Top Indian Songs of the week - 10th April 2022

This is the week's best music from across the nation. Music from every state written in every language, composed as a part of Movies and by Indie artists is listened to and after analyzing more than 350 tracks released in the week ending 10th April 2022, I have rated and reviewed the 17 absolute best tracks in the country. This is truly India's ONLY multilingual music review and music curation page. Week after week, without any breaks you will get the review and links to the best work from musicians all over the country.

1. Payaliya Jhankaar I used to stay away from cover versions of songs and avoid new renditions of golden hits and classics. But that makes no sense, to review a song just because it is called an original. There is always some inspiration and some influence of an olden gem somewhere even in an original. So here is the best song of the week and it tops the charts beating a few others which would have topped the charts any other week. There cannot be a greater moment of pride when your offspring & disciple gives a fantastic rendition of your original composition. Here there are two mind-blowing vocal performers viz. Anjali and Nandini Gaikwad singing the bandish created by their father and Guru Angad Gaikwad. This is a soulful tune set in Raag Puriya Dhanashree, and the Raag itself boasts of a nature that will taunt you and compel you into surrendering to your senses. Kshitij Tarey is the man who re-creates this beauty and what we hear is pure bliss and creativity of the highest order. Modern instrumentals can add a color you never imagined and that is what has happed to this original even Pt. Angad Ji will be proud of. Vinayak Pol blasts away on his drums and Abhishek Dasupta adds function and style with his guitars. The violin solo intervention by Manas Kumar is like the bridge between the traditional and the modern elements of the song. The sisters bring such poise and passion through their voice and the aalap they produce is next to unimaginable in difficulty levels. The track is mixed and mastered by Reena Gilbert and one can imagine the work that has gone into mixing the track with so many elements. Strumm Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Is the music label. Stop read now and just enjoy the magic and thank the heavens that creativity and fusion music continues to carry our gems to the wider listening audience.

2. Theeyanu He is a well-respected and dependable musician in Mollywood and Kollywood and when he shared one of his recent compositions for me to hear, I was thrilled. Most of Jakes Bejoy’s scores have a modern color suiting the tastes of the younger generation, but he never deviates from the core melody, while doing that. This is a mild and teasing melody and he gets one of my favorite vocalists on board in Kapil Kapilan to deliver the lines. The song is produced by Jakes, Alan Joy Mathew and Glady Abrhaham and I have featured Alan multiple times on his forays into indie music. Goutam Vincent starts proceedings on the Melodica, soon enough Godfrey Immnuel’s guitars set the tone and mood. I can only stick to my claim that Kapil is the hottest property now in India amongst all male lead vocalists, and you just need to listen to his singing where he caresses you with his voice. The chorus arrangements are precise and interesting thanks to Amal Anthony Augustine. The stanza is so unpredictable as the trajectory of the notes is like nothing that you can foresee and it is a huge compliment to Jakes’ skill. Napier Naveen plays the bass guitars, and Joe Paul is the lyricist. The line “Ethethan Thottam, Aarum thannalum� is an exhibition of A-grade singing. The song ends on a beautiful pacified note with the Keys. The track Is mixed by Sujith Hyder Thaha and mastered by Pradeep with recording engineer Midhun Manoj.

3. Saiyan More We are amidst greatness, with another genius Purbayan Chatterjee at the helm now composing a thumri in the classical-rock fusion genre. This is set in Raag Charukeshi which is one of those scales which has an innate sadness attached to it. The Sitar played by Purbayan replaces the electric guitar in the usual rock performances and Anusha Mani is the vocalist. Purbayan’s finger dexterity is awe-inspiring and the tempo is maintained by Darshan Doshi on drums and Ishaan Ghosh on Tabla, especially you will enjoy Ishaan’s mastery in the stanza after a massive drop in pace from that we heard in the interlude. Nakul Chugh can be heard playing the Keyboards behind the low scale vocals of Anusha. Can you imagine it is the same person who sang catchy fast pop tunes like “Nafarmani� and “Hua Mera� released in the last year or so. It is a testament to her prowess and diverse skill. Priyani Vani is the lyricist and Megha Rawooot and Joy Sengupta handle videography.

4. Tera Uthke Yoon Here we have duo who simply were one of the best composers/producers in 2021 giving a smash melody every couple of months and each and every one of these slow numbers made a steady and saccharine impact on our hearts. Aabhas and Shreyas Joshi have composed the music for this web-series called ‘Ranjish Hi Sahi’. They continue the trand of creating pathos-laden gems and who better to emote it than Rekha Bharadwaj as the lead vocalist. The Keys play slowly to give context to the emotion but the strings in the background add depth and gravity. The aalap and the way Rekha holds the breath for a few more seconds than you would expect all work so well in conveying the message just like Ravi’s solid words. Every element speaks volumes about the helplessness and vulnerability seeing the metaphorical ‘forbidden fruit’. The song gives you pain that you want to experience time and again!

5. Rang Daroongi Festivals in India are not just about celebration and family gatherings, but also about music and dance. New releases around such events always start rising and Holi is definitely one of them. Here comes one of my favorites Pooja Tiwari who is not just a fabulous singer but also a talented composer. I have featured her multiple times and almost every time she releases a new single it gets featured. Her precocious skill comes out in the refurbished rendition of an old folk song based on Raag Pilu (Kaapi in Carnatic) as she adds a R&B style instrumental arrangement and production. The original is by Ustad Gulshan Bharti but the strong bass guitars and rhythm influences make the song sound uber cool. Bhargav Gandhi works on the production and Advaitham works on the additional production work. The Harmonium along with the bass guitars is something we rarely hear in the same audio output and IM blown away by the creativity. A lot of rhythms follow a Latin Jazz style. The interlude on the Sitar is inspiring and it is so easy to focus on all these elements even though Pooja is simply at her flowy best delivering the lines, making improvised vibrato. She is destined for higher and better things and as we read this Pooja is already makes with the best in Bollywood music. Alena Darmel has worked on the video

6. Canvas Young musicians are fearless and when they have their sight set on the prize, they go straight for it. That can never be misunderstood as haughtiness and this applies perfectly to Kashmira Khot. She now scores a hat-trick with 3 releases and all 3 being featured among the nation’s best music. It is no ordinary feat considering the competition she is facing. What is even more amazing is that ever since her debut single, I have been rising the bar and she just crosses it with great comfort. This one is written, composed and sung by Kashmira and she oozes confidence and quality in each of these aspects. Adity Gopalakrishnan joins the bandwagon with his guitars and drums and he also plays the strings. The composition and arrangements are not run-of –the-mill and it is this intent to create something fresh that sets Kashmira apart. The joy of live instruments shows up in every note and corner her as Ojas Bangale plays the bass guitars, as well as Organ and Piano. We can also hear a layer of background vocals well arranged. There is a short solo on the electric guitar by Aditya and what follows is a terrific detour of notes in the most unexpected fashion singing “Say that you can’t erase�. Aditya has produced, mixed and mastered the track and Canvas is that single which paints a different picture in every listener’s heart.

7. Knight in Shining Armour Klanjan Borah, I’m hearing him for the first time, and this was like a bashing baptism. The song moved from strength to strength as the string guitars, harmonies act as base for Klanjan’s vocals. The singing style kind of felt like a Calypso to me as Klanjan writes, produces and performs this energetic and breezy number. The humming just lets the hearts soar with Klanjan showing immaculate control and his vocals. Kalvin Sinam on bass and Sanket Pahurkar on drums simply elevate the song and stay true to its intent to lighten and inspire the mood. The way he sings “ I…. will always be true� just is an icing on an already delicious cake. Manish Bal and Sashank Sahu are the recording engineers and with Vivek Thomas working on mixing and mastering, Klanjan does all the additional mastering. Vidhi Maheshwaro does the choreography with the Teen Hearts as the cast members comprising of Kimmy, Pranjal, Zillie, Kassi, Bisola and Evelyn.

8. Udhero Na When I listened and picked this song for the week, she was just nominated, but by the time this article is getting published, Arooj Aftab becomes first ever Pakistani Grammy awardee for Best Global Performance. This was a song created back in 2005 but unreleased, and thankfully it finally found the light of day. The project is features Indians artists and half sisters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones on the Sitar. The vocals are deep and create a feeling of mystery as Arooj sings in the lower scales. The sitar interventions are apt and to compliment the pathos in Arooj’s voice the instrumentals add some life and joy, so the combination works well. Arooj has produced, composed, written, sung, and arranged for the track. There is also that mild and delightful Harp being played by Maeve Gilchrist and he also plays the Snyth bass. Around the second minute mark the Sitar interludes soud more like Raag Bhimpalasi to me and are just a celebration of great music and life itself for a good minute. She sings ‘Udhero Na’, apparently meaning ‘Please Undo’, but how can this magic and impact of the song ever be undone? There are also bits of the Flugelhorn played by Nadje Noordhuis right at the start of the song. Joshua Valleau has mixed and Damon Whittemore has mastered the track. Petros Klampanis has worked with Arooj on the arrangements.

9. Bill Hilly & Fools will learn This 3 piece Bengaluru based band simply brought me back the good old days of simple, soulful and stunning all at the same time. I really wished I was a guitarist so that I could do this kind of magic and impress people. Anirudh Ravi plays the guitars and sings like he’s walking on the clouds. I can understand and see that it is not easy at all to sing at this break-neck speed and still hit every note perfectly. The whole EP “Rooftops� is probably named so, because the brand of music is simple without any massive complex apparatus needed like how it could be performed on a rooftop. Abheet Anand plays the bass guitars and Bharath Kasyap accompanies on acoustic guitars. The writing is so funny and impressive and that deserves a special mention as well. The best track for me was ‘Fools will learn’, which had a strong and witty messaging snuck into the lyrics. The melody element was rich in this song and interplay of acoustic and bass guitars was more evident and creative here than any other song of the EP. I still strong recommend everyone to check out the EP, especially guitarists and those wanting to get some attention and love!

10. Dhom Thana Aditi Bhavaraju is experimental purely because she not only sings in mainstream Tollywood, but she keeps the listeners engaged wither indie projects. This is her vocal endeavor for the musical score by Achu Rajamani. He also does all the programming and there is that fine introduction of the rhythms, sounding like the thavil, which is proof of the quality of programming. The harmonies and Kazoo also are well interlaced in the interlude with Achu also on backing vocals. Kadali is the lyricist and all the mixing and mastering is done by Ijaz Ahamed. Aditi’s singing is of the highest order with she executing the high scale segment with splendid ease. RR Dhruvan another noted composer does the vocal supervision in this song produced by Neptunes Music.

11. So Late so soon Alan Emmanuel Ebenezer a.k.a. Alan Ebe is a singer songwriter based in the UAE and he plays the guitar for a Dubai-based band called F.I.S.H , and although I have heard some of his songs before this one was screaming for a review in front of my eyes and ears. The song had straightaway taken me to Savage Garden’s “The Animal Song�. The singing along with the guitars is top-notch, but the drums and humming elevate the song. The rhythm and overall arrangements deserve an applause, as I love how the background elements take a breather when Alan Ebe sings “How did it get so late so soon�. Allan Samuel Vetha and Aaron Dev Sherlin and Alan produce the track with Allan also doing the mixing and mastering. Serena Joseph does the artwork and Richie Roberts does the digitization. This is a fresh sounding number that deserves your time. The lovely write up is by Neelima Menon, while the description of the song to press and others is by Shreyaa Lakhminarayanan.

12. Guzarish I have featured them before and absolutely loved it so much that the single was the number 1 song in India for that week for a song called “Sanware�. There is no stopping this composer duo of Garvit-Priyansh and they tunnel through the charts with another fusion number that is bound to steal your hearts. The core melody of a song determines everything else that that song goes on to achieve, and that is precisely what Garvit Soni and Priyansh Srivastava understand and execute to perfection. The Piano at the start creates bliss and sets up the stage for what follows. Priyansh and Garvit serenade us with their vocals, without ever overdoing any portions and Garvit produces the track from start to finish. If ‘Sanware’ was slightly more tilted towards a classical side, his single promises to be a mix of pop and some fragments of classical music. The aalap in the interlude is followed by guitars, drums and the flute, with guitars played by Priyansh, and he also writes these lyrics about continuing on your desired path in life. The lovely artwork is by Rhea Suhag and Abhinandan Bhargava does the video.

13. Ilaveyilolo Nee enn Dr Sunil VT has composed this melody and thanks to Samson Silva’s arrangements, the first minute of the song itself has so much to offer in terms of live instrumentals. Anil Govind’s Flute and Soundara Rajan’s Veena solos make way for KS Harishankar to met our hearts away with that voice. Abin Sagar plays the acoustic guitar and Jackson Jacob is on the bass. Renju S Mosses is on the percussion. The song slowly progresses into somber mode in the charanam with apt lyrics by Dr. Sheeja Vakkom. Harikrishnan R does the mixing and Shadaab Rayeen does the mastering. To me the Veena, Bass guitars and Flute interventions stand out the most.

14. Home July 19 – Hmm not a specific date that I should remember, just a wonderful song title that impressed me so much that I have been looking forward to this singer-songwriter’s next release. Well wait no more, it is here! This Piano-predominant single called ‘Home’ does live up to if not surpass my expectations. Shweta Srivastava stuns you with her vocals and composition. The writing is something that anyone will relate to when you hear it and adds to the likability of the track. The production is clearly the work of Keyboardist/Producer Himonshu Parikh who is one of the main hubs of the wheel called “The Yellow Diary�. The rhythms and synths/keyboards add a texture to the song that reminds me of “Dreams� by Fleetwood Mac. Faraz Haider plays the guitars while AJinkya Dhapare does the mixing and mastering. The album art picture is clicked by Soham Joshi and designed by Neha Rustagi. I could be off and I don’t see if the composer intended it, but I definitely feel a striking resemblance to Raag Hamsadhwani.

15. Freightliner A two-piece rock ensemble come and just move fast and break things, and it sounds like “Dire Straits� performing. Shantanu Shende is the man behind those tantalizing vocals and guitars while the smooth and savvy bass guitars are played by Manas Pimpalkhare. The song if you pay attention has sounds of bikes and trucks on the road and it is apparently the duo’s dedication to such road movies of the 1960s and 70s. Shantanu writes, sings, produces and records the track as well and the do have Harsh Kumbhar to thank for the cinematography. The electric guitar and bass guitar tussle is one to cherish and when you hear the songs tonality feels like “Sweet Home Alabama� as well. The electric guitar solo after the 3-minute mark sets the stereo on fire. The song has some nice harmonies executed and arranged.

16.Run This is a pop number that reminds me of my days as a student in the US back in 2002. These were the days when Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton were scoring and singing great and popular tunes. Priyanka Nath sings, writes this very nostalgic number and her singing is probably even inspired by these stars. I especially love the lines when she delivers “It’s such a shame, what we could’ve been, but you chose to run, from the things we could’ve done�. Sidharth Bendi has mixed, mastered and produced the track. The guitars are played by Sunny Ebenezer and Chris Anderson is on bass guitars. The harmonies in the background also complement well.