Top Indian Songs of the week 5th November 2023

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

Here is the SPOTIFY Playlist of the Top songs of the week

1. Din Shagna

Singer - Neha Bhasin

Music - Sameer Uddin

Lyrics - Garima Obrah

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Folk/Pop

This is a week with some outstanding music, and I couldn't think of a better song to top the charts for the week. The Sarod-sounding intro gave richness and quality from the start and Omkar Dhumal's Shehnai creates the perfect ambience for a wedding scene. Sameer Uddin has been featured more than a few times on this website he deserves a massive round of applause for composing and producing this heartwarming number. Neha Bhasin's vocals just keep getting better with every note and she mixes a tinge of sadness and longing with joy and the end end product is gold. 

Neha is accompanied by Murishka D'cruz & Natasha Pinto and they sing the same lines at times and then sing a beautiful mild humming too. This piece of vocal harmony arrangement is a highlight of the song and once again is a feather on the cap for Sameer for the flawless arrangements. Natasha's Piano interventions are timely and the verse is fraught with some stunning quality. The notes are excellently written and thanks to the accompanying Shehnai and harmonies the song gets elevated constantly. Tanishk Lalla and Prasad Waglekar are Sameer's musical assistants and need to be complimented as well. Garima Obrah's apt and touching lyrics help in delivering the message. 

There are also acoustic guitars and ethnic strings, mandoline that are employed all through the song, especially in the interlude. Neha is on fire in the bridge section with some memorable high-pitch notes filled with ghamakas. This is an outstanding number that shines on all elements that make a song stand at the very top. Neville Dubash (Tune Inn Studios) is the mix engineer and Chris Athens has mastered the tracks. Rashi Bagai is the Executive Producer of this project.

@zookthespook @garimaobrah @5am.audio @bhasinrashi 

@omkardhumal @nevillethedeville @dixshant_kala @tanishklalla_ @nehabhasin4u @murishkad @pinat @prasad.waglekar

2. Ennile Punchiri

Song Composed and Arranged by - Sam C.S 

Programmed by - Jomey Johns

Lyrics: Vinayak Sasikumar

Singer : K.S. Chithra, Kapil Kapilan 

We all want to constantly keep listening to legendary vocalists and their voice is like an eternal flame. Music composers too want to be involved with such legends and that is why they collaborate with them and make them sing the composer's notes. Many a time, this falls out as the singer is unfairly given a mediocre song and the purpose of the project becomes more of a self-gratification attempt for the composer with fans left in disarray.

This song composed by Sam CS features the Nightingale KS Chitra and Sam delivers a breathtaking song and finally allows music lovers to listen to the true greatness of Chitra. Joseph Vijay's acoustic guitars takes us into an Ilaiyaraja mode straightaway and within seconds the song gets etched in our memory forever. We can also Joseph's bass guitars Kiran's flute solo and the mild strings section by Cochin Strings in the background. Kudos to Sam for generating such a massive impact with all the live instrumental arrangements. 

Kapil Kapilan's entry with that humming is pristine and loaded with pathos. From there on Chitra takes care of the rest. Shruthi Raj's percussions and rhythms are gentle but generous. The humming by Chitra is so addictive and the way she ends it with a quick ghamaka is nothing short of brilliant. We have Jomey Johns on programming and Vinayak Sasikumar writing the lyrics. The song reminds me Ilaiyaraja's " Malaiyaoram Veesum Kaathu" sung by SPB in 1987 for the album 'Paadu Nilave'. We have Francis Xavier, Josekutty, Herald Antony, Carol George, Jain, Danny, Albin Jose, and Francis Sebastian playing the Violins and Violas, Albin Jose and Carol George on the Cellos and Sanjai Arakkal have recorded the live strings session. 

The interlude has many layers of the Flute and with the notes played here it also takes me to Ilaiyaraja's "Manguyile Poonguyile". Sam proves his potential with an equally haunting and enticing stanza and Kapil stands tall in front of Chitra performing the vocals with great finesse. The recording engineers are CD Anbumani, Abishek Ar and Aakash Edwin, Balu Thankachan is the mix/master engineer with assistance from Paul Daniel and Hariharan on mixing. The Music Production Managers are K Mahima Chowdhary and Kannan with Indhumathi, and Sathyamurthy as the Music Production Team. Velavan B is the Music Co-ordinator

@samcsmusic @kschithra @kapilkapilanmusic @vinayaksasikumar @thebaluthankachan @mahimachawdhary @abishekarmusic @s_aakash_edwin @mjomyjons @supervijayoffl 

3. Unnakku Thaan

Music: Santhosh Narayanan

Singers: Santhosh Narayanan, Dhvani Kailas

Lyrics: Vivek

Language: Tamil

Genre: Lullaby/Pop

Even as Bollywood struggles to get its musicians to score decent music, they have come to a model where a single movie album has multiple composers. It is in a state of shambles, while industries like Kollywood still keep outclassing with single composer-focussed albums. Here is something new though with "Chithha" having its first single by Dhibu Ninan Thomas and then it was Santhosh Narayanan with the next. If the first song was one of the most melodious of 2023, this special song by Santhosh will touch your heart and grab your attention with a symphony of phenomenal violins and heartwarming lyrics. 

The unbelievable layers of Violin are thanks to the performance of Anupam Roy with Karthik Manickavasakam's arrangements, and Vivek is the man behind those touching words. Santhosh composes, produces and sings this melody. Santhosh burdens you with his voice and delivery and the mild sadness of the song will get to you thanks to him. The Piano starts flowing like a stream of water that you feel like getting your feet into. It is tempting to focus, but then the focus once again shifts to Anupam's violins when the anupallavi goes " En paarvai unnodu, un bommai kannodu, pesamal vinnodu, naam midhanthu povom, kaathoram adi aalolam". 

The interlude is enhanced by the Violins and the amazing accompanying vocals of Aditya Ravindran. The layers of vocal harmonies singing the humming are phenomenal and it gets better with the Clarinet joining in and Santhosh singing " pa pa , pa pa pa pa paa". The pause is welcome and sets the tone for the more cheerful and playful stanza. This is thanks to the amazing live rhythms by Karthik Vamsi and Dhvani Kailas' cute vocals reminding me of "Vaa rayil vida polam va" from 'Pariyerum Perumal', also by Santhosh. Santhosh delivers an emotionally apt vocal performance and the outro is fitting and beautiful with the humming, Violins and rhythms coming together. 

Rupendar Venkatesh, Pranav Muniraj and Santhosh are the recording engineers, with Ruoendar on mixing and mastering and Meenakshi Santhosh functioning as the musicians' co-ordinator. 

@musicsanthosh @adityaravindran95 @pranavbalu @worldofsiddharth_ @deerajvaidy @meenakshi_santhoshnarayanan @rupendar_venkatesh @thinkmusicofficial @karthikmanickavasakam @_anupamroy 

4. Semi Automatic Butane

Written and composed by Mali

Produced & Mix by Keshav Dhar

Language: English

Genre: Synth Pop

If I have to name a singer-songwriter in the Indian Indie space who can sizzle at the global level with unbeatable consistency I will probably think hard over the question, but when it is time to reply I'll name Maalavika Manoj a.k.a. Mali. I don't remember the last time I heard her single and did not end up featuring it among the nation's best. So here we are with one of her absolute best songs yet, and probably one of the best English numbers in 2023.

Her voice is breathtaking and so is her cool delivery, but let us not forget Keshav Dhar's supreme production. The song is heavy on the synths and we have Mali on acoustic guitars and synths, with Keshav blasting it away on guitars and bass. Nothing ever comes close to the impact of live drums and we have Jehangir Jehangir on it. I love the melody and the writing, especially with lines like " I'll have you know that I'm a sinner to your sacred views". Aria Nanji is heard humming on backing vocals but the song's beating heart is Mali's lyrics, composition and singing. 

The riffs on the Keys and all the sounds on synths intervene at the best moments and Keshav deserves credit for all this for arranging instruments and vocal harmonies. A nice and engaging bridge section with "Hold on to lies, Hon on to life" is being held on till the outro as well. Keshav is the mix engineer with Forrester Savell on mastering. Hersh Desai and Aria Nanji are the recording engineers at Island City Studios. 

@maalavikamanoj @thejjsticks @ariananji @keshavdhar @forrestersavell @studioislandcity @lalawildlife 

5. I'm In Love

Composed and Produced by Charanraj

Lyrics: Yogaraj Bhat

Singers: Charanraj M R

Language: Kannada

Genre

It is an honour to have 2 of India's best music composers in the same weekly countdown. Santhosh Narayanan with his lullaby pop at number 3 and here comes Charan Raj with a stunning melody at number 5. Sujith Sreedhar starts things with that tantalising flute and it breaks my heart to hear the pathos in the notes. It is probably set in Raag Keeravani and this song is composed, programmed, produced and performed by Charan with lyrics by Yogaraj Bhat. 

How does Charan manage to shift from a semi-classical intro to a Western chorus/refrain segment "Im in love" within seconds? It's pure genius and we have Keba Jeremiah and Sunil Sylvester on guitars and Charan on keys and rhythm programming. Charan sings with incredible zest and a rage-filled attitude. The Keys and bass support are fantastic, and soon we get a touching humming delivered by Charan. The song is shorter by Charan's standard, devoid of a proper stanza. Venkatesh Bhat is the music supervisor, Sujith is the mix/master engineer and the recording engineers are Rohan Harish and Aniketh Mohanty. 

@charanraj27185 @narayan_sharma227 @venkateshmusic_ @kebajer @sunil6string @sujithsreedhar @yogarajbhatofficial 

6. Safar Pe Chale

Singer: Amit Trivedi, 

Producer: Anurag Saikia

Composer: Anurag Saikia

Lyricist: Avinash Chouhan

This movie Dhak Dhak did not do too well in theatres, but its music is par excellence. I will be doing a video review of the whole album and it will end up being one of Bollywood and India's best cinematic albums in 2023. This particular song is sung by Amit Trivedi, but the moment I heard it, I wondered if this was composed by Amit. I have been a fan of his music, but of late there has been a considerable drop in his composition quality. Later I found out that this is a score by Anurag Saikia and then it all made sense. 

Anurag has not only composed a likeable tune, but the real merits of the song come out with his signature production, programming and arrangements. The folk humming by the women, and the heavy folk percussions are fantastic along with the woodwind in the interlude. Avinash Chouhan is the lyricist and through his words we like we are travelling with the protagonist. Anurag's genius is unbridled and it comes out with his understanding of the story or album's requirements. 

@anuraag_psychaea @itsamittrivedi @writeravinash 

7. Haule Haule

Singer: Shahid Mallya & Shambhavi Thakur

Music: Chandan 

Lyrics: Dharmendra Maurya

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music

I have become a huge fan of Shahid Mallya, and it is not just his brilliant vocals, but also his ability to pick good songs to perform. We have Chandan Saxena on composition and production and he must be credited with creating this breezy melody. Shahid and Shambhavi Thakur take the opportunity with both hands and deliver the vocals with absolute class. 

Her voice is filled with such enormous sweetness and we fall in love with the style and substance of her singing. The song reminds me of the quality Bollywood music of the 1990s. The keyboard and rhythm programming is excellent and that gives a modern as well as a folkish touch. Dharmendra Mayur has written these beautiful words. The chorus segment with the title line is excellently written and executed. I love how the stanza begins with just the vocals, mild percussions and the Piano. Zakir is the mix/master engineer. 

@shahidmallya @shambhaviithakur @panoramamusic @chandansaxenamusic 

8. Ishqa

Composer - Varun Jain

Singer - Varun Jain

Lyrics - JUNO

Music producer - Vaibhav Pani

We have a very folkish Punjabi-styled song, with the intro Mandolin, but it soon takes a folk-pop turn with Hindi lyrics. Varun Jain composed and performed the vocals with good character and depth. The intro is filled with Tapas Roy's Strokes and a mild Sarangi intervention by Dilshad Khan. 

Soon enough we get to hear bass guitar support by Tushar Sharma. Such amazing programming, arrangements and production wouldn't be possible without Vaibhav Pani's role. He gets every element right and each instrumentalist delivers. Ishan Das plays the electric guitar in the interludes and he also arranges it himself. Aslam Dafrani and Naeem Sayyed contribute massively with the engaging and dramatic live percussions in the form of Tabla, Dholak and Duff. 

JUNO is the lyricist and he pens Hindi and Punjabi words in the song. Varun's singing is beyond excellence with his skilful ghamakas. Gauranga Shekhar, Hansika Pareek and Pratikhyaa Sarma perform the chorus towards the end and Gauaranga arranges this backing vocal segment. The recording engineers are Rupjit at Playhead Studios, Pranjal Borah at Euphony Studio and Rahul Sharma at Studio 504. Eric Pillai is the mix/master engineer. 

@varun_wave @vaibhavpani @officially_juno @shekhar_purplehaze @ericpillai @hansikaapareek @pratikhyaa_music @ishandas_666 @hanifaslam_official @mandolintapas @tushar_shudak @ishandas_666 @kanishkakapoor09 @vyrloriginals @rupjit_playheadstudio 

9. Oh My

Written, Composed and performed by Rahul Advani

Production, Guitars & Drums – Bani Hidir

Language: English

Genre: Alt-pop

This is the second time I am featuring Rahul Advani and this is going to become a habit for sure. Rahul combines some elaborate compositions with elegant vocals as well. He has written the lyrics, melody and performed the vocals for this Alt-Pop single and its heavy Piano comes as a delight for me. Bani Hidir has produced the song, so credits must be given to the musician for all the programming and arrangements. Bani also plays the guitars and drums with Rohan Advani on bass guitars. 

The song feels very gospelesque and this wouldn't be possible without a strong set of backing vocalists. Vernon Noronha, Abhinab Dan & Bani Hidir play the role of backing vocalists and there are moments when the song takes me to "All for Love" by Rod Stewart, Sting and Bryan Adams. The interlude with the Keys, electric guitars and drums is a delectable combination and it works just fine. As we get to the outro segments we have some impactful vocal harmonies. All additional engineering is done by Malay Vadalkar with Nizam Aziz (Studio 47)on mixing and Scott Hull on mastering (Masterdisk). 

@iamrahuladvani @vernon_noronha @cacklerraj @banihidir @raghavmeattle @deepikasethmusic @prashinjagger @karanasnani @abhinabdanmusic 

10. Jaan Da

Singers: Arijit Singh & Shashwat Sachdev

Music: Shashwat Sachdev

Lyrics: Kumaar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

The movie is having a rough time with very poor reviews and revenues at the theatres. The songs are good, and I particularly like this one sung by Arijit Singh. What it is with Shashwat Sachdeva, the composer, and Jingoistic and nationalistic War movies? Shashwat did a fine job for the movie "Uri- Surgical Strike" and then he scored for "Attack Part 1" and now this. On his instagram page he says, that he always wanted to do a war trilogy and there in lies the answer to my wonderment. 

This song has some passionate vocals for sure, but it is aided by an equally committed and talented grup of backing vcalists. Skylight Ensemble from Indore has the following vocalists who have performed in the song viz. Omkar Bhat, Priyanshi Naidu, Harveer Singh Chawla, Aman Singh, Nishtha Keshav, Vibhuti Bhat, Gurusha Dubey, Aashish Salvi, Khushi Kanungo, Aalap Bhat, Manya Bargale and Astik Upadhyay. The Alt-Rock style works brilliantly and it is thanks to some splendid guitars and drums. 

Roshan Sharma plays the Indian guitars, Michael Thompson, Youngmin Kim play the guitars and plukced instruments. The interlude is beautifully written with the Indian guitar (Mohan Veena) playing out some Indian classical notes and I did sense some Raag Desh. Shashwat is the producer but some of the additional production is by Adarsh Vishwakarma. Arijit has performed with incredible zest and great freedom to improvise with his ghamakas and aalaps.Deepak Chaudhary is teh Choir Conductor and has arranged the backing vocals. When I hear the swaras towards the end, I get a feeling that there is some Raag Yamunakalyani. 

The recording engineers are Deepak Satote , Keshav Kundal and Sukanto Singh. Shashwat is the mixing engineer and Chris Gehringer is the mastering engineer. Kumaar is the lyricist. 

@shashwatology @zeemusiccompany @arijitsingh @roshanguitar @rsvpmovies @skylights.ensemble @youngmingg @kumaarofficial @dey_bass 

11. Growing Up

Vocals written and performed by Pratika

Produced by PrabhuNeigh

Language: English

Genre: Alt Hip-Hop

This EP won me over right from the start and Pratika's EP "Growing up" not only feels like a joirnal of her life, but also like a lesson for every man. This Mumbai based rapper, singer and composer keeps hitting the nail n its head and her writing is nothing just of mesmerising. 

ParbhuNeigh is a drummer and sound engineer and he has produced the songs in teh EP with amazing class. The way he has envisioned the song here is what makes it stand apart. Pratika starts on the positive note talking about happiness, beauty and peace, and then comes the twist. She talks about abuse, molesting and so many other things that men have created in this world, making it a difficult place for women to live and breathe. Some of the writing is hard-hitting like " A house of mirrosrs turned into a house of horrors" 

When we hear words like "While my adolescence dawned and I made a bra my best friend", I feel shame at a certain level being a man. The production makes the song never feel boring for a single second. The sounds of crying, teasing and lustful desire are all well-arranged and mixed. Shikhar Yuvraj Manchandisa, The Beast India Company is the mix/master engineer. The heavy electric guitars and rhythms bring about great impact as well. 

@pratikaness @prabhuneigh @focusmonk @manchandashikhar 

12. Kya Karenge

Composer, Producer and Writer : Osho Jain 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Osho Jain is an undaulterated singer-songwriter and his contribution to the space is immense. He has been featured multiple times on y website and his writing abd vocals are huge elements that impress me. In an industry which is filled with imitators of Arijit Singh, Osho shines and sizzles like a beacon. 

The song is slow like a ballad, and we hear the pathos building with Yadnesh Raikar's solo Violin. Bharat Chandore plays the mild drums all along and the chorus segment is emphasized with backing vocalists Saishruti Kotian and Pulkit Jain. The production is solid by Osho and we get a taste of that with the interludes on Saxophone by Jayesh Malani and the Violin in unison. The pause for a second and then teh sax, violin and drums restart, causing a moment of magic. 

The way Osho sings the stanza in both the low and high vocal resgisters and inspiring. The song is more like a storytelling session and reminds us of the songs of the 1960s and 70s cinema. Varun Agnihotri plays the guitars and Hansel Dias is the bassist. Pulkit Jain is the keyboardist. Yadnesh has a ball playing the violin with absolute freedom and innovation. The artwork image is by Aniket Mishra and artwork design is by Sanchi Mannotra. 

@oshojain_ @sanchhhii @baajewaala @pulkitxjain @varun_agnihotri @jayeshmalani @yadneshraikar_violin @butterfingerbass @_saishrutii_ @diashansel @indiearecords 

13. Muntazir

Performed by What we gonna do?

Written by Aaditya Laddha, Mayank Saini

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

This is a 2-piece band with Aaditya and Mayank. The song starts with a mediocre intro and I was not very impressed with the vocals but then the vocals, arrangements and production take a wonderful turn for the better. The strong guitar strumming is delectable. The singing too now carries great weight as they sing " leke pyar" with some beautiful overlays of ghamakas.  

The layers of vocals work quite well with an Indian classical style of delivery in one of the layers. The highlight of the song is the variations that the lead vocals bring to the table. Then comes another master stroke with the electric guitar solo and the thumping drums. This interlude is solid. 

@aadityaaaladdha @acousticscreams @whatwegonnadomusic 

14. Ninajor Xuhuri

Vocals - Ongkham Boruah

Backing Vocals- Parikshit Gogoi

Lyrics - Birinchi Bikash

Composition- Pritom Gohain Boruah & Ishan Buragohain

Music Composed & Produced- Pritom Gohain Boruah

Language: Assamese

Genre: Alt-Rock

This album "Khiriki" in Assamese has some excellent Alt-Pop songs with excellent composition, vocals and writing. Pritom Gohain Boruah is the composer and producer of this fine work. Ishan Buragohain has co-composed this song and what keeps us hooked on the song is the passionate singing by Ongkham Boruah. He expresses every emotion that the song demands with his trembling vocals. 

The Keys and rhythms are excellently programmed and we keep noticing that the keyboards by Pritom Gohain Boruah are an essential element right through forming the crux of all the interludes. The vocal harmonies are well arranged as well as get Parikshit Gogoi on backing vocals. Pritom also is the guitarist and Pronoy Kr. Saikia is the bassist. The recording engineer is Abhijeet Barman at Swargam Studios, Guwahati and the tracks are mixed and mastered by Pinku Das at RedAV Studio Guwahati. 

@lifeofpritomgohain @be_always_drunk @_parikshitgogoi_ @birinchibikash @pronoykumarsaikia @purplehaze_bones 

15. Aao Na

Composed, Arranged & Produced by Mysore Xpress

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock

Mysore Xpress has it made it 3 in a row now on my website, with some scintillating rock music. If it was Param from Mysuru last week, we have another budding band in this week's edition. The Keys and drums engage from the intro section and you know we are going down a very enjoyable road. Vijesth Urs and Zubin Paul are the vocalists and the Hindi singing is exemplary with diction, and delivery all pumped up. 

I am reminded of the rock band 'Pineapple Express" with this brand of music. Samrudh's flute solo does wonders to the song, adding that light Indian classical touch from time to time. Raghunandan S Rao is the guitarist and Pramod is the bassist, both adding sizzle and substance. The element of rock music that we need flows through from Harshith's drums and electric guitars. The outro is an unforgettable piece in the song. Vivek Thomas is the mix/master engineer. 

@mysore_xpress @anami.music @zubinpaulofficial @vishnuvraman @minchu.joshi @vivekthomasproductions