Top Indian Songs of the week - 28th November 2021

This is the list of Top Songs released in India for the week of November 21-28, 2021.

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 300 tracks released in the week ending 28th November 2021, 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.

Find the full playlist of Top Songs this week on SPOTIFY

1. Nagarodi

He is the nephew of AR Rahman, the young boy who used to sing in many of Rahman’s songs as well. But that is not just how he is known to the world, he became a popular musician and still has some vast fan-following for his style of music which takes inspiration from ARR but also treads its own path. My personal view is that, after a brilliant early 2000s, there was a drop in his performance, but maybe that was because of some severe competition in the Tamil movie industry and exceedingly high expectations from the composer. GV Prakash Kumar has had many successes as an actor now, and in 2021 worked with global singers to create some rollicking English singles. This song is a supreme comeback and the quality of music reverberates with his earlier masterpieces. He ropes in Ananya Bhatt from the Kannada music space and she delivers a slick and glamorous performance on vocals. The bass guitars are incredible and remind me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja’s works. GV also lends his vocals as the male lead along with the dynamic Arivu who has penned these impressive lyrics as expected. Raj Kumar Amal is the producer and the track is mixed and mastered Jehovahson Alghar. Adter the impressive opening lines, we have the rap intervention by Arivu supported by rhythms. The interlude has a humming by Ananya followed by some programmed instrumentals and this is where I sensed some Hindolam Raaga influence, including in the verse. Lalit Talluri plays the fabulous flute.

2. In the Air

The band from New Delhi was formed back in 2004 and released their first album back in 2009. The younger generation probably hasn’t heard of them, but I hope music enthusiasts get their thirsts quenched with this spell-binding EP called “Unisonâ€? which was live-in-concert. I loved 3 of the 5 tracks including “In the Airâ€?, “Gates of Dawnâ€? and “Milanâ€?. This particular song is based on the poem by the sufi mystic and poet Baba Bulleh Shah. The EP was a live performance recorded at the Oddbird Theatre back in 2018 but the music streaming platforms are just playing them now. Ujwal Nagar is the Hindustani vocalist who is simply stunning and he is accompanied by Rohit Prasanna’s mesmerizing flute solos. Aman Singh plays the drums and all the western side of the fusion elements come from Gaurav Chintamani’s basslines and Abhishek Mathur’s guitars. There is absolute tranquility listening to the flute, drums and guitars in unison and this is where I felt there was some Kaafi Raag or Karaharapriya influence. Anindo Bose plays the Keyboards and handles the mixing at Plug ‘Nâ€? Play Studios. At the halfway mark, we have Chayan Adhikari vocalizing in English and this immediately feels like a rock ballad and what an exemplary track on fusion. Sarthak Pahwa plays the percussions. The other two tracks I strong recommend have been mentioned already and this EP is worth all your time. I will be doing a full review of it later as one of the best EPs of 2021. The Video was shot by Tushar Dixit, Shubham Singhal, Shiv Vardhan, Video Edited by Tushar Dixit, Photography by Shiv Ahuja and Shrey Gupta, Lights by Priya Mathews and Sound Recorded by Ayush.

3. Starfall

Pranay Bakshi a.k.a. Cosmic Grooves is a music producer and he has been quite impressive and the last time he and Anoushka Maskey combined to create a track called “eventide� it turned out that it turned all tides, it was so good that it appeared in the top 10 for that week in the entire country. This time around Cosmic Grooves has an EP called A New, Clear Winter, and it is one clever title featuring Anoushka and Shaurya Singh. Pranay does the production, composition, arrangements, mixing and mastering as well. Shaurya’s vocals are engrossing and they keep you hooked on in addition to the guitars that keep playing. Anoushka combines brilliantly and the two vocalists keep things mysterious and dark and as the instrumentation picks up, it is impossible to not enter a zone of trance. There is an electric guitar portion supported by drums and the top-hat, that enhances the emotional connect with the track. When a song leaves that feeling of wanting more and makes you wish it played on an endless loop, the track has achieved its purpose.

4. Humse Khafa

Assamese musicians continue to impress and scale higher peaks and the latest to join that long list is Sujan Sinha a.k.a. Suzonn and although I love a song set in Assamese lyrics, this one in Hindi is equally good. The single is written, composed and performed by Suzonn, and it begins with the Flute solo by Bhaskar Jyoti Kalita and guitars by Pritom Gohain Boruah. The vocals of Suzonn are so pleasing helped by sounds from the keyboards and synthesizers. The stanza has a very ring o it as well and we have some excellent production and arrangements keeping the background filled with Keys and Strings. Anubhav Gogoi does the music production and Pankaj Borah has mixed and mastered the track.

5. Ilapeythu Moodumi

It has to be a output that reflects profound quality when a respected composer and an established composer get together for a song. While here you go, don’t you dare expect anything less as Sithara Krishnakumar sings for Ouseppachan’s score. Sandeep Mohan’s bass guitars are nothing to short of perfect and Ouseppachan himself plays the violin solo. The song has very strong influences of Anandhabhairavi raaga according to me, and Sithara’s delivery only enhances the beauty of the tune further. The interlude has some excellent strings arrangements along with the solo violin, and Ajeesh Anto on keyboards provides some necessary back up for the track. The sound engineers are Sai Prakash who does the recording, and mixing as well with Harishankar on mastering duties. BK Harinarayanan’s lyrics are effective in this song. The tabla is played by Sunil.

6. Besharam Si Nazarein

It is gratifying to see that one of your favorite musicians consistently delivers quality music all the time. Abhijeet Srivastava has composed, sung and produced this very enjoyable track and what I like about his music is that it is never run-of-the-mill and there is always a peculiar but likable mix of modern sounds with some melody as well. Gibson George and Abhijeet are the producers with Ashish Manchanda being the EP. Abhijeet’s voice is one incomparable asset that he uses to his advantage, and the song never feels flat or empty because there are so many intricate sounds that are playing in the background and I love how Abhijeet employs the pause just before the interlude. The trumpet is played stylishly by Walter Dias, with some backing vocals by Aniruddh Anantha who has arranged it as well. Hansika Pareek opens her account in the verse and we have some excellent keyboards being operated and Hansika amazingly compliments Abhijeets singing and the way the two sing the title line is spectacular especially when they sing in unison. Aman Moroney plays the electric guitars, and the beautiful words are written by Shayra Apoorva. The track is mixed and mastered by Aman, and recorded by Abhijeet, Aman, Priyank Barwer and Reagan Almeida.

7. The world keeps Turning

When music runs in the family, it generally in itself is a proxy for judging the musician’s abilities. This track is written, composed and sung by Piya Podder and another musician who has contributed immensely is Barun Sinha who has co-composed, produced, mixed and mastered the track. The change of rhythm and tempo in the track is something that I love about this and another thing that stands out is the trumpet and drums combination which makes me feel like I am listening to the marching band. Aman Kumar Singh from the band Advaita who have already been featured at No.2 in his week, while Chie Nishikori fro Japan plays the Trumpets and Trombone and we have already her as a part of Chizai’s glorious album early this year. Barun , being the multi-instrumentalist plays the Piano, acoustic, bass and electric guitars.

8. Navamalayalam

We have some familiar names again in this track from the world of Malayalam music and I love this track which to my mind has some influences of either Karaharapriya or Reethigowla raaga. As it starts off with Sachin Balu on the Veena and Sumesh Parameshwar impresses with his bass-lines. They both show their skill-sets straightaway and you will know that you are going to spend the next few minutes enjoying a wonderful melody. The man in focus however is Arun Alat who has written, produced, composed and sung this beauty and the singing part alone has Bhadra Rajin to accompany him. Sachin who himself has impressed me many times with his own musical scores, plays the Veena with some style. The Kazoo is a nice instrument to replicate a Nadaswaram and Abhijit Anilkumar plays in the interludes. The stanza is another elaborate extension of the songs opening lines and the track is mixed and mastered by Hari Shankar, while it is recorded by Dil Vinu and Nishanth. Bhadra Rajin sings her lines in the lower scales brilliantly and that was quite an unexpected deviation from the track

9. Kahaniya

The band calls itself Folk Masti and it really does live up to its name by sticking to the folk genre but adding some delectable twists to it. The main man in the band is Vipul Panchal, who is vocalist and guitarist as well and these are the two predominant portions in the track. I do love the Keys played by Samadhan Guldagde which adds a nice Jazz style to this helped by Roshan Aade’s catchy Cajon. The whole rhythm section along with the slowish tempo and Vipul’s singing style sounds like a Hindi Film song from back in the 1970s. The Harmonica interlude is another inspiring attempt, although it was quite brief, and finally one needs to credit Shree Shankar for the mixing and mastering.

10. Jaane Kya Laage

Sometimes it takes a man who has been around for a while to delivery some old time magic. It is at least true for this track as Amc Aman who has been around since 2009 as a singer and composer mails this tune. How amazing it sounds to hear the legendary Alka Yagnik and she has still got it. Bhaskar Kalita who has already played the flute for another track this week once again sizzles in the wind here. The combination of the flute and Keys in the background works brilliantly especially with Alka’s mastery. Wait for the interlude with the programmed Sitar and we have to credit Anubhav Gogoi and Aman for their programming expertise. Arafat Mehmood writes the lyrics, and the stanza is well composed and It all takes me back to some of AR Rahmans greatest Bollywood music. The second interlude is a flute solo and the engineers have done a great job as well with Larry Lobo on recording and B Sanj on mixing and mastering.

11. Naan Thoda

It is not very surprising to see great indie music in Hindi, because that is where the talent really is, as Bollywod is bereft of any skillful composers. That is not true for music in the south as some of the best music comes from movie albums, yet it is heartening to see some one like Santhosh Dayanidhi spring up a surprise like this one here in Tamil indies. But raise your hands and clap for this phenomenal singer who just bamboozles you with that voice. It belongs to Shaktishree Gopalan. The interlude has a lovely bit on the Piano but just the way it sounds, reminds me AR Rahman’s “Munbe Va� interlude, and Santhosh himself handles the keyboard programming while the master Keba Jeremiah is on guitars. It is an elaborate interlude, with an additional Violin solo by Vignesh and kudos to Santhosh for that. Listen to the fabulous violin in the background as she sings “Minnal pattu pootha muttu�, and A Pa Raja writes these fantastic lyrics as well. Sathish Priyan is the music supervisor, and Pradeep Menon mixes while Suresh Permal masters the track. Daving Ling is the music co-ordinator.

12. Pove Pove

Sometimes it is effective to use your trump card right at the beginning, and that is what the composer Ghanashyam has done here with Sandilya Pisapati the violinist. The track starts off with a serious mode and that could be because of the violin playing supported by the Keys. Swarag Keerthan is the singer and his delivery maintains the pathos probably intended in the first place but also tends to enchant with his voice. Throughout the first 1 minute, Sandilya continues to intervene with some beautiful segments in the background adding a very essential layer of richness. Ghandhyam also plays the guitars and mixes and masters the track. The stanza might seem like it just replicates the opening lines to the untrained ear, but there are deviations the composer brings in to escalate the quality of the tune. Satya SK is the lyricist. The song just uses vocals, Keys and Violin to put this melody forward, once again a testament to that fact that good music doesn’t take much more than intent and talent.

13. Tanha Rahun Main

Pratyush Dhiman is a young singer-musician, a.k.a. Prats and his single simply blew me away. The mesmerizing flute is section is composed by Prats himself and he also pens the lyrics. The singing is excellent and despite its slow tempo, all the arrangements offer so much for the eager ears. The interlude on the flute is a replay of the opening lines of the song but this where I sensed some influence of Raag Hamsadhwani. It is not a complicated song, but when the right vocals and instrumentals are placed, they can touch the right nerve. The track is mixed and mastered Hanish Taneja.

14. Jaane Do

Tushar Joshi has written, produced and composed this track and this is the second time this musician has impressed me after “Ek woh pal�. The outstanding guitars by Jobin David really entice me from the moment I hear them, and he also plays the electric guitars. Listen to the mild strings being played in the background that sort of lifts up the track to a whole new level. The use of backup vocals in layers works well for me, and the track is mixed and mastered by Aman Agarwal. Without the vocals of Tushar I can’t imagine the song would have been this pleasant. Aaroh Velankar is the recording engineer, along with Rupjit Das and Maharshi Jani. Rohit Kelkar does the artwork, and the lyrical video is by Ravindra Kelkar.

15. Mann Maaze

I knew of his potential much before his show at the Indian Idol in 2021, as he was featured and reviewed in the space as a composer and singer and we are talking about Ashish Kulkarni. This is a song where he only sings, but the duo of Dinesh-Kapil, have created this beautiful track. Dinesh Patole has written the lyrics and composed the tune while the arrangements are done by Dinesh, Kushal Bharatia, Kapil Chhajed and Vishal Tidke. The violins by Kartk Tarte, kick things off along with the Keys by Vishal Tidke. Ashish’s vocals are gentle and though the tune has a very familiar Marathi tune, the Keys and arrangements provide a western flavor. Kushal Bharatia does the production with Saurabh Lodha on mixing, mastering and recording duties. There is an excellent aalap in between and it gets taken into the background with Sagar Salunke and Krishna Totare’s flute. Let us not forget Vicky Hajeri’s guitars, which are strummed to our delight. Some of the best minds on sound engineering have assembled here with Nitin M Krishna and Ronak Runwal on mixing and mastering duties.

16. Scars

Minshul Jain is a singer-songwriter and I am hearing her for the first time, but I can assure you that this song will scars in your heart, ones of joy and immense gratification for the sheer quality of singing and composition. The musical direction is by Apoorv Kumar and Shubanshu Gupta who belong to the band “Beyond Horizon�. Their song ‘Musafir si Zindagi’ was featured on my website 3 weeks ago. Anyway this one is all about Minshul as she writes, composes and sings this stunner. The keys are stunning at the very beginning and they accompany Minshul’s vocals right through. The way the tune progresses I get a sense of Elton John’s “Believe� and that is a huge compliment in itself. The highlight according to me is the line where she sings, “Scars on my soul�. The track is mixed and mastered by Apoorv. The harmonies at the background layers also add to the likability.

17. Akhanda

The last song on this week’s list is scored by S Thaman who has programmed and arranged the track as well, and the man never takes a break from entering my lists. The song is a dramatic anthem praising the Lord and one singer who can extract the necessary emotion needed for this genre, through his vocals is Shankar Mahadevan. We have triple the fun here with his sons Siddharth and Shivam also singing here in harmony. Give a big hand to the Live percussions played by The Gongura Band and Dhol by Sound of Bombay Dipesh and Team. Jobin David is playing the sizzling electric guitars and the synths glorify the song. Subhani and Suba play the Ethnic Indian strings in the interlude that simply stand out. The track is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Pukraj and Milan. Ananta Sriram is the lyricist and the track is recorded by LV Prasad and Osho V.