Top Indian Songs of the week 3rd December 2023

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 3rd December 2023. 

1. Ennum Enn Kaaval Neeye 

Song Composed and Arranged: Mathews Pulickan

Lyrics: Anvar Ali

Singers: G. Venugopal, K.S. Chithra

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music

I heard this song on a chilly morning in Coimbatore where I was spending my vacation. I got so engrossed in the song that I forgot that I was only planning to do 5 rounds of walking at the society's park, and ended up doing 10 rounds. Maybe that is why they say that good music is great for our mental and physical well-being.  

I was eager to get back to Mumbai and see the film " Kaathal The Core", but the song just rapidly increased my urge to do so. It has Mathews shining like a lode star on composition, and arrangements. Being Tamil-speaking I understand most of the beautiful lyrics by Anvar Ali as he writes " Ennum Enn Kaaval Neeye", showing the purity of respect and love between the male and female protagonists beyond marriage and sexual preferences.  

Chithra is undoubtedly one of India's greatest playback singers and she possesses something that some other greats also have lacked. At 60 years of age, her vocal prowess remains untarnished and she can sing every note at various vocal registers with incredible ease. The stunning guitars by Sumesh Parameswar pull you close and you just follow like a puppet. With G Venugopal's heartwarming vocals that feel like a tight hug, we stay focussed to the beauty of the tune, but let us not forget the crooning strings by Rithu Vysakh who plays a one-man quartet. 

Rithu not only plays the Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, but he also arranges all the string sections in the song. Listen to the magnificent intervention on the violin when Chithra sings " Neeye" and pauses for a bit. The nightingale Chithra touches your heart with every note and the associated emotion. The chorus section comes as a total surprise, instead of a traditional instrumental interlude and it is delivered by amazing singers Sruthy Sivadas, Aavani Malhar, Samanwitha Prashanth, Anila Rajeev, Sreenanda Sreekumar, Aravind Nair, Rajesh Rameshan, Lal Krishna, Aswin Vijayan and Abhijith Damodaran. 

The song had traces of Keeravani Ragam according to me and also reminds me of another gem "Vaanam Parthen" by Santhosh Narayanan from the album 'Kabali'. I love the line in the stanza "EN kathake , en janale , pon kanave" with Venugopal and the chorus singers. It lifts me and throws me into a higher orbit of joy. I cannot thank Mathews and the team enough for creating this wonder of a song. As we come to a close we have a joyful ride by Sumesh on acoustic guitars and a bass layer underneath. Nikhil Ram plays the touching flute solo in the end and Anand's Tabla is a source of comfort right through. 

Midhun V Dev is the mix engineer with mastering done by Gethin John. The sound engineers are Amal Mithu, Amal Raj, Vinu Nair, Midhun Manoj Arjun B Nair, KD Vincent and James. 

@matt.pulickan @kaathalthecore @anvarali113 @kschithra @g.venugopal

@rithuvysakh @parameswarsumesh @anadhan @biju @nikhilramtp

@shiyad_kabeer @subin.jacob_ @amal_mithu @amal_raj17 

@nair_b_arjun @midhunmanojj @kkmmohandas @midhunvdev

@sruthy_sivadaas @aavani_malhar @samanwitha__ @anila.rajeev

@sreenandasreekumar @arvindnair_official @rajish_n_ramesan

@lal_music @aswinvijayan_p @abhijith_damodaran_

2. Sapta Sagaradecho Ello Side B

Music composed, Produced and arranged by: Charanraj M R

Lyrics: Dhananjay Ranjan

Singer: Karthik Chennoji Rao

Produced by: Charanraj M R & Narayan Sharma

Language: Kannada

Genre: Metal

Sometimes when you are happy that you found a diamond, you then set your eyes on the emerald next to it. Here I am moving from one gem to the next, and moving states from Kerala to Karnataka. Charan Raj is having a belter of a year with Sapta Sagaradache Ello Side A released a few months ago, but now he is busy releasing some breathtaking songs as part of the sequel. Just last week we heard the gentle song "Olave Olave" through Srilakshmi's voice, we hear the ferocity of a storm in the title track. 

Sunil Sylvester is amping up with electric guitars like Sylvester Stallone readying for war. It is just Karthik Chennoji Rao's sensational vocals and the guitars that drive this sizzler forward. Wnen he sings " Sapta sagara dache ello", it feels like a monstrous Godzilla has set foot in Times Square, NY and raged with anger. We have the exact same words from the Side A title penned by Dhananjay Ranjan, but Charan Raj shows what a genius he is by composing a love song in Side A and a killer rock/metal song here, given the constraint of the same lyrics. 

Charan and Narayan Sharma are the producers and they create some dreamy programming and production elements here, with the latter also playing the violin solo in the song. The interlude has a very Middle Eastern flavour, and Karthik uses all the lung power to deliver this song with the line " elle meeri hodantha preethi aagutha". The high-voltage drums and Naveen Napier's bass guitars keep adding to the style of the song. The strings section that plays in the background is by Cochin Strings Orchestra comprising Carol George, Josekutty, Danny, and Harold. 

The music supervision is handled by Venkatesh Bhat, and mixing and mastering are done by Sujith Sreedhar @ 2bq Studios Chennai. Aniket Mohanty, Rohan Hareesh, Amal, and Arjun are the recording engineers. 

@charanraj27185 @narayansharma_227 @venkateshmusic_ @karthikchennojirao @napier_naveen @sunil6string @sujithsreedhar @carol__violin @cochinstrings

3. 10000 pax 

Written and Performed by ofRo

Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh Narayanan

Language: English

Genre: Alt- HipHop

If Charan Raj has just been featured, can Santhosh Narayanan be far behind? Just like SSE Side B had splendid songs and BGM, "JIgarthand Double X" has some of the best BGM scores and reverberating songs of 2023. Santhosh gets indie rapper and producer ofRo on board for writring and delivering this brilliant piece. 

The Alt-HipHop single from the album reminds me of Santhosh's earlier " Neeye Oli" for the style and sensation as well. In the movie, this song placement is nothing short of ecstatic and it is an introduction sequence for the protagonist. The heavy horns and rhythms section create an unforgettable aura and that is only matched by ofRo's impeccable delivery and writing. The spaghetti-western styled Native Indian loud male grunts are perfectly descriptive of the movie's theme. Santhosh goes berserk in the composition, arrangements and programming, giving the song incredible zest. 

The trumpets and trombones just around the 2nd-minute mark are a true mark of this world-beating composer/producer. The recording engineers are Santhosh and Rupendar Venkatesh, with the latter on mixing and mastering. Meenakshi Santhosh is the musicians' co-ordinator. 

@ofrooooo @musicsanthosh @rupendar_venkatesh @meenakshi_santhoshnarayanan

4. Bhaavam

Conceived, composed, and sung by Job Kurian  

Lyrics: Engandiyoor Chandrasekharan 

Arranged by Rony George and Job Kurian

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Classical-Rock fusion 

Job Kurain is a fantastic singer, who has been performing quite well for many composers, including Charan Raj in the recent Sapta Sagaradache Ello Side B. The starting intro, especially the male chorus humming by Khalid M, Gokul V B, Anoop Sivanandan and Anoop Mohandas in the song, feels like "Rasathi" from AR Rahman's 'Thiruda Thiruda'. Job has composed, and sung the lead vocals and this is one classical Rock song that will energise your soul. 

The moment Job finishes the opening line, Rony George stuns with the acoustic guitars. The guitars are so resplendent and string and the sound design reminds me of "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac. The banjo adds to that folk/country style beauty and that too is played by Rony. The melody feels like Anandhabhairavi Ragam to me in many places. The stylish and groovy bass guitars are played by the supremo Rex Vijayan. 

Job excels at the delivery of the high-pitched segments of the song and that is where the heart grows in joy. The pulsating electric guitars by Shikku Dan Jacob and drums by Ananthu Nirmal give the rock flavour to the song. 

Some of the beautiful South Indian classical elements come from the Nadhaswaram played by Rajkumar. The recording engineers are Jerry G Bensiar and Muzik Ministry with mixing and mastering done by Rex. 

@jobkuriank @ananthunirmal @engandiyoor_chandhrashekaran @rex_vijayan @shikkudanjacob @_the_magical_musician @gokul.vb @pikkoo

5. Bulaava Aaya

Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman

Written & Sung by: Gurdas Maan

Music Co-Produced by Raj Pandit

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Folk-Pop

Salim and Sulaiman is back to their best, with Bhoomi 2023 and this is one special Punjabi folk song composed and produced by the maestros. Gurdaas Maan has this stunning voice and delivery that can alter our moods immensely. It kind of charges you up with blood rushing to the head and what we end up feeling is gratification and inspiration. 

Salim's keyboards combine with the Zen Drum played by Sulaiman, and every second we feel the creative production of the brothers. There is a massive fleet of great musicians here playing live instrumentals like Raj Pandit and Vishal Beats on Keys, Darshan Doshi on electronic drums Nyzel D'lima on guitars and Rushad Mistry on bass. The backing vocals are provided by Salim, Muheet Bharti, Raj Shivansh Jindal and Aditya Kalway. 

When the title line is being sung we have the funky bass guitars, Harmonium, Dholak all combining beautifully like a match made in heaven. The inventiveness comes about with unifying the horns section in this folkish number and this is where Salim-Sulaiman excels. ID Rao and Harsh Bhavsar play the horns section, Naeem Sayyed handles the Dholak, and Muheet plays the Harmonium. I love the way we hear the Alogoza by Gurpreet Singh and it takes us straight away to the fields of Punjab.

I heard traces of Raag Sindhubhaiaravi in the song and when we hit the 3.30 minute mark we westernised flavour with just the horns, guitars and drums. Raj is the co-producer with Muheet on additional production. The recording engineers are Raj, Aditya and Muheet with Aftab Khan on mixing and mastering. Vatsal Chevli is the mixed assistant and the music assistants are Aditya and Muheet. 

@gurdasmaanjeeyo @salimsulaimanmusic @rajpandit17 @merchant_records @hanifaslam_official @naeem.sayyed0913 @nyzeldlima @rushad1981 @muheetbharti  @idrao_official @muheet_bharti @mixedbyaftab @harshbhavsarsaxophone 

6. Mere Sarkaar

Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman

Lyrics: Kamal Haji

Singers: Salim Merchant, Ali Brothers, Raj Pandit, Shivam Bhardwaj 

Music Co-Produced by: Raj Pandit

It's another Bhoomi 2023 song, and this is Salim and Sulaiman at their mesmerising best. The brothers and AR Rahman are unmatched in Sufi-style music in this country. I am reminded of last year's "Jashn-E-Ali" in Bhoomi 2022. The composition and production once again lie with the trusted minds of Salim and Sulaiman with lyrics by Kamal Haji. The list of singers is long and enchanting with Salim Merchant, Ali Brothers, Raj Pandit, Shivam Bhardwaj in the lead. 

As always the plethora of live instrumentalists, decorate the song and glorify it like Jarvis Menezes on keys, Nyzel on guitars, Rushad Mistry the bassist, Aslam Dafrani on the Dholak and Naeem Sayyed on the Tabla. The singing by Ali Brothers feels cathartic and like I'm stepping onto the stairway to heaven. Sedat Atlan and Sunrise String Section play the intense live strings with orchestration and conducting by Japjisingh Valecha.

The intermittent classical swaras and the Middle Eastern-style vocals bring two cultures and faiths together. ID Rao plays the woodwinds and Muheet is on the Harmonium. The song is co-produced wonderfully by Raj Pandit and all the amazing backing vocals are by Aditya Kalway, Muheet Bharti and Shivansh Jindal. Kudos to the whole team of musicians for this gem and according to me, there are influences of Raag Darbari in this piece. We have Aftab Khan on mixing and mastering with Vatsal Chevli as the mixing assistant. The music assistants are Aditya and Muheet. 

@salimmerchant @sulaiman.merchant @salimsulaimanmusic @alibrothersofficial @rajpandit17 @shivamriyaz @kamalhaji_ @merchant_records @hanifaslam_official @naeem.sayyed0913 @nyzeldlima @rushad1981 @muheetbharti @jarvisintune @japjisinghv @idrao_official @sedat.atlan32 @mixedbyaftab @vatsalchevli @shivansh.j

@adityakalway

7. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Singer: Sandesh Shandilya

Composer, Music Director: Sandesh Shandilya

Lyricist: Sandesh Shandilya

Music Producer : Pranav Jantikar

Music Arranger : Sandesh Shandilya & Kristian Terzic

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop/Anthem

I wonder how "Abundance of Millets" has received nomination votes for a Grammy in the global performance category. I wasn't fond of it all, but if I were to pick an alternate song from India with a great message for the world, that would be this brilliant number. Sandesh Shandilya has written the lyrics, composed the melody and also performed the vocals. 

His calm and composed singing delivers the message of world peace with great authority. "khushiyan milti hain, pyaar karne se, pyaar karna hai magar karte nahi", he writes and sings. The fantastic upbeat rhythms along with the Piano work well and kudos to Pranav Jantikar for the musical production. The masterstroke is the children's chorus and that delivers a message of joy and peace like nothing else, so Anushree Pasi, Aaryan Jain, Vedaa Mahajan, Rannvijay Singh, Aaradhaya Singh deliver it with class and innocence. 

The accompanying guitars and bass add pop style and all the lovely arrangements are handled by Sandesh and Kristian Terzic. Sandesh's voice along with the accompanying chorus is like a tonic to the bleeding heart. Nishant Verma is the recording engineer, with Prathamesh Dudhane on mixing and mastering duties. Praneeth Kumar and Prathamesh Naganure are the mixing assistants. 

@sandeshshandilya @indiaindependent.iimusic @a_void_sky @kristianterzic @prathmeshdudhane

8. Lutt Putt Gaya

Music - Pritam

Lyrics - Swanand Kirkire - IP Singh

Singer - Arijit Singh

Music Produced by - Prasad S., Meghdeep Bose, Ikky

Music Co-Produced by - AM.AN

Additional Music Arranger & Sound Design - DJ Phukan

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folk/Pop

SRK has had a phenomenal 2023, and I don't think any megastar has had two explosive successes in the same year, thanks to 'Pathan' and 'Jawaan'. Yet it is 'Dunki' that his fans are most looking forward to because of the Rajkumar Hirani collaboration. The first single released recently does pique my interest and we have the tried, tested combination of Pritam and Arijit shining brightly. After a decent gap a Pritam song has brought a smile to my face and a spring in my step. 

We get a load of folk instruments from Punjab in the intro, Alogoza by Gurmanpreet Singh, Tumbi by Jarnail Singh, Sarangi by Harpinder Singh Kang and Ravanhatha by Chandan Singh and credit goes to the talented Meghdeep Bose, Ikky and Prasad S for all the programming and fine production. AM.AN who has been working with Pritam of late co-produced this and another prominent assistant DJ Phukan does the additional arrangements and sound design. 

The percussion like the Dhol by Iqbal Azad and Nadeem Azad are a delight. The song is an abundance of joy and could be the Bollywood fun anthem of 2023. Swanand Kirkire and IP Singh write witty and interesting lyrics. Arijit has refound himself and sings this in a very chirpy way that has been absent of late. Anurag Sharma is the music production manager assisted by Brianna Supriyo, mix/master engineer is Shadab Rayeen with Pukhraj Sonkar, Anup Gandharla, Ehsan & Siddhant on mixing assistance. Ashwin Kulkarni is the Chief Engineer and Antara Mitra is the Creative Head of Music. 

@ipritamofficial @arijitsingh @meghdeep_bose @ikky.music @aman_music @imdjphukan @shadabrayeen

9. Filhaal

Performed by Alyssa Mendonsa, The Western Ghats

Written by Aryaendra Shekhar

Produced by Sunil George

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

They are one of my top 3 favourite bands in India, and every time I listen to "The Western Ghats" I feel like I am driving along one of the amazing ghat roads near Mumbai on a monsoon day. The beauty of the two scenarios and the joy I extract from both are similar. Here the band gets Alyssa Mendonsa on board for the female lead vocals and Aryaendra Shekhar and Alyssa are having a ball at the moment (filhaal). 

The song is written and composed by Aryaendra the band's frontman and we have the Keyboardist Sunil George production with finesse. The band's style of Alt-Rock just creates an undeniable high in me and Aryaendra's delivery takes a lion's share of the credit. The guitars we hear are played by Kaleb Shaji and Steve Alfred and there is not only the acoustic but also the slide guitars here. Rex David is the bassist and Ritik Suntwal is the drummer. 

I love how the song takes a neat little detour in the notes as Aryaendra sings " Aftaab mein ghum hai zindagi". The lead singers perform together thereafter and the rhythms and drums add such style to the song. I am hearing Alyssa for the very first time but she has impressed me beyond words can describe. Just listen to her do a vocal harmony in the background with the line " taaron ki roshni mein" as she explores a nice falsetto. The production of this song like most by the band is 

@thewesternghatsmusic @alyssamendonsaofficial @aryaendrashekhar @sunil_geo88 @rexdavid.7 @ritiksuntwal @kalebshaji @raghavmeattle @firstwav @zualrasteve 

10. Ujalun Aali Diwali

Composer: Nilesh Moharir

Lyrics: Shripad Joshi

Singer: Vaishali Samant

Music Producer (Arranger): Vikram Bam

Language: Marathi

Genre: Folk/ Semi-classical

The song begins and it straightaway sends me vibes of Brindavani Sarang, because it is relatable to a beautiful old Tamil song called " Pon ondru kanden" from a 1962 film. I am featuring the talented Nilesh Moharir after more than 2 years and he gives us a cracker of a song with the same collaboration that brought him and Vaishali Samant. The Shehnai in the intro by Durgesh Bhosle and Vikram Bam's bass guitars combine like a great mix of cultures, even as Vaishali delivers her lines with such beauty. 

Niles has composed the melody, while Vikram handles the arrangements and programming of the song, being the producer. The various sounds from the rhythms give just a folkish flavour to the song thanks to Satyajeet Jamsandekar. The chorus of female singers glorifies the song, even more, thanks to the collective beauty of their voices. The vocalists are Aditi Prabhudesai, Aarohi Mhatre, Madhura Paranjape and Mrunmayee Gandharva. 

Nilesh showcases his potential by writing a melodious stanza as well and Vaishali is a singer with great abilities and she can sound convincing in a folk dance song as well as something mild and beautiful as this. Durgesh is the second hero of the song, playing the Shehnai almost for the entire length of it. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Ajinkya Dhapare and the recording engineers are Kalpesh, Aishwarya and Ankesh. The lyrics are penned by Shripad Joshi

@nilesh_moharir @shripadjoshi17 @vikthebam @satyajit_jhamsandekar @bhosle.durgesh @aditiprabhu31 @paranjpemadhura @arohimhatre @mrunmayeedadke @ajinkyadhapare @ankesh_chandankhede @ajivasanstudios 

11. Chenab Te Mil

Singer: Javed Ali 

Song Composed, Arranged & Produced by: Vivian Richard 

Lyrics: Yaara

Live Guitars & Music Supervision: Richard Mithra 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical

It has been a great year or so for Javed Ali as he has performed many amazing singles with multiple composers. This is one more of those melodies that instantly touches the heart. Vivian Richard, a name I would have never associated with music, has composed, arranged and produced the single with lyrics by Yaara. 

We understand with every note that he utters why he was at one point, AR Rahman's first choice for many of his compositions. The live instrumental arrangements deserve special praise. The flute is played by Kiran Winkar and the Sarangi interlude is by Sangeet Mishra. The heavy live rhythms are performed and conducted by Raja Kulkarni, Varad Kulkarni & Montu Gosavi . 

It does remind me of AR Rahman's song from "Jodha Akbar" called 'Jashn-E-Bahaaraa'. The guitars are played by Richard Mithra. The backing vocals are designed and performed by Vivian at Neo Sound Studio. Sahiatus Joseph is the mixing and mastering engineer, 

@javedali4u @viviannrichard @yaara_lafzkaar @hungamamusic 

12. Beqabu

Written by Bharg, Rohit Pandey

Composed by Bharg

Produced by Bharg

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock

I loved Beqabu the moment the song started playing. and it only kept getting better with time. The song is part of a new album 'Nikamma' and I have yet to listen to the songs. Bharg and Rohit Pandey have penned the lyrics with composition and production by the former. It feels like the extravagant sounds of the 1990s and the great Rock music of the time. 

The chorus lines add a lot of intensity on the the title line, but the core of the beauty comes from the guitars, keys and drums. Bharg Kale is just fabulous on vocals singing with some unabating poise and passion.

@bhargkale @madverse.music @moseskoul @akashshravan @mam00li @sasta_acid @aranyakav @moksharya @nachiket_parchure