Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of July 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Paththu MilligramPerformed by  Benny Dayal , Bryden & ParthComposed & Produced by - Bryden LewisLyrics by - Madhan Karky Genre: Indie PopI have been enamoured by the musical prowess of this duo called Bryden & Parth. They have taken the Indian music scene by storm, and I have already featured 3 of their singles from the album " Chameleon World". Now this Tamil song is at the top of the Tamil JUly charts. What can I say? Well, the album is destined to be the No.1 of the year in India for 2023. The duo of Bryden Lewis and Parth Chandiramani march along and they employ an ideal suspect to kill this song vocally, Benny Dayal. He has a trained voice, with immense skill to sing multiple styles and naturally carries a profound zest to perform a song. Bryden plays the electric guitars and Parth is scintillating on the Bansuri. The lyrics are interesting talking about Bhakti and worship. Osigo Mango is the bassist per usual and the gang is having a ball when you listen, it feels great to have such fantastic Rock styled music in Tamil. I love the line " Unaketha pola madha rulesa mathikko, adhu worl aalena madhatha mathikko". The concept is so refreshing talking about the triviality of religion and especially the rules which are forced upon us. Siddharth Kamat is the keyboardist and we have the drums played by Liben Tom and Kamal on percussions. We also have this Latin Jazz-styled percussions and guitars engaging together with the flute solo. Shruti Dhasmana and Benny are on backing vocal duties towards the Gospel-esque end. Benny is on fire reminding me of AR Rahman and Sid Sriram's "Adiye". The cover art looks fantastic and it is by Alicia Goveas, Vivek Thomas is the mixing engineer and mastering is done by Robin Schmidt. The recording engineers are Rahul Narayan and Vivek.@brydenparth @madhankarky  @robin.schmidt.mastering @vivekthomasproductions @rahul.narayan.15 @aliciagoveas @bennydayalofficial @parth_chandiramani @brydenlewis @osigomango @libentom @siddhartkamath @kamaldrummer @shrutidhasmana2. ManidhaSong conceived, composed and arranged by Manoj KrishnaVocals: Manoj Krishna, Gana Balamurugan Lyrics: Dilip Kumar Music Producer: Manoj Krishna Vocal Harmonies Arranged by Kalyani Nair Genre: Gana/BluesI have been featuring Manoj Krishna in my Tamil monthlies for more than a couple of years now, and he has had some fantastic semi-classical numbers released. But this time I am most elated because he has tried something new and fresh. The joy is multi-fold because Manoj shines in this composition Gana Balamurugan sings in this style known to Chennai Vaasis, called "gaana". Manoj then accompanies with a beautiful aalap and his vocals carry the classical Carnatic style. Kalyani Nair, Sushmitha Narasimhan, Manikandan Chembai and Manoj Krishna perform the Choir vocals and the arrangements for these are done by the supremely talented Kalyani. You have to take multiple attempts to understand all the amazing things that are transpiring in this song. The vocal arrangements need special attention, but you also need to focus on the vibrato by Manoj when he sings " vazhka unakku kadavul thandha parisu", especially the last word. Manoj had composed, conceptualised the song and also arranged the live instrumentals. We have Vijay Ganesan on electric guitars and all the additional programming is by Ashwin Raja and Sachin Bharathvaj. Dilip Kumar writes excellent lines and we have some fantastic keys and synths in the interludes, where I get a sense of Sindhubhairavi Ragam in Manoj's aalap. The highlight is the humming where they go " yea yea yea yea yea..... yea yea yea". A big round of applause to Dilip for relevant, deeply philosophical yet witty lyrics. " lifu oru mayajalam, kandapadi podun kolon, uyiruuku thaan velaya pesun kaalon". Enjoy the song a learn a little more about this guft called life. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Rupendar Venkatest and Anish Mohan i

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 6th August 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Swinging Like a Pendulum Performed by Mathangi JagdishWritten by Mathangi JagdishProduced by KJ SinghLanguage: EnglishGenre: JazzI played this EP called " Major Troubles in Minor Blues" and I had no idea or expectations about the artist Mathangi Jagdish. Within a few seconds I was smiling, with eyes closed and living an unforgettable moment of excitement and joy. If a diagnosis was done of these symptoms, the cause would generally have to be "listening to amazing music". True!Mathangi is nothing short of brilliant and she straightaway reminded me of powerhouse performers like Vivienne Pocha and Samantha Noella. This EP is something that you should try straightaway and I loved all 3 songs, with special mentions for "Swinging like a Pendulum" and "Salt in My Kitchen". The magical Bombay Brass is on the horns section and you hear their delightful intro with Robin Fargose on Trumpets, ID Rao on Tenor Sax, Ramon Ibrahim on Trombone, Rhys Sebastian on Alto Sax and the Baritone Sax. The arrangements of the brass section are by Rhys. Mathangi makes a grand entrance with her phenomenal vocals and when you hear the line " At every corner, a twist and a turn" the delectable vibrato on the word 'turn' makes so much sense and oozes of style. The title line is beautifully composed by Mathangi like the entire song, as she goes " Im swingin' swinging like a pendulum". The Piano and drums are constant companions with Merlin Dsouza on the former and Jeoraj George on the latter. The entire production is by KJ Singh and he deserves a standing ovation just like Mathangi and every live instrumentalist, except that he is the director of this whole movie. Mathangi has written these witty lines and she performs with amazing zest. The bridge section is very nicely written, and Mathangi's genius comes alive again when the word "elevate" is sung with rising notes. Kudos! Singing with emotions is what many in the current generation need to learn, I can feel her weariness when she sings " cos I'm tired". The other song that is just brilliant is "Salt in My Kitchen", with the same roles played by all musicians, except for a few minor changes, there are no major alterations to the amazement. The song feels like Tina Turner's "Golden Eye" OST and here too the Bombay Brass is killing it. Joshua Rodrigues plays the Double Bass in the EP and it is Siddharth Talwar on guitars. Mathangi explores even deeper capabilities of her vocal structure in this song. She conveys so much in " All I wanna do is write my song Cos its been so long" because Mathangi has been such a famous playback singer in South Indian cinema with over 450 songs to her credit. She has sung for greats like AR Rahman and MM Keeravani and geniuses like Ilaiyaraja. I cannot wait for her to turn this debut EP into a start for something magnificent in the future. Towards the end Mathangi does a Carnatic styled " Oh it's been so long" and I was bowled over. This is where I heard a bit of Raag Bhimpalasi in the mix. The tracks are mixed by KJ Singh, with Mark Wingfield on mastering duties. The recording engineers are Mrunal, Leslie Charles, Adhithya Sivakumar and Hersh Desai. Asli Music is the label. @kjpahji @musicmerlin @everythingwedoismusic @saxontoast @idrao_official @trumpetrobin @ramonibrahim @crossbow191 @musicsoundart @jeoraj_george @mark_wingfield @stainedclassprod @lesliecharles @studioislandcity @pandalilikestopaint @punamsawhney @nehav07 @aslimusicglobal @mathangijagdishmusic @hersh.desai.9 @adhithya.sivakumar2. Raahein Singers: Shrishti Kedlaya, Parvatish PradeepLyrics: Sushant SudhakaranMusic Composed & Produced by Parvatish PradeepAudio Design: Sparsh Agrawal, Abin ThomasLanguage: HindiGenre: Electronic PopTime for a newcomer on this list, and that always gets me eager and excited. The composer we have here is Parvatish Pradeep, who has also produced this brilliantly. We hear the female vocals coming from Shrishti Kedlaya, and Parvatish also accompanies the lead vocals. Interestingly Parvatish has a classical Carnatic music background. Shrishti has this amazing tone, almost feeling surreal when you hear her and, there is no way a music lover can resist her voice, so we end up getting drawn into the song. Abin Thomas and Sparsh Agrawal are responsible for the fabulous audio design and we have to credit them with the exuberant and excellent sound. I do sense some Raag Hamsadwani right at the beginning when Shrishti's lines are up. The strumming of the guitars is accompanied by Keys and synths and the song gets a tremendous boost when she starts singing " Raahein". That is one brilliant moment which will throw you off your seat. The electric guitar solo comes into the interlude and some vocal interventions. This sound design in a few ways does remind me of Pritam and himonshu Parikh's 'Kesariya' last year. Parvatish joins in the stanza and maintains the beauty that Shrishti created up until then. I trust a lot of the song's great output is thanks to Sparsh, because to this day, "Colors" produced by him is one of the best Indie songs of 2023. 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 30th July 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. I grew up Written & Performed by - Tarana MarwahProduced by - Tarana Marwah & Gaurav RainaLyrics by - Tarana MarwahLanguage: EnglishGenre: Electronic/Synth PopTarana Marwah a.k.a. Komorebi, impressed me immensely with the background score for the Amazon Prime Webseries 'Dahaad'. It was out-of-the-ordinary, with some moments that truly haunted me. The standout element was the use of local Rajasthani folk instruments and style and such clarity, commitment and skill shared by Tarana and Gaurav Raina is showing its head again here. This composition is by Gaurav and Tarana, and the synths are powering up like a rocket ready to launch. Her dreamy and impactful vocals draw you in deep, and the duo produce this song with an immaculate style. We get the fantastic guitars played by Warren Mendonsa a.k.a. Blackstratblues. Listen to the absorbing strings in the background played by The Mavron Quartet viz. Chris, Beatrice, Rachael, and Niamh. James Gair has arranged the session. This feels almost Hans Zimmer-esque.  The Keys and Synths never take a moment of break and Tarana's lyrics are imposing making you see the message as clear as day. The battle against time is a losing battle, she says and this message feels like a warzone, not knowing where sounds come and hit us from, and kudos to the spectacular design. One of the most enchanting movements is towards the end when we hear multiple layers of vocals, aided by the resonating drums, guitars, Keys and strings. The whole song makes me feel like, I was born, stayed innocent, playful and then suddenly grew up, fell in love, lost in love, and by the time I learnt my lessons, it was time to die. The song is an experience. Gaurav is the mixing engineer and the tracks are mastered by Mike Marsh. @komorebi.music @blackstratblues @james_gair @mavronquartet @mediamonks @groovio @suyashgabriel 2. See Me Now Vocals, Lyrics, Composed by: Sahitya Nepal 'YAATRI' Song Arrangement & Song Production by: Vishal J Singh (Pargot Studio) Additional Production by: Trisha Romeno (Pargot Studio)Language: Nepali & EnglishGenre: ExperimentalThere are many artists here who I have never featured or heard before, and that in itself is something that thrills me. This superior rock single is a class apart and songs like these ascertain India's position in the world of music. Sahitya Nepal 'YAATRI', the Kathmandu-based project, has these unmistakable vocals and they suit the rock genre to perfection. Sahitya has composed and written the lyrics as well along with playing the acoustic guitars. There is an amazing contribution from Vishal J Singh who is playing the exuberant drums, and also getting the grooviness quotient up with his bass guitars and electric guitars. The Keys by Vishal pacifies things a bit in between, but the room gets hot and heavy thanks to Sahitya's breathtaking vocals. Take a bow, Vishal, for the wonderful arrangements and production with assistance from Trisha Romeno. The way the song amps up in intensity and then breathes lighter allowing the vocals and lyrics to be heard is all smartly done. There are moments when I felt like I was listening to Phil Collins perform, and that is one outstanding compliment according to me. Just past the 3rd minute, get a load of a sizzling solo on electric guitar by Vishal. We have the Choir Vocals by Loc Punk (Harip Tatwo), Vishal J Singh, Subodh Dahal, Sahitya Nepal & Ves Timalsina. Vishal and Jason Baruah have done the stereo mixing and mastering of the tracks. @risha_midicore @vishaljsingh @pargotstudios @subodhdahal_ @sahityanepalyaatri 3. Dil Se Dil Tak 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 23rd July 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Padminiye Song Composed & Arranged by JAKES BEJOY Singer: SACHIN WARRIERLyrics: TITTO P THANKACHAN Music Producers: JAKES BEJOY, EDEN MICHEAL, EBIN PALLICHAN, PRAKASH ALEXLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Light Music/Electronic PopIf Sachin Warrier can compose good music, like he has done recently for a Tamil movie album, he definitely can sing quite well too. Jakes Bejoy is the big facilitator with his fantastic composition and arrangements, but the quartet of Jakes, Eden Michael, Ebin Pallichan and Prakash Alex come to the fore and produce this magnificence. Josy Alappuzha's playful solo on the flute, along with the funky Keys make a grant start. Amidst all these Western influences sounding like an electronic pop song, we get glimpses of the local Kerala percussions like the Thavil, Chenda and a few more. The title line is just filled with poise and fun, and we have Jakes, Akhil J Chand, Aruna Mary George and Aavani Malhar on backing vocals which we can hear faintly are various instances. The Nadaswaram by Bala plays out the title line, and then Josy's flute comes and anoints the interlude. The stanza is just brilliant in composition as you will find yourself constantly being found out by Jakes' unpredictable set of notes. Daniel Joseph Antony and Maneeth Manoj excel in all the session arrangements with Akhil handling the Harmony arrangements. Titto P Thankachan is the lyricist, Midhun Anand is the mix/master engineer and we have Midhun, Daniel, Maneeth, Najid Nizarudheen, Vishnu Shankar, Hari Narayanan and John Gregory are the recording engineers. @jakes_bejoy @warriersach @saregamamalayalam @titto_p_thankachen @midhunanand_official @prakash_alex @ebin_pallichan @aavani_malhar @josy_alappuzha @maneethmanoj 2. Mera Sukoon Singer & Composer: Bhagyesh HendreLyrics: Bhagyesh HendreMusic Producer: Neil-NirajI heard this song while I was waiting to board a flight, and I got so caught up in the brilliant melody, that I played it on a loop over 3 times and missed my chance to board the flight for almost 15 minutes. Finally, when I drew enough utility and pleasure, I went to board my flight, ready to take off with my heart already flying miles into the air thanks to this amazing song produced by Neil-Niraj, and composed and performed by Bhagyesh Hendre.Bhagyesh and Neil-Niraj are all making their debuts on this website and I cannot wait to hear more resulting from their collaboration in the future. The guitars that strum right away are played by Dhananjay Chhettri and we hear the soothing vocals of Bhagyesh. Ha has this tonality that resembles Sonu Nigam and Shaan, their best parts at least. The biggest merit of this song other than the singing and composition, is that guitar riff that stands out. We have the thumping rhythms and in the foreground the strings section in the interlude. For all the intensity in the interlude, the stanza is pleasant and filled with melodic richness. The arrangements are fantastic that get the electric guitar playing in the background. The musical team involves Sahil Vishwakarma, Ajith Aryan, Mehul Nikhare & Meet Gohil@sochmusicindia @neilnirajmusic @ridzzthakkar @whodipesjbangera @iam_kanakharipriya @nirajmusic @_meeeett_ @dhananjaychhettri3. Dhaage Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 16th July 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Yeh Awaaz Performed by Bryden & ParthWritten by Bryden Lewis, Nirmika SinghProduced by Bryden LewisLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie Pop'Unstoppable', and it is the perfect word for Byrden & Parth. These guys are killing it and I haven't in 4 years of music journalism seen 3 consecutive weeks where songs from the same album/EP have come in the top 2 spots. This is mindblowing stuff and after 'Chameleon World' and 'Rain Chant', we have a Hindi track here that is dominated by the duo in every aspect. Bryden Lewis is the lead singer and guitarist, while Parth Chandiramani is blowing us away with his Penny Whistle. The song is composed and produced by Bryden like the other two we featured but the duo get Nirmika Singh for the Hindi lyrics. The Penny Whistle is the primary instrumental driving force and this 6-holed woodwind instrument is like a toy that Parth is totally having fun with. Siddhart Kamath's Keys keep taking us back to the 1990s Pop and we have some amazing beats thanks to Liben Toms on drums and Kamal Bon on the innovative percussions. I love the transformation in the notes when the lines "Bulaa rahi bulandiyaan, chalo jo bhi ho, pighal rahi hain dooriyan chalo jo bho ho" emerge. The bass guitars by Osigo Mango add delicate style to the background. Close to the 3rd minute, we get a fantastic interlude with the Penny Whistle, Guitars and drums stealing away all our focus. I like the way the percussions and instruments take a back seat with only the lead and backing vocals dominating towards the end. We have Shruti Dhasmana and Bryden performing the backing vocals. The outro is outrageously good with the Parth on the Penny Whistle, Bryden's lung-bursting vocals and the energetic percussions by Kamal. @brydenlewis @nirmika @vivekthomasproductions @robin.schmidt.mastering @rahul.narayan.15 @parth_chandiramani @siddhartkamath @osigomango @libentom @kamaldrummer @shrutidhasmana @sharanyavasuki 2. Thee Veyilil Vocals by  Gowry Lekshmi, Lyrics by Vaishakh SugunanMusic by Christo XavierLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Light Music/PopI listened to the new Malayalam movie album "18+" and this has a composition by Christo Xavier, someone I haven't featured before. The EP is decent with a few likeable moments but this song stood out, not only thanks to the score but also because of the undeniable beauty in Gowry Lekshmi's vocals. The instrumental lineup right at the beginning of the song is magnificent with the strumming of the acoustic guitar and then followed by the Violin, Viola and Cello with rising intensities. Leave it to Gowry, to then bamboozle the listener with her intricate vocal sensibilities. Christo does an outstanding job in this score as he gets a very hummable melody and adds unique and relevant sounds suited for the modern-day music aficionado.The interlude has even a stylish slide guitar that tantalises the listener and brings an element of American Folk music into the fray. The folk style that is so popular in Malayalam music takes over and who better to sing it than Gowry. The numerous percussion sounds are engaging right through the stanza and the folk turns to semi-classical with the beautiful line " thedumne theeram ennume, kaanumne vaanil vaanavil". The strings section is emphatic in the second interlude. I love the fact that the second stanza is completely different from the first, and there is so much happening in the background in the form of the strings, that I cannot resist standing up and giving Christo a standing ovation. Vaisakh Sugunan writes the beautiful words. @christo_xavier @thinkmusicmalayalam @falooda_entertainments @vaisakhsugunan @gowrylekshmih 3. Hiraeth

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 9th July 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. On The Wild Side Composed and written by Perfect StrangersVocals: Ananya Raja, Pranav DMLanguage: EnglishGenre: Jazz/RockSurprisingly, I am listening to this amazing band for the very first time, but like they say, "Better late than never". This Bengaluru-based band has been around since 2013 and is quite popular in that region. I was truly blown away by this and there was no way this song would be featured at any other place than the number 1 spot. Kudos people!The band wastes no time, as straight away we get an induction of rock with Debjeet Basu's electric guitars and Preran Gulvady's drums. After that opening cameo, we get the sensational Jazz construct, with Sweethin Hartman on the saxophone, Joshua Costa on Keys and the outrageously savvy vocals of Ananya Raja. Is she singing her lines from the depths of a deep well, because that is how low she could go in the vocal range? It soon turns into an exhibition of vocal sorcery as Ananya blows red hot right through. Her control, and her vibrato, is all flawless and I am certain this could be placed right alongside Samantha Noella's performance earlier this year for the song 'Glow". I feel the intensity when she sings " Don't you push me away, would you rather have me stay?". Sense for yourself, the groovy bass guitars by Shalini Mohan and then when we get to the title line, the song is a whole other beast that will just devour you, because it just sensed your weakness for good music. The song is a concoction of amazing production, arrangements, singing etc. The song explores the story of a transgender woman and her journey towards authenticity and acceptance. Let the Pride flow!The Pianos form a beautiful interlude past the 3.2 minute mark and it is this unpredictable nature of the song's progression that I deeply love. Sweethin's Saxophone solo is breathtaking and is another worthy feather on the cap for the band's single. Akash Shivakumar is the mixing engineer and Vivek Thomas is the mastering engineer. The song feels like taking a walk on the wild side with the heavy drums and electric guitars @perfectstrangersindia @vanarosa11 @pranavdm @ananyarajaa @debjeetguitar @shalinimohanbass @vivekthomasproductions @sweethartman @akashshivakumar @joe_keys_jazz @preran.pramod2. Rain Chant  Composed and Produced by: Bryden LewisEnglish Lyrics: Manek D'silvaKannada Lyrics: Halakki VokkaligaLanguage: Kannada/EnglishGenre: Folk/Alt-RockIs there no stopping them, as we have Bryden & Parth deliver another rollicking Folk fusion here that takes them to number 2 on the list? This is following a phenomenal chart-topper last week called "Chameleon World". When the song starts off, I feel like I am listening to the opening folk portion of B Ajaneesh Loknath's 'Singara Siriye' from the hit movie "Kantara". Halakki Vokkaliga writes the Kannada lyrics and, after that, the guitar-led vocals start falling like beautiful droplets of rain. Bryden Lewis has composed the melody and he is also the guitarist and lead vocalist, for the English lines penned by Manek D'Silva. The humming gives a monumental feeling of hope and inspiration and the usual suspects join in making this transcendental chant rather than just a song. Osi Gomango plays the bass guitars and Liben Tom is the drummer. The sound of the Bnsuri played by Parth Chandiramani, like the chirping of a bird, makes all the pain and agony of a long hot summer go away. Here it is Jimmy Francis John singing the amazing Kannada lines aided by guitars, bass and Siddhart Kamat's Keys. The rain has just fallen, and then what do we get, the flowing stream in the form of Siddhart's Piano with the thunder roading percussions by Anthony Kamal. Just wait for the 3.2-minute mark when Anthony takes matters into his own hands literally and changes the tempo of the percussions. There is this segment of merriment as Parth and Siddharth go ahead with their jugalbandi on the steel flute and the Keys. The outro alaap is pure magic and may have some influences of Bhimpalasi Ragam. Vivek Thomas does a phenomenal job of mixing these varied tracks and Robin Schmidt does the mastering. The recording engineers are Vivek Thomas, Rahul Narayan and Siddhart Kamath @brydenlewis @parth_chandiramani @libentom @kamaldrummer @siddhartkamath @jimmy_francis_john @osigomango @vivekthomasproductions 

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Yaavum Gnaayum Song Composed, Arranged and Produced by Yuvan Shankar RajaLyricist: YugabharathiSinger: Shivani PanneerselvamGenre: Synth-PopNever have the sound of guitars felt so funky and cool in a while, and this song captures your imagination the moment the title of 'Modern Love Chennai' comes on. The arrangements ooze style and this has to be Yuvan Shankar Raja's best song since 'Rowdy Baby'. Yuvan displays what his pedigree is all about and if these sounds don't urge you to listen, then wait for more.Shivani Pannerselvam is singing this like a dream, that you never want to get out of, like in the movie 'Inception'. This dream sounds and feels so much better than reality, but Shivani's vocal prowess and performance are real. The control she exhibits in delivering these lines is sensational, especially in the tenor/baritone scale. The stanza is beautifully composed and gives you that hummable feeling, and Yuvan ensures that the tone of the song remains intact. He does some fabulous production towards the end as you can feel the keyboard programming creating that intensity in the background. Kumaraguruparan .M does the mixing and mastering and the brilliant lyrics are by one of the busiest lyricists in Kollywood, Yugabharathi. @itsyuvan @shivanipannerselvam 2. UravuPerformed by Padmapriya Raghavan, Sean RoldanWritten by Sean Roldan, YughabharathiGenre: Melody/PopWe have the best two songs of the month both from Amazon Prime Video's Modern Love Chennai. This is Sean Roldan's magic and he is spreading love through the amazing power of music. The song is composed, produced and arranged by this composer who is showing some amazing resurgence of form of late. It is on par with the number 1 song of the month in almost every aspect. Padmapriya Raghavan is glorious as the female lead vocalist and I am hearing after a long time since that crowning jewel of a song 'Megathoodham'. I just love the line "Oru Kadhai ing mudivathaikandu kalakkamum etharkadi" and it is not just the melody in the notes, but Sean's voice and the strings section, Accordion and guitars in the background that just conquer my heart. Yugabharati writes these amazing lines. The anupallavi segment is so rich and it gets better with "uravennum perum kathai , uyirgalin thodarkathai". The whistle just makes a solid interlude for a love song. Sean hits the jackpot with a beautifull crafted stanza and I was blown away at around the 2.10 minute mark when Padmapriya sings "Uravennum Perum kathai" and the Piano plays some succulent and dreamy chords. @rseanroldan @padmapriya_raghavan @yughabharathi3. UrudhiSong Curation: Sean RoldanSong Narrative: Sean RoldanVocals: Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Arifullah Shah RafaeeWritten By: Krithika NelsonComposed By: Sean RoldanMusic Arranged & Produced by: Sean RoldanMixed by: Toby Joseph at TobsGarageMastered by: Randy MerillSomeone please call the fire station, it is an emergency. That's right, Sean Roldan is on fire!!!!!. Here is the Coke Studio Tamil song featuring renowned Carnatic Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan and Nagoor Styled Tamil Sufi singer Arifullah Shah Rafaee. The union between the two styles is seamless and feels like a match made in heaven. The song is composed by Sean Roldan and written by singer-songwriter Krithika Nelson. 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 25th June 2023. The Spotify Playlist is hereIf you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Chameleon WorldPerformed by Bryden & ParthWritten by Bryden Lewis, Manek DSilvaProduced by Bryden LewisLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockI listened to this song and I had a surge of excitement, songs like these can are exactly why I do this job so that the world can open up their ears and listen to this kind of amazing homegrown talent. Bryden & Parth is the name of the band and the founding members are Bryden Lewis who is the composer, lyricist and Producer, and Parth Chandiramani plays the Flute and saxophone. The band also comprises Bassist Osi Gomango, Keyboardist Siddart Kamath, drummers Kamal Bob and Liben Toms and vocalist Jimmy Francis John. This song's brilliant vocals are performed by Bryden and we have the magnificent Shruti Dhasmana on backing vocals. The lyricist Manek comes up with that stylish opening speech, sounding like a game show host in the US. We instantly get a taste of what is about to come thanks to the Steel Flute by Parth and the drums by Liben.That feeling of Latin Jazz emanates the moment Kamal plays the Percussion, sounding like the Cajun. We then get all the live instruments converging, like the Keys, guitars and bass and drums. The steel flute whenever I hear it, I am reminded of Ian Anderson at "Jethro Tull", the brilliant British Rock band of the 1970s. But the overall pop tone does feel like the great times of the 1990s and the best line is "She has an outfit for every occasion, Chameleon Girl wouldn't know what's real", sung with great oomph by Bryden. I also pleasantly recall songs like "Two Hearts" by Phil Collins and "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" by Billy Ocean, thanks to the similar tone. Bryden is terrific on the lead vocal but we can hear Shruti's dashing voice in the background and these harmonies are well-arranged and executed. I love this along with the dominant Keys when we hear the lines "back from who you truly are, from who we are". As we progress Siddhart gets wild on the Keys and the combined effect of the drums and percussion works like magic. At around the 3rd minute, we get a beautiful Flute solo by Parth. Then there is this nice tete-a-tete between the Flute and bass guitars, and finally, the outro is performed at a higher vocal pitch. @brydenparth @brydenlewis @manekdsilva @parth_chandiramani @shrutidhasmana @libentom @kamaldrummer @siddhartkamath @osigomango @vivekthomasproductions @rahul.narayan.152. CloserPerformed by Sukruth MalleshWritten by Sukruth MalleshProduced by Sukruth & Siddhart KamathLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopA couple of months ago, I featured a fabulous single by Sukruth Mallesh called 'Without You' and before even reading this review, I suggest you please listen to that song right away. Now coming closer to 'Closer', I was playing my set of new songs that I always plan on listening to every day in the morning. This is an exercise where I don't look at my phone till a song gets over so that I avoid any biases from taking over in judging the content. Along came this outrageous beauty, and I thought to myself, maybe this is some European or UK-based producer. I loved it so much but couldn't bear to open Spotify and see who is the artist. I jumped joyously knowing it is an Indian and that to this guy Sukruth who already had raised the bar last time. Here come the Keys, laying the platform and then as Sukruth begins cooly, we get the acoustic and bass guitars to add style. The way the additional vocals pile on when he sings " But I have been hurt so much" and somehow the impact of the hurt sort of magnifies and that is smartly arranged. The highlight of the song is the line " Can I get closer, Will I, Will I ever get closer?". It is like that famous line in the movie 'Jerry Maguire' that goes "You had me at Hello". I have to say Sukruth had me at "Can I". I just feel goosebumps when he sings "Will you hurt, If I get closer to you" and the chords change

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 25th June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Na Koyi Mera Composed by Amit TrivediLyrics by Kausar MunirSingers - Papon & Vaishali MadeProduced by Sunny Subramanian & Amit TrivediLanguage: HindiGenre: RetroThe web series 'Jubilee' created a massive wave of expectations and the series lived up to the hype. I am yet to see the series which boasts of some amazing performances as well. I will be doing a separate Instagram video review of the series, and its BGM score by Alokananda Dasgupta. Now the songs have ne composed by Amit Trivedi and he seems to have found new love and passion for retro Hindi music. After outclassing in 'Qala' on Netflix, this time it is an Amazon Prime series which demands 40's styled music and Amit delivers without fail. I loved a few songs from the album like "Nahin Ji Nahin", "Voh Tere Mere Ishq Ka" and "Sare Ke Sare Akele" other than this chart-topper. Lyrics are penned beautifully with intent and passion by Kausar Munir and the producers are Amit and Sunny Subramanian. We have amazing strings opening the account thanks to the group of violinists Jitendra Thakur, Sandeep Thakur, Pradeep Thakur, Chandan Singh, Mohan Goyal and Sanjay Verma. Lakshmikant Sharma plays the gentle Mandolin and we immediately are taken back to the 1940s thanks to The Woodwinds by ID Rao, Accordion by Satyajit Prabhu and also the delightful Harp. Chandan Singh plays the solo Violin. The song is perfect in its timeline representation and a huge role is played by Deepak Borkar on Percussion and Rhythms. Papon sings like he is holding a magic wand and it shows the man's skill to sound so apt in the retro style. I was pleasantly surprised by Vaishali Made's female lead vocals and she delivers a stunning performance. The song itself reminds us of "Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi" by Shankar-Jaikishan. The interludes continue from where they left off in the opening segment. The interplay of all the live instruments is like a tonic for the heart. I love how the arrangements shift when Vaishali " Aaja tujhe dil se laga loon". The sound engineers are Urmila Sutar and Avadhoot Wadkar. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Pukhraj & Anup@itsamittrivedi @paponmusic @kausarmunir @vaishalimadeofficial @tseries.official @shadabrayeen @sunny.subramanian @idrao_official  2. Panjimittai Song Composed, Arranged and Produced: Jay UnnithanLyrics: Manu ManjithSingers: Nithinraj, Nithya MammenLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Folk-PopThis is epic by Jay Unnithan. Very rarely do we have two songs from the same EP being featured in consecutive weeks, that too both in the top 2. Time to get up and give an ovation. Like 'Noolamala' this too is composed, arranged and produced by Jay, with lyrics by Manu Manjith. The vocalists are Nithinraj, who I am featuring for the first time and the brilliant-sounding Nithya Mammen. Embrace the stringed instruments like the Mandolin and Guitalele by Sanu PS at the start, and the local percussion gives a thump. Assan Nidheesh SD is the man behind the energy here, as Al Nishad handles all the additional rhythm programming. ID Rao makes it two in two after making an appearance in the number 1 song also. He is omnipresent with his Clarinet in the opening instrumental segment and also plays the Saxophone later.  Nithinraj has this teasing style of delivery and that suits this song folk-pop song. I love it when after the 1.15-minute mark the percussions abruptly stop and it is only the vocals, Guitalele and bass guitars. The whole scenario feels like a wedding procession thanks to the Clarinet and percussion. The tempo builds up in the interlude to arrive at the stanza where the Diva Nithya performs and the melody is like an earworm. My favourite line is "Vallathe thullathe" which feels o refreshing with Nithya's saccharine-laden vocals. Lijesh Kumar handles all the vocal tuning, with recording engineers Deepak SR and Ezekiah Naniwadekar. Abin Paul is the mix/master engineer, and he does a splendid job getting the tracks together in perfect sync. Listen to the brilliant saxophone, Clarinet and Keys coming together. 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 18th June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Kya Karie Korimol Written, Composed, Lead Vocals by AlifFeatured Vocals: Noor MohammedCreative Producer: Ankur TewariVocal Bridge (Aashima Mahajan) Composed by Alif and Aman MoroneyWavun couplets compiled by Rumuz Bekhudi & AlifProduced by Aman Moroney, Alif and Ashish ManchandaLanguage: KashmiriGenre: Musical Theatre-FolkThis song is a barrage of emotions that needs to be experienced, a review like this will never be able to do the project even half of the justice it deserves, and yet I try. It is the best song under 'Coke Studio Bharat' released thus far and kudos to all the musicians involved. Alif has written, composed and performed the lead vocals and the song's brilliant segment is also a bridge section and this was composed by Alif and Aman Moroney. I am thinking about where to begin, but here we go. This song is a story and this is exactly what a Coke Studio product should sound like. The father of the bride goes through hordes of pain and problems when his daughter's extravagant wedding is being arranged. The original main segment of the song sung by Alif shows us this perspective. Alif sings these lines in Kashmiri with great enthusiasm and he also plays the acoustic guitars while doing so. The strings section is on fire right from the beginning and they set the tone for this elaborate composition. Gaurang Deshpande of 'The Media Tribe' does the strings transcription and we have the eminent Jitender Thakur playing one of the Violins and the Viola. The 2nd Violin is played by Prabhat K with Johan on the Cello.  Slowly we get the impact of the live instruments as Tanmay Pawar plays the solid acoustic guitars and the electric guitars, with Amit Gadgil on the bass guitars. A highlight of the song is the fantastic chorus, which is called 'Wanwun' in Kashmiri which means chorus and raising a toast to these amazing performers Zartasha Zainab, Shivani Matyal, Samhita Shiledar, Samiyah Nabi and Rumuz-e-Bekhudi. I want to take some time and enjoy the fantastic synths and Piano by Aman. You can suddenly hear the hair-raising switch in energy with the electric guitars and the drums are smashing hard with Karan Chitra Deshmukh also playing the Darbuka now, hearing the title line being sung in unison. Welcome to the second part of the song, the enchanting bridge section sung by Aashima Mahajan, and composed by Aman and Alif. The Cello dominates along with the Violins, and Viola, as the daughter tells her side of the story, getting ready for the marriage. The closing segment is hugely impactful with the collective vocals, drums, electric guitar and strings and almost feels like a Hans Zimmer score out of 'Inception'. Things take a turn again as we get to the father's story. Kudos to Aman Moroney, Ashish Manchanda and Alif who have produced this outstanding chart-topper.@cokestudiobharat @aashima.mahajan @everythingisalif @mohammad.muneem @basswati @aman_moroney @ankurtewari @misfitsinc @kjpahji @karanchitradeshmukh @tanmay_aavishkaar @thedoccwhosings @saamiyahnabi @zartashaazainab @samhitashiledar @ashishmanchanda007 @themediatribe_bceducation 2. Noolamala Song Composed, Arranged and Produced: Jay UnnithanLyrics: Manu ManjithSingers: Vanee Rajendra, Shivakamy Shyamaprasad, Kaanjana SriramLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Electronic Folk PopIt is his debut album in the movie space and Jay Unnithan is making his mark. I am confident that not only this song but the whole EP will end up being one of India's best this year by the end of 2023. The guitars hit you hard in almost U2 style from 'Mission Impossible'. Chaitanya Bhaidkar plays the scintillating electric guitar and he also immediately brings in the Saz and Banjo. The work of genius is to get the Korava vocals in the mix, in a way that I would have never dreamt of. The Korava vocalists are Lekshmi, Rama Lekshmi, Karthik. The lyrics are excellent with a lot of fun and frolic written by Manu Manjith. Thank God the people of Kerala did not create a ruckus because of words like "Answer, Where are you going" coming in a Malayalam song. I am sure Amitabh Bhattacharya wished he lived in Kerala.  The lead vocalists are Vanee Rajendra, Shivakamy Shyamaprasad, Kaanjana Sriram and there is not a moment you wouldn't enjoy in their performance. Jay has composed, arranged and programmed, so he is the champion, producing this baby of his. My favourite part is when the leads sing " Minnaminni Ninne Ninne Ninnodonnu chothikkam".  Rony George plays the additional guitar, and Sonu Sangameswaran is the bassist. The humming by the leads in the interlude is so charming keeping the folk flavour alive. Deepak SR is the recording engineer, and Abin Paul brilliantly mixes the tracks and masters the song. @__hijk @manumanjith_s @vanee_rajendra @shivakamy_shyamaprasad @kaanjana_sreeram @chaituontheroll @basssonu @mixwithabin @deepaksr.mix @thrishankufilm @thinkmusicofficial 3. VirtualityLyrics: Bob StarkComposition: Eliezer BotzerMusic production, arrangements, Sound engineering, programming, Keyboards: Ori AvniVocals: Eli Botzer, Lucky AliGenre: Indie PopThe two musicians from different parts of the world combine again and the expectations immediately soar upon hearing about the project. Eli Botzer from Israel and Lucky Ali from India create magic here and it is the coming together of some solid vocals, live instruments, and phenomenal production.  The melody is soothing and inspiring and it is the work of Botzer but the soul of the song is also in the amazing programming and arrangements. Ori Avni does that like a sorcerer at the peak of his powers. The guitars, keyboards, rhythms, bass guitars and vocal harmonies enthral us, singing "Nothing is as it seems". Wait for the best part, it is the humming that is like a breath of fresh air. The composition of this humming is well-written, and sung by Ayana Botzer and Tasmiyah Ali (the daughters). We have Itamar Doari on the wonderfully crafted percussion, Michael Frost on bass guitars, Idan Shneor on acoustic guitars and Amit Yitzhak on the electric guitar. The video was shot in the Dead Sea, and I'm sure music like this will bring life even to that water body. I can only recommend you listen to the last 2 minutes of the song in absolute peace and solitude to enjoy the greatest gift in life i.e. Music. The symphonic orchestra is elaborate with 4 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Cellos, 1 Contrabass, 1 Flute, 1 Clarinet, 2 Trombones and 1 French Horn. The masterminds behind the orchestration are Ori Avni and Aviv Koren. The sound engineers are Bharat Kumar and Idan Katz and the tracks are mastered by Jonathan Jacobi, and the lovely words of inspiration are penned by Bob Stark. @officialluckyali @avniori @sharonmalin @botzer_official @thebigbeatindia4. Joru Joraagi  Singers: Suneel Rao, Varijashree VenugopalLyricist: Sharath BhagwanMusic by: DossmodeLanguage: KannadaGenre: Electronic/Synth-popI am incredibly impressed with the soundscape and score by Dossmode a.k.a. Dheerendra Doss, for this Kannada album "Thurthu Nirgamana", and although the movie was released back in 2022, some songs were streamed online recently which got me interested. In fact, this song was rele

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 11th June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. ButterflyPerformed by Prithvi PrakashWritten by Prithvi PrakashProduced by Ashwin Sriram & Prithvi PrakashLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopSometimes you come across a song that makes your heart grow fonder. For me such songs make all my efforts of listening to hundreds of songs every week feel like a cinch. This phenomenal single by Prithvi Prakash is one that made me feel alive and thrilled to come out and write a review. It ,without any doubt, rises to the top of this week's ranking and credit goes to Prithvi who has composed, written and performed and Ashwin Sriram who co-produces the song with Prithvi.I haven't featured Prithvi before and that is why I am super excited about the discovery of talent while Ashwin has been featured a couple of times for some fantastic singles of his own. She hits a home run ( baseball reference as the two are based in the US) with her vocals which also have this Carnatic Classical style of ghamakas on the ending note of every line.The way she sings and ends the line "Yet you lay, curled in a corner" is amazing, and do pay attention to the word " corner". I love this delivery and I adore it throughout the song. We hear the keys in the background and just the vocals and keys keep things simple. Interestingly, the production adds a layer of vocals in the background and with a lag.  I enjoyed the mild alaap just after the lines "Butterfly, we built a pupa just for us", making it so unique and heartwarming. Slowly we get the impact of the chords on the keyboards and that guitar strumming steadily in the background. The combined effect of the guitars in the lead and the mild alaap in the background works beautifully and it is here that I sense some Raag Hamsadhwani. As we progress, we get the rhythms and that solo Violin by Myra Rena Choo which strikes like an arrow, pointed and deep into my heart. Let all the song's beauty and its elements sink in so that you can just fly away like a butterfly. Anusha handles the cover artwork, with Rachel Pac as the photographer. @pritsprakash @ashwynmusic @anushadesign @at_the_beat @pixbypac 2. Cant Help ItWritten, Composed by Sanchi MannotraPerformed by SanchiProduced by Osho JainLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopThis is the 3rd time I am featuring a song that Sanchi is involved in after two amazing singles "L.O.M.L." and "To Be in Love". I am firmly confident that Sanchi is one of the best indie talents we have in this country. Since I came to find out that she is also a tattooist, she could tattoo this claim of mine on my arm, that's how confident I am. Osho Jain another consistently good indie singer-songwriter who I have featured many times does all the fantastic production for the song, and makes it breathe, survive and grow on the listener. Sanchi writes, composes and performs with incredible gusto and I get drawn by the sheer magnetism of her voice. The song is beautifully written, as I can sit here and feel her agony when she sings "Why am I held against my will to sleep next to him, I can change reality But it's never not a dream".These guitars are a solid companion, and the notes are captivating when she utters the words " I can't help it, if my heart spins. When you're next to me", especially the second time she repeats the words "when you're next to me". The introduction of the humming is fabulous " tham tha tha tham" as it brings in style and funkiness, especially thanks to the vocal multiple layers and the drums.Sanchi is phenomenal in delivering the vocals, keeping in mind the right emotive construct and the way she explores the higher pitch. The vocal harmonies are brilliantly arranged in the outro and probably are one of the highlights of the song. Kudos to Osho for the production, and Utkarsh Amarpuri for the solid mixing and mastering of the tracks. Aayushi Bansal handles the cover art. @sanchhhii @oshojain_ @buttonchutney @aayushi_bansal_

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Chill Makka Song Composed, Arranged And Produced by Sean RoldanSinger: Pradeep KumarLyricist: Mohan RajanMusic Producer: Sean RoldanGenre: Latin Jazz/PopIt is no mean feat to have two splendid songs in the same album. It used to be a regular occurrence when Ilaiyaraja and AR Rahman used to have 4 to 5 fabulous songs packed into a single album. Anyway, Sean Roldan has done a tremendous job with both 'Naan Gaali' ( NO. 1 Tamil song last month) and Chill Makka topping this month. This is a Pradeep Kumar special, as the playback specialist shows why he is fantastic not only in morose songs, but he can pack a punch in breezy singles as well. If 'Naan Gaali' felt like a tribute to Maestro Ilaiyaraja, this feels like one to ARR, as I get a sense of some similarity with 'Kick Yeruthe' from the movie 'Padaiyappa'. Bhuvanesh Narayanan on Keys and Ricardo Jimenez on trumpets set the tone straight away giving the song a Latin Jazz tone. When a song is produced in this style, rhythms become a crucial element and this is where RK Sundar comes in for producing and recording the rhythms. It is then Pradeep chilling out with his vocals and you can sense the minute vibrato and improvised ghamakas Pradeep brings to the table.Vijay Ganesan makes his presence felt on the electric guitars, while Aalaap Raju shines on his bass guitars. The line "Enni paaru, Sonna Kelu" is when you can hear the fantastic interplay between Trumpets, bass guitars, Keys and rhythms. The stanza begins with some nice Accordion sounds accompanying Pradeep's lead, and the most astonishing line is when he sings "Kolla inbam irukku, athai alla neram othu" and kudos to Sean, Mohan Rajan on lyrics and Pradeep for getting it done perfectly blended. The recording engineers are Manoj Krishna, and Aswin George John with Cedric Sherwin, and Guru Hariraj assisting. The second interlude is beautiful with the Keys, Harmonica, and electric guitar. Balu Thankachan is the mix/master engineer with Paul Daniel assisting. MP Vijay of Silver Tree Management is the manager for Sean Roldan. @rseanroldan @mohanrajan_lyrici @the.meethling @pradeep_kumar1123 @vjganesan @bhuvanesh_keys @aalaapraju @ricardo.jimenez.music @silvertreeoffl @thebaluthankachan2. Thaaragaye Music: Barath DhanasekarLyricist: Hemanth Prakash Singer: Abhijith AnilkumarGenre: Filmi PopI am extremely delighted with Barath Dhanasekar's composition in the new album "Halal Shawarma" because there are two fantastic songs which are getting featured here this month. A few months ago I featured a very beautiful melody by him in Telugu called 'Naa Dhaarullonaa'. This song is composed and produced by Barath with Abhijit Anilkumar on vocals and Hemanth Prakash writing the lyrics. I remember Abhijit's fantastic number for the Malayalam album "Vaashi" last year and here he reminds me of singer Haricharan, especially in the higher pitch singing "Tharagaye tholaivagidave, aarirule". Hemanth Prakash writes these beautiful lines.Sanjay Balajee beings the proceedings with a beautiful solo on the flute, giving out the song's opening, and Naveen Napier plays the bass guitar. The song has a rich Pallavi and Anu Pallavi as well, and here we have sounds of the acoustic guitar by Sam Solomon and Veena by Anantha as well playing in the background. Pavithran Jack and Shiva Sai play all the percussion. Paying closer attention there is also a layer of the flute and vocal harmonies in the background, so well done Barath for the fantastic arrangements and production. Dan Kristen does all the keyboard programming, with Rokesh Antoney and Immanuel Raj on additional programming. We have a Harris Jayaraj styled fast-paced, Veena and bass guitar-filled interlude aided by catchy rhythms. Barath composes a very exciting stanza with this line being the best "ranamana enathullam, thudikkum aazhangalil". This is one fantastic single with Abhijit excelling in all the ghamakas, timed and executed to perfection. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Roshan Sebastian. @abhijithanilkumar_ @flute_balajee @dystopian_hippie @napier_naveen @saregamatamil @percussion_pavithran @dan_kristen @roshansebastian 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 4th June 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Phir Aur Kya Chahiye Singer - Arijit Singh, Sachin- JigarMusic - Sachin- JigarLyrics - Amitabh BhattacharyaProgrammed & Arranged By - Sachin- JigarMusic Production Head - Romil VedSachin and Jigar the composer duo, are like Michael Bevan, the cricketer. He used to come in and bat for around 10 overs and without a single boundary, suddenly you will see him in his 40s. I have been quite impressed with how their original scores are very good despite not getting too much attention and fan following (in my opinion) me. Bhediya was a very good album, with 2 fine songs and a good original background score as well. Arijit Singh has been in prime form and I feel like he has rediscovered himself as a vocalist because the usual style of singing which was getting somewhat stale has been left behind. Arijit brings out the protagonist's vulnerability and emotions rather than showcasing his vocal skills, and that is why O'Bedardeya and Bairiya which were released in 2023 got featured by me. Kalyan Baruah is amazing on the guitars and Sachin-Jigar's Keyboard programming is fantastic, and you can realise this if you focus on the background rather than Arijit's vocals singing the title line. The Alt-pop influence is something that sticks to the mind and pulls the song to this week's number 1 spot. Pratiksha Kale, Maanuni Desai and Sahil Vishvakarma sing the chorus "Tu heere" in the interlude. The programming and arrangements are by Sachin-Jigar and Romil Ved is the Music Production Head. Amitabh Bhattacharya pens the lovely lyrics. Tejas Vinchurkar instils love with his flute solo and Sachin-Jigar composes a very likeable and rich stanza, with Arijit excelling with every note like only he can. I love the line "ugta nahi hain suraj mera". Tatiana Kritskaya plays the Cello and when we get to the outro Arijit improvises splendidly as usual. The song is mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai with Michael Edwin Pillai assisting with the mixing. Swar Mehta is the recording engineer. The song has that tone and resemblance to "Main Tenu Samjhawan Ki".@sachinjigar @arijitsingh @amitabhbhattacharyaofficial @saregama_official @soulfulsachin @jigarsariaya @tejas.flute @tanikacello @romilved @pratikshakale @scarlettvictim @sahilvmusic @ericpillai @swar_440 @michaeledwinpillai 2. Time For 2 Performed by Yamini Lavanian, Zohran MirandaWritten by Yamini Lavanian, Zohran Jude MirandaProduced by Zohran and Jovian SoansLanguage: EnglishGenre: Synth PopZohran Miranda is a guitarist and producer from Mumbai and he has worked with many top-notch singer-songwriters. This is my debut EP and I must say that I was mighty impressed with it, and I recommend you all listen to the EP. Though this is the song I have picked for featuring now, I did fancy a couple of more songs in the EP. I did feature Zohran back in 2021 for a single called "Heavy on Time".The sound design and production are phenomenal and you know this is world-class the moment you hear it. Zohran collaborates with another fantastic artist Yamini Lavanian and they write, compose and perform together on this song. I featured Yamini in a song with Vinay Kaushal more than a year ago and she possesses a gifted voice and she too puts it to full use here. Jovian Soans and Zohran produced the songs and kudos to both of them. Aditya Ashok is fabulous and he generates such good interest through the drums, and we have the eminent Rushad Mistry as the bassist. Yamini begins her vocals and you lose track of all your other senses. She exhibits great control in her delivery and embellishes every note with a cool attitude and style. The line "Sky's opening, fire is burning high" is so beautifully composed with such an unpredictable shift in notes towards the note and the falsetto is just spot-on. Zohrans vocal lines are more funky and fun and the two combine, and it does feel like "perfect storm brewing, just me and you". The album artwork is done by Sadek Merchant, and the photo art design is by Anahaa Chattaraj with Herbert Fernandes as the Photographer. The outro on guitars, drums and the humming is a magical fitting end. @sadekmerchant @yamini_lavanian_music @joviancity @ox7gen @anahaachattaraj @rushad1981 @originaldogofficial @zohranmiranda

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 28th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Guppedu Gundellona Singer : Spoorthi JithenderLyrics: Bhaskarabhatla Ravi KumarMusic Director: Vijay BulganinLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi Melody/PopVijay Bulganin is just unstoppable. The quality of his melodies is rich, with some breathtaking arrangements and production as well. So why won't he keep creating some of the best songs in the country time and time again? Joseph Vijay is terrific at making the aura of romance shine with his acoustic guitars and soon enough, Spoorthi Jithender starts singing. There is a shred of innocence in her vocals, and we slowly hear the Accordion and Joseph's bass guitars. The most heartwarming line of the song is the title and Spoorthi makes you tremble with love when you hear it. The guitar-led and dominated interlude ends and the song's stanza is only further proof of how a simple song can brighten our day as long as the melody is extraordinary like this.Balu does all the keyboard programming to bring in new and fresh sounds like that whistle-like sound in the stanza, and the woodwind and strings as well, and we have Sabin Josh as mixing and mastering engineering. Anand Guarana is the music supervisor and Yadav is the music-in-charge. @vijai_bulganin @spoorthi_jithenderofficial @supervijayoffl @poetbb 2. Ghoomey Music composed Arranged, and Produced by: Mark K RobinLyricist: Manoj JulooriSinger: Jubin NautiyalIntro Alaap: Prakash ChodimallaLanguage: Qawwali-pop fusionI did do a 1 Minute Music Review of this EP called "8 AM Metro" on my Instagram reels and recommended that music lovers stream this which is potentially one of the best Hindi EPs of 2023. Mark K Robin who is well-known in the Tollywood music space has composed, arranged and produced this belter of a song. The style is classic Qawwali and it invokes memories of some of AR Rahman's super hits. This is probably the best of Jubin Nautiyal that I have heard and he decorates the song with some lovable ghamakas. The harmonium riff and the Tabla combine with such grace taking us into oblivion and paradise. Anil Robin, Mohan and Nova play the Tabla and Dholak. Prakash Chodimalla sings the initial Aalap and after the first minor segment, we get a mildly western colouring on the song thanks to the Keys and Keith Peters' bass guitars. My favourite line is "Naye Naye pal bharne lage, abhi abhi dil hasne lage", and there is enough support for Jubin with additional vocals sung by Gary Misquitta, Rishikesh Kamerkar, Rahul Pandey, Sunayana Sarkar, Shazneen Arethna and Suzanne Dmello. Manonmani plays the Sarangi with some terrific timing and despite a short stanza, the interplay of all the live instruments and vocal harmonies soothe the heart. There are two more excellent numbers in this EP which will be featured subsequently on my website. Manoj Juloori pens the beautiful words. Shadab Rayeen is the mix/master engineer with assistants Pukhraj, Anup & Eshan.@iammarkkrobin @jubin_nautiyal @shadabrayeen @gboy.nwc @suzanne_dmello @shazneenarethna @manonmanisarangi @manojkumar.juloori @keithpeters_bassman 3. Mumma Singer, Composer & Lyricist: Samarth Swarup Backing Vocals: Hansika PareekMusic Production: Samarth Swarup Language: Hindi

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 21st May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. AnywayPerformed, Written by Aarifah RebelloProduced by Aarifah Rebello, Zain CalcuttawallaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alternative Folk/BalladAarifah Rebello has been featured a few times both for her solo projects like "Now she nows" and one with her band Long Distances for "Love Song for an Apocalypse". Here she goes solo again and very rarely do we hear a singer who stuns the listener with every note uttered. Thank you Aarifah for such a fine performance, the strength of the song also lies in the writing and composition which also are entirely done by her with Zain Calcuttawala and Aarifah doing the production.The Piano and vocals alone keep you hooked, and I can feel the heaviness of the heart when she sings "My heart was heavy, loaded drenched", at the same time, the mild acoustic guitars help bring about a little lightness in the mood also with the lyrics now saying "floating with love inside of me".The Piano by Arnob Bal, is no longer mild, as it gains traction and I can only stand up in ovation to Zain and Aarifah for the fantastic arrangements and production. Listen to the strings in the background, by Zain feeding hope now as Aarifah sings "Do I dare I begin to dream". Here are the vocal harmonies and drums by Karun Kannampilly for essential cogs of the wheel. The drums and the tempo pick up and raise the energy towards the end. Adil Kurwa is the bassist and the acoustic guitars are played by Jishnu Guha. The song is mixed by Zain, and mastered by Shawn Hatfield at AudibleOddities Studio. The recording engineers are Nitin M Krishna and Ajay Majethia @aarifahrebello @bullibainbridge @karunk @a_diilla @arnobbal @short___round @grasparkaudio @palindromamusic @guitars_n_chopsticks @audibleoddities 2. Tera HonaSinger: Faheem Abdullah & Arslan NizamiLyricist: Faheem AbdullahComposer: Faheem AbdullahMusic Produced/Arranged/Programmed: Qassam HussainLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie PopThe deep voice immediately grabbed my attention and sounded like Aditya Rao, another fantastic indie singer-songwriter. Faheem Abdullah is the vocalist and he has also written the lyrics and composed the melody. The Keys are wonderfully soft and tender and they let Faheem do all the talking (singing in this case). There are a couple of layers of vocals and what is beautiful is the mild but very assured vibrato that Faheem sprinkles at every turn. It never feels overdone, but rather melts your heart at every such juncture. I do sense some influences of Raag Bilawal especially when Rohan Prasanna makes the killer move on his Sarod. We have some very skilful arrangements here as the Sarod is accompanied by Keys and harmonies with additional vocals by Arslan Nizami.  The song witnesses a welcome and wonderful shift in tone and tempo as Faheem sings "Teri hi wo ik dua hai" and you can feel the rhythms, drums and keyboards joining in. Qassam Hussain deserves praise for the worthy arrangements, programming and overall production. Faheem's singing is a huge merit for this song all Qassam's production ensures this feature is highlighted with other elements acting as supporting cast. Arslan must be applauded for his energetic vocals, which keep following the lead in the background, especially as he does some exciting aalap. Abhishek Ghatak is the mix/master engineer. Check out how cool Rohan sounds on the Sarod as he improvises and generates some savvy notes of his own towards the end. @theimaginarypoet @arslannizaami @qassam_hussain @rohanprasanna @theghatak @tmmusic 3. Musafir Dil

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 14th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. What Lies Beneath Lyrics, Vocals: Tanya ShankerComposed by: Tanya Shanker & Richard AndrewProduced, Arranged & Mixed by: Richard AndrewLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopHaving featured Tanya Shanker a month ago for a terrific performance in a single called "Soft Boi", I must now confess that Tanya is a certified genius with incredible potential to rise to unfathomable heights if she stays the course and works hard. This is one of the best English singles by an Indian Artist I have heard in 2023 yet and vocally it is one of the clear-cut bests and it is so difficult as a feat to achieve as a 17-year-old. The Piano led opening is all designed by Richard Andrew and his production is a huge contributor to the success of the EP "What Lies Beneath". After a few seconds, the session is dominated by Tanya, well Can ya resist her brilliance? I am more interested in knowing what lies inside this girl's head, and her amazing grey cells. The guitars, bass, strings section and drums add such fantastic layers which are so necessary to embellish the track, and you will realise that during the bridge section. The solo on the electric guitar is brief but belligerent. But take away nothing from Tanya, as a writer, composer and vocalist. She is a gift to us and you better remember her name! The stalwart Pravin Mani has mastered the song with Richard mixing it.  @itstanyashanker @pravinmanimusic @richard.andrew.dudley @heenakriplani 2. Urime Kaalama Singer: Anurag Kulkarni Lyrics: Ananta Sriram Music: Suresh BobbiliLanguage: TeluguGenre: Blues/JazzIt has been a while since I heard a score by Suresh Bobbili, and I remember back in 2019 and 2020 I did feature his music quite a lot. I am extremely delighted to feature his work once again and especially for a song of this quality. Anurag Kulkarni is easily the best Tollywood singer and one of the 5 best vocalists in South India for me. Suresh takes us down the Jazz and Blues memory lane with some perfect choices of live instrumental apparatus and arrangements. Joy Solomon plays the keyboards and with Suresh's production, programming and arrangements things get wild and fun. The Keys and Guitars by Fredy add the required flavours but it is Anurag who is setting the song on fire. This is easily one of the best vocal performances of the year thus far and Anurag breaks away from any shackles. His falsetto, high-pitch delivery, improvisations, and even when shouts out every note look stylish and pitch-perfect. The electric guitar solo is nothing just of inspiring and with the heavy Pianos, Anurag just keeps getting better. The backing vocalists are Joy and Surya who give quite a lot of support, and this is an opportunity to play in full blast and observe the phenomenal skills of Anurag. The song is mixed and mastered by Joy with Kumar Kadari as the musicians' coordinator. @anuragkulkarni7 @suresh_bobbili @joysolomon.k  3. En Roja Neeye  Music Composed, Arranged & Programmed by Hesham Abdul WahabLyrics by Arun AlatSung by Hesham Abdul Wahab

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Naan GaaliSingers - Sean Roldan, Kalyani Nair Lyricist - Mohan Rajan Programmed, Arranged and Produced by Sean Roldan Genre: Filmi Melody/PopSean Roldan has been a busy man of late composing songs for Coke Studio Tamil, but more than the songs there I have been incredibly impressed with his score in this movie 'Goodnight'. It is a movie that is being raved about thanks to a great screenplay and acting performance by Manikandan. Kollywood for ages has been dependent on songs and background scores to elevate a movie and its messaging and Sean Roldan like before has set out in the right direction for this movie. His songs and score for 'Jai Bhim' in 2021 were excellent and with 'Goodnight' his songs have created enough hype for me to watch the movie too. I have long been proclaiming that the trio of Pradeep Kumar, Sean Roldan and Santhosh Narayanan is the greatest thing that happened to Tamil music since 2010, and with all of them rising, Sean stands out as the closest we have to Ilaiyaraja in terms of the core melody of a song. Sean's formula for success is simple - to keep the song's melody pure and rich. He does that with this amazing song and with his unique vocal tone we only fall in love more. Kalyani Nair the multi-faceted musician joins on board as a vocalist and she fully handles the arrangements of the strings section. It is outstanding in the stanzas, interludes and especially the outro. The song is programmed, arranged and produced by Sean Roldan. The lovely whistle and in close quarters we have Ashwin Suresh playing the acoustic guitars, and he also plays the electric guitar. Watch out for the fantastic keys that come in during the opening lines.When he sings "Balcony Kathula, vasam than kooduthu" we hear the fantastic strings in the background thanks to the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, and it is composer Balasubramanian G who is the Orchestra Coordinator. The song's tone reminds me of Sean's score for the album "Power Paandi". The supreme convergence of guitars, strings, keys and rhythms is just like a symphony of love. The interlude which has the guitars playing and the mild pauses on the drums and strings reminds of Genius Ilaiyaraja's works as well, especially when you hear Kalyani's humming. The stanza picks off from that humming and we are taken back to the 80s and 90s when Janaki used to dominate in such songs. I have been critical of Sean's vocal performances of late especially when the notes are high-pitched, but here he is on fire. The line "heartu rateu eruthe, fuse pona lifelum, bulbu brightu aaguthe" is magical, to say the least. It makes my life and day brighten up like a bulb when I hear these notes and the strings section works overtime in the background. Mohan Raja has shown his wittiness with these fantastic lyrics. The sorcery of the guitars and female humming continues in the second interlude and I am thankful Sean went for two stanzas, something I miss in today's songs. Aswin George is the recording engineer at Sounds Right and the song is mixed and mastered by Balu Thankachan at 20db with Paul Daniel assisting this session. Songs of the Maestro like "Rojan poo aadivanthathu" are what I keep getting reminded of when I hear this phenomenal chart-busting song. Thank you Sean Roldan and team. 2. Timeless LoveSong Composed by: Ilaiyaraaja Arranged and Produced by: Yuvan Shankar Raja Lyrics: Madan Karky Singer: Yuvan Shankar Raja, Kapil Kapilan Genre: Blues/PopI played this song with very low expectations because the music has been decent if not very good in a Venkat Prabhu film. As the song began I was slowly intrigued and by the time we hit the stanza, I was sold. The song had credits mentioning Yuvan Shankar Raja and I came to know that he is the man behind the terrific arrangements and production. Kudos to Yuvan for coming up with the goods again, but little did I know that the song was composed by the Maestro Ilaiyaraja. The stanza is clearly in his style and it also shows what he is still capable of. Napoleon's seductive flu solo plays in the beginning, almost like "Elangathu Veesuthe". Kapil Kapilan lends his astonishing voice and he shines in such vocally-demanding songs, we have a fantastic Blues-pop song here. The finger flicks, the Saxophone and the Upright bass are so intricately arranged. The song feels very much like Maestro's 'Puthu Mappillaikku" from 'Aboorva Sagotharargal'. The Trumpets and Trombone are played by Babu while the Saxophone is executed by Raja, and they all come alive in the interlude. The melody in the stanza is the highlight and who other than Ilaiyaraja could come up with a tune like this? My favourite lines are " pencil aale enthan vazhvai maatri theetinaay...kalloori naatkil yaavilum en thogai aaginay". As a music lover and a music journalist, it is for these moments that I live and pray. These lines to me feel like a bit of Bihag Ragam. Kapil Kapilan, who I have long been claiming as one of India's finest vocalists now performs for Ilaiyaraja and with this kind of panache. The second interlude is a supreme coming together of all live instruments and feels like a fine piece of Theatre music. The brisk tempo drops just in time for the start of the stanza, and that is fantastically innovative. The male harmonies are by Sam, Sarath Santhosh, Narayanan. The song mildly also reminds me "Oho Megham vanthatho". M Kumaraguruparan has done the mixing and mastering. 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 7th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Mathado GombeSinger: Siddhartha BelmannuLyrics: Pramod MaravantheArranged; Composed by Judah SandhyLanguage: KannadaGenre: Ballad/Filmi MelodyIt was pre covid days 'Shivaji Surathkal' was released and it was one of my earlier encounters with the musical abilities of Judah Sandhy, right from then, I have always been keeping my eyes and ears ready for his next foray into brilliance. I have featured him a few times in this period, but once again Judah rises above everyone else this week with a phenomenally beautiful melody aided by some astounding vocals and accompaniments by live instrumentalists. Siddhartha Belmannu sings like a man on a mission and every time he utters a syllable or a note, the heart melts. Butto's amazing flute solo, aided by the heartwarming strings by the Bangalore Strings Ensemble just glorifies the song within seconds. It all reminds me of a tone that Anirudh adopts in his melodies like from movies "3", "VIP" and "Thiruchitrambalam". Siddhartha moves from one octave to another singing the title line and his vocals and all of Judah's arrangements work perfectly in unison. Eric Gerald plays the guitars, and when he sings " aararo aararo aarirao", I feel like the Gods like Ilaiyaraja have been invoked. The interlude is a symphony of the flute solo and the strings and when the stanza arrives, there is so much bewilderment left. I wish the music and the singing never stopped. The lyrics are by Pramod Maravanthe and the song is mixed and mastered by Judah. @judahsandhy @siddhartha_belmannu @pramodmaravanthe_lyricist @meghanagaonkar @bangalorestringensemble 2. Waiting For a RainbowVocals and Production: Sanskar VaidyaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopFor a while as the song begins and treads along we think, rightly so that song's hero is Hrishi Grirdhar with his standout electric guitar strumming. Jeet Pathak joins the part as the bassist and just then Sanskar Vaidya introduces himself as the vocalist, there is a noticeable shift and from then on it feels like a duel, a battle of wits between Sanskar and Hrishi.Don't forget to count the contributions of Sanket Pahurkar on drums and Rameses Fernandez on the Piano. I realised that the collective effort of this team of vocalists and instrumentalists far exceeds anyone's solo and there are traces of resemblance to the phenomenal global hit "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty. The song gives hope and makes become perennial optimists like the lyrics "I'm a colour-blind man waiting for a rainbow". We have a brief interlude with the conjoined forces of Piano and guitars and bass and at every given instance Sanskar dominates with his string vocals and great tone. Aman Julme and Harsh Karmakar are reg recording engineers with Cico Raju doing the mix and master for the song. The second interlude with the electric guitar solo in the 'November Rain' mode and the drums and bass guitars aid perfectly. The mild end to the song on the Piano kind of brings us back to the ground after a long ride into musical tranquillity. @musicinsilences @hrishigiridhar @ramzferns @_aman_julme_ @sanket_pajurkar @bass_ki_aawaz_kesi_hoti_hai @harshkarmakar @hiculture_studios 3. JungleComposers: Amit Kilam, Asheem Chakravorty, George Brooks, Himanshu Joshi, Nikhil Rao, Rahul RamLyrics: Arjun RainaProduced by: Big Bad Wolf Studios & Indian OceanProducers: Dhruv Jagasia, Amit Kilam, Rahul Ram & Dev BhatiaLanguage: Hindi

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 30th April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Gau Nako KisnaMusic Composed, Arranged, Produced & Conducted by Ajay - AtulLyrics: Guru ThakurSingers: Jayesh Khare, Mayur SukaleAdditional Vocals: Ajay GogavaleLanguage: MarathiGenre: Folk/Retro Ajay-Atul are a Gold Standard in Indian music and despite my being in Mumbai for more than 18 years, it was only 7 years ago that I discovered their talents only when I sat in the theatre ready to watch 'Sairat'. I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard the opening music with strings and the horns section and finally that solo flute. They are one of the best in the country and that gets proven time and again like when I heard this album "Maharashtra Shaheer" and this song is nothing short of mindblowing. We get a retro production in this song thanks to all the instrumental sounds and the kids' chorus is a very strong factor that influenced me in placing this song right at the top of the charts. The list of fantastic singers includes Aaradhaya Singh, Rannvijay Singh, Vedaa Mahajan, Anushree Pasi, Aanya Jain, Yash More, Aniket Das, Tanishka Nandi and Diya Wadkar. Ajay and Atul have composed, arranged, produced and conducted all the strings section and other orchestral instruments.The highlight line has to be the title with all the kids singing it in full zest and the percussions coming thick and fast. The percussionists are Pratap Rath, Krishna Musale, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Prabhakar Mosamkar, Raju Kulkarni and Dipesh Varma. The strings section plays non-stop in the background and that becomes Ajay-Atul's signature move. The interlude has a wonderful folkish female chorus consisting of Pragati Joshi, Aarohi Mhatre, Mrunmayee Dadke, Madhura Paranjape, Seema Lele and Sonali Karnik. Jayesh Khare is a young boy who sings like a professional with years of experience and he has been a wonder with his singing videos going viral on YT. His vocal strength and ability to do these ghamakas put us in awe and shock. Kudos to Ajay and Atul for recognising such amazing talents and giving them opportunities like this. Mayur Sukale and Ajay Gogavale also join in on the vocals, and the second stanza is dominated by the great vocals of Mayur and Ajay-Atul excel by creating a different stanza altogether and this has influences of Raag Pilu. Jayesh continues to do things with his vocals that astound and it is like almost carries this song on his tender shoulders. Varad Kathapurkar plays the flute solo towards the end and this song is mixed brilliantly by Vijay Dalal, assisted by Chinmay Mestry and mastered by Gethin John. Guru Thakur is the lyricist for this song. @ajayatulofficial @jayesh_khare_official @guruthakurofficial @sanashinde @atul.ajayatul @mayursukale @mrunmayeedadke @paranjapemadhura @sonalikarnik @varadflute_official @chinmay.jpg2. Waari WaariComposer & Vocalist: Reeshabh PurohitLyrics: Nisha SatputeMusic Production: Atharv JoshiLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classicalI have been so fond of Reeshabh Purohit as a vocalist and even more as a composer, that whenever I see that he has a new song release, expectations reach sky-high. The fact that he never fails to impress every single time shows that he is one of the finest talents in the Indian Indie music space. Reeshabh composes and lends his voice to this semi-classical fusion with Atharv Joshi's production. Nisha Satpute writes beautiful words.The Keys are mild and you are struck by the beauty inherent in Reeshabh's voice. Here too we have influences of Raag Pilu and according to Reeshabh we also have another beautiful Raag Jaijawanti in play in the song. Atharv plays the harmonium in the background and also the guitars. Shadaj Godkhindi wows you with the touching flute solo in the interlude, and he impresses with those perfect interventions in the stanza. Reeshabh weaves magic in the stanza with an elaborate and melodious composition and Atharv is in top form arranging all these instruments and getting the sounds of Keys and guitars to perfectly complement the other elements of the song. The mix engineer is Nandini Samanta and Ronak Runwal does the mastering. Atharv and Shubham Shah are recording engineers. The amazing artwork is by Nikhil Kaul. @reeshabhp @nasatpute @infinite_diver @shadajgodkhindi @ronakrunwal @nandinisamanta_ @shbhmmm @framebyframer3. Karen KyaMusic and Singer: Rochak KohliLyrics / Poetry: Dr Akhtar ShumaarMusic Production, Mix and Master: Aditya DevLanguage: HindiGenre: Ghazal/PathosRochak Kohli has been around for many years now and it is only in the last 1 year or so that I have found some of his work to be excellent. He scored music for a song sung by Sonu Nigam for 'Mission Majnu', but this far exceeds the quality of anything I have ever heard from the composer. This is sung and composed by Rochak, with the fantastic poetry of Dr. Akhtar Shumaar. The story goes that Rochak came across this poem and when he reached out, he had discovered the sad demise of Dr. Akhtar. His family decided to hand over the rights of the poem to Rochak and Dr. Akhtar must be smiling in heaven listening to this wonderful song and its outcome thanks to all the brilliant musicians involved. This has a Ghazal-esque nature in the tone and tempo and when he repeats the lines "ajab dil kee" the solo violin by Manas Kumar struck my heart, no words can describe the sadness in my heart when I heard that and the immediate joy listening to the quality of music all at once. The stanza arrives and we continue to hear Rochak in fine form vocally and score-wise and we still hear the Violin interventions. The strumming on the acoustic guitars along with the Piano brings in some Western colour to the song but it is ultimately the Violin that thrills and creates the spills. This time when I heard the stanza I could feel the combined effect of the acoustic guitars, bass guitars, keys, violin and Tabla. When you hear music like this, Karen Kya? Mohit Dogra plays the guitars and Shobhit Banwait is on the Tabla. This song is produced with great flavours by Aditya Dev and he is the man responsible for getting all these arrangements done, he is also the mix/master engineer. @rochakkohli @akhtarshumaar @adityadevmusic @shobhitbanwait @iammohitdogra @manasviolin @sukriti_vk @ingroovesindia4. Khud Se MohabbatLyrics, Composition, Vocals - Navjot AhujaMusic production by: Waqt Ka KhelLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie popLive instrumentalists breathe life into a song and no matter how much important the vocalist and producer are, the instrumentalists can never be discounted. Take this song for example, even before anything is uttered by Navjot Ahuja the singer, we have Rajat Gupta's guitars and Kaustubh Gaurav's bass just acting like opening batsmen who have already seen off all the difficult overs and have set the stage for late order batsmen to come and consolidate. In simple terms, I am saying well begun is half done and Navjot starts with some low-key energy and a sense of gravity and that is intriguing. It makes you pay further attention to the lyrics like listening to a story and the song is written, composed and sung by Navjot Ahuja with solid production by Wakt Ka Khel. The message is pretty important 'to love thy self'. As we move ahead Nihaal Sharma joins in on the fun of playing the drums, and when the line is sung "teri parwa tu khud hi karle, teri baatein tu khud hi sun le", it feels inspiring and musically backing vocals join in on the last words "khud hi karle" and " "Khud hi sun le" to add more impact.Later on, the song gains some traction and tempo and it now feels less morose. The drums get more energetic and the introduction of the strings section just makes this gold glitter better. Kudos to the band Wakt ka Khel for their brilliant production bringing in the electric guitar, solo violin and all other elements. Mukul Jain does the mixing of this song at Ferris Wheel Studios.@navjot_ahuja @kaustubh_gaurav @rajat.on.strings @nihaalsharma_ @waqt.ka.khel @ferriswheelstudios @mixbymukul 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 23rd April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Yedha PongenaaMusic: Mejjo JossephLyrics: Harshavardhan ReddySinger: Yazin NizarLanguage: TeluguGenre: Carnatic Fusion This is undoubtedly one of the best male vocal performances of 2023 so far and I can safely bet that it will end up among the top 5 of the year when it ends. Yazin Nizar is a gifted singer with an amazing vocal range, and he uses every ounce of his skill to great effect in most songs. Here he smashes it like 6 sixes of an over speaking in Cricketing terms. Mejjo Joseph is the composer and I believe Yazin owes it to the composer for giving him this brilliant opportunity and vice versa as Yazin executes it as well as it is humanly possible. The ghamakas are just impossible to keep up with and this is exemplary for many established singers who think that shouting at the top of their voice is cool. Mejjo brings in some great elements in the Carnatic fusion number with the acoustic guitars by Sandeep Mohan and Thavil, and even a small rap segment in the beginning by Sharon Joseph. The rhythm programming along with electric guitars, bass also by Sandeep Mohan and timely vocal harmonies make for some brilliant production. The solo violin by Roopa Revathi enthrals you in the interlude and after that, it is a Yazin show and I never want it to stop. This sounds like a very tough song to execute vocally and kudos to Yazin for that. The landing segment when we get to the end of the stanza is mindblowing with a drop in tempo and re-introduction of the Thavil when he sings " Oohallo Oosullo", and watch out for the mild solo on the violin and the acoustic guitar. Harshavardhan Reddy is the lyricist. The mixing engineer is Shiju Ediyatheril@mejjojosseph @yazin_nizar @gibsandeep @rooparevathi @shiju_ediyatheril 2. FloatingMusic: ParishrutLyrics and Vocal: NitishProduced, Arranged, Mixed & Mastered by ParishrutLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockParishrut and Nitish combine to give us a lasting sense of joy and gratification instead of a floating memory of a good song. This is what fantastic music should sound like and we have the melody composed by Parishrut and words penned by Nitish Singhal. The initial synths are terrific and it is impossible to focus anywhere else when Parishrut's extravagant production and arrangements show up. Nitish excels in both his roles, possessing and exhibiting a great tonality in his vocals and writing these splendid lines like "Raining fragments of time, Bring moments that I've seen, Joy and regret it makes me..I don't wanna change it"The incoming intervention on the electric guitar by Krishanu Hazarika is ecstasy on strings and it elevates the song even when we already hear amazing lines like "bridges broken and made all along the long lost way, floating through my conscience yin and yang its the same, curved line between there's the game". I want to stop writing and stand give this guy an ovation for some glorious writing. The dreamy vocals and the production make this one unforgettable Alt-Rock single that deserves the rank this week. The keyboard solo is playful and takes me back to the great age of the 1990s pop and if that is not enough to strike you down the drums and electric guitar solo combine to create pure bliss just before the 4-minute mark. Harshil Singh handles all the exotic artwork and the lyrical video is created by Shyam Sundhar. @parishrut_k @nitish_singal_ @krishanu.hazarika @harshilsingh_ @aweshyam 3. Aya LadiyeSingers - Akriti Kakar & RomyComposer - Akriti KakarLyrics - I.P. Singh

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 16th April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Oh GloriaPerformed by O DaapunWritten by O DaapunProduction: Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika Language: EnglishGenre: Indie PopO Daapun has been featured by me before for a wonderful single and here they are once again and that too topping the Indian charts of the week. This duo has been in glorious form and they give us 'Oh Gloria' for our listening pleasure. Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika spew magic here as they release their 4th single as part of their debut album "HIT-Hang In There". The duo of Guwahati is just one more feather on the cap of great Indian music emerging from the North East corner of India. Bhargav is the lead guitarist and Siddhartha is the lead vocalist. It shows how fantastic they are when I have already featured them twice, one for 'Skye' and one for 'Don't you drop'. Siddhartha serenades you to a zone of tranquillity with his vocals, and the combination of Keys, bass, guitars and drums paints a wholesome picture. The composition is beautiful with such deeply touching and hummable lines. I specifically love the line "I can't find you anyway, The way it burnt my heart. When it took your breath away, I have nothing else to say". It reminds me of this terrific hit song from the 1990s 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you" by Glenn Medeiros, and there are moments when I also felt some resemblance to Elton John's 'Circle of Life'. O Daapun should feel terrifically proud of these comparisons because they have been revolutionary songs globally.Siddhartha has penned the lyrics and sung the song with all his heart as the duo writes this about a devastating apocalypse and the protagonist being unable to save the whole City and his Love Gloria. I was blown away by the singing especially when Siddhartha improvises in the line " And save you from this end, Its time to leave and go". He does a fantastic vibrato here at the end and this is where the song also comes to an inflexion point and has a shift. The guitars lead the way and the tempo builds up, Bhargav does fabulously on guitars, bass and Keys, and the solo on the electric guitar is to die for. Bhargav also mixes and masters the song. @odaapunofficial @nobinaryrecords @siddharth_daapun @bhargav_daapun 2. Bhare Bhare Se NainaComposition & Lyrics by GAYA Co-produced by REINER ERLINGS & GAYALanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical Fusion 'Qisse' was a beautiful semi-classical single that Gayathri Krishnan a.k.a. Gaya released in 2022 and it was featured among the top 5 songs back then for a particular week. She is back again and with a similar genre, she trikes with a heartwarming tune. I did sense some Raag Bihag with the sensational vocals and delivery of Gaya we only float away with our feet off the ground and all the worldly pressure and disdain swept away, Gaya has penned the lyrics, composed the tune and sung it and she has co-produced the song with Reiner Erlings. The mild strumming of Guitars along with her vocals are enough to take this song forward. We also hear the Keys in the background, and the strings as well. Nothing quite overpowers the ghamakas and their beauty coming out of Gaya's vocal cords. Shaan Ramprasad plays the solo violin in the interlude giving it that classical touch further. The fast strumming of guitars is scintillating as we come to the end of the antara. Kudos to the producers for their arrangements. The humming is a nice way to end things. The song's beautiful video is edited, conceptualised and directed by Gaya, while Priya Mishra is the DOP and Nishika D'Silva is the Art Director. @gayamusic @pri.mi @nishika.dsilva @reinererlings @shaan.ramprasad @linformation3. Meri Banogi KyaSinger & Lyricist: Rito RibaMusic: Rajat Nagpal

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Aga Naga Composed, Produced and Arranged by A.R.Rahman Singer: Shakthisree Gopalan Lyrics: Ilango Krishnan Music Supervisor: Nakul Abhyankar Genre: Filmi melody/BalladPS 2 album is out and I will be focussing on the EP later as most songs got released in April. However, this song was released in March and it has been marching on successfully and possibly also as the best song of the EP. AR Rahman has probably done better in PS-2 compared to PS-1 because the previous EP had too many styles going on and I couldn't quite understand the link with the Chola Period or regime. The song's soul lies in Shaktisree Gopalan's mystical vocals. ARR succeeds in using the Chennai Strings & Sunshine Orchestra brilliantly right through. All the Orchestra is conducted by Jerry Vincent with Score Transcription by Suprava Mukherjee. Even before a single word is uttered, we have the strings and the heart-melting flute solo by Nikhil Ram. Ilango writes these superlative lyrics and despite being a native Tamil speaker, I do not follow the words and that shows the research and work that has gone into the writing. The heart swells in joy when she sings "yaar athu , yaar athu, punnagai korpathu" and the magnetic voice combines with the strings in the background and the Tabla Tarang played by Sai Shravanam. There could be potentially some influence of Bilaval Thaat in the song. Nakul Bhyankar is the music supervisor and also does additional programming along with Srikant Krishna. Vignesh of Sunshine Orchestra plays the Solo Violin, and with Nikhil's flute solo the interlude ends and here I felt there were Raag Maand influences. The stanza is quite complex in the way the notes are progressively written, with almost 100% unpredictability in the trajectory. Maybe there is an intended shift of emotions from joy to sadness during the song's visuals and hence the drift in the notes. I did find the lack of a proper landing between the charanam and Pallavi to be a little awkward. Haritha Raj plays the Veena solo and Vignesh's solo on the violin in the outro is another clincher. The sound engineers are Suresh Permal, Karthik Sekaran, TR Krishna Chetan, Aravind Crescendo, Suryansh Jain, Pradeep Menon, Manoj Raman, Sathya Narayanan, Ainul and Sathish V Saravanan. The song is mixed by Pradeep Menon and mastered by Suresh Permal, with Apple Digital Master by Riyasdeen Riyan2. Yaar ArindhadhoSinger: Pradeep Kumar Lyrics: Yugabharathi Music Director: Kannan Narayanan Genre: Ballad/Filmi MelodyI am featuring Kannan Narayanan for the very first time as a composer and I am incredibly impressed. The EP "Thalaikoothal" has a couple of good songs but this one stands out. Though Pradeep Kumar can carry a song's entire weight on his shoulders, and he does that a bit here too, Kannan has a fair share of influence on the outcome of the song. His arrangements and production deserve a massive round of applause as they remind us of the Maestro Ilaiyaraja's great songs like " Atho megha oorvalam" and "Kadhalin theepam ondru" and that is why probably this song has influences of Vaasanthi Ragam, but I also hear that there is a lot of Mohanam Ragam in the mix. Within the Pallavi and Anupallavi, Kannan explores areas to arrange the strings section beautifully. We have a fantastic set of live instrumentalists viz. Kalyanam on Solo violin, Selva, Gopi, Balu, Baskar on Viola, Murali, Girijan, Mohan and Cyril on Violins and finally Seenu on Cello. |The interludes are so elaborate, and I haven't heard this in a long time in Tamil or any music industry for a while. Vikram is on rhythms and Ganapathy is playing the Tabla. The stanza is well composed also, and I love the line " uyara uyara, parandhu parthal, bhoomiyum pulliye". Kiran plays the flute solo, and in the second interlude, we have even more resemblances to Ilaiyaraja's genius. Mani plays the Mandolin and Siva on the Veena. Kannan has done all the guitar and keyboard programming and these elements stand out as well in the song. Enjoy this song for all its innate richness and mesmerising vocals and production. Yugabharathi writes the most touching and meaningful words.  3. Mainaru Vetti Katti Lyrics: MUTHAMIL Singers: Anirudh Ravichander, Dhee Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh Narayanan 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 9th April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. We break up for family reasonsSingers: Jhansi, Vedika Agarwal, Trishita Recs, Rushikesh NeneSom Prem, Paritosh Pande, Suchita Shirke, Nikita BrittoSahil Dhandhia, Zachary RayCreated, Conceptualised, Composed and Produced by: JhansiLanguage: EnglishGenre: Musical TheatreI heard this song out of the blue and was immediately awe-struck. It felt like a song out of a musical on Broadway, and credit goes to The Jhansi Way for her composition, conceptualisation, creation and production of this exciting song that has comfortably topped the All-India charts this week.There are some exceptional singers and the list of vocalists is long viz. Jhansi, Vedika Agarwal, Trishita Recs, Rushikesh Nene, Som Prem, Paritosh Pande, Suchita Shirke, Nikita Britto, Sahil Dhandhia and Zachary Ray. The lyrics are fantastic, intelligent, creative and extremely relevant. The use of the Piano, and the strings section all glorify the song.The highlight is clearly the vocal harmonies and their arrangements and that is why Jhansi cannot be appreciated enough. Such originality of thought must never go under-credited and every singer on board can also feel proud of the success of this project. Lyrics like "We are Hindu, but we have them them them and them" is subtle but substantial to drive the point across. The song rather than just being funny and smart moves higher up the gravity ladder and when the lyrics get serious like "we cry or we die", we have the stronger Piano as well as Accordion in the background. @thejhansiway @vedikaagarwal @priyankabans @muskaandawoodani @trishitarecs @rushikesh.nene @sompremm @paritosh.pande @sushmusic_ @sahildhandhia @diganntsurti @vrshabsansguirri @shohinidutta_official @zacharydanielray @namratajuneja @alyonaatalukdar_thedancer @manviekochhar 2. HeerSingers - Akriti Kakar & Shankar MahadevanComposer - Traditional.Additional Composition by Akriti KakarMusic Arrangement and Production – Rishabh RaviLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical Folk FusionThis whole EP called "Big Band Theory Season 2" is one of the best I have heard in 2023 and 'Heer' becomes the first song I am featuring from the collection. Akriti Kakar is the brains behind this EP as she does all the additional compositions for this traditional song. She is the lead vocalist along with the mighty Shankar Mahadevan and according to me there is a Raag Sindhubhairavi influences at play here.Rishab Ravi handles all the musical arrangements and production and so a huge round of applause for this masterful work. Up until we reach the interlude we have some solid western-styled production on keyboards, and then we hear the Flute solo by Rajeev Prasanna and the Indian folk percussions by Satyajit Jamsandekar. The drums provide a nice solid western rhythm thanks to Joshua Vaz and we have Abhishek Dasgupta on the electric guitar and Alok Kulkarni as the bassist. The immersive strings are played by Mumbai Strings, conducted by Narendra Pardeshi. The strings along with the drums and Tabla is a magical recipe and with Akriti and Shankar's singing, we are headed up the stairway to heaven. The recording engineers are Rupak Thakur, Amey Mategaonkar, Amey Londhe and Rahul M Sharma. Vijay Dalal is the mix engineer with Chinmay Mestry assisting and Gethin John is the mastering engineer. @akritikakar @shankar.mahadevan @joshuavazofficial @rishabh.keys @alokkulkarni78 @abdg_1988 @satyajit_jamsandekar @rajeevprasannaflute @sound_wala.wav @chinmay.jpg 3. Kho Jaane DeSinger: Vishal MishraMusic: Vishal Mishra

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 2nd April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Amalina AsuraSinger: Sowmya MahadevanLyrics: VanamaliMusic: Balamurali BaluLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi MelodyAre we getting to relive a Maestro Ilaiyaraja's greatness through such amazing music? I guess so. Balamurali Balu has composed, produced and arranged this brilliant song that just took me back in time to the 1980s of Tamil and South Indian music in general. Sowmya Mahadevan has sung the song and she makes not a single misstep in delivering this beauty. The song very vividly reminds me of a phenomenal number called "ennulle ennulle" sung by Swarnalatha and composed by Ilaiyaraja, although the mood in that was more of pathos. The prominent presence of acoustic guitars and the bass guitar is just noteworthy as we can hear them playing in the background with notes written for them separately.The interlude is a continuation of the guitars with a very soothing female humming as well. Sowmya sings in the lower pitch with amazing grace and efficacy and she brings about these mild ghamakas as well, overall it is a very impressive vocal performance by her. The stanza has even more melodious notes and Balamurali brings a lot of variation in the stanza making the whole song a very heartwarming experience. The acoustic guitar is just phenomenal as we get to the outro portion. The lyricist is Vanamali. 2. Manasilum PookkalamMusic Composed and Produced by Sachin WarrierLyrics: KaithapramSinger: Sachin WarrierLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi PopThis is glorious mainly from the production and arrangement perspective as Sachin Warrier excels in all these elements as the composer and producer. Sachin also is the lead vocalist but a huge reason for the song's positive impact comes from the group vocals performed by the famous El Fé Choir. Roe Vincent is the soul of this performing group of vocalists. The song's lyrics are penned by Kaithapram. The song begins with a lot of keyboards and then a trumpet and once the vocals begin, you will have a tough time trying to focus because the song is as much about the backing vocals as it is about the lead vocals. The humming leads the way in the interlude but a brilliant solo by Punya Srinivas on the Veena just magnifies the quality of the interlude and the song multifold. Akash S accompanies on bass guitars and the two instruments just combine like cake and cheery on top. The stanza is relatively short, but Punya continues to play her Veena right through and she becomes a hugely important cog in the song's wheel. The line that gets repeated in the outro " nyanum neeyum cherave" is beautifully done with the backing vocals and Keys. Vishnu Raj, Sanjay Sukumaran, Akshay Kakkoth and Sachin are the recording engineers, and the song is mixed by Harishankar V, assisted by Akshay, and Emin Babu and it is mastered by Gethin John. 3. Bairiya