Top Indian Songs of the week 17th September2023

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 17th September 2023. 

1. Rooh Jaga Doon

Singer, Composer & Music Producer: Arijit Singh

Lyricist: Shloke Lal

Additional Lyrics: Arijit Singh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-pop

He is a brilliant singer, no doubt, but in art forms like music, freshness and innovation carry more weight than past glory. This is why Arijit Singh is an even better composer/producer than he is a singer in the last 3 years or so. I have featured all of his compositions, and that says a lot about his ability as a composer. This is one splendid song that grows on you and when it begins the guitar riff, the drums and the Keys remind me of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by UK band Tears for Fears

Arijit composed, sang and produced this Alt-pop track and sticks to the lower vocal registers for most of the song. Shloke Lal is the lyricist and all the additional programming is by Prithweeraj Sarkar. Music even though is composed and produced by many heads and musicians coming together over brain-storming sessions, credits generally go to one or a couple of people. Arijit leads the way here in creating each instrumentalist with composition as well for their segments and that speaks volumes of the man. 

Aditya Benia and Prachotosh Bhowmick play and compose the guitars, Souvik Roy plays and composes the drums, and Raj Kumar Dewan is the bassist and the composer for his portions. ZIA who is a brilliant keyboardist and Pianist composes and plays the Keys in the song. Arijit vocals are more casual like a walk in the park, and he gets more charged up when he goes "doondhne pe bi agar, aaoon na mein jo nazar". Sukanto Singha plays the gentle Tabla just then after Arijit returns to the title lines. Sunny MR, take a bow, for the outstanding sound design, and he has also done the mixing and mastering for the song. 

The interlude is mesmerising with the bass and electric guitars playing and leading the way with the Tabla in the background. After that amazing section, we get an even better bridge section with Arijit singing " ghabrao na, jaao na", and these lines get repeated but the innovation comes about with Arijit just singing the first one of two words and then entering a humming mode. I can only say that this song is cathartic and lets you dance away freely forgetting about all your miseries. In the outro the Keys are dominant and remind me of some of Coldplay's greatest numbers. 

The recording engineer is Ritvik Shah, with Ashyar Balsara as Chief Studio Engineer and Adhithya Sivakumar, Hersh Desai, and Aria Nanji as assistant audio engineers. 

@arijitsingh @oriyonmusicbyarijitsingh @raj_kumardewan @appaithefuzzyguy @ziamuzik @shlokelal @sunnymr @sukanto.singha.1 @shah_ritvik @sou_viktree @jesuisnikki8adi @adhithya.sivakumar @hersh.desai.9 @ariananji @ashyarbalsara 

@prithweerajsarkar

2. Toote Chhate

Vocals: Nihira Joshi -Deshpande

Composition: Nihira Joshi -Deshpande (song melody) and Rhythm Shaw (Coda) 

Production, Arrangements, Vocal arrangements: Rhythm Shaw

Lyrics: Alok Ranjan Srivastava

Genre: Indie Classical-Pop

Nihira Joshi-Deshpande had a fantastic outing last year with a soulful EP called "Trishna", where I loved 2-3 songs and also featured them. Her ability to intertwine classical Indian Ragas and structures with westernised styles is something Nihira excels at. The song begins with the most delightful combination of acoustic guitars, Keys and drums. 

Kudos to Rhythm Shaw who has managed to produce this song with great detail and coverage. The keyboard and rhythm programming wouldn't be complete without his role and he also ensures the arrangements are enticing. The bass guitars along with the vocal harmonies are just beautiful additional layers that enhance an already viable and attractive melody. Nihira not only romanticises the song with her vocals but also composes the heartwarming melody. 

There were segments where I believed a bit of Raag Bhageshree was being portrayed, but when I chatted with Nihira she mentioned that there was no inspiration or intention to work on any particular Raga base. It is more about Alok Ranjan Srivastava's intelligent writing that depicts an image of a couple caught during rain under a single broken umbrella. The emotional ride they go through is penned in words by Alok, but Nihira makes us visualise it beautifully through her tune and vocals. 

The song's sthayi and antara segments are just so elaborate and beautiful with adequate production enhancements. The interlude is a solo electric guitar exhibition where Rhythms excels and the subsequent sanchari section is slow and allows the message to seep in with minimal rhythms as she sings " sard hawaaon ko aao, raahaton se mila dein". 

The outro(coda) section with engaging vocal harmonies is composed by Rhythm. The unification of these great ideas would have turned out so complete and successful without Amey Londhe's mixing. He has also mastered the tracks and functioned as a recording engineer. 

@nihiramusic @hashtag.jazbaat @rhythm_shaw @amey.music @aliza_ke_daddy

3. Roothi gaya sapna

Music: Kedar - Bhargav

Singer: Jigardan Gadhavi & Madhubanti Bagchi

Lyrics: Milind Gadhavi

Arranged and Produced by: Mir Desai

Language: Gujarati

Genre: Classical Pop

Well done Kedar-Bhargav as they are lifting Gujarati film music to the top tier. I did feature a song already from the same album 'Hu Ane Tu'a few weeks back. Here is an even better song, performed by Jigardhan Gadhavi and the mercurial Madhubanti Bagchi. Amild aalap and the gentle guitars tantalise us, and then speechlessness is all we can experience with the arrival of Madhubanti's title line delivery.

It sounds like there is some Raag Desh involved here, but all that aside this is just pure bliss with her voice and Ishan Das' terrific bass guitars. The humming by Jigardhan is a nice connecting element after which a very peaceful and classical sound starts to transform into a modern-day pop segment also delivered by Jigardhan.  

The guitars are executed with style and the arrangements are even better. Both vocalists try to do one better than the other and that is so refreshing and heartening to witness. Jigardhan carries out the high-pitched lines with grace and provides a folkish touch as well. Kedar & Bhargav have done a fine job in the composition and it is Mir Desai's masterful arrangements and production that captivate equally. Himanshu Shirlekar has mixed and mastered the tracks at Kopper Audio (Mumbai) with Vinayak Pawar at SoundIdeaZ being the recording engineer. Milind Gadhavi has penned the lyrics. 

@kedarandbhargav @jigrra @bagchi_mb @milindosphere @mixedbyhim @mirdesai16 @ishandas_666

4. Sera

Music: Project Mishram

Hindi Lyrics by Nandini Samanta

Kannada Lyrics by Laxminarayana Shanbhogue

English Lyrics by Srishankar Sundar

Vocals: Pranav Swaroop BN, Shivaraj Natraj

Language: Hindi/English/Kannada

This is one journey into paradise if you are a music lover. Project Mishram, a 7 member band, which makes soulful Indian fusion music is at the peak of its power in composing, writing and producing this gem. Pranav Swaroop BN, and Shivaraj Natraj are the lead vocalists and throughout the song, we hear many classical Indian Ragas fused of which I was able to fathom a few. 

The intro sounds like one of the fabulous numbers released by Colonial Cousins released a couple of decades ago called 'Indian Rain'. Multiple voices can be heard, singing swaras, Konnakol and English lyrics and combining to create magic. Sanath Shanbhogue plays the drums The song opens gloriously and although I did feel a bit of Raag Khamaj, I did later hear from the musicians that it was more of Raageshree (belonging to the Khamaj Thaat). The musicians have also turned lyricists here like Nandini Samanta who has sung as well as written Hindi Lyrics.

Srishankar Sundar has penned the English lyrics and played the guitars. Laxminarayana Shanbhogue writes the Kannada lyrics. Nandini sings with a touch of classical Hindustani style like a Tumri, aided by Ishaan Ghosh on the Tabla Pranav Swaroop BN on the solo violin. We get a beautiful segment in Kannada in the Raag Maand, and the brilliant arrangements and production ensure we get Ethan Klotz on the Alto, Tenor and Soprano Sax while Sydney Ewing plays the Baritone Sax. In the interludes, we get some electronic music elements and the flute by Anirudh S Koushik and bass guitars by Ram Srinivas along with lead guitars by Sumant Nemmani

The drums and percussions have a moment of intertwining well with the lead vocals singing in the higher registers and the song in plain metal territory. Bishwadeep Sikder plays the guitars, Dhruv Banerji is on the Trumpets towards the fag end and Klara Poznachowska plays the Harp. I also heard some Charukeshi Raag in the middle segments and Darbari Kannada in the closing stages. Thejus Nair is the recording, mixing and mastering engineer at Eleven Gauge Recording Studios, Bangalore, India.

@ishaanghosh @nandinisamanta_ @jazzedharpist @sanathshanbogue @rramess @thesjusnair @amirudh_koushik @thekonnakolbeatboxer @sumant.nemmani @dhruv5417 @mira.paxon @bishwadeepsider @pranavswaroopbn @somedamnauthor @ethanklotz3277 @iamkuhlname @elevengaugerecordings

5. City of Heartache

Performed by Perfect Strangers

Written by Debjeet Basu

Produced by Perfect Strangers

Language: English

Genre: Rock

A month or so ago, this inspiring band called 'Perfect Strangers' were strangers to my world, and then came along a Jazz single called "On the Wild Side" and they topped the weekly charts for me, with some uplifting live instrumentals and soaring vocals by the female lead Ananya Raja.

This time we get some old-school rock, and Pranav DM is at his best on vocals. We get to hear layer beneath a layer, with the energetic drums, groovy bass guitars and the sexy saxophone notes by Sweethin Hartman joining in. I am reminded of some amazing singles by the band 'Men at Work' from Australia. Debjeet Basu's electric guitars and Preran Gulvady's drums are contributions that add that rock flavour. Joshua Costa intervenes on Keys and the vocal harmonies add depth. 

Ananya Raja is on the backing vocals singing " How do I make you feel the pain, that I've been through" along with Pranav in the lead. These lines look machiavellian, but it is all acceptable in love and war I guess. Before I finish writing this the lines turn more romantic with "Wanna go back in time with you". Ananya Raja sings with that unmistakable confidence and panache and that is one tremendous strength of the band. 

Sweethin's Sax, Joshua's Keys, and Preran's drums take not a moment of respite all through the song. Debjeet plays that solo on the electric guitar past the 4th minute to instil style and substance. The song is written by Debjeet and performed with exuberance by this band that I now love so much. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Grammy nominated sound engineer from Singapore, Jerry Chua.

@perfectstrangersindia @pranavdm @ananyarajaa @debjeetguitar @shalinimohanbass @vivekthomasproductions @sweethartman @akashshivakumar @joe_keys_jazz @preran.pramod

6. Palavidham

Vocals - Arya Dhayal

Lyrics - Sasikala V Menon , Arya Dhayal

Produced by: Santhosh Sasi & Sajan Kamal

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Folk-Rock

'Kappa Originals' has been a generous source of great musical content in this country enabling music lovers to recognise phenomenal talent in India, especially in and around Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In its new season now we have the amazing vocalist Arya Dhayal tearing this song to shreds with her vocal sense and sensibilities. 

The song with a wonderful folk-rock texture is produced by Santhosh Sasi & Sajan Kamal. The Keys and Synths hit you hard with Sajan involved in its arrangements and execution. The electrifying tone comes about thanks to guitarist Gowtham Sreenivasan, Jared Sandhy the drummer, and Arjun Mohan the bassist. The most intense factor that makes this song likeable is how Arya shifts from some hardcore singing that feels high on energy, to serenading with some sweetness all within seconds. 

The Synths, electric guitars, drums and chorus singing 'Palavidham' is precious. Arya and Sasikala V Menon write the lyrics. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Santhosh Sasi. 

@aryadhayal @sasikalamenon @santhosh4224 @sajan_kamal @gowtham_sreenivasan_ @arjunmohanpc

7. Pardesi Balam

Vocals: Rajeshwari Raj 

Performed by Ali Merchant, Dhi Harmony

Written by Rajeshwari Raj, Tanmoy Guha

Produced by Ali Merchant, Dhi Harmony

The moment this song starts playing, I hear the influence of Raag Sindhu Bhairavi. The song is produced by Ali Merchant and Dhi Harmony and performed by them as well. I featured Dhi Harmony a while ago and I am glad to have him back on my featured charts. 

The haunting voice of Rajeshwari Raj immediately grabbed my attention and took me into a trance mode. She has also penned the lyrics along with Tanmoy Guha. This Killer fusion of EDM and Indian classical music is hypnotic thanks to the vocals and mainly the production. Sarthak handles the insane mixing and Hersh Desai is the mastering engineer. Every ounce of keyboard and rhythm programming works like gold. 

During the Sanchari, Rajeswarie nails it with her intense delivery and ghamakas. The sound of the mild flute and Tabla adds to the classical touch and reminds me of Shankar Mahadevan's "Sapno se Bhare Naina". 

@dhiharmony @alimerchant @rajeshwarieraj @_sorthok_ @hersh.desai.9

8. Zaalim Ne Maar Dala

Singers - Rohan Pradhan

Music - Rohan - Rohan

Lyrics - Rohan Gokhale

Arrangers / Programmers - Arranged and Produced by Rohan Rohan

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folk/Rock-Ballad

This is the second song to be featured in the Zee5 movie album 'Haddi' scored brilliantly by Rohan Pradhan and Rohan Gokhale. The Harmoniums take us to the rural hinterlands of India and with the raw folkish vocals, we get a tone of a drunken revelry filled with music. I get a sense of Raag Bhairav ( Mayamalavagowla in Carnatic).

The antara that goes "na lagta hai isko hosh", with some effective singing and guitars in the background. We would have historically heard a female lead voice doing this kind of a song and excelling, but maybe because this has a transgender male as the protagonist, we have Rohan Pradhan on vocals. Rohan Gokhale writes the lyrics. I love the Keys in the background towards the outro section. 

@rohanrohanofficial @rohanpradhan_official @rohangokhaleofficial 

9. Piya Padh Lena

Singer: Pratibha Singh Baghel

Lyrics: Kausar Munir

Music composed and produced by: Tapas Relia

Language: Hindi

Genre: Retro

We have the second song from the album "Goldfish" and we have Pratibha Singh Baghel in a never-before-seen version, at least according to me. She is the Queen of Thumri-styled music especially something that carries the tone of pathos, but here Tapas Relia offers her a playful fast retro song and Pratibha delivers it with her magic. The song is composed and produced beautifully by Tapas and works like a time machine, with Kausar Munir on the lyrics. 

Sanjoy Das teases us with the delightful Mandolin, and Hanif Aslam plays the Dholak. The sound of claps, and every other element we hear is representative of the 1950s and 60's. The beauty Pratibha adds with her attitude and vibrato is unmatched and she helps bring out the inherent class in the stanza written by Tapas. He is also the mixing/mastering engineer. The strings section, Keys and the Tabla delightfully make us want to dance along with Pratibha. 

@tapasrelia @sufiscore @iampratibhasingh @sanjoygtr @hanifaslam_official 

10. Dishaantar

Written and Composed by Vahaka

Vocals - Karthik Sekaran 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Classical Rock fusion 

Brilliance from the start, well that is what creativity is all about. Vahaka starts things off with the sound of a highway heavy-duty truck sounding its loud horns. This rock fusion band portrays what fusion music is all about. Himangshu Yadav is the bassist and he kicks ass from the word go. Guitarists Ananth Venkatesh and Ashvin Venkatesh are having a ball and Vishwam Raghunandan is upping the ante on drums. 

The melody carries the influence of Harikhamboji Ragam, and Karthik Sekaran sizzles away as the lead vocalist. It reminds me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's amazing number "Pazhamuthir cholai unakkaga thaan". I love when the energy mellows down and we hear more of the vocal harmonies and guitars without the drums. Karthik tells me that the guitar riff in the interludes is in the minor pentatonic scale, and to me, they sound like Raag Jog. Keshav Dhar is the mix/master engineer and Mallika Iyer creates the catchy cover art. 

@antweb9 @keshavdhar @karthikmusicmentor @vishwamr @himangshuyadav @sarthak.pahwa @ashvinvenkatesh @graphic_guava 

11. Neela Nilave

Song Composed, Arranged and Programmed by - SAM C.S.

Singer - Kapil Kapilan

Lyrics - Manu Manjith

Additional Programming- CD Anbumani

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music

The movie got some decent reviews, especially for its action sequences and tight screenplay. Sam CS composes music for the movie and according to me he is under-rate, but when given an opportunity he comes up with the goods. Some brilliant guitars by Joseph Vijay start things off in a stylish fashion. 

He also plays the bass and electric guitars in the song and we get a Latin Dance song effect at the beginning. Sam brilliantly introduces the flute and Veena solos to give a classical Indian flavour, and they work immensely. Kiran plays the flute and Kishore plays the Veena. One of India's best playback singers today Kapil Kapilan graces the occasion in his native tongue and everything sounds perfect now. There are clear resemblances to Maestro Ilaiyarajas 'Chinna Mani kuyile', and that is why I sense some influences of Raag Kiravani in the anupallavi section. 

Getting the modern dance rhythms along with the Veena and flute in the foreground is interesting. The solo guitar in the interlude is slow and the notes remind me of "Pehla Pejla Pyaar hai" and more specifically "Nalam Vazha ennalum" both sung by SPB. Joseph sizzles with his guitars in the interlude. The stanza keeps you engrossed thanks to the excellent composition and vocals. Sam also joins as the backing vocalist in certain segments and he has a smashing day at the office with arrangements and programming duties. 

CD Anbumani does all the additional programming and Manu Manjith pens the words. Anbumani, Abhishek AR and S Aakash Edwin are the recording engineers. Balu Thankachan is the mix and master engineer with assistance from Paul Daniel and Hariharan. The outro sees Kapil singing with some creative ghamakas. K Mahima Chowdhary is the Music Production Manager

@samcsmusic @kapilkapilanmusic @manumanjith_s @supervijayoffl @thebaluthankachan @cdanbumani 

12. Khuje Jaai

Lyrics & Composition: Koushik Chakraborty

Music Design & Arrangement: Prithibi

Vocal & Vocal Crossover Melody Design: Koushik Chakraborty

Language: Bangla

Genre: Rock

This is their second song in the Top Indian charts in 3 weeks, with another song from their new album called "JONOHEEN Rajpath (Chapter Four)". This is as good as the earlier featured song, as Koushik Chakraborty composes, writes and performs the vocals. The start is pleasant and feels like a walk in the clouds, almost like a rock ballad having Arunangshu Bagchi & Debangshu Bhattacharjee on electric and acoustic guitars and Deep Ghosh as the bassist. The drums by Aniruddha Mondal are played mildly in line with the song's mood. For some reason, the song's melody does feel like Raag Hamsadhwani. 

The song takes us back to the 1990s when global Pop music sounded this brilliant, and this is true during the heavy Pianos, bass guitars and drums in the interlude. Deepayan Deep Maitra handles the Keyboard design along with the Keytar. Dumpy, Deep, Debangshu, Deepayan and Aniruddha can be heard in the backing vocals. This is a good old rock song that stays untarnished. Keshav Dhar does the mixing and mastering. The recording engineers are Sayan Ghosh, Tirthankar Ray, Deepayan Deep Maitra and Koushik Chakraborty

@prithibimusic @keshavdhar 

13. Kaun Mera

Songwriting and Lead Vocals: Rajan Batra

Keyboards & Synths, Backing Vocals, Music Production: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

The Yellow Diary is one of the most followed Alt-Rock bands in the country and they just released a 3-song EP called "Mann". This was my favourite song and it is TYD in typical form and grace. Harsh strikes you straight away with his electric guitars, and you will have to focus on two amazing things viz. Rajan's vocals and Himonshu's keys and synths in the background. 

By the time we approach the refrain segment "Kaun Mera", Sahil Shah generates power and poise on drums while Stuart Da Costa decorates with glory on the bass guitar. The interlude is synth-laden and drums keep catching up right behind. Rajan must be applauded for writing the melody and lyrics which touch your heart as one collective being. I specifically like the second time the title is repeated where the notes differ especially on the word " Mera". Rohan Ramanna is the mix engineer and the recording engineers are Ashyar Balsara and Adhithya Sivakumar

@theyellowdiary @sonymusicindia @rajanbatra13 @himonshu @studirt @sahilplaysdrums @harshreality91 

14. Easy Come Easy Go

Producer, Composer, Singer, and Lyricist: Perp & Varun Agnihotri

Mix & Master: Cali Recording Studios

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

Perp and Varun Agnihotri have made this a habit. They are getting featured every time they get themselves involved in songwriting or just vocals or production. Flowy guitar riffs and that lower- register vocals of Perp make it a great start. The singing in the lead is stylish, but it gets aided by the wonderful backing vocals that are also perfectly arranged. It all reminds me of some of the famous and good Beatles song. 

Varun joins in and takes control of the lead vocals and the two just make merry with some stylish delivery. The writing is quite interesting as well with lines like " I like my cassettes in stacks of three" taking us down the nostalgia road. The combined impact of lead vocals and harmonies in the background is just soothing to the heart. A simple song can sometimes have a stronger impact on us, just like this. 

@perpmusic @robachmusic @varun_agnihotri