Top Indian Songs of the week 5th February 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 5th February 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music  with a clickable link on my Home Page 

1. Byabodhan

Singer - Ujjaini Mukherjee 

Music Direction - Barenya Saha

Lyrics - Somraj Das 

Language: Bangla

Genre: Ballad 

I don't know whether to feel happy or disgruntled. I'll tell you why, as 2023 began, I started listening to a huge number of Bangla songs that got released in January, close to 40 or more. Based on my experience, I would love 6-7 songs at least in this sort of a cluster. However now, it is only 'Byabodhan' that made it past my rating metrics! So I feel disheartened. Having said that this song is so good that it tops the charts this week, and for that I am elated. Ujjaini Mukherjee has been featured many times on my website and she proves here yet again what a brilliant vocalist she is. 

Barenya Saha is the composer and I am sold in 10 seconds thanks to the brilliant arrangements by Dipesh Chakraborty, but also a huge round of applause to live instrumentalists Dwaipayan Ghosh on the stroke instruments, Jakirudding Khan on Guitars and Sandipan Ganguly on Strings. The combined effect of these instruments is mesmerising. The strokes are constant and Ujjaini grasps your attention delivering the lines with that innate sense of pathos. The Keys and Strings also keep the background occupied and Joy Nandy's timely intervention on the Tabla. 

The interlude has some strong harmonies and the Piano. Ujjaini owns this track, as she explores the ends of her vocal range with immaculate ease. To sing a song with an emotional connection and at the same time, sing it with adequate improvisations and vibrato are what make this a superior vocal performance. The outro with her free-flowing aalap is praise-worthy. The track is mixed and mastered by Debojit Sengupta. Somraj Das is the lyricist. 

 @ujjainimjee_official @barenyasaha @zeemusicbangla @spontaneous _somraj

2. Ninnadu Nodida

Music: Arjun Janya  

Singer: Sonu Nigam

Lyrics: Kaviraj

Language: Kannada

Genre: Filmi Melody

Arjun Janya is probably one of the most consistent film music composers and it is quite a rarity that someone scores such good songs with this incredible frequency. He ropes in Sonu Nigam, and there are not too many who can make a song sound this beautiful with just his/her vocal construct. It is like Sonu only keeps getting better and the love he gets from the Kannada audience is well-deserved. David Selvam is terrific at playing the acoustic guitars in the beginning, and he also is the one playing the bass and electric guitars. 

He also sizzles thanks to a lion's share of contribution to the output of the song, playing the Violin, Viola and also handling the Keys and Rhythm programming. Kannada music serves up a lot of melodies that stay close to the classical Raga influence and format, but this one is fresh and breezy and the interlude humming with the guitars in the background is proof of that. The backup vocalist is on fire with his fabulous humming in falsetto. The stanza takes a delightful turn after the first lines, as Arjun loads up the melody quotient. 

Here we hear the Violin and Viola played by David with the Cello by Seenu and Double bass by Ramachandran. At the end of the first stanza, just pay attention to Sonu breathlessly singing the Classical swaras at breakneck speed. When we get to the outro, the same notes that Sonu sang come onto the Violin. N Ramanathan the music co-ordinator and the track is mixed and mastered by David Selvam. 

 @davidselvam_official @sonunigamofficial 

3. Shwasame

Lyrics - Vinayak Sasikumar

Music - PS Jayhari

Singers - KS Harisankar, Nithya Mammen

Composed, arranged and programmed by PS Jayhari

Addn.Programming - Al Nishad

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Filmi melody

If last week had some stalwarts from the indie space lining up in the top 10 songs, this week it is some fantastic playback singers like Sonu in the previous song, and south Indian supremos KS Harisankar and Nithya Mammen on this Malayalam melody. PS Jayhari is the composer and the established Vinayak Sasikumar has penned the lyrics. This song is not just about the tune, or the singing, but also about the excellent array of live instruments and their perfect arrangements. 

Jayhari handles all the arrangements and programming as well, but there are some great contributions by other musicians who arranged and conducted the strings sections. The song begins with Harisankar's vocals and the mild Keys in the background. The sense I get is that there is either a Kalyani or Yamunakalyani Ragam influence in the notes. Let us not forget the wonderful chorus too, which is formed of vocalists Amal Antony Agustin, Alexeena Shymon, Aarya Janardhanan, Jyothis Varghese, Gineesh KM, Vyjayanthi PS, Sreehari Warrier, Mejosh Joshy and Sariga Chandran of VOXOSAAA Vocal Ensemble. Amal Antony Augustun conducts the chorus. 

Hari just soars higher with the title line singing in the high pitch and we hear the strings section in full flow thanks to Cochin Strings involving Francis Xavier, Carol George, Josekutty, Herald Anthony and Francis Sebastian. The interlude has the flute solo by Nikhil and it is heart-warming, Sanu PS accompanies on guitars. The wait to hear Nithya is over and as the stanza opens up, she embellishes the track with her sweet voice. The composition is so rich with a long and winding stanza and PS Jayhari needs to be applauded for that. Sravan Krishnakumar has arranged all the strings and played the Cello. 

The part towards the end with Hari improvising on the title line, and Nithya humming in the background shows the abilities of these vocalists. The recording engineers are Sai Prakash, Shiju Eediyatheril, Ajay KJ and Akshay Kakkoth. The track is mixed by Balu Thankachan, assisted by Hariharan and Paul Daniel, and mastered by Shadab Rayeen. Is there anything better to hear than when Nithya sings like this? That is the feeling I get when she sings the Pallavi and Anu pallavi.

@harisankar_ks @nithyamammen @alnishad @shiju_ediyatheril @sravan.krishnakumar @cochinstrings @shadabrayeen

4. Maahi Ve

Lyrics, Composition & Production: Dhidipon Dowarah

Vocals:- Dhidipon Dowarah

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock/Pop

This song made me joyous because it was breathtakingly good and it came from an artist I have never heard of. To me, that defines the purpose of my role and journey as a music journalist. Discovery of new names and promotion of their talent is exactly what I intend to achieve week in and week out. The only name I have known here is Trihangku Lahkar who has worked as a mixing engineer for some of Vishal Mishra's songs if I am not wrong. Dhidipon Dowarah has a fantastic voice and he leverages it even better in his stylish and heartfelt delivery. 

Dhidipon has composed the tune and written the lyrics as well and produced this with exquisite style. I can hear the strong presence of the guitars by Bastov Borbora, the bass by Bulbul Das and the Keys by Writam Changakoti. Bastov shines in the interlude with his electric guitar solo, creating some Alt-Rock exuberance. The production is on par with excellence as Dhidipon gets all the elements right including the harmonies which are well arranged. His vocals are electric and have to be the best I have heard so far in 2023, and it gets me excited, wondering what more I'll get from Dhidipon this year. 

@dhidipon_dowarah @bastovborbora @justassamthings.exe @writammusic @bulbul.das.758737 @trihangkulahkar 

5. Do I Really Do?

Performed by - Blue Hush

Written by - Heena Suthar, Ojas Goyal

Produced by - Samarth Janve

Language: English

Genre: Ballad

This duo of Heena Suthar and Ojas Goyal a.k.a. Blue Hush just has nothing about themselves that needs to be kept on the Hush Hush. I am writing here about their amazing new single which the world needs to read about and more importantly listen to. The duo have written the lyrics and composed the melody with Samarth Janve producing the song. The strong points are Heena's enticing vocals, her haunting style of delivery and the immensely satisfying production. 

The strings in the background along with the keyboard and synth programming is on point. The best line according to me is when she sings "I know I want to love you". The flowing notes on the Piano, when she sings " was this the touch, was this the smell, or was it just not you", does transmit the pain that the protagonist feels. The female vocal harmonies in the background add to the impact. It kind of reminds me of 'Nothing Else matters' by Metallica. The music label is Banjara Music

@bluehushmusic @banjara_music 

6. Kurukkum Nooru Pravin

Composed And Produced By Yakzan and Neha

Lyrics: Ameen Karakkunnu

Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi 

Additional Vocals: Neha S Nair 

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Filmi Melody/ Pop

I have always considered Yakzan Gary Pereira and Neha Nair as one of the finest composer duo in the country and they rank high on my scale thanks to their creativity and ability to produce fresh sounds that are not very commonplace in Mollywood. I am a fan of Vaikom Vijayalakshmi ever since his debut almost a decade ago. This is tailor-made for her style of singing. I am reminded of Santhosh Narayanan's song "Kanamma" from the album 'Jigardthanda', especially the humming parts by the female voice. Neha comes in as the backing vocalist and the song is brilliantly arranged and programmed by Yakzan and Neha.. The interlude is fun-filled and brings in Yakzan and Neha's skill, with some solid string instruments and we have the Oud and Cumbus by Egyptian insrumentalist Asil Bilek to add a Middle Eastern flavor. The track is mixed and mastered by Vivek Thomas. 

@yakzangp @nnehanair @vaikomvijayalakshmii @sandilya_pisapati @ameen_karakunnu @pramodumapathi

7. Thalatherichavar

Song Composed and Produced - Sushin Shyam

Singer - Zia ul Haq

Lyrics- Vinayak Sasikumar

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Alt-Rap/Folk

Rajesh Cherthala's flute solo welcomes you with open arms and the combination of the wonderful catchy notes along with the rhythms sets the tone perfectly. Sruthi Raj and Raju are vibrant on percussions towards the end of the song. The bright and talented Sushin Shyam is the Zia Ul Haq the vocalist singing Vinayak Sasikaumar's lines. The song reminds me of Backstreet Boys' "We've Got it goin' on". The humming along with the flute goes well. I also love the arrangements of the Trumpets and Trombones in the background. The Rap segment is a creative interjection in the proceedings and we have M.C.Couper performing it. Abin Paul is the mixing engineer. 

@sushintdt @vinayaksasikumar @ziaulhaq_official @bshifina @goddamnhunter @mixwithabin

8. LOML 

Lyrics by Sanchi Mannotra

Composed and Performed by Varun Agnihotri and Sanchi

Produced by Varun Agnihotri and Osho Jain

Mixing and Mastering by Utkarsh Amarpuri

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

 Sometimes you go to listen to certain musicians but you also end up discovering some good musicians by accident. Varun Agnihotri was one such discovery. A few months ago I did feature his song with Perp called "Best Friend". If that was good, this one is fabulous, as Varun and Sanchi Mannotra compose and perform this together. That is not the end of it, as we have one more talented musician in Osho Jain who produced this song along with Varun. Sanchi's delivery and guitars truly create a huge platform of expectations and this is one of those rare singles that impresses without wasting any time. She possesses a good set of vocals and it is the production value that comes to the fore. 

The keyboard and rhythm programming are immaculate and they keep piquing my interest. There is a smart use of harmonies in the background that adds depth to the melody. The synths just up the ante and form the interlude, after that Varun performs with style. The lead guitar solo just past the 2.20 mark is fantastic and with some beautifully composed notes, the song now is stuck in your head and all you end up doing is humming along with the two lead vocalists. 

@varun_agnihotri @sanchhhii @buttonchutney @oshojain_

9. Neene Dhoretha Mele

Music Director: Arjun Janya

Singer: Indu Nagaraj

Lyrics: Kaviraj

Keys and Rhythm Programmed by David Selvam 

Language: Kannada

Genre: Semi-classical Melody

Wow, a second song in the same week, looks like Arjun Janya is unstoppable at the moment, but that has been the case ever since I started reviewing Indian music professionally 3 years ago. Indu Nagaraj was just featured in a Kannada song a few weeks ago and here she is again absolutely killing it with her voice and it felt like listening to an in-form Nithyashree Mahadevan. 

To me, there seems to be an influence of Hindolam Ragam (Malkauns) in this track. Kiran plays the Tavil which is the predominant percussion in the song and as usual David Selvam plays the acoustic and electric guitar and he also does the mixing and mastering for the track. The use of drums, and electric guitar, create a western impact and simultaneously bringing in the Nadaswaram and Tavil is creatively a masterstroke. Bala plays the Nadaswaram and we have a wonderful rendition of the swarams by Indu. The song has nothing new in terms of its elements or David Selvam's programming and arrangements but as a whole package, it is a very enjoyable semi-classical melody. 

@davidselvam_official @indunagarajofficial 

10. Decay

Performed by - Dhruv Visvanath, Manas Jha

Written by - Manas Jha

Produced by - Dhruv Visvanath

Language: English

Genre: Electronic pop

Manas Jha is a very potent and famous musician and I have been tracking him for a couple of years now. IN 2023 he releases this 4 track EP working with stalwarts like Raag Sethi, Dhruv Visvanath and Warren Mendonsa. I enjoyed a couple of them but this is what I fell in love with. The track is produced by the brilliant singer-songwriter Dhruv and he also performs this one with lyrics by Manas. This is like a remastered or redux version of a 2016 song by Manas Jha. Dhruv is on fire with the guitar strumming and the synths. It gets dreamy and feels like I am about to enter a state of trance.

Never forget to admire the rhythms as well and the word 'decay', funny as it may sound, continues to linger in the mind without even a hint of decay. As the song draws to a close, I hear these strings in the background as well. The original 2016 track has some nice interludes on maybe an electric guitar or Mandolin (can't make out much) but there were traces of Raag Bhimpalasi according to me. The redux version is more fun for sure but the original had excellent creative elements. 

@manasjhamusic @mrdhruvv