Top Indian Songs of the week - 20th 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 20th 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. Tun Ani Ami As a concept Zombies are taking over the world, with a plethora of Hollywood movies already dealing with that post-apocalyptic scenario. Movies in India have been experimenting with this concept as well and we have had very interesting titles like “Zombie Reddy� in Tollywood and now “Zombivili� in Marathi cinema. The film apparently is a very fun and worthy watch, but since we focus on the music here, I think this song atleast is a smashing number deserving the top place in the country for last week. AV Prafullachandra (A hereafter) is an ace musician and he shows why with a song that has more substance in the portions before the antara itself and many songs these days don’t offer so much in the entire length itself. AV also has programmed, produced and mixed the tracks of the number. If you can count, you will hear 5 segments of notes in almost an Ilaiyaraja-like composition. Nakul Abhyankar is the male vocalist and he is now probably a well sought out performer in both Kannada and Marathi singing both languages with amazing ease. Kasturi Wavare’s voice and delivery is resembling Shreya Ghoshal’s and that is the best compliment I can think of now. The innovative sounds, and rhythm variations are also fantastic. The interlude is elaborate and sounds like a dream for any music lover and you will need multiple plays to get a grasp of the zillion sounds we hear. The stanza goes on to impress more with shifts in energy and style between melody and modern. The lyrics are written by Vaibhav Deshmukh and Rahul Sharma has recorded the track, with assistance from Samir Dharap. The song is mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Vishal Sadhaphule

2. The spy who loved me It is strange how for the last 2 years or more that I have been tracking Indian music, and I only have heard of a Flute exponent called Lalit Talluri. Finally I come to know of his father a flute genius himself and guru of Lalit , Shri Nagaraju Talluri. He is also a composer and this track is testament to his skill bringing the world of Jazz into the Tollywood’s doorstep. The song also has a very Jazz like name maybe reflecting a James Bond Saga. If you thought the music is world class, listen to the vocals by Indian Idol performer Shanmukha Priya , as she just nails it with perfection. This is never an easy genre to sing as there is much demanded vocally but she is up to it and beats expectations as well. Lalit Talluri himself plays the woodwinds for his dad’s composition and the entire family of woodwinds, like the flute, bassoon, clarinet etc. is on display here right from the beginning. The Keys and gentle percussion add a very nice color just like the harmonies. The flagbearer is Shanmukha Priya with her incomparably good vocals and she flirts with that falsetto so much and so well that you just end up closing your eyes and nodding your head in appreciation. Kittu Vissapragada is the lyricist and the lovely guitars are played by Joel Sastry. The mixing and mastering responsibilities are taken over by Vinay Kumar, while Sathrian R does the Keyboard programming

3. Savaari This brand of music is like having some splendid south food, with one Dosa followed by Upma and then Medu Vada and finally ending with a hot filter coffee. Every item tasting better than the previous and makig you want to come again, well that is how I felt while eating at Mysore’s Mahesh Prasad restaurant and the 5 piece band called Mysore Xpress achieve the same effect in their latest EP aptly called “Made in Mysore�. This is progressive rock with a Carnatic flavor like ‘podi’ on top of a Dosa. Zubin Paul is the vocalist and also the engineer on mixing and mastering for this solid number. The flute by Samrudh Srinivas will blow you away, pun intended!, and there are wonderful traces of Raag Abheri especially during the flute interventions. Harshith Rao is solid and oozing energy on the drums while Raghunandan S Rao on guitars and Pramod Nayak on bass provide able and necessary support. Tanushree R is the backing vocalist and her humming is what we hear and all these elements combine seamlessly and brilliantly thanks to the composition, arrangements and mixing and mastering by Zubin. After the 3 minute mark there is a Flute solo with some high paced guitars and this will make you feel like you are listening to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Ramdas Pai is the lyricist, and all additional guitars are played by Swaraj S. The other song I like is Nammoru which is a celebration of the city called Mysore and it features a flautist Sameer Rao with some engaging and local percussions Sujayendra Rao. The humming “thantha nena� is rustic and beautiful and an entire choir comprising of Anushree R, Sampada S Konnur Vaishnavi S Konnur, Vindhyalakshmi S Konnur, Disha, Unnathi, Charvi, Aagna, Supriya S Kelkar performs here. Vibvek Tomas who we all know well as a sound engineer does the mastering duties for Nammoru.

4. Realize Mahesh Raghunandan is a Bengaluru based singer songwriter and I am hearing him for the first time, but it certainly wont be anywhere close to the last. He has written this song apparently back in 2017 itself but before it has become too late Mahesh finally records and shoots a video for its release. The song is produced, mixed and performed by Mahesh himself and we have the wonderful Avalahalli forests as the backdrop shot picturesquely by Sabareesh Arumugam with Vishnujith Varma’s direction. The song is the first of an upcoming EP called “Change� and the very few seconds I hear I realized I am in for a world of musical pleasure. It is singing of Herculean standards and the minimal instrumental intervention allows Mahesh to explore and exhibit more of that gifted voice. Many a times a guitar aided vocal performance can be very run-of-the-mill, but not this one. The notes go through such a see-saw of scales without even sounding flat and boring at one point. The humming is a massive expression of so many emotions that he delivers to the point, and I felt every ounce of pain. Sidharth Sunil does the Color Grade with additional assistance from Nithin J Francis. Mahesh himself records and mixes for the song.

5. Kannadiye The South Indian music machine is on rampage now, with one more song from Kannada movie space here. Prajwal Pai has been featured before on this space before and here the composer once again creates some worthy melody. He is also the male lead vocalist along with one more super favorite performer of mine and she goes by the name Aishwarya Rangarajan. Prajwal not only has sung well he also has done a fabulous job in arrangements and programming. There is a tinge of Raagam Nalinakanthi reminding me of that great number by Ilaiyaraja called “Enthan Nenjil neengatha�. Shruthi is just unstoppable on the Tabla, while Sandeep Mohan’s guitars and bass are extremely essential in adding layers to the melody. The mandolin in the interlude is a gem and after that the stanza is where the Nalinakanthi influences show up, but apparently none of it was intended by the composer. Arjun plays the flute in the second interlude, and it is during the stanza that we hear the bass guitars to perfection. The song is mixed and mastered by Vivek Thomas, and lyrics are penned by Vishwajith Rao.

6. 1 last bye They are twins and imagine if one of them had a spellbinding voice, you just double that and what you get is Kiran + Nivi. Kiran and Nivi Saishankar are residents of USA and have been a juggernaut on Tik-Tok this last year garnering over 2 million followers thanks to their amazing covers of popular numbers. I have heard a few of them like the one on “Srivalli� from the movie ‘Pushpa’ and it almost sounds unbelievable. So here is their first official original which they have dedicated to their cousin who passed away. I had no idea about the twins before hearing this number but the track is not just about the vocals, it also has a catchy and captivating melody. The song is written with Michael Blum and Nilu and the former produces it. Listen to the delivery and the range they exhibit along with the apt emotive excellence. The song is loaded with synths and keyboard programming that augments but never goes overboard. The outro is te perfect sample of how supremely talented the twin are as vocalists. Someone recently wrote “ Mark my words, you’ll see the names Kiran and Nivi Saishankar on the Billboard Hot 100 chart one day. I concur and believe that day is not too far. The video has been shot by DoP Lucas Miller, with director Spencer D. Evans. Ambika does all the styling.

7. Tanu mana We have another duo now called Rakesh and Nilima a.k.a. Rak ‘N’ Nili and they have been around creating music since 2011. Here they create a ravishing number and who better to adorn it than Sanjith Hegde himself as the vocal lead. I aas immediately in love with the guitars and humming in the beginning and after Sanjith starts to sing, you only have to stay quiet in awe and fall in love. The strings used are like a cadence of water flowing non-stop with beauty and ferocity. The song slowly transforms in rock/pop genre with the prevalence of drums and electric guitars. The aalap is refreshing in the interlude. Rakesh UP has produced the track with mixing and mastering by Vishnu KJ. Sanjith can lift a song on his shoulders all alone and that cannot be told for many vocalists in India on a consistent basis. Praveen Prakash writes the lyrics and Ganesh N Rao does all the additional drum programing.

8. Mind Palace I am always fond of Niranjan Menon’s work and I feature both his “Castle in the sky� and “Wounded� and this is going to be a hat-trick with “Mind Palace�. He combines with Vimal Roy in both composition and vocals while the production responsibilities are held by Niranjan and Artemis Fall. Tejas SP and Ganga Pramod are the writers and all the artwork and creative are handled by Harris Paul and Rajeev Ninan. Rohan Raveesh like his name goes, creates a ravishing piece of electric guitar solo right at the start. The song has a lot of modern techno sounds and the composers take the fusion element to a new high with the introduction of the Flute and Thavil and this is where I heard some fragments of Raag Hamsadhwani. Sarthak Ray handles the mixing quite exquisitely and he also masters the track. I love how the vocals shift from English to Malayalam and then to Hindi. Namrata Hangala is in charge of the press release and communication.

9. Shishiram Pothiyum In a second you know you are hearing one of the most enriching and joyful Raagas in the form of Reethigowla as we know in Carnatic music. Ayraan is someone who I am hearing for the first time and he definitely impresses in the higher scales. The saxophone interlude by Josy was nostalgic and it reminded of Kadri Gopalnath’s performance for AR Rahman’s “Duet�. Nithya Mammen sings and then you feel like saying “all is well� and that is how pleasant yet powerful her vocals are, just listen to how beautifully she sings the word “deepanjali�. Swathy Manu has written, composed and arranged all the excellent live instruments for this song. Sumesh Parameshwar is stylish with his bass guitars while Nikhil Ram does a savvy solo in the second interlude and enjoy the concerted trio of Flute, Nadaswaram and Bass guitars here. OK Gopi is on the Nadaswaram and the Violin solo is played by . The stanza is simple with only a short segment but there are too many good elements to keep you hooked. Harishankar V mixes and masters with mixing assistance from Akshay Kakkoth and Manoj Medalodan does the programming. The final mix and sound design is by Hebin Benny and the track singers employed for this project were Minshad Zara and Anagha Suresh.

10. Gajro Nothing can be more pleasing to a music lover than listening to enjoying music without the barrier of language. Priya Saraiya has been on my radar and she is not just a composer but also a lyricist of immense quality. This song is composed and written by her and addressing the issues that crop up between a couple in love. Aditya Gadhvi is the male vocalist and his voice is like a breath of fresh air. Listen to the Keys, and the Sarangi by Dilshad Khan mildly playing in the background. Sanjoy Das, the master, plays the guitar adding to the romantic elements of the song and once the harmonies begin, we feel like the oomph factor of the song just got raised thanks to Vaidehi Painter and Jhanvi Soni. The interlude is a dominant show by Dilshad on the Sarangi and Aditya’s voice blends wonderfully thanks to programming and arrangements by Jay Mavani as well as the mixing and mastering skills of Eric Pillai.

11. Pogadiro Ranga One of my favorite composers in India is B. Ajaneesh Loknath, and he shows why with his great understanding and execution of scores loaded with intricacies, massive instrumental arrangements and at the core a solid tune. Haricharan and Chinmayi are the lead vocalists for this one, so there is nothing left to be written as far as this song goes. But it is impossible as the mind wanders and hands want to type so much in appreciation of the number. The use of the Nadaswaram starts of things in a very semi-classical mode thanks to Balasubramani but there is quick shift in tempo and style which follows a string section output. Ajaneesh does all the rhythm and keyboard programming. The title line sung by the chorus sounds a lot like Raag Abheri . KD Vincent is the music co-ordinator with some fabulous work on mixing and mastering by Sajayan Kumar. The lead singers take us a journey of joy with their mellifluous tones and the stanza for me had some Kaapi Raaga innuendos. Ajaneesh and Bobby CR produce the song and the words are written by Hari Santhosh with recording engineer Midhun Manoj. I also like Neene Neene from the same album ‘Bytwo Love’ and this is more typical Ajaneesh with a dominant Violin. Karthik sings this one and the number has so much mystery and unpredictability especially the way the notes line up for “Neene nann usiru�.

12. Kajwa One more Marathi song occupies the list this week, composed by Vijay Bhate and the song is produced, arranged, mixed and mastered by DEEPP C. Harshavardhan Wavre and Sonali Sonawane bot experts lend their vocals for this project. The song reminds me a lot of “Chand Sifarish�. Sonali’s voice feels like that morning dew falling on the skin and the rhythms right through the song create a aura of dance and joy. Deepp C also performed all the aalaps and backing vocals for the song. The recording engineer is Viraj Daki.

13. Beparwahi There are a few indie musicians who are consistent, even if their singles are separated by a few months or more. Gulshan Jethwani is one of them who had an excellent number last year called “Chalo� and I did review it here on this space. Now he is back with a soothing track which has influences of Raag Yaman in my view and that makes you heart bloat with joy and love. Gulshan, writes, composes and sings this while another known face in in the indie scene Onkar Tarkase produces the song. Gaurav Korgaonkar plays the keys as a trusted aid to Gulshan’s vocals. ONkar has produced songs like “Ek Din Kahin� and “Kosi Kosi� which were both excellent and I hope to hear from him soon. Abhinav Kumar is the bassist for this one and you will enjoy the introduction of the Harmonica in the interlude played by Nikhil Bailur.

14. Dhooreyetho The electric violin played by Joy has a nice unique sound that differentiates it from the usual violin and this can be heard at the beginning of this track. The tune does remind of me Raag Nalinakanthi, songs like “Sonnalum ketpathillai kanni manathu� from the movie ‘Kadhal Virus’ . This song is composed by Kiran S Shankar with all the programming and arrangements by MM Anumod. Soorya Shyam Gopal gives a fresh tone to this song with his delightful voice. The violin in the interlude is just mesmerizing and as Soorya rightly points out to me there is also some influence of Raag Bihag in the Anupallavi. Listen to the superior basslines right through thanks to Vishnu CV. All the sound design is by Shanush Nayanar with Syam working on the Melodyne and Harishankar V mixing and mastering the song. The lyrics are written by Din Nath Puthenchery

15. Blown Away The city of joy and immensely rich culture of music and arts and here we have a rock band to sizzle from there. With two EPs already in their kitty, the guys aren’t going to play novice. Varun Gujadhur plays the guitars and vocals and he excels on both especially singing the title line. Subhomoy Mitra sings too and his bass guitar contribution is like the backbone and second line of defense for the song. The track offers a lot of resemblance to famous punk rock bands like ‘Green Day’. The thumping drums are played by Sougata Hari and Prashant Gujadhur provides the backing vocal support. Abhibroto Mitra records and mixes the track at Blooperhouse Studios.

16. Starcity This youngster Aditya Rao, was born in New Jersey and got all that musical DNA from his drummer dad, but now he is settled in Chennai which probably has the same number of Tamil people living as in NJ, well it was a joke which could be very close to being a fact. Anyway this reverse Brain Drain is more than welcome and MANGAS as his new moniker is, clearly smashes this song. Aditya writes, composes, performs, produces and mixes too for this number with the brilliant bass guitars played by Mathew Panakal. Travel back in time to the 1990s and it feels like listening to that great band called “A-ha�. The vocals are matched by very apt backup vocals layered beneath. The sound of the Piano never stops to bring a smile and it has been well written and programmed along with the keyboard and synth parts. Listen to the closing segment and it sounds a lot like A-ha’s “Take on Me�. I love the energy on the drums and innovative beat shifts.

17. Safar The rock band is based out of the Capital City of New Delhi and although I am interested to know why the name was chosen for the band, the brand of music conveniently took my mind away from that mystery. The song title is a no-brainer as the number talks about the world of travel and great experiences associated with it. The guitars are more enticing to me that witnessing a cloud covered mountain and we have Gagan Kumar on electric guitars and Samar Yadav on bass. I am so glad Tanusri B Sengupta reached out to me one day with her upcoming single, and though she was open to all kinds of criticism and feedback, I only had one thing to say, “Fabulous�. I did have a complaint that there was a smaller segment of vocals in the track than I would have liked but apparently it was intended. Tanusri later explained to me that the band’s name was kept by the guitarist who wanted to pick a alternate name to Buddha. She still powers through with her falsetto and emotive singing in that shorter duration itself and the range of vocal scales explored is admirable. Rahul Rawat is flamboyant and also feeble in various segments based on the need. Deep Ak has produced and recorded it while ace engineer Anindo Bose mixes and masters the track at his Plug ‘n’ Play Studios. Navjot Nama does all the commendable artwork.