Top Indian Songs of the week - 13th March 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 13th March 2022, I have rated and reviewed the 15 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. Piharva Anumita Nadesan is on a roll for sure, and after a wonderful indie single a couple of weeks ago called “Khwaab�, this time is an even better track that climbs to the top of the charts. The song is composed by renowned musician Sachin-Jigar with Sachin Sanghvi also joining in on the vocals along with Anumita. To me, her vocals sound way better and more expressive at the higher scales and thankfully she is offered the opportunity here to sing that title line. Siddhant Kaushal writes the lyrics and there is a lot of thought has gone into it. The Tabla in the percussion segment is apt for the song. Bhagirath Bhatt’s Sitar solo plays in the interlude and in the background during the stanza. There is a definite trace or influence of Raag Harikhamboji in Carnatic music, and it belongs to the Khamaj Thaat in Hindustani music. “Piharva� apparently refers to the parental house of a girl who has now moved away into a new home with the in-laws, and all the safe space it offers. Sachin sings in the later stage of the song uttering the swaras. Sahil Vishwakarma does all the programming and plays the guitars as well. The last 2 mins or so is pure bliss with vocals and instrumentals especially the Sitar engaging in a Jugalbandi. Eric Pillai has mixed and mastered the track.

2. Mehfooz The capital city of MP, called Bhopal is not only a city of lakes but also some amazing musical talent. Aditya Rakheja seems to be one of them who was born and raised in Bhopal and learn music early on. He went on to study Genetics in the UK and he is proffer that the music inside you never ceases to exist and t is only a matter of time before it takes shape. Aditya sings it with total commitment to the words that he himself has written. Warren Mendosa is playfully present with his guitars while Darshan Doshi provides the mildest of percussion effects on drums. All this happens without taking away any limelight from Aditya’s vocals and rightly so. Aman Arakh has produced, mixed and mastered this gentle yet generous piece of music. There are moments when Aditya sings with absolute freedom hitting the Falsetto, and it feels liberating like listening to a Jazz saxophonist on a roll. Jarvis Menezes on keys and Warren combine well but the latter’s electric guitar solo is quite engaging. Vivian D’souza plays the bass guitars like an unsung hero and listen to the outro on guitars to understand why this song is wholesome. Apparently Aditya has been taking vocal lessons from Shannon Donald and Isheeta Chakrvarty and all that is paying off for sure. Aishwarya Abbot’s photography captures the essence of the song as well.

3. Love you too I have heard Raahi’s songs before, and he does really captivate you with his singing and scores as well with an unending melodic intent. The song here is composed and written by Vasudev Gandharav and it certainly strikes the perfect chords for a listener wanting to hear a love song. It reminds me of classics like “aawaz de humko� and “Pehla nasha�. Raahi sings, arranges, programs and produces the track while we have John Paul on bass guitars. The songs another positive is the harmonies singing the title line, which sounds ecstatic, thanks to Tiwari Harmony Group. The recording is done by Raghuvendra John Aryam while Bhaskar Sarma does the mix and master. The project by Sajid Shahid is produced by Abhijeet Singh.

4. Fall in Love Colleges all over India have bands that participate in inter-collegiate championships, but once they graduate and move onto the corporate world, it is all forgotten like the movie “Rock-on�. Now here is a Chennai based band of 5 graduating in Engineering and other streams, but they are living the dream. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? Laxman Arvind embodies that spirit of desire and fulfillment as he sings with his enticing vocals. The brand of Alternative Rock music that we can cherish, sing along and have it play in our heads multiple times. Rohit Surya hits the tempo perfectly on the drums and is that battery that never tires for the track. The lead guitarist needs a round of applause as he underplays in the background as well as plays solo with the same thrilling effect and so Vignesh Yaddanapidi take a bow. Sridhar Elamaran showcases his mettle on Keys as we approach the ending portion of the track and GD Vijay on bass guitars kills it like a silent assassin. Franklin Daniel mixes and masters the track, while Mervin T Thomas and VJ Ganesan do the recording.

5. Faces of the moon I can go on and on about this band and in my Opinion they are as important to the current Indie music scene as are the Western Ghats to the monsoon along the west coast of India. If you didn’t like the analogy, well then at-least listen to the song and fall in love with what these guys can do. Aryandra Shekhar has written and composed the tune and when he sings it like this you just can stop losing your senses. The way he sings “everyday� is testament to that. Sunil George on keyboards is on a high and he delivers the output with stunning beauty and he is also the man behind the arrangements. Ritik Suntwal on drums helps achieve a massive rush of blood to the head and when he combines with the guitars by Kaleb Shaji and Gordon Pereira, you are on cloud nine. To round things off, we have Rex David on bass guitars and this song is one for all seasons and moods.

6. Puriya Dhanashree I never want to miss out on any brilliance and that is why I don't restrict to hearing and reviewing domicile Indian musicians. This woman is a Norwegian Indian Violinist called Harpreet Bansal and I would pay to go and listen to her. Interestingly a foreigner plays the Harmonium here , Vojtěch Procházka, and we have Sanskriti Shreshtha on the Tabla. The Raag n focus here is Puriya Dhanashree which in itself will send you into a zone of catharsis owing to the pathos. If the main live instruments aren’t enough, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra sweeps you off your feet with the grandiose arrangements and performance. The flute and strings section and the Horns section sound enchanting thanks to Jan Mortin Smordal who is the Orchestrator. Once you have been mesmerized with gleaming music and a sunken heart, pay attention to the joyful Raag of Bhimpalasi as well in another outstanding segment. Here we have the Bassoon played by Embrik Snerte in the beginning and then Jon Ovind Ness orchestrates this gem. Behold the Violin solo that showcases the full extent and beauty of the Raag by Harpreet.

7. Nau Saal Ajay Jayanthi’s violin solo is so heartwarming that you already feel like you have a 100 years and here in this track he is accompanied by Ritu Gopal as well. Jimmy Francis John is the lead vocalist and Ashwin Syam is the composer and producer for this total humdinger of a number. Jimmy explores a lot of his vocal range especially hitting the Falsetto often. The violins speak to you better than words can and they way the soloists change the notes a bit to produce the effect of a vocal aalap. The track is mixed and mastered by Cyril Sajan and are words are penned by Gaurav Digga. The vocalist is someone I am hearing for the first time, and hence was pleasantly surprised. However when I tried to do more research, I realized that he was the frontman of Pineapple Express, and boy have I loved their work especially I have featured multiple songs from their EP "Passages".

8. Sombre Valley I haven't heard her singles under the previous moniker Barbie but when I heard this I knew that a name doesn’t matter as long as the quality of music is trustworthy. Dridha as she calls herself now has composed, written and sung this number. I love the strings in the background hence the whole production is unique and lovable. Aman Moroney has done the mixing and mastering while Debapriya Kar has done the artwork. That humming she sings is quite catchy and sticks to your head but it does remind us of Arijit Singh’s “Hawaein� composed by Pritam. The guitars too are melodic and all the harmonies add beautiful layers.

9. Humahun ka Khilab We all remember that name Rabbi Shergill and that uber-hit called “Bulla ki Jaana� back in 2005. It is one song that many across India would have heard and loved and he is back after a massive hiatus. This time it is a song for a movie called “Eight Down Toofan Mail� and the song is written, composed and sung by the man himself. The Keys start off the number and then that cherished and seductive voice shifts from high to low scales with amazing ease. You can hear some excellent programming and arrangements with the Keys, electric guitars and Strings. The song is true to his genre of semi-rock, semi-folk .

10. Log kehte hain A team of young musicians uniting not jut to create good music, but with a deeper purpose, straightaway grabs your interest and call for great attention and appreciation. Muhafiz the band creates these semi-classical numbers worded with pristine and Urdu poetry and just like the previous singles , this too is a ghazal you will want to guzzle up like cold water on a peak summer day. You can never enough of both! The track to me has traces of Raag Shudh Kalyan and it is composed by Sarthak Kalyani , while Sarthak and Siddhant Chopra produce the track. Neeraj Shetty is the project producer it with lyrics by Mushafi Ghulam Hamdani and Sarthak. The Tabla and the Keyboard programming fuse just brilliantly, while Sartha’s vocals are soothing both to the ears and heart, I have always claimed that such attempts to modernize some of our traditional music styles can do wonders to get more younger demographic listeners to follow and like. The high-paced Harmonium but towards the end is a nice addition to the scheme of things.

11. Sunshine on the street Pranati Khanna a.k.a. Peekay is not only got a style of her when it comes to her fancy moniker, but the style of music carries that too. This Hyderabad based musician works with another hot talent from our country’s music factor known as the North East. Andrea Tariang is from Shillong and has already acted with big stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Ajit Kumar on screen. This track is bound to immediately get you into the groove as Peekay and Andrea write and compose it. Zediah Hynniewta sparkles straight away on the guitars and he also plays the Keys for the track. The two lead vocalists have such amazing control and it is on full display right through. I love the harmonies playing mildly in the background and Leon Wallang’s bass guitars, which sound funky. The vocal textures are different with Peekay being more compelling and thrusting, and Andria breezy. The track is produced by Jonathan Edward and it is mixed and mastered by Meshac Daniel. The use of Trumpets in the background layers is well arranged thanks to Zediah. Vincent Tariang plays the drums.

12. Your best This 17-year old singer songwriter will strike you with his vocals the moment you play the track and you will feel possessed by the vocal stability, and creativity that Noah Avantkar employs in his delivery. The song is written, composed and performed by this musician who was brought up in Bangalore. Noah also plays his own guitar in the track and we have Niranjan S on al the sound engineering work like recording, mixing and mastering. The song was intended to be released on 31s December to help people forget the fact that they missed on the annual targets and goals, and they did try their best. Noah trembles and shivers and to get the vocals to sound so vulnerable and emotive and yet sound pitch perfect is pure genius. I can imagine someone just picking up a guitar and singing this jus to impress anyone around, and that is how much potential this song offers for anyone in love with music.

13. Muskurahat It is sad that the song was not in this movie, but that’s ok, because the song can live purely on its own score. The track is the best of the lot in my opinion in the album, and it is set in Raag Madhuvanti. AM Turaz writes this amazing words to the tune composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Arijit Singh is in his elements as he does produce magic in every vibrato he delivers and thanks to Raja Pandit’s arrangements every note vocal and instrumental sound mesmerizing. Arijit explores so many areas vocally in this song and he is on a trip of experimentation doing all his aalaps and inventive deviations. Kailash Patra plays the solo violin while Sanjiv Sen plays the Urdu Dholak, Tabla and side rhythm. Sanjay Jaipurwale does the music programming and Kunal Dabholkar mixes and masters the track with assistance from Swapnish Jadhav. The violin interlude in the second interlude is truly enchanting and it will break into tears. Just listen to how Arijit sings “Jo Zyaada der� in the second stanza and you will wonder how he landed those notes so well.

14. Yu hi hum Here is another wonderful song, which is very similar in its classical Raga base like “Muskurahat�. Ruupa Raman is a composer who always wanted to try singing but only to accompany her brother. But after a long 20 year wait she takes the plunge, and we have a song that is superior in its score and arrangements and I hope the singing will definitely rise in leaps and bounds after this venture. I originally thought this was set in Raag Madhuvanti as well, and I wasn’t way off. Apparently upon speaking with Ruupa she tells me that it is based on Raag Madhukauns derived from Malkauns and Madhuvanti. Its Carnatic equivalent is Raaga Sumanesa Ranjani and the song that springs to mind is MS Vishwanathan’s “oru naal nilavu , pagal pol iravu� sung by P Sushela. Ruupa and Aajay K Chauhan pen the lyrics which describe the moment of how this song took birth. The programming of Keys and all other fragments are wonderfully done by Atul Raninga. The Sarangi is payed by Late Dhruba Ghosh while the Sitar solo that we hear in the second interlude is played by Sweekar Katti. Tapan Dewanji records, mixes and masters the track. Ruupa will certainly have a bigger impact if she gets to just be more expressive and confident with her vocals especially in the higher scales.

15. Kalia I always love Hip-hop and Rap as a style but it cannot be out of rhythm or just expletives thrown at me without any sense of music. Here is Samir Rishu Mohanty born to an Indian father and Japanese mother a.k.a. Big Deal who sings in Oriya and English. I loved two songs at least in his debut album with Kalia and a song named after him. In Kalia Big Deal features singer Kuldeep Pattanaik while the rapping, mixing and lyrics are by Samir. This song is a great fusion of rap, some local instruments and singing from Odisha.