiral_viradia @sreekanthhariharan @pradvay

7. Ta Ra Ta Ra Ta

Singer: Vishal Dadlani

Composer: Subhajit Mukherjee

Lyricist: Trina Mukherjee

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

In 2024 there were a few Bollywood albums with multiple composers, creating the tune for each song. I am featuring Subhajit Mukherjee & Trina Mukherjee for the very first time, in fact in this album " Do Aur Do Pyaar", I love another melody by this duo. The guitars in the intro make everything feel and sound perfect for this romantic number. I was pleasantly surprised by the choice of the lead vocalist Vishal Dadlani. We have heard Vishal sing peppy and upbeat rock numbers, but this is quite different.

The chorus segment is something to cherish with Vishal's gentle voice that goes " Ta Ra Ta Ra Ta" and the combined effect of the guitars, and rhythms feels like magic. The accompanying vocal harmonies are another added element along with the acoustic guitars that enhance the feeling of romance. The undeniable highlight of the song for me is the Saxophone that comes late into the song, towards the outro. The master ID Rao plays the Alto Saxophone solo for about 1 minute and this makes me soar with love into the skies. Shomi Chatterjee is the mix/master engineer. 

@vishaldadlani @believemusicindia @aafilms.official @panoramamusic @idrao_official 

8. Jiya Laage Na

Singers: Shilpa Rao,Mohit Chauhan, Rochak Kohli

Music Composer: Rochak Kohli

Lyricist: Gurpreet Saini

Music Producer: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Rochak Kohli has always been an interesting composer, with his music enticing, and making the listener fall in love with some of his sounds. This pop number is intriguing thanks to the melody and its simple yet stylish production. Himonshu Parikh designs the sound and does all the arrangements, programming, and production with elegance. Rochak understands that a song's melody can be enhanced by the vocalists and that is why the lead singers Shilpa Rao and Mohit Chauhan turn this into a memorable song. 

Mohit Dogra keeps it mild in the song's pre-chorus, and the strumming turns on the heat as we get to the lines " bhaage mera mann, tham jaaye dhadkan". Gurpreet Saini pens the lyrics and the mild and meaningful rhythms give the song the right energy. Everything in the rhythms section pauses with Shilpa Rao making an entry in the verse, and all we hear is her tantalising voice. Shadab Rayeen is the mix/master engineer at New Edge, while Mukul Jain is the recording engineer at Ferris Wheel Studios. 

@rochakkohli @shilparao @himonshu @mohitchauhanofficial @mixedbymukul @ghuggss @shadabrayeen

9. Take What You Can Get

Performed by Green Park

Written by Arpan Kumar, Rishabh Bhan Singh, Sidharth Gupta

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

Mood: Happy

Please go and check out the new album by the Delhi-based Alt-Rock band called ' Green Park'. It is called "Newly Aged" and I have given it a massive rating of 3.75/5. This is one of 2 songs I loved the most with the melody written by band members Arpan Kumar, Rishabh Bhan Singh and Sidharth Gupta. The intro has vocals by Arpan Kumar in the lead and Amartya Ghosh in the backing role. William Schade who has been a regular feature in this album comes in and sizzles on the Tenor Saxophone. Rishabh plays the drums and percussion and he also is the man behind synths, guitar and the Sitar.

There are moments I felt like I was listening to the 'Alan Parsons Project', and that is a massive compliment according to me. Arpan handles Keys and Synths while Sidharth Gupta is the bassist. The lyrics are written by Arpan Kumar while Sidharth and Rishabh are the recording engineers. The tracks are mixed by Sidharth and mastered by Andrew Garver. 

@allparksaregreen @arpanintended @sirfpaudhon.sepyaar

@medicatedmints  @yourfriendbil 

10. Chaaku Bhonk

Performed by Ink Heart, SlowCheeta

Written by Chaitnya Sharma

Produced by Ink Heart

Language: Hindi

Genre: Hip-Hop

Mood: Energetic

There are very few Hip Hop artists I like because the 'Badshah' style of hip-hop is unintelligent, and uninspiring. The song is written by Chaitnya Sharma a.k.a SlowCheeta and this is performed  with infectious energy and purpose. SlowCheeta is riding a high after his recent performance in 'Maidaan' with the one and only AR Rahman. InkHeart a.k.a Ashish Alagh is the producer and kudos for cooking up some awe-inspiring sounds. 

The electric guitar riffs are brilliant and keep the energy high while the rap sections are delivered. The change in tempo with the terrific local Indian percussions and rhythms is welcome. If you listen to all the lyrics, they are inspirational too. "Kisko tu rulaya , ab voh tujhe rulayega, Janta jaag gayee hau bhai". Shikhar Manchanda is the mix/master engineer.

@_slowcheeta_ @inkheartmusic @mandeepthakur39 @incinkrecords @thebeatindiacompany @manchandashikhar @sagarthakkar_ @hennabrar @iamsidg

11. Acha Lag Raha Hai

Music Composed & Arranged by: Sachet-Parampara

Artist : Sachet Tandon Parampara Tandon

Lyrics: Kumaar

Music Arranged by - Sachet- Parampara and Prasanna Suresh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

I am stunned, that a new Bollywood music album will have not just 1 but two fantastic songs in the list. Am I dreaming? Not really, kudos to Sachet-Paramapara for their work as composers. The song has some lovable arrangements and production as well and Prasanna Suresh who is a capable producer works on arrangements along with Sachet-Parampara. Other than this, there will be another song from the album I'll be featuring, subsequently. 

The song's melody might not be something very fresh, if you have been following Bollywood for the last 15 years. But the background sounds like the rhythms and horns section is devastatingly good. The keys and synths in the interlude feel like a synth-pop song from the 1990s from 'A-Ha' s playbook. The lead vocalists are Sachet Tandon and Parampara Tandon. The chorus segment is a fascinating section that keeps ringing in my ears. Aftab Khan @ HeadRoom Studios is the mix and master engineer. The assistant to Aftab Khan is Vatsal Chevli. 

@sachetparamparaofficial @kumaarofficial @mixedbyaftab @officialprasannasuresh

12. Hammammo

Music: Gopi Sundar

Lyrics: Bhaskara Bhatla

Singer: Yasaswi Kondepudi

Backing Vocals : Rajath Raveendran

Song Arranged And Programmed By: Gopi Sundar

Language: Telugu

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Gopi Sundar keeps working like a conveyor belt of good music, and this is the second song I am featuring from this album " Aa Okkatti Adakku". The last time I featured a beautiful melody sung by Anurag Kulkarni called ' Oh Madam'. This time it is Yasaswi Kondepudi on lead vocals and as always Gopi gives us a semi-classical fusion melody here with influences of Raag Jog( Naatai in Carnatic) I believe. Bhaskar Bhatla writes the lyrics.

Durwin is a star in this song with his live instrumental support on acoustic and bass guitars. The terrific mandolin can be heard playing in the background just behind Yasaswi's swara delivery. Durwin also does the additional programming in this song. The interlude is a catchy segment and Gopi has mastered the art of such semi-classical fusion melodies over the years now. Rajath Raveendran is the backing vocalist. The keys and rhythm programming keep the energy upbeat right through the song. I keep thinking of that amazing song by Vidyasagar "Thom Thom Thithithom". Babu Velayudhan, tion Priya Nair have worked on music production.

The second interlude is another good segment with drums and guitars and we get a clear sense of Jog scale. The sound engineers are Rajath, Nevin C Delson and Gopi Sundar. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Sai Prakash

@gopisundar__official @saregamatelugu @allari_naresh @yasaswikondepudi_official @fariaabdullah @chilakaproductions @durwin_dsouza @

13. Jodi Hosh Sandhayatara

Singer: Iman Chakraborty

Music Composed By: Indraadip Dasgupta

Lyrics By: Ritam Sen

Language: Bangla

Genre: Symphony - Ballad

Mood: Pathos

The combination of Rwitam Sen and Indraadip Dasgupta gives us one more gem, but this time its the amazing Iman Chakraborty on lead vocals. This too is an intense, mild melody with the solo violin in the background. Then the strings section gain traction, and they act as perfect ingredients to decorate the song's sound design. 

The combination of the strings and the overall production is fantastic to hear, with mild accompaniments as we head to the interlude. The Viola and Cello start taking the lead after that. The stanza is dominated by Iman's passionate delivery and Indraadip does his best to glorify the song. 

@indraadeep @iman_chakraborty

14. Suhasini Radhikaye

Singer: Rupankar Bagchi

Music Composed By: Indraadip Dasgupta

Lyrics By: Rwitam Sen

Language: Bangla

Genre: Semi-Classical

Mood: Pathos

I kept looking if this Bangla song was a newer version of an original Rabindra Sangeet, but here comes this terrific Indraadip Dasgupta song, with delightful arrangements and Rupankar Bagchi's scintillating vocal delivery. Rwitam Sen writes the lyrics. The opening aalap straightaway touches my heart and I'm pulled into the song. The Shehnai in the background adds to the mild pathos and maybe I am hearing some influence of Raag Desh. The intro is elaborate with a strings section in the background and the deeply affecting aalap. 

The percussion and the Sitar join the bandwagon and the arrangements never for one second intrude or disturb the peace that one attains from hearing Rupankar's majestic vocals. Indraadip lives up to my expectations and the song despite its mild pathos is inspiring in its way. 

@rupankarbagchi_official @indraadeep

15. Qatra Qatra

Music - Mukund Suryawanshi

Singer - Sukhwinder Singh

Lyrics - Mukund Suryawanshi, Ravi Girri & Rohan Deshmukh

Music Production and Arrangements - Utkarsh Dhotekar

Additional Music Production - Kunal Pandit

Language: Hindi

Genre: Anthem

Mood: Patriotic

I have already done a full EP review of this Bollywood movie "Ae Watan Mere Watan" on Amazon Prime and also written reviews on a couple of songs. This is the 3rd song which is being featured here on my website and that is quite a feat. Sukhwinder's voice is inspiring and gives all the adrenaline needed for patriotic vigour in our bloodstream. Mukund Suryawanshi is the composer and he has co-written the lyrics along with Ravi Girri & Rohan Deshmukh. 

Ishtayak Khan plays the heavy and thumping percussion and to enhance the feeling of oneness we have the chorus singers Rohan Khandare, Akshay Katore, Mukund Suryawanshi, Mihir Sharma and Sonu Ishteyak Khan all coming together. Utkarsh Dotekar does all the arrangements to get the full music production done and kudos for the interludes which sound magnificent. Ajay Jayanthi plays the immersive and classical-sounding interlude on the Violin and he also plays the Viola. Kunal Pandit assists on all additional music production. 

I do sense the influences of Raag Keeravani. The percussions take a back seat in the stanza and only the Vocals and bass guitars play their part. The music supervisor is Akashdeep Sengupta and the mix/master engineer is Ashwin Kulkarni at Shraanti Studios. I love the outro by chorus singers where they sing, " Khoon jo behta hai behne de". 

@mukundsuryawanshii @akashdeepsengupta @tseries.official @sukhwindersinghofficial @kahaniwala.rohan @ravi.giri.545402 @utkarshdhotekar @kunalpanditkp @ashwinkulkarni89 @ishteyakkhanofficial @sonuishteyakkhan @ajayjayanthi @mihir4music @shraantistudios