Top Indian Songs of the week 21st August 2022

Music Composed, Arranged & Produced by B Prasanna

Performed by Bombay Jayashri

Lyrics by Preetika Dixit

Language: Hindi

Genre: Ballad/Western Classical Fusion

I was invigorated already when I listened to and wrote about the number 1 song, and to follow that up with this number felt like a blessing. You can't go wrong when you have Bombay Jayashri as the lead vocalist, still to get a song to a level of this degree requires some genius at work. I have heard about B Prasanna's might as a composer but sadly this is the first time I am ever reviewing. This just requires a standing ovation. If you don't have time to read my review, I recommend that you just visit his blog or Instagram page where Prasanna has written a "Composer's Note". Those words would suffice and are worth more than whatever I write to describe the beauty of this song. He has composed, arranged, and produced this masterly work and it feels like a dedication or ode to a singing legend called Bombay Jayashri.  She starts slow much like a drizzle or a gentle breeze we feel sitting by our balcony opening. Keba Jeremiah is mild but meddles with style on the Acoustic and Nylon guitars. There is the strings section that is brought into play with some outstanding musicians Lyrit Milgram & Alexandra Lomeiko on Violins, Jossalyn Jensen on the Viola, and Cecilia Bignall on the Cello. That brief interlude ends with a humming and playful Flutes by Lucy Driver. The brass and horns make their way now during the stanza, with Oboes by Cèlia Tort Pujol, Clarinets by Ettore Biagi, Bassoons by Cristian Coliver, Horns by Paul Wolf & Ona Ramos, and Trumpets by Matias Diaz Alfaro. Just get away from all the noise and listen to the incredible arrangements on your headphones and give yourself a treat. Like Prasanna rightly says, the song allows Jayashri to show her full vocal range and I can imagine singers practising and making covers of this phenomenon. The Orchestra is conducted by Joaquim Badia and with John Praveen on bass, Keba also plays the Ukulele. The imposing Synths are handled by Prashanth Techno and the track is mixed and mastered by Prasanna himself. Vishnu M Namboodri and Navneeth Balachandren are the recording engineers, while the video is edited and directed by Sriram Raja. The talented Choir singers are Aabha Soumitra, Karthik Manickavasakam, Maya Bajaj, Mayank Kapri, Nalini Vittobane, Nidhi Saraogi, and Karthik has co-ordinated the Choir.  Preetika Dixit pens these emotionally relevant words. 

Music, Lyrics - Tough on Tobacco

Vocals - Sidd Coutto

Language - English

Genre - Alt-Rock

Forget music reviewing, I wasn't even following Indian music on the indie scene back in 2009. It was just 3 years after I moved to Mumbai and was still being bombarded with mediocre Bollywood music. So I spent time lamenting I couldn't hear any good Tamil songs on the FM radio. This was the time an alternative Rock band in India was formed by the name 'Tough on Tobacco' with members Sidd Coutto on vocals and guitars, Niranjan 'Pozy' Dhar on guitars, Bassist Johan Pais, guitarist/vocalist Gaurav Gupta, and Drummer Jai Row Kavi. Anyway fast forward to 2022, I heard this amazing song by the band and later I found out that they were re-releasing their entire catalogue on Apple Music. I just considered myself lucky and had to include it in this list of India's best music. Sidd's captivating voice and I don't know, but I felt a magnetism that I would when hearing Sting or Bono from U2. The guitarists have a merry day with bassline support all just making your hair raise when the drums get punched in and the harmonies turn up. The production is supreme and every second is more mesmerizing than the second gone by. As we approach the 3rd minute, drummer Jai establishes domination with his thumping presence, followed by a tantalizing electric guitar solo. The climax is like musical heaven with all elements coming together and I just look up to the skies, thanking God for music. 

4.  Koyla 

Vocals: Raman Negi

Song Produced by : Gaurav Chintamani & Raman Negi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

A few weeks ago I never had heard of the name Raman Negi, and now he is hugely respected and I'm in awe of his music. I first featured his "Mehroom" and like wine becoming better as time grows, the next single 'Koyla' is a hoot. Gaurav Chintamani of 'Antariksh' has produced this with Raman, and also mixed and recorded the track. His bass guitars are the stable support system, to his vocals and guitars of Raman. This is the sort of music that should be playing in Bollywood movies as OST and I can imagine a Hero introduction with this funky alternative rock. Raman just explodes with his upper vocal limit being put to the test. It is probably India's version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Vaibhav Ahuja gets the tempo spot-on with his drums.  The track is mastered by Brian Lucey

Vocals: Winston Balman

Music: Winston Balman & the Prophets of Rock

Genre: Country Rock

Language: English 

When the song you hear is mesmerizing you might get distracted and start messing up on some very basic faculties. I kept reading the song's name as "Flight on", maybe because the number was lifting me up in the air thanks to its levitating spirit. It was 'Fight on' and I realized it much later. It is one of the finest songs I have heard in 2022 and I got introduced to the band. Many times when I write my reviews I feel like the song belonged to the Country style of music, but here I was for the time that a band recognises itself as belonging to that genre. 

Winston Balman and The Prophets Of Rock. Why is it that these COuntry musicians have such resplendent vocals? And Winston Balman owned such a voice. Winston from Dehradun and his bandmates will soothe you in this song that talks about his forgettable past. Bhaskar Dutta hits you with the pathos through the soo Violin and we have Archit Agrawal as the bassist and mix/master engineer. Jonty Indra has done the recording. I would not be surprised if young musicians with just a guitar learn this exciting song and showcase their vocals. The arrangement of the Violin in the multiple layers is phenomenal and keeps you invested, wishing the song never ended. Towards the end, I love how the Violin notes move from being sadness-inducing to inspiring and Bhaskar conjures up more magic dominating the air space. 

Music: Phani Kalyan

Lyrics : Kittu Vissapragada

Singers: Mohana Bhogaraju, Phani Kalyan

Genre: Melody/ Dance

Language: Telugu

A Telugu song that not only gets your dancing mood on, but also some excellent singing, instrumentals, and a very hummable tune. Phani Kalyan and Mohana BHogaraju are at the peak of their powers in delivering their vocals. Mallikarjuna Eruvuri plays the Nadaswaram in the first interlude which just adds volumes to the song's beauty and the expert Sandilya Pisapati fiddles his way through the second interlude on his Violin. The reason the song feels so lively is because of the rhythm and percussion by Sharath Ravi and the ever-dependable Subhani plays the charming sections on the Mandolin and Banjo. The female chorus fills in and it has some beautiful voice viz. Meghana Sai, Aparna Nandan and Snigdha Sharma. The stanza is just not a few more bonus lines, they too are rich in quality and the second is different from the first.  VS Bharan does all the programming and he is to thank for the sounds that we hear. Nithin M Vinayan is the recording engineer while Ijaz Ahamed has mixed and mastered the track. Phani Kalyan is the composer for this gem and the lyrics are written by Kittu Vissapragada

 

Songwriters: Aditya Rao & Shri Sriram

Additional Production: Nagaari

Genre: Alt-pop

Language: English

I recently came across the name Aditya Rao when I heard the music and watched the movie 'Rocketry'. "En Kanmani" in Tamil was incredibly performed and made many of my friends ask "Who is this singer?". It needed a very imposing set of vocals and Aditya Rao just smashed it. He now has this fantastic indie single that got me confused when I read the title. Later when I heard him sing it all became clear like his resonating voice. Aditya and Shri Sriram are the songwriters for this with some additional production by Nagaari. Dan Konopka who also worked on the movie 'Rocketry' has done the mix and master for this number. Aditya just lets himself go free and improvises the notes and does these vibratos and further impresses with his skills as a vocalist. The title 'SND' also refers to sound, maybe the sound of music. The keyboard programming is what delivers a modern sound. The celebrated bassist/composer Sriram plays the Bassolin, an instrument that I am hearing for the first time, invented by the man himself. As I heard segments of the song I felt an influence of Raag Bhimpalasi, and when I checked, the Avarohanam of the Raag does have Sa Ni Dha.

 

Composed, Produced: Sunny M.R.

Sung by Arijit Singh

Lyrics by Shloke Lal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-pop, Synth-pop

The duo is quite lethal, Sunny M.R. and Arijit Singh, and when one of the time composes/ produces and the other sings rest assured you'll have to listen to some awesome music. They both have been working with Pritam for a while now making expectations and results go hand-in-hand. Once you have a winning formula, you never should mess with it, and you can reap all the great benefits. The starting riff on keyboards somehow gets the dish cooking and from there you will just start liking the song deeper. Arijit Singh's vocals with a tinge of vulnerability and vocal laze work very well here, and the moment he pauses the techno sounds start to dominate. It is all the work of Sunny M.R. and he also joins in as the additional vocalist along with mixing and mastering the track. The recording engineer is Ritvik Shah, with Sukanta Singha recording the vocals. The humming and programming combine quite well and then a sizzling hot solo on the electric guitar by Ankur Mukherjee, takes into trance mode in the interlude. The song gives you a feeling of "Listen and sing along and just done care about a thing in the world",  the exact thing the title says, "Gaaye Ja". The outro is vocals and instrumentals in an unrestrained joyride. Shloke Lal with his interesting words proves once again he is one of the most sought-after Hindi lyricists in the country today. 

9. Mhare Hiwade 

Singer - Rahgir

Lyrics - Shivam Chaturvedi

Composer- Shivam Chaturvedi

Music- Shakti Vishwakarma (Grand Stave Music Production Studio, Jabalpur) @shaktimusiclive

Genre: Folk Fusion

Language: Rajasthani

The singer Rahgir has been doing quite well, singing, writing, and composing a song for a recent movie 'Sherdil'. This is a delightful Rajasthani Folk number and much before my trip recently to the state I have been serenaded by their quality. However after my visit, the love has just become multifold, and this number is just a perfect example of how beautiful folk music can sound. Rahgir sings the tune composed by Shivam Chaturvedi who has also penned the lyrics but the production is by Shakti Vishwakarma and he elevates it by more than a few notches. The Sarangi followed by Rahgir's rustic vocals just please the heart. I can sense the influences of the Raag Maand. The Sargam part is sung by Navneet Bairagi and Shakti also accompanies the backing vocals. The use of strings, rhythms, and folk percussions also enhances the genuine texture of the song. 

Singer: Arijit Singh

Music Director: Pritam

Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Genre: Hindi

Language: Melody

The movie probably didn't fare too well, as mimicking Tom Hanks was never a good plan and to better his acting in "Forrest Gump' was a Himalayan task even for Amir Khan. Leaving all that aside, I was thrilled by Pritam's score for the songs, as I had already featured "Kahani" before, and then this number betters that. Himonshu Parikh who produced "Kesaiya" also works on this number and it is DJ Phukan and Himonshu who handle all the arrangements. It is the line of usual suspects with Arijit Singh on lead vocals and Amitabh Bhattacharya on lyrics. The opening line is extremely rich and it straight away touches a nerve. Tanuj Tiku handles the additional keys with Krishna Pradhan on guitars. Arijit plays around with the notes when he sings the words "aisee raat aaeegee" the second time around. Himonshu does a splendid job bringing in the guitars and rhythms just when the next line "nazadik se raat-bhar" begins making for some wonderful sounds. DJ Phukan and Ashwin Kulkarni handle the excellent sound design and Eric Pillai does the mix and master with assistance from Michael Edwin Pillai. The stanza has some very unique notes that get landed on the Keyboards giving the song a very fresh look. Dev Arijit, Aniruddh Anantha & Akashdeep Sengupta are the vocal conductors and the sound engineers are Ashwin Kulkarni, Aniruddh Anantha, Pranav Gupta, and Harjot Kaur, with Sukanto Singha as the recording engineer. Arjun Chandy adds a very stylish and gentle layer with his backing vocals. 

Music: Tapas Relia

Vocals:  Chandana Bala Kalyan, Vidhya Gopal

Lyricist: Kittu Vissapragada

Genre: Melody, Semi-classical, Qawwali

Language: Telugu

The Amazon Prime anthology had some interesting stories, but the music probably deserves a lion's share of the credits. Tapas Relia has been featured by me on more than a few occasions, and here is scoring the BGM and composing 2 songs. I loved this one sung by Chandana Bala Kalyan and Vidhya Gopal. the latter I have featured multiple times for her enchanting performances in indie singles like "Nadan Dil" recently with Aanchal Shrivastava. The introduction of the male harmonies gives a very Qawwali style making the texture symbolic of Old Hyderabad. There are some fragments of Raag Desh that I could sense, although it could be Raag Tilak Kamod owing to similarities to the famous song "Aaoge Jab Tum" by Pritam. The singing by the duo is incredibly sweet and you fall in love with music all over again. The Tabla, by Prasad Padhye, and the synchronous singing all just add incredible lustre to the song. The backing vocalists are Rishikesh Kamerkar and Rajiv Sundaresan, and the Oud is played by Tapas Roy. The track is produced by Tapas and mixed, mastered by Farhad K DadyBurjor

 

Singer: Vishal Mishra

Composer: Vishal Mishra

Lyrics: Vishal Mishra, Kaushal Kishore & Faruk Kabir

Music Arranged & Produced by: Gaurav Vaswani

Genre: Melody/ Ballad

Language: Hindi

I featured a "Rubaru" by Vishal Mishra from the movie 'Khuda Hafiz 2'  a few weeks ago and I could have mentioned this song, but I felt it deserved a separate review, and for the effort and execution of Vishal, I could do this much at least. When I heard it, I could sense all the pathos generated and knew for sure that it had fragments and influences from Raag Charukeshi. Vishal has composed and performed this number with intense passion as always but the song needs a guy like Gaurav Vaswani who has refined it by arranging and producing the number. Vishal doesn't stop there, he has done all the additional arrangements and production and also co-written the lyrics with Faruk Kabir and Kaushal Kishore. Parth Shankar plays the flute solo and Shomu Seal is on the guitars and within seconds you are drawn into the song thanks to Vishal's fantastic vocals. The percussions are by Swaranjay Dhumal and Prashant Sonagra, and the latter also plays the Tabla, which goes exceeding well with the Female Harmonies in the interlude, comprising of some terrific singers like Shreya Gupta, Shreya Phukan, Harjot Kaur & Hansika Pareek. the interludes do feel like a portion of AR Rahman's 'O Paalanhaare'. The closing stages witness a coming together of the female and male chorus which is uplifting. The Male backing vocalists are  Kumar Gaurav Singh, Kaushal Kishore, Abhinav Mishra, Anirudhh Anantha, Aaroh Velankar & Ayush Phukan. The massive array of string instruments gives the song grandeur thanks to Violinists  Dharmendra Javda, Shayam Sunder Javda, Chandan Singh Javda, Jitendra Javda, Naville Franco, Abhijeet Mujumdar, Sanjay Verma & Rajiv Padhiyer, Viola by  Dharmendra Javda, Jitendra Javda, Shayamsunder Javda, Chandan Singh Javda, Rajiv Padhiyar & Sanjay Varma and Cello by Leo. The track is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup. Vishal's music assistant is  Kumar Gaurav Singh, and the recording engineers are Trihangku Lahkar, Sethuraman, Sanket Tole & Ezekiah Naniwadekar. 

 

Music: Aloshya Peter

Vocals: Aloshya Peter, Lakshmi Priya

Genre: Melody

Language: Malayalam

Out of nowhere, I heard songs from the album which was composed by Aloshya Peter for a Malayalam web series called 'Love- Out for delivery'. There were a few decent songs but I loved this one the most and had to review it. The vocals are by Aloshya and Lakshmi Priya. The acoustic guitar strumming and basslines are strong like the backbone of the song and the melody rides on these. A beautifully executes and arranged flute solo stuns you in the interlude and during a well-scored stanza, the strings in the background try and fight for attention. I must admit that Lakshmi sings the lines beautifully and kudos to Aloshya for giving a good score and tantalizing arrangements. I would have preferred if the lead vocals sounded clear, because I felt some issues in the quality of output, maybe something to do with the recording and mixing. 

Singers: Jonita Gandhi

Lyrics: Ananth Sriram

Music: Thaman S

Language: Telugu

Genre: Melody

Thaman as a composer has probably slowly declined in terms of hits and maybe the sheer number of projects has drained him down. I hope there is a massive comeback somewhere soon until then we can enjoy this number from the album 'Thank you', sung with incredible zest by Jonita Gandhi. The humming right at the start has notes very similar to the flute solo in "Pachai Nirame" by Ar Rahman in 'Alaipayuthey'. The strings, bass, and acoustic guitars start painting with their brushes, but after Jonita begins, the focus is all shifting toward her. A nice guitar solo in the interlude comes along but there are similarities with the interlude in that number "Samajavaraghamana". I would have loved to hear Jonita sing with much less restraint. 

Singer / Composer: Zeeshan Khan

Music: Karan Malhotra / Zeeshan Khan

Lyrics: Zeeshan Khan / Kumar Atul

Language: Hindi

Genre: Sufi Rock

The guitars start as though we should expect something like a soft pop song, but what Zeeshan Khan brings to the table is just the opposite. An engaging, semi-classical number probably having influences of Raag Khamaj, that also has a deep and sombre message. Zeeshan Khan has written, composed, and performed this number and this is his debut as a solo artist. He has been the lead singer of 'Malang', a Sufi Rock band. The Piano is an essential element of the song, and we hear a brief solo moment, and then followed a little later by the electric guitar. Zeeshan is phenomenal when he is performing and nothing less can be expected from the Sufi-styled vocalist. The composition, production, and arrangements all are excellent and it is no mean task to get western elements like the electric guitar, and Piano and fuse them seamlessly with a very classical tune. Tilak Goswami has mastered the track.