Top Indian Songs of the week 25th Sep 2022

Listen to some true stalwarts of Bollywood music, as they captivate you through their vocals, but don't ever discount new talent as well. We have utter domination with 9 songs in Hindi, and 3 in English, but the surprise package is a Nepali Song from a Darjeeling musician. 

1. Jashn-e-Gham

Music Composer: Salim Sulaiman 

Music producer: Deepak pandit 

Singer: Pratibha Singh Baghel 

Lyrics: A M Turaz 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Fusion

When you get some serious talent like the one assembled here, what you will end up getting is excellence and superlative performances. No wonder this song rises to the very top and becomes this week's number 1 song in India. Salim and Sulaiman have been unstoppable, especially since 2020 thanks to their phenomenal Indie projects and here they compose the tune which gets produced by another genius Deepak Pandit, for whom I have huge respect. The song seems to be set in Raag Yaman and there are flavours of the composer Sanjay Leela Bansali in this too. Pratibha Singh Baghel is in fine form and you cannot expect anything less from this Diva as she uses every ounce of her ability to mesmerise you. Deepak's production reigns supreme ad you can hear the strings in the background by the Bombay Strings and Chennai Strings Orchestra. Just as the opening lines come to an end we hear the intervention on the flute solo by Navin Kumar and the rockstar Sitar exponent Purbayan Chatterjee goes for the kill with his solo in the interlude. Deepak along with co-producer Gaurav Vaswani bring in the great elements of Western Classical music and conjoin forces with the base melody set in Classical Hindustani. Prashant Sonagra plays the perfect percussional accompaniment on Tabla, and you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and Deepak's Solo Violin creates immense pathos. Pratibha's aalap is so mild, and perfectly cooked and is a lesson for some established singers and she uses it like a trump card when needed. K. Sethuraman does the mixing for Dolby Atmos and Stereo. The lyrics are penned by AM Turaz. 

2. Andheki

Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan

Music: Puneet Dixit

Lyrics: Shweta Bothra

Music Arrangements & Production: Gaurav Vaswani & Shamita Bhatkar 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Latin Jazz

It took me a few years to realize what a supreme talent Sunidhi Chauhan is. She has this unbelievable vocal quality and it is even more impressive because she can do wonders with that. A few songs here and there have registered even in the Tamil space back in the 2000s but a song like this is where Sunidhi stamps her authority. The song is composed by Puneet Dixit but the production is by Shamita Bhatkar and Gaurav Vaswani who makes it two in a row now this week. Shamita too has been featured in a beautiful song called "Heer ki kahani" last year with Nikhita Ahuja. We immediately feel a Latin Jazz texture thanks to the guitars and percussions, with Shomu Seal and maybe rhythm programming done by Shamita and Gaurav. The introduction of the Trumpets is pure Jazz divinity and the song's tonality also reminds us of some fabulous Bollywood Hits of the 1990s. All the effective backing vocals are designed by Shamita herself and the song's arrangements are a treat with some fantastic interplay of guitars, strings, trumpets and harmonies, the interlude is proof of that. Shweta Bothra is the lyricist who gets the message on point and we have K. Sethuraman working on mixing and mastering and Sanket Tole, and Ezekian Naniwedkar assisting. Rahul M Sharma, Samir Dharap and Tanay Gajjar are the sound engineers. The song has got a simple and relatable tune, and every element that is added as layers has just made this one outstanding number which is a string recommendation from me to your playlist. 

3. Yaad

Music Composer: Mukund Suryawanshi (Jam8 Studio)

Lyrics: Saaveri Verma

Singer: Sonu Nigam

Music Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Sunny M.R

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical

It has been one of the best things to happen to music in 2022, and just like how the Bhoomi project by Salim-Sulaiman lights up the scene, Pritam's Roposo Jamroom project has just sizzled. I have now featured 5 of the 9 songs, and this composed by Mukund Suryawanshi has to be right at the top. Sonu Nigam is a natural and his vocals are ideal to suit this style of Ghazal/classical number where he brings out his best and the emotive delivery gets the listener completely involved as well. The Raag influence seems to be either Tilak Kamod or Desh in my opinion. The song has a brilliant mix of some western and some traditional thanks to Firoz Shah on the Harmonium and Udayan Dharamdhikari on acoustic guitars. Sunny MR showcases his class and skill in production, and he also mixes and masters the track. One just cannot keep up with the barrage of emotions that conquer our minds and hearts when Sonu Nigam starts singing with impeccable poise. Saaveri Verma writes these beautiful lines. Chinmay Deore plays the Tabla and percussions in a delightful mode without ever pushing up the adrenaline. We have Prachotosh Bhowmik on electric guitar and Rajkumar Dewan on bass guitar with all arrangements on guitars done by the master Roland Fernandes. Momin Khan's heartening yet slightly melancholic solo on the Sarangi comes in the interlude, and after that, you are lost in Sonu's exhilarating vocals. Dev Modi plays the drums and Mukund himself handles the keys and Synths. The upright piano is played by Rudrik Mistry and there is a wide range of engineers involved viz. Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Subhashree Das, Pranav Gupta, Shiladitya Sarkar and Pramod Chandorkar. As expected in the Jamroom project Brianna Supriyo and Antara Mitra are music supervisors with the latter also helping in curation. 

4. Paracetamol

Song Composed, Produced & Arranged: Parag Chhabra

Lyricist: Raj Shekhar

Singers: Jubin Nautiyal, Parag Chhabra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Dance Fusion

The movie is a remake of a Tamil hit called 'Kolamavu Kokila' and though there have been some ifs and buts about the Hindi movie, this song does stand up quite well against a mammoth like Anirudh who composed the score in Tamil. The song is nothing new in style or tune but some elements of execution, and arrangements truly had me wanting more. Parag Chhabra has composed, produced and arranged with Vineeth Jayan co-producing and Utsav Nanda being the additional programmer. The flute solo by Paras Nath in the interlude along with the Sitar in the background by Asad Khan and Sarang Vechalekar are truly inspiring and symbolic of what creative music should be like. Parag introduces a wonderfully inventive rap segment in the end written and performed by Soom T. That is not all, as we soon hear a Sufi vocal section as well by Navdeep Dhatra, Manish S Sharma & Pankaj Dixit. While Parag also is a vocalist here along with Jubin Nautiyal's lead, we have Shehnaz Akhtar and Sahil Akhtar on additional vocals. The way the line "Tu Paracetemol gol gol re" the second time around in every segment, the notes change so beautifully reminding me of Raag Revathi in Carnatic. The guitars are played by Utsav Nanda and Dholak by Jayant Patnaik. The track is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with mix assistants Pukhraj Sonkar & Anup Kumar. Chinmay Mistry and Rupjit Das are recording engineers with Deepak Suganathan as Premix engineer and Executive Producer. Raj Shekhar writes these inventive lyrics for the song. 

5. Call You Mine 

Performed by Dhaya

Written by Dhaya TK, Peter Huygelen

Language: English

Genre: Indie pop

The song is penned by Dhaya and Peter Huygelen, and performed by the former. A huge highlight that works for me in the song is Dhaya's magnetic vocals and she is stunning in her delivery. The song is aided by some heavy keyboard programming, but credit goes to some effective arrangements bringing in the electric guitars and strings in the background. The use of harmonies and drums sparkle too in the track, and it is as good as any indie pop song I have heard. Dhaya sounds extremely confident in her vocals and she uses the falsetto with terrific ease and efficacy. The song's production stands out. 

6. Tum Sang 

Performed by Gautam Kale

Written, and composed by Prithviraj Singh

Language: Traditional

Genre: Classical Fusion

If you want a specialist Hindustani Vocal coach who not only teaches at the highest level but also keeps composing and performing originals in the indie space, I think there aren't many like Gautam Kale. I have featured him at least 3 or more times with some fabulous semi-classical fusion numbers and this one is right down his alley. This one is probably set in Raag Hamsadhwani. Vishal Khatri has produced the number bringing in some modern touches to this classical rendition, written and composed by Prithviraj Singh. I can hear the Jal Tarang as well as drums and they come and go in the interlude, but we have a more traditional percussion playing right through. The Keyboard programming is excellent giving the song such a different flavour and that is why this number is so high on creativity.  

7. Awaz

Vocals, written by Riko Lama

Music by Mall Road & Co.

Producer/Engineer -Chandan Tamang (Mall Road Studios)

Language: Nepali

Genre: Indie Rock

Riko Lama is the performer in this amazing track that just stunned me when I heard it the first time. It is a fine number by an artist from this Darjeeling-based musician, and he addresses something that continues to irk Indian society. The words are written in Nepali which happens to be a widely spoken language in Darjeeling and Riko here talks about the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community. His vocals are resplendent but that is not the only plus in this track, as Anuj Pradhan on drums, Gourav Gazmer on bass, Uzzual Sewa and Sailu Rasaily on guitars electrify the setting. The lead guitar notes are written with scintillating perfection and they are played with such amazing poise and heavily supported by the thumping drums. This is one rock number that can stand up against the best we have heard from the West, the face-melting guitar solo at the 4-minute is proof. Chandan Tamang has produced, mixed and mastered the track, and he is not new to me. I featured his production for Apurva Tamang's 'Kahi Kathai' a few months ago also produced at Darjeeling's Mall Road Studios. I will be also listening to the other 3 songs in Riko's EP called 'Kehi Katha Haru'. The voice is just something that will keep you hooked and I later found out that Riko is a contestant doing well in the Voice of Nepal reality show. I seriously hope and believe he can go all the way. 

8. Neenu Bagehariyada

Music: Arjun Janya

Singer: Nihal Tauro

Lyrics: Jayant Kaikini

Language: Kannada

Genre: Melody

Arjun Janya is creating music at some enviable frequency and I am just glad that I get to listen to and write about these songs. Nihal Tauro is the vocalist and he too has performed for Arjun before. With Jayant Kaikini's lyrics, the song is all about the vocals and instrumental arrangements. The Veena solo followed by the female humming fills up the interlude and there are segments which make me think if the song is set in Raag Kaapi in Carnatic music parlance. The intervention on the strings section and Veena keeps coming and going while the guitars are a constant presence. The second interlude has a mildly intense Violin interlude but a moment that captivated me was the humming accompanied by the strong Indian percussion.

9. Dariya

Written by- Amit Ganjoo

Vocals, composition - Ramil Ganjoo

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Ramil Ganjoo has been around for a while now and he has always impressed, with his brand of music and vocals. This one is no different and for some reason, I had this track picked and rated by me but just forgot to write about it in the prior weeks. So here it is, delayed but never denied. The track is composed and performed by Ramil, with lyrics by Amit Ganjoo. There is a magnetic presence of guitars and we have to thank two talented musicians Ritaprabha Ray and Varun Agnihotri for the sensational strumming. I get the feeling of a perennial river flowing when I hear the guitars and this is backed by some vocal harmonies. There are moments with the guitars, harmonies and lead vocals that I feel like flying high into the sky and it is something that you have to listen to and experience yourself. The song has just a few lines that might repeat but the production and arrangements more than make-up for it almost making it like one unavoidable chanting. The track is enhanced thanks to the drums by Bharat and it is mixed and mastered by Utkarsh Amarpuri. 

10. I'm not okay

Performed by The Speksy Pscyentist

Written by Jyoshma Preema D'souza, Renston Jake Fernandes

Concept, Lyrics, Tunes, Music Arrangement and Performed by: The Speksy Pscyentist

Language: English

Genre: Ballad

I love it when new bands or artists blow me away, and this is one of them. 'The Speksy Pscyentist' is a duo and when they reached out I had zero bias or expectations, but when the song ended, I couldn't help but play it again a few times. That is the level of captivation I was put through. The duo is formed by Renston Jake Fernandes and Jyoshma Preema D'souza, with the latter writing, singing, and creating the underlying melody, and Renston handling the arrangements, programming, and production. The guitars immediately grab your attention without wasting even a second. This is what great music is made of. I have heard very few performances as good as this and Jyoshma D'souza is someone to really watch out for. The song is dedicated to a departed father and she brings all the emotions on board with her style and vulnerable delivery. The guitars in an interlude, the lyrics and the vocals all remind me of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven". Vanil Veigas who is a regular producer for Grammy-winning Ricky Kej has worked on the keyboards, mixing and mastering for this track. The track's recording and cinematography are handled by Sebastian. I love the title saying the protagonist is "Okay" (not in brackets) but maybe she's not and the vocals also indicate this hidden emotion. 

11. Khabar 

Vocal, Guitar : Manav

Lyrics: Manav

Music: Twin Strings

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Manav's voice, and his control over his vocals are a testament to his potential as a singer. Just go listen to 'Doorie' by him and the band and I promise that you will witness your heart melt in true appreciation for what you hear. He is the front-man of the band Twin Strings and their music is something I always cherish. The song has some standout performances on keyboards by Sahil and Sagar on guitars and Mohit Deen on drums. It is something that particularly reminds me of the great pop number "Nothing's gonna change my love for you" by George Benson. The texture and tone are similar and I have no problem enjoying this one as much as the older reference. I am glad the band is showcasing its diverse potential to compose songs on either end of the spectrum, and this one feels so different from the semi-classical "Doorie". The guitar solo plays heart-warming notes in the interlude, and the keyboard programming provides a very fine layer below the lead vocals. I love the moment he sings "hai silsila yeh Pyar ka", and the drums have a shift in rhythm by Mohit which deserves praise and attention. The shift in scales which works in most pop songs from the west does work well for me even in this number. Listen to the faint falsetto that Manav beautifully pulls off at the end of the line "pura sa lage jo tu idhar". The track is mixed and mastered by Mohit. 

12. Tere Nishaan

Performer: Pina Colada Blues & Anumita Nadesan

Lyricist: Ritendra Dirghangi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie pop, Lo-fi, 

Pina Colada Bluesb a.k.a. Kevin Shaji is one tantalising producer and he always has the pulse of the music lover right on the dot. The Keyboard programming is rich and makes the song much more than its raw melody. I was elated to hear the use of percussion which had a tone that sounded similar to the Tabla and wow that was refreshing. Just then you hear the mild flute intervention, by Mushkan Rajani. The Sitar sounds are spectacularly programmed by Kevin who has composed and produced the number. Ritendra Dirghangi pens the words, while we have Abhishek Sinha on Violin and Akarsh Shetty on additional bass guitars. The interlude notes on Sitar made me believe that there is some Raag Hamsadhwani influence, and that goes true for the mild Violin interventions by Abhishek in the background. he truly excels as the stanza ends past the 2nd minute with a belligerent solo. Hanish Taneja does the mix and master, while Karanjit Narag does the artwork. 

13. Mandi aa k Naa

Singer: Tyson Sidhu (feat. Simar Kaur)

Lyricist: Tyson Sidhu

Music: Sir Manny

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Indie pop

The song here is a stylish and very peppy pop number performed by Tyson Sidhu and the music is produced by Sir Manny. The lyrics also are penned by Tyson and the performance is evocative of a cool and passionate protagonist. The production and programming are something that elevates the likability of the song and the introduction of Si Kaur as the female lead vocalist also sounds extremely warm and is a welcome to the slightly more aggressive delivery by Tyson. The underlying melody is soothing and that takes care to make this song tick with the listener.

14. Guftugu

Performed by Riya Kukreja

Written by Riya Kukreja

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

This is an example of a simple song, done right. Riya Kukreja has written, composed and performed the song, which has the Ukulele as the main instrumental aid. I do hear some excellently arranged backing vocals, and the Organ Piano as well. It is all a sign of some good production work and this is what keeps us hooked. Mayank Saxena does the mixing and mastering. 

15. Back To You 

Performed by Anamertis, Ritvik Jake

Written by Advaith R, Ritvik Jacob

Language: English

Genre: Indie pop, Alt-pop

Anamertis and Ritvik Jake write, compose and perform this pop Alt-pop number driven by some catchy guitar strumming, feel-good drums and arrangements of vocals. The song is pretty straightforward, but I have to admit that it is catchy, and a lot of credit goes to the rhythm programming.