Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 26th March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Glow Performed by Eden Kesang, Samantha Noella, TubbyLyrics by Indrajit Sharma, Samantha NoellaComposed & Produced by Indrajit SharmaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Dance-Pop, Jazz-PopSamantha Noella is one of the finest vocalists in India and when it comes to Blues and Jazz she probably will end up being in a very small coterie or performers along with say Vivienne Pocha. This is not just a fine vocal performance but also a brilliant single and that is why it is at the top of the charts. Lion's share of the credit must also go to composer/producer Indrajit Sharma a.k.a. Tubby, for having produced and composed this emphatic song.Samantha and Eden Kesang are the vocalists and the singing deserves huge praise because without such vocals the true quality and impact of the song would have been much less. Indrajit and Samatha also write up these beautiful words. This is is a dance-pop with a lot of keyboard programming, but it also transforms into a Jazz-pop song. Sheldon D'Silva is the bassist and he is having a total blast out in the middle. Eden starts things off and I was super impressed having heard her for the first time. The use of the trumpets and the Brass section elements along with the bass guitar, and rhythms evokes memories of "Sususdio" by Phil Collins. This is where the genius of Tubby comes in as every instrument and its application is the brainchild of the composer. Now when Samantha gets on board, she brings the house down with her unmistakable voice and her delivery is a singing masterclass. "You will be much stronger than ever before", and when she does her thing with this line, you just end up surrendering to the power of her vocals. Indrajit weaves beautiful lines and his production is top-notch getting all the arrangements to elevate each segment. Samantha cooks up one of the best vocal performances of 2023 and I am quite certain that with 9 more months to go, this will remain among the top 5 when the year ends. When she sings "wings to fly" and "believe in yourself" these phrases mean so much coming out of her vocals because of the impact she generates while delivering. The bridge section gets the collective skill of both Eden and Samantha, with vocals being arranged in different layers. The outro is pure genius and a chance for Samantha to exhibit her Himalayan potential. Jeremey Hagry does the mastering. @samantha_noella @@tubbys_music @livelove_eden @bassinova @thakurrupak @jeremy.duneaudio @inkkaudio 2. You'll Leave Me Behind  Singer, Composer and Lyricist - Harry AroraProducer - Swarup ChattopadhyayLanguage: EnglishGenre: BalladHarry Arora reached out to me and submitted his song on my website. I consider it a blessing that I have made this option available to musicians, or else I would well miss out on some splendid songs and artists like Harry. I am yet to listen to his EP as he is releasing singles one after the other. If this song is the benchmark and standard then I cannot wait for the rest of the EP called "Girta Toot'ta Dil"Manan Mehta plays the Piano and he gives a kicker right at the start. The tone and the notes on the Piano already reminded me of the uber-famous "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. Harry's voice is loaded with innocence and honesty and he tears me up with the emotionally apt delivery. If this was not enough to touch a nerve, Protyay Chakraborty piles it on with his scintillating on the strings we hear mildly in the background. The power of vocals can only be truly understood when someone like this comes along and delivers it like a knockout punch. When Harry sings " I feel so hollow" I can relate to and feel every syllable of that pain so well done Harry on the lyrics and the singing. He has composed this gut-wrenching melody and it must be said here that Swarup Chattopadhyay is the producer and the man behind all the programming and arrangements. 2022 was a brilliant year for vocalists but the top 4 according to me were all women singers. I was elated with that, realising the power of the female voice, but also pondering as to why male vocalists in the indie space at least never experiment enough. I am delighted to listen to this and we might have one more candidate for "best vocal performances of 2023". When the title line is sung, the strings come thick and fast in layers and the Piano is too reverberates the emotions. Harry is also the mixing and mastering engineer and in this sensational performance, Harry and Swarup are sure to leave many other songs and performances behind in the race for the best. Harry gives a special mention to Darshan Merchant for helping out in the lyrics. @harrythisside @manan_potato @protyaych @swarupchattopadhyay @mixedbyharry @darshanmerchant3. O Bedardeya Music: PritamLyrics: Amitabh BhattacharyaSinger: Arijit SinghMusic Arranger and Programmer - Himonshu ParikhLanguage: HindiGenre: Ballad/Seim-classical fusionWhen you just think that he is down and out, he rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, this Pritam. The whole EP "Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar" has music of moderate quality and I would listen to any of the 5 other songs. Pritam however redeems himself with this song that strikes you like a hammer on a hot anvil. Arijit Singh finds fresh energy and his performance will go down as one of his best. If two people hold the song on their shoulders other than Pritam of course, they are Arijit as the vocalist and Himonshu Parikh as the programmer and arranger. The song according to me is set in Raag CHarukeshi which is the epitome of pathos, but I later did realize that this could be based on Raag Sarasangi which is quite close to Charukeshi. Either way the song's tune by itself wouldn't have created this sort of buzz and impact, but the production that goes on thanks to Himonshu is mindblowing. He elevates it into something fresh and fantastic and you can hear the Keys straightaway. I was shaking my head in complete awe thanks to the arrangements and programming genius of Himonshu. DJ Phukan works as the additional music arranger.It starts in a normal fashion with Arijit's heartfelt rendition, but you have to just wait for the title line to begin. Here the song just zooms from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds with the keyboard and rhythm programming excelling. This is a song that has the main segment and a mild bridge section but the vocals and production rip it apart into something extraordinary. I love the dreamy male humming and after that Arijit floats away with his improvised singing and here the supremo Warren Mendonsa plays the guitars. There are fragments here that remind us of 'Kalank' the title song when Arijit sings in a high pitch. A lot of credit must go to DJ Phukan and Ashwin Kulkarni who handle the sound design, and we have Pritam's well-trained musicians like Brianna Supriyo as production manager, Aniruddh Anantha and Pranav Gupta as sound engineers and Antara Mitra, Aniruddh Anantha & Dev Arijit as vocal conductors. The introduction of the Sarangi by Dilshad Khan and the Tabla by Akshay Jadhav is a master stroke that stays in the head as something brilliantly creative. The last 1-minute outro is all about Arijit and how he takes you on this meditative journey. Eric Pillai does the mixing and mastering with Michael Edwin Pillai as the mixing assistant. Pritam, Himonshu and Arijit take a bow.  @himonshu @ipritamofficial @amitabhbhattacharyaofficial @ericpillai @aniruddhanantha @briannasupriyo @dev_arijit9 @arijitsingh @iamdjphukan @blackstratblues @dilshadkhansarangi @akshaymusic @pranavgupta_27 @antaramitraofficial 4. Dancing with Demons Produced by Ritwik Bhattacharya & Karthik ChennojiraoSongwriter, Composer, and vocalist: Saroj KashyapLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockI was floored by this amazing song that Saroj Kashyap sent me this song, and it helps I always begin hearing a song with a clean slate and hence no biases creep in. The song is composed and written by Saroj Kashyap and she gets a stupendous team on board. Karthik Chennojirao of Pineapple Express produces this along with Ritwik Bhattacharya. The gang of guitarists is immense with Ritwik on lead guitars and Prashanth Gnanamuthu on bass guitars. The Keys and lead guitars get the ball rolling and Saroj is stunning right from the get-go with her mind-bending vocal performance. The powerful delivery by Saroj gives the chills as we hear her sing " I'm gonna keep on slow dancing with the demons in my head".Ritwik and Karthik know what they are doing with solid production and their experience in the world of rock clearly shows up with every segment of electric guitar and arrangements. One can trust Prashanth to perform exactly as

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 19th March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Rangreza Singers: Mahalakshmi IyerMusic Composers: Rishi Dutta & Shivangi BhayanaLyricist: Karan Mastana Music Producer: Sandeep Chatterjee Additional programming: Rishi Dutta Language: HindiGenre: Semi-classical fusionThis I found by chance, and that is why I am thankful for the way great music finds a way to reach my ears. I would like to give a massive ovation to Shivangi Bhayana and Rishi Dutta who are involved in this glorious project. Crest Music, USA is responsible for getting these two composers on board for a wonderful Original Music project called the "Baithak" series. There are 3 more songs which I will listen to subsequently but here is this week's unassailable number 1 song.The flute solo by Rajat Prasanna is a straight giveaway that this is Raag Yaman (Kalyani in Carnatic) and it torments you with the notes, immediately followed by Megha Rawoot's classical Sitar. It is not a dream, we are hearing the great vocalist Mahalakshmi Iyer's gleaming voice and we are taken back in time when she does that high-pitched aalap. Rishi Dutta plays the keyboards and the fantastic chords start showing up when we hit the Title line. He is in-charge of all the additional programming. We have Tanay Rege on the Tabla and Tushar Gosavi on the drums and to hear both give that sense of fusion. The composition and production are stupendous, and get a load of the funky bass guitars by David Roy, with Alok Kulkarni on the electric and acoustic guitars in the interlude. Mahalakshmi sings the swaras and to add more classical touches Megha sizzles on her Sitar Solo. Sandeep Chatterjee is the producer and he gets all the elements right with the strings section in the background and the arrangements of instruments and vocal harmonies are delightful. Listen to the brilliant flute that continues to play in the background as we hit the outro segment. The song is mixed and mastered by Sandeep and Samir Dharap is the recording engineer. Karan Mastana is the lyricist.  @shivangibhayana @mahalakshmiiyermusic @rishiduttaofficial @mashmastana @soundonsandz @alokkulkarni78 @rajatprasanna @megharawoot @tanay_tabla @david.roy1234 @tushudrums @samirdharap9 @studio5o4 @crestmusicusa 2. Ghosts Lyrics, Composition and Vocals: Kamakshi RaiOriginal Guitar Riff: Ishan NaikMusic Production & Live Guitars: Karan Parikh Language: EnglishGenre: Indie PopIn the later parts of 2021, I did feature Kamakshi Rai for a wonderful single called 'Thodi Si Dua' and though the wait has been longer than I like, she enters the charts with a blinder. When I heard it I reached out to her saying that this song will easily be one of the best vocal performances of 2023 even though we were just in the first quarter. Ishan Naik plays the starting guitar riff and that is an original piece but when I hear it at the beginning it reminded me of "Everybody wants to rule the world" by the British rock band Tears for Fears, which was released back in 1985. The moment Kamakshi starts to sing, it is time for everything else to dial down as we are consumed by her impeccable vocals. Kamakshi has written the lyrics, composed the tune and sang this brilliant single while Karan Parikh produces the song and the live acoustic guitars that accompany her vocals are also played by Karan. I have to take a step back and appreciate the writing as well with lines like "We paint our faces to hide our flaws, put poison in our blood and metal in our jaws", and this is what songwriting is all about. I kept listening to this song, and I was eagerly awaiting the bridge section and there it was. It had all the elements that I was hoping for with a well-composed deviation in notes, intriguing lyrics and to top all that magnificent singing. The line "Oh, there's a consequence for hate" summarizes all the points I just made above. Chirayu Vedekar is the bassist and the electrifying drums are played by Nachiket Karekar. The bridge section not only showcases Kamakshi's fabulous vocals but also the sizzling electric guitar solo that follows. Shivam Trivedi plays the Piano and the engineers are Varun Parikh who has done the recording, Jason D'Souza on mixing and Kristian Montano on mastering. @kamadiorama @ishannaik @nachiketkarekar @royalewithcheese88 @shivamtrivedii @karanparikh27 @veepsified @kristianmontano @leisha.r @bayowlstudios @jasonmxaudio 3. Zindagi Kameeni Lyrics, Composition & Vocals: Akash TripathiProduction, Mixing & Mastering: Akshay DhabadkarBacking Vocals: Akshay DhabadkarLanguage: HindiGenre: Retro/Pop Welcome to the world of the 1950s, with a black & white Hindi movie playing in the background and this slow, sad, philosophical song talking about the unfair nature of life as we know it. The tune is retro-styled but soon the sound design and production take a turn for the better. Akash Tripathi goes solo for this one as he writes, composes, and sings this intense single. The song wouldn't be as impactful as it is without the solid production of Akshay Dhabadkar.The tone of the song feels Vishal-Sheykhar's 'Main Agar Kahoon' , once again thanks to the retro style. Akash carries an attitude of indifference about the world around us and that is why the song's messaging gets transmitted well. The strong points of the song are the fantastic arrangements of instruments as well as vocal harmonies.The Ukulele and the guitars are a constant presence, but never take your focus off the bass guitars, strings section and mainly the lagging vocals that keep following in the background. Akshay is the man behind the backing vocals and he also is the mixing and mastering engineer. Towards the end, we get to hear the trumpets and the Latin Jazz styled percussion and that is why the song gets a very fitting outro. The lyrical video is done by Prathyusha Puppala.  @akshay_dabhadkar @kevin_theaudioguy @buggershut @prathyusha.puppala 4. Colours Vocals: Piyush Ambhore Music and Lyrics: Sparsh Agrawal Language: EnglishGenre: Synth-Pop It came just about when the whole nation was in the celebratory mood of Holi, the festival of colours. I am not sure if that was the intent of the song's creators, but as it turned out this was the best song for me beating all other Hindi songs focussing on Holi for the year 2023. This is one of the most refreshing songs I have heard in my 3 years of music journalism. Sparsh Agrawal exhibits an enviable ability to produce this song. The melody itself is well-scored, but the keyboard and rhythm programming is next to perfect and I cannot think of a way, it all could have sounded and gelled better together. I can hear those massive Marching drums or Snare drums, along with the haunting sounds of the solo Violin in the background. My favourite line, though it was tough to pick one, is when Piyush Ambhore sings "Like Alice in the wonderland, I'm falling down the rabbit hole"

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 12th March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Roses Writing and Composition - Kalpana Music Production - Sanjai Shine, Balaji KrishnanGuitars and Keys - Sanjai Shine Language: EnglishGenre: BalladKalpana wrote, composed and performed one of the best English songs of 2022 with 'Helpline' and I featured and reviewed that humdinger of a song. Now she is back with this even better song and I hope my excitement while listening to it spills over into the writing. Sanjai Shine who also worked on Kalpana's previous project makes an unassailable contribution here with his thumping guitars that strike you straight at the beginning of the song. Everything everywhere is forgotten at once when Kalpana starts singing thanks to her magnetic voice that stays so low on the vocal range. She is impeccable with her vibrato and her improvisations that don't seem affected and forced. Sanjai also plays the Keys and one important merit for the song is the wonderful vocal harmonies and how amazingly they are arranged. You will feel the song's mercury rising slowly rising and the best compliment I can give to Kalpana, Sanjai and Balaji Krishnan is that this soars and stays in your mind as a much better song compared to the 4 English ones which were nominated alongside Naatu Naatu in the Oscars for the 'Best Original Song' Category. I have listened to all of them and I mean it. The guitars, strings section, Keys and all the layers of vocals are spellbinding and this is the kind of music we should be proud of as Indians. Winning awards on a global scale, although encouraging, still is secondary to creating beautiful and original music like this. Sanjai and Balaji are the producers of this song and they better be proud of their work. Kalpana has just raised the bar and I have total confidence that she will not only cross it the next time but will raise it further higher too. The song is mixed by Pritpal Sudan, a brilliant producer himself, and mastered by Thomas Juth. The recording studio where all the magic transpired is Kanha Shanti Vanam. Teh video is shot by Anand Kantiban who has worked on the masterpiece movie 'Karnan'.  @theofficialkalpana @sanjaishine @balaji_r_krishnan @notsudan @kanhastudio__ @kanhashantivanam @thomas_juth @anandkantiban2. Kaana Chillamel Composed, Produced, and Arranged - Arun RajSinger - Amritha SuresshLyrics - Sandeep SudhaLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi MelodyIt begins with a male sermon that we would hear in a Church, and it is so heartwarming to hear Amritha Suressh who I am featuring after her brilliant show in Sufiyum Sujathayaum' in the song "Alhamdulillah". She has this excellent texture that you just will end up falling in love with and that is why I wish we hear much more of her voice in 2023. Sumesh Parameswar plays the guitars and bass and he has his stamp of authority written all over.The anu pallavi segment is very good as it has Amritha singing in the high pitch and she still manages to effectively sing with fantastic ghamakas, reminding us of the nightingale KS Chitra. Arun Raj has composed, produced and arranged the song, so you know he has done remarkably well when the strings are programmed in the background here. The clear game-changer was the interlude with the flute solo by Abhijith along with the accompanying Keyboards and guitars. The stanza is all about her vocals and the brilliant guitars and bass by Sumesh. The song is mixed and mastered by Nandhagopan V, with Amal Raj and Amal Mithu as the recording engineers.  @arunrajmusiq7 @amruthasuresh @parameswarsumesh @3. Andame Sung & composed: Sahithi Chaganti Concept: Sahithi Chaganti & Prerna Roy Music Production: Rakesh Venkatapuram Lyrics: Suresh Banisetty Language: TeluguGenre: Waltz I am glad to see that Sahithi Chaganti who I have featured quite many times as a backing vocalist and then a leading vocalist for many composers in Telugu, has now graduated to becoming a composer herself. Also, this is probably the best song I have featured Sahithi in and so I can only assume that the future seems bright for her. The song feels like a track that is part of a Broadway theatrical production. Sahithi has composed and sung with incredible poise and the concept comes to life thanks to Prerna Roy and Sahithi. Prerna handles both the art direction and animation bits but the song in terms of its sound is the work of Rakesh Venkatapuram and his production. It has come fantastic interventions on the flute by Pramod Umapathi, which make us imagine a Ballroom setting with dancers doing the Waltz. Pramod excels every bit of the way as the interlude is filled with the Flute solo and accompanying him is Joel Sastry on guitars. Suresh Banisetty writes beautiful words that are supposed to depict the simple pleasures of life as sung by the protagonist. Sahithi shines unopposedly in two aspects viz. her flawless singing with numerous instances of tough-to-deliver vibrato and her elaborate and joyful composition. Rakesh scores a winner with his outstanding composition never leaving a single second of dullness. Abin Paul has mixed and mastered the track. @sahithichaganti @prernaroyy @rakeshchary16 @sureshbanisetti_lyricist @joelsastry @pramodumapathi @mixwithabin 4. Miles Performed by Left Hand DriveWritten by Left Hand Drive

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 5th March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.Check out the You Tube review of these top 5 songs here1. Emone Music composed & arranged by Vijai BulganinLyricist: Suresh Banisetti Singers: Vijai Bulganin & Aditi BhavarajuLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi MelodyThis is what mind-blowing music is made of. I have listened to this song religiously every day since its release, purely because every note, every instrument, and every beat makes my heart swell with joy. If somebody had told me that Ilaiyaraja had composed this song, I would have believed that this is his work of genius. Can anyone give a bigger compliment in the world than compare a song's composition to that of the G.O.A.T. Ilaiyaraja? The song takes me back to his composition "April Mayile" from the album "Idhayam". Vijai Bulganin, take a bow, as he is certainly one of India's finest composers and his consistency and ability to weave magical melodies, know no bounds.The way this song begins itself, with the Piano, then the amazing guitars and the woodwinds. I am sold immediately and with all the humming I can only thank God that such music exists. It is a lesson to anyone calling themselves a musician to give their utmost efforts and make good original music. If they have to write bad lyrics, and make only remixes or make party songs, they should look for another profession to pay their bills. Please leave music alone to composers like Vijai Bulganin and they will ensure the future of Indian music is in safe worthy hands. Lalit Talluri plays the magical Flute, Abin Sagar is on the Ukulele and Guitars, and Shallu Varun is nothing short of heroic on bass guitars. The fantastic programming and production are possible thanks to Jishnu Vijayan, the Keyboardist and Anudeep Dev who has done the vocal arrangements and been the recording engineer also. Vijai is solely responsible for the score and all the major arrangements otherwise and when you have a team like this magic gets created quite often. The humming is by the chorus team of fantastic singers Lakshmi Meghana, Sindhuja Srinivasan & Nada Priya. After the first line sung by Vijai, that humming is accompanied by a mild but obvious trumpet sound elevating the line to greatness. Initially, I felt that maybe someone else could have sung the male lead vocals, but the more I hear I feel, that Vijai's vocals are so earthy and rugged and sound a lot like Ilaiyaraja himself. Now I believe there couldn't have been a better choice. The song has such an elaborate anupallavi and I realise that many composers today would have already been clueless about what more to compose by the 90-second mark. The strings section is like a never-ending dream thanks to the Chennai Strings Orchestra conducted by Balaji. What can I tell about the interlude? Lalit Talluri shines with the Flute solo and then the vocals harmonies and Strings simply drizzle exorbitant goodness. Wow, the Piano and the mild drums at the end of the interlude just before the stanza starts, is one more example of how minute things can impact a music lover. At the end of the first line in the stanza which ends with "emone", pay attention to the otherworldy strings and humming. I can only get up and give Vijai a standing ovation. After all this Aditi Bhavaraju who is a phenomenal vocalist comes and sings like a breeze making things even better. In the end, I loved the landing as uses "Pattukonna prema" line, like a step to drop into the pallavi. Aditi does an excellent job singing the lines in the low pitch giving such a well-rounded colour to the song. The recording engineers are Anand Gurrana, K K Senthil Prasath with Robin Sebastian as the vocal engineer and Roshan Sebastian as the mix and master engineer. The beautiful words are written by Suresh Banisetti @vijai_bulganin @aditibhavaraju @lalittalluri @roshansebastian @_jishnu_viijayan @sureshbanisetti_lyricist @abinsagar @shalluvarun02 @robinsebastianmusic @anandgurrana @lakshmimeghana @sindhujasrinivasan @nadapriya.nedadurivendi2. Becky Music, Lyrics: Brecilla Music Producer: Pranav KamatArrangements: Pranav, BrecillaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie pop/A CapellaBrecilla is according to me one of the top 5 Indie singer-songwriters in this country today. It is her gifted vocals and envious skill of composition that set her apart from the rest. I have featured her a few times and every single is a celebration of music. I was so glad to see her name among the top 24 of Nexa Music Season 2 and I am pretty confident that her single is the best of the lot after listening to around 18 of the 24 songs. 'Becky' is a song about herself as Brecilla composes, writes and sings this with immaculate ease and poise. An important element of this song is the backing vocals and which belong to Ananya Sharma, Karma Sherpa and Pranav Kamat. The mesmerising impact of the Keys stays in your head, just like the harmonies and we have Pranav playing the Keys. Just pay attention to the layers of vocals coming in leaps and bounds and both Pranav and Brecilla must be credited with the arrangements of all the vocals and live instruments. Brecilla herself plays the saxophone which turns out to be a great addition. She is exemplary in her vocals giving more than a 100%, singing with heart and adding delicate vibrato. The interlude is a beautiful mix of the Saxophone, humming and Keys, leading us into a bridge section and this is where all her skills as a writer/lyricist come out. Pranav does a fine job producing the song and he also is the mix/master engineer, so credit to him for bringing the song to life and getting the elements together.   @brecilladsouza @pranavkmt @karmasherpamusic @ananyas.music @nexamusicexperience 3. Madhura Gathama Singers : Armaan Malik, Shreya GhoshalMusic: Mani Sharma Lyricist: ShreemaniLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi Melody/FusionThe one song which I did feature from the movie was 'Mallika Mallika' dung by Ramya Bahara. This one is a notch above the rest of the songs in the album and Mani Sharma shines through. There is the quintessential melody rich with Classical Carnatic Raga elements and with the phenomenal vocal capabilities of Armaan Malik and Shreya Ghoshal the song stays etched in our hearts and minds. The Sitar sets the ball rolling and we are given an auditory treat by Armaan's magical voice and high-pitched delivery. To me, there is maybe some Raag Khamas influence in places. The impact it creates with the Tabla, and the tonality is very similar to say AR Rahman's album "Jodhaa Akbar". The interlude is drifting probably towards a bit of Raag Sarang. The two vocalists engage in a tete-a-tete with some amazing vocals and the landing into the Pallavi happens with a beautiful ending line in the high pitch. The use of the Sarod and the per

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 26th February 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Ori Vaari Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh NarayananTelugu Lyrical writer: ShreemaniSinger: Santhosh NarayananLanguage: TeluguGenre: Ballad/Alt-Rock fusionI keep telling in my reviews, that there is none like his, and Santhosh Narayanan is the most talented composer and producer in India today and that has been the case for the last 5-7 years at least. Some could dismiss it saying that it is just my opinion, well then you better stop reading this and start listening to the number 1 song in India for last week. You can then make up your mind. It is very heartening to see Santhosh or SaNa as he is known, make inroads to Tollywood, and Mollywood too. Back in December, we saw his work for the Sony Liv web series 'Faadu' in Hindi. Getting back to this track, Ori Vaari is the original Telugu song but has been simultaneously released in Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil. The song is a testament to SaNa's unmatched ability to combine diverse genres within one track, use solid instrumental arrangements and produce the track with an enviable style. Only a composer with terrific vision can even get the groundwork laid and see through its perfect execution. The song starts off with SaNa's inexplicably magnetic voice and the sound of the glass percussion played by him. Aditya Ravindran plays all the additional keys and he has now become SaNa's most trusted aide. I just cannot imagine this song without the impact of the bass guitars and it is played by Rupendar Venkatesh like an unassailable champion. Santhosh will be remembered as one solid composer who used bass guitars in all his compositions to the fullest potential, a feat like Maestro Ilaiyaraja. The interlude is mesmerising with the strings section, thanks to Fame's Skopje Studio Orchestra (Macedonia) with Sasha as conductor and our won Karthik Manickavasakam arranging the strings to perfection. Joshua Rodrigues at the Bohemia Junction is the Orchestra coordinator. The interlude section reminds me of the interlude of "Vennilave Vennilave" from 'Minsara Kanavu' composed by AR Rahman. It probably has influences of Raag Pilu (Kaapi in Carnatic). Then the stanza begins and we have the wonderful Piano and continuous riff of the strings in the background staying right after the interlude. The chord progression and the way the notes are composed are a testament to SaNa's capability. The masterstroke comes late in the stanza and you keep listening to the way the line "Kannelallo Saagdholina, Idichesi Vadhileshinaa" ends. The backing vocals and notes drop off like from the top of a cliff and this suddenness and unexpected shift is what makes SaNa truly great. The second interlude is another piece of genius with the Clarinet, and the bass guitars accompanying like Robin for Batman. The 2nd stanza is completely different and it moves the style of the song itself from a Ballad, pathos song to an Alt-Rock number. Words can never be enough to appreciate the work of SaNa and his team of musicians. The 2nd stanza also makes me wonder if there is some influence of either Dharmavathi Ragam or Madhuvanthi Ragam.  Pranav Muniraj plays the acoustic guitars, while in this section it is Aditya Ravindran blasting away on the electric guitars. The stanza gains traction and we hear the rhythms, guitars and trumpets all converging and delivering excellence. The song is recorded by Santhosh, Pranav, Rupendar and Karthik and the mixing and mastering are done by Santhosh and Rupendar. Meenakshi Santhosh is the musicians' coordinator. Santhosh sings this brilliantly making it his best vocal performance yet. The lyrics is written by Shreemani.   @musicsanthosh @adityaravindran95 @karthikmanickavasakam @rupendar_venkatesh @pranavbalu @shreemani_lyricist @musicsoundart 2. Shehzada Singer: Sonu NigamMusic: PritamLyrics: Mayur PuriMusic Arranger and Programmer - Aditya Pushkarna, Jim Satya, Sunny M.R. & Amey GhuleLanguage: HindiIt is redemption time, the moment when Pritam shows to the world that he has still got it and he is not going away anywhere yet. The 4 other songs that I have heard are below par, but the title track is what salvages Pritam and restores faith in his abilities. The song is performed by the one and only Sonu Nigam who has a ball delivering this song. Mayur Puri writes the lyrics and we have 4 talented musicians bringing their heads together to arrange and program this track.If you listen to the song you will know that the arrangements are grander than life and the lion's share of credit for the song's brilliant impact must go to Aditya Pushkarna, Jim Satya, Sunny M.R. & Amey Ghule. It is fantastic to know that the top 2 songs in the country have employed some magnificent Orchestra and live instruments in a time when 1 Min Music and Lo-fi and EDM styles completely dominate the scene. Kudos to DJ Phukan, Sunny and Ashwin Kulkarni for the brilliant sound design. Just like song no. 1, we have the FAME'S Skopje Studio Orchestra on the strings section. The Orchestration is by Andrew T Mackay and orchestra coordination is by Joshua Rodrigues. The song begins with the splendid drums by Gary Novak and it feels like you are listening to Savage Garden's 'The Animal Song'. The brass section is grand and feels like one Jazz Ensemble in full force. The Trumpets, Trombones are upping the ante and Sonu's energetic singing is nothing short of brilliant. Aniruddh Anantha and Pranav Gupta are the sound engineers and Aniruddh along with Dev Arijit handles the vocal conducting and backing vocals design. There are so many things happening, with the live instruments ad despite that Sonu never fails to grab your attention. The line "Banoonga Hai Vaada" with the dropping tempo, and extravagant trumpets is wonderful to hear. Kudos to Shadab Rayeen who has mixed and mastered the track along with assistants Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup Gandharla @sunnymr @adityapushkarna @_amey_ghule_ @jimsat @ipritamofficial @sonunigamofficial @musicsoundart @shadabrayeen @pranavgupta_27 @aniruddhanantha @ashwinkulkarni89 @dev_arijit9 @musicsoundart @mayurpuri @iamdjphukan @gary_novak 3. Chandni & Dil Dariya Singer: Aditya N. (Chandni) & Nayantara Bhatkal (Dil Daariya)Composed by: Alokananda DasguptaLyrics: Rajeshwari Dasgupta GhoseLanguage: HindiGenre: Ballad (Chandni) & Retro Dance Pop (Dil Daariya)We are nearing 'International Women's Day' and it is perfectly appropriate that we have a brilliant song composed by one of India's most talented female composers in Alokananda Dasgupta. Just like I tend to weed out the really bad songs in the first 10 seconds, over here it took me the same time to gauge the splendid potential and likability in this song. Jonathan Dreyfus plays the Cello and the Viola and they can already be heard creating magic in the background. Aditya. N a.k.a. Meadows & Rust is the vocalist who is gently serenading us but Alokanada and Jonathan decide to distract us beautifully with the additional string arrangements. Amandeep Singh and Tanmay Pawar have played the guitars and Tamnay handles all the additional guitar arrangements. The song oozes quality and reminds us of those times when Shankar Ehsan Loy used to rule Bollywood. Aditya's vocals sound like Sonu Nigam's when he decides to give every note an emotional touch. He also must be credited and appreciated for the wonderful production of the song along with Amandeep. Just as Aditya sings these lines, we get a delightful male humming in the background, and it feels like Alokananda and the team decided to

I have been listening to music ever since I was a kid and thankfully music appreciation started getting rooted in me very early. It all began when I started listening to English pop when we were living in the Middle East and then in the US. I fell in love with musicians like Phil Collins, Elton John, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston and bands like A-ha, Police, Bangles and so many more. The list can be endless.We then moved to India. Once I reached middle school, there was a mammoth change in the style of music I listened to, but I am only thankful for that. I was exposed to Maestro and G.O.A.T. Ilaiyaraja owing to this change of base. After that came AR Rahman and Vidyasagar as well. Even before these greats, we had MS Vishwanathan and Ramamurthy compose amazing music in Tamil. If you notice the difference between paragraphs 1 and 2, the earlier has both men and women musicians who not only sang but also wrote their own songs. The second paragraph however only has a male name. Have I missed out on some women musicians, am I being factually incorrect or ignorant? I hope not, but I am sure women musicians in India were restricted to being vocalists or playback singers. If I extend the example of classical Indian music both Hindustani and Carnatic, we have female vocalists and instrumentalists. Composers, Producers and Songwriters are at the top of the musical food chain and they have mostly been men in the Indian scene. I wanted to try and analyse why this could be. But before getting deeper into the reasoning, I wanted to do some background research and know about female music directors and composers before my time.  Some basic keywords research helped me find out 3 names that I would like to briefly mention about.In the 1930s and 1940s, there was India's first female composer called Saraswati Devi who was born into a Parsi family and known by the name Khorshed Homji. Saraswati had more than a decent run and she scored music for around 35 films in the 1930s and 1940s. Then came Jaddanbhai Hussain who was a composer, writer, actress and director. She was less known with barely a few compositions for the grandmother of Sanjay Dutt and mother of Nargis Dutt. The composer to make a name for herself and who was the most successful of all the 3 was Usha Khanna. She scored music for around 3 decades between the 1960s and 1990s with around 150 movies to her credit. So clearly Usha Khanna is India's most accomplished female composer yet. A deeper study into some earlier articles written about women composers throws the same 3 names that I have mentioned here and they do show a list of a few more who I will name and write about in the coming paragraphs. A few names that get thrown around a lot are Jasleen Royal, Payal Dev, Paramapra Thakur, Sonal Pradhan etc. Of these names, the one who has good credentials based on quantity and quality and awards is Jasleen Royal. She is the first woman composer to ever win a Filmfare award for music and she also has more than a handful of compositions. When it comes to the others there is very little to really put them at the top, because I want to explore composers who can go on and dominate this "boys club" of film composers. Payal Dev, Parampara Thakur and Sonal Pradhan have very few movies to their credit and personally, I am not a fan of their limited work. The other media might voraciously praise their music, but let me quote you an example of why I feel otherwise. Payal Dev is credited with the music of 'Ginny Weds Sunny, but if you looked at the soundtrack, 3 songs were composed by her and 2 by Gaurav Chatterji. However in my opinion the only songs that really impress are those by Gaurav. Here is a list of some of the current generation female composers who I think are amazing.Some have achieved and been in the limelight for their work and some have the potential to go on and dominate this "boys club" of film composers. Sneha Kahanwalkar , Rachita Arora and Samira KoppikarThe ladies who will be revered are led by Sneha Khanwalkar who blasted her way into fame with albums like 'Gangs of Wasseypur' both parts, and she had movies like "Oye Lucky! Lucky Iye!", and the one that truly impressed me in terms of BGM scores "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy". Directors like Dibankar Bannerjee and Anurag Kashyap used her talent for their flicks and that is no mean feat. Somehow over the last few years, she has been witnessing a decline and I have been unimpressed. Now Rachita Arora is another name that has impressed with films like "Mukkabaaz", "Newton", "Shubh Mangal Savdhaan" and one must appreciate Anurag Kashyap who seems to be a common denominator providing women composers with an opportunity to shine. Samira Koppikar briefly between 2015 and 2019 did earn a name for herself thanks to albums like "NH 10", "Bareilly ki Barfi" and "Laal Kaptaan". The problem has been that many of these talented composers could not sustain themselves for reasons unknown.Shalmali KholgadeHere are some composers who will hold the mantle and if there are enough opportunities given and if the artists persist with drive and desire we could very soon be having most of our movie albums being composed by women composers. Shalmali Kholgade is at the very top for me and she has impressed me and the world enough with her debut Marathi movie called "June". The soundscape if something unheard of in Marathi movies and her indie EPs '2X Side A' in 2021 and '2X Side B' in 2022 showcase her composing talents even further. Aloknanda DasguptaAlokananda Dasgupta is a supreme force who is known for her scores in 'Geeli Puchi', "Sacred Games", "AK v AK", "Trapped", "Sacred Games" and recently "Shiv Shastry Balboa" which I have featured. Once again we have to thank Vikramaditya Motwane and Neeraj Ghaywan for standing tall and being the directors to give well-deserved opportunities to women composers like Alokananda. Also read: Top Indian songs of the week.Let us move Southwards and here 2 women give me all the hope Neha Nair, and Revaa. Neha works as a co-composer and co-producer along with Yakzan Gary Perreira and they have a very unique way of creating sound, and the duo get pretty whacky with their compositions as well. Some of their famous works include "5 Sundarikal", Mayanadi"(BGM), "Sudani from Nigeria" (BGM), " Love", "Driving License", "Sumesh & Ramesh" and "Vaashi" (BGM). Revaa was impressed with her score for the movie "Mugizh" and she is back with one more series called "Ayali". I have featured a couple of songs and have been quite impressed by the BGM

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 19th February 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music  with a clickable link on my Home Page 1. RijhaaunComposition, Lyrics and Vocals - Utsavi Jha Production, Mix and Master - ManavLanguage: HindiGenre: Jazz/PopShe is one undeniable talent and it shows when someone like Utsavi Jha gets featured time and again every time she releases a single. Now I can confidently say that this is her best work yet and I wish her the best to keep making my life better with such music. Utsavi is a young, inquisitive singer-songwriter from Mumbai and she has composed the melody, written the lyrics and rendered the vocals for this brilliant song. When Utsavi teams up with some spectacular musicians, a very good song automatically gets pulled into a higher orbit and first and foremost is the mastermind Manav who has produced the song with incredible prowess. The song starts with just the Piano and Utsavi's vocals, with the Piano hitting some fantastic notes and within a minute we discover that the song's inherent melody is quite enjoyable. Manav's typical indulgence comes to the forefront with the Piano and what sounds like a Pipe Organ intervention. It all has a very Jazz and Blues texture. Listen to the fantastic saxophone in the background played by Aniket Chaturvedi. The drums, and the vocal harmonies, are all important elements, but nothing quite matches the saxophone solo in the interlude and we also hear trumpets making it one unforgettable song that deserves to take the number 1 spot. The arrangements and programming tend to steal the limelight, but let us not forget the vocals and the stylist delivery by Utsavi. Manav also does the mixing and mastering for the track, and the vocals are recorded at PLayhead Studion in Mumbai. The animation and editing are by Suraj Singh and Hariom. Priya Waingankar is the photo editor.   @utsavijhamusic @man.musical @deffective_priya @lazyom @singhsuraj882. Dheemi Performed by - Ashish ZachariahWritten by - Ashish Zachariah, Khwaab, Ritvik KulshresthaProduced by - Ashish ZachariahLanguage: HindiGenre: Electronic Pop Asish Zachariah is probably of the top 5 music composers/producers in the country today. We are living in a very dark time where mediocre music gets superlative recognition, and amidst this guys like Ashish are like the canary in the coal mine. We have to treasure them not only for their talent but their unswerving commitment to giving us good music.I just played the song and despite the high bar, Ashish manages to cross it without any trouble at all. Another fantastic musician Nishant Nagar a.k.a. has penned the lyrics along with Ritvik Kulshrestha. Ashish composes, sings and produces this blinder. The flowy guitars come and go in layers and Ashish enhances the effect with layers of vocals also. There is so much to focus on, as we have a brilliant production on display here, and just like he sings " kaali kaali raaton mein phir milein". The heart starts racing as we hear the sound of the strings section in the background, along with a solo violin also gathering steam. Such music I believe can transport us to a parallel universe where we live forever without even an iota of pain. Ashish uses the synths and keyboards to great effect and the adrenaline-pumping drums give a fitting end to matters. The track is mixed to perfection by an outstanding musician Rex Vijayan, and Steve Smart does the mastering. Tina Thomas handles the covert art. Ashish and team, take a bow!  @ashish.zachariah @khwaab.music @ritvkk93 @rex_vijayan @stevemartmastered @tinaalicethomas 3. Bawaral RaMusic - Devdutta Manisha Baji Vocals - Ashish Kulkarni & Aanandi Joshi Lyrics - Ganesh NigadeMusic Arrangements & Production - Devdutta Manisha Baji & Bhushan ChitnisLanguage: MarathiGenre: Filmi MelodyI have never even heard of Devdutta Manisha Baji, and I am thrilled to feature this composer's melody in Marathi. It is sung by two renowned singers Ashish Kulkarni and Aanandi Joshi, both of whom I have featured on my weekly charts before. It is so refreshing to see a new musician compose so well in Marathi, a space dominated by the genius of Ajay-Atul and AV Prafullachandra. I am also excited to see some very familiar names here in various roles, all of whom I have featured in various indie projects. Ashish Kulkarni became a household name after his stint at Indian Idol, but he has been featured for his singles by me much before. He and producer/guitarist Bhushan Chitnis have worked together on indie singles as well. We have the guitars by Bhushan followed by the female harmonies comprising Malavika Dixit, Bhagyashree Abhyankar, Nidhi Hegde. Then comes the male chorus sung by Chinmay Jog, Ajit Vispute and Srujan Kulkarni. The solo Violin gives me an inkling that there is a Raag Bhimpalasi flavour just mildly. It is played with such elegance by Shruti Bhave. Ashish Kulkarni is so endearing with his vocals and he is matched equally by Anandi Joshi. The song has some excellent notes that make it so fresh and complete. Varad Kathapurkar plays the Flute and another point of attraction is the live percussion by Onkar Ingawale & Apurv Dravid. The song moves into the stanza without any interlude and you don't feel anything missing thanks to the immaculate arrangements and production by Devdutta and Bhushan with Srujan working on additional arrangements. The stanza only further reinforces the beauty of the song's original melody. Nikhil Laniekar and Himanshu Ambekar handle the sound design with recoding engineers Avadhoot Wadkar, Tushar Pandit, Roopjit Das, and Ajinkya Dhapare is the mixing engineer assisted by Virat Bhushetty. The stereo track mastering is done by Hanish Taneja. The lyrics are penned by Ganesh Nigade.  @ganeshnigade88 @aanandijoshi @ashishkulkarni.music @devdutta.baji.music @bhushan_bhu_chitnis @srujan_kulkarni @nidhihegde.music @violinshrutibhave @varadflute_official @mixedbyhanish @ajinkyadhapare @omkar_ingawale_official @apurvdravid @pandit_dawn 4. Kevadyacha Paan Tu Music & BGM - Vijay Narayan GavandeLyrics - Guru Thakur

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 12th February 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music  with a clickable link on my Home Page Also check out my video reviews of EPs like LAGAN feat. Dhvani Bhanushali, BOMBAY by Bombay The Artist, COKE STUDIO TAMIL's first song SAGAVASI , CLASS on Netflix by Aditya N and Nayantara Bhatkal and much more1. PreetMusic: Abhijit VaghaniLyrics: Shloke LalSinger: Dhvani Bhanushali, Abhijit VaghaniLanguage: HindiGenre: Ballad I have always wondered why some singers would choose projects that would do nothing to bring out their talent. The reason could be something else like such projects would enhance their fame and monetary prospects immensely. Anyway, Dhvani Bhansushali does so well on certain singles and projects like these, and I always wish she picks only good compositions to sing. This EP called 'Lagan' is a 4 track EP and I was quite impressed with 3 songs at least. Other than 'Preet' I loved 'Masoomiyat' and 'Shagun '. It is Dhvani's haunting voice in the lower pitch along with the mild Keys by Akshay Menon that get your attention. It is slowly accompanied by a strings section in the background and all elements get the tone and mood of the song perfectly in line. Abhijit Vaghani has composed and produced the songs in the EP and he has worked with Dhvani a few times before, all ending up with excellent tracks. One of my favourites to this day is their single "Radhe". Now we start hearing the fantastic guitars by Shomu Seal and the flute as well in the background and it forms the heartwarming interlude. Abhijit also turns vocalist in the stanza which is beautifully composed as well. Akshay also has arranged the terrific strings section. The best line is with Abhijit singing "lage ki sadiyaan yuhi nikal gayi" with excellent words by Shloke Lal and vocals as well. The Keys and guitars become more impactful here along with harmonies in the background. The outro is brilliant with the faint lonely flute by the brilliant Tejas Vinchurkar becoming so emotionally charged and then the strings and rhythms piling on the quality. Aftab Khan mixes and masters the track with mix assistant Vatsal Chevli. 'Masoomiyat' is very light on the ears and once again Dhvani thumps up the ante with her improvised singing. The Shehnai by Yogesh towards the end is the game-changer. "Shagun" is a melodious Folkish Pop song much like an AR Rahman-styled song. I recommend that people listen to the EP. @dhvanibhanushali22 @abhijitvaghani @shlokelal @hitz.music.official @akshay.menon.official 2. NaraziWritten and composed by - Taaruk Raina, Charan Singh PathaniaSung by - Taaruk RainaMusic Production- Charan Singh PathaniaLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop/BalladI recently read an article in the Hindustan times where the actor and singer Taaruk Raina mentioned the difficulty to break into the music scene, especially when he/she has a poor network or connection with people in the industry. Imagine what the situation would be for someone who doesn't even have an acting background and is entirely new to the field. Just a few months ago I had featured him in a song from the web series Mismatched Season 2 for the song "Kho Gaye". Now this song brings Taaruk's abilities further into the light. Charan Singh Pathania does the music production for this song and it has a good mix of live instrumentals and programming as well.I believe Taaruk has performed the vocals as well as played the acoustic guitars. When he sings "chupi hui hai, narazi" you can get a sense of the quality of the production. I must appreciate the harmonies and humming and then both their execution and arrangements, thanks to Charan Singh. Stuart Da'Costa is smashing it with his bass guitars. I love the part where Taaruk takes the high road on the pitch singing "aasan tha kya, rehna yun gawah". Utkarsh Dhotekar is another fantastic composer/producer and he creates some magic with the strings arrangements. Taaruk shows he is no novice with his vocals and I can only assume he will get better with every single. Mukul Jain is the mixing engineer. One must appreciate Taaruk for the impressive lyrics as well. There were moments when the song, owing to the harmonies and production, felt like I was listening to something as good as Coldplay's "Paradise" @taarukraina @charanmusic @tanyamaniktala @studirt @mixbymukul @utkarshdhotekar  3. SkyeWritten: O DaapunProducer: Bhargav DhapunLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop/RockIt has been a while since I featured the band O Daapun and the previous single "Dont u drop" which was a fantastic upbeat song.'Skye' is no less and we have the song written by the band members Siddhartha Hazarika and Bhargav Hazarika, with the latter producing this piece. Abhidhan Sharma plays the guitars and Jugal Pathak is the drummer. This is exemplary music just to show how the first opening seconds can impress a music lover. The guitars and drums just let you know that some severe quality stuff is coming our way. The vocals are scintillating and flawless, these vocals are the vehicle for the song's message to get through to the other side. I love how the drums come and go without being persistent. This allows the pop style of the song to carry through. I was astounded by the shock and awe when the line "Her hand was reaching out for something more" and after a pause, the guitars and humming take us on a super-fast joyride. The song scores high on elements like vocals, production and creativity.  @odaapun_ @nobinaryrecords @darshitaaa.c @siddharth_daapun @bhargav_daapun @drumboi_074. Paalmanam Composed and Arranged: Govind VasanthaSingers : Kapil Kapilan & Keerthana VaidyanathanLyrics: Vinayak SasikumarLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi Melody

Here are the best Tamil songs released in January 2023. The list of 15 songs have been picked from over 60 releases. MagizhiniComposed & Produced by Rini and Shakthisree GopalanLyrics: Shakthisree Gopalan & Rajesh SridharShaktisree Gopalan moved to NY City after graduation from Berklee College of Music. She is being missed in the Tamil Indie as well as Kollywood music scene. But when we live in the post covid world of digital innovation, one can score music from anywhere in the world, record it from somewhere else and have a vocalist living 1000 miles away, yet everything comes out like a perfectly mixed hot cappuccino. The song is composed and produced by Shaktisree and Rini. The lyrics have both English and Tamil sections and they are penned by Shaktisree and Rajesh Sridhar. The moment we get the instruments playing the notes, I got a sense that maybe there is some Nalinakanti Ragam in the tune. Rini vocally performs the Swaras, and this is the first time I am hearing and reviewing Hairini Raghavan a.k.a. Rini who is NY based singer, composer and violinist. Shaktisree's English lines are so endearing and soothing like a balm on a burn. Her vocals and delivery act as a perfect compliment to Rini's energetic lines in Tamil. We have some amazing live instrumentalists here like Marco Bolfelli on Guitar, Maxime Cholley on Drums, Marcelo Maccagnan on Bass, Carrie Frey on Viola, Thea Mesirow on Cello. All these amazing musicians are band members who work and tour with Rini. In fact, I am excited to see her and the band perform live in Mumbai on Feb 23rd. The song is a creative force of bringing in a classical Carnatic Raga and fusing it with some slow Blues music. Kudos to the duo. The intertwined exhibition of the strings section, bass guitars, acoustic guitars and drums give me a feeling of 'Magizhini' (happiness). The track is mixed and mastered by Daniel Alba. The solo Violin is outstanding as it appears past the 3rd minute and the combined vocal humming of the two artists is powerful to close things.  Nee Podhum Enakku Song Composed, Arranged and Programmed by - SAM CS Additional Programming- Abey Singer: Pradeep Kumar Lyrics: Kabilan The movie 'Michael' is being termed as a stylish version of KGF that tries to mimic it. The song that stood out in the album is this beautiful melody and it is even more resounding because of Pradeep Kumar's vocals. I did listen to the Telugu Version by Sid Sriram, but this one by Pradeep is just far better in my opinion. Kabilan writes these splendid lyrics and Sam CS continues to show why he is one talent you cannot write-off or discount. Balaji steals the show with his Violin solo and Sam handles all the lovely arrangements and programming as well. The stanza is a continuation of the melody but what aids the passage perfectly are the backing vocal harmonies by Bhuvana Ananth, and Joseph Vijay's acoustic and bass guitars. At the end of the stanza, Pradeep shows there is none like him to sing with just finesses and impact. The keyboards and especially rhythm programming keep things pretty interesting to hear. Sam does a fine job in arranging the live instruments as well as harmonies. The one noticeable and excellent element is that Sam has two different stanzas, in terms of the score and that is a rare thing to observe these days. "Aen, manakulathila , mazhaiyene pozhigiraye" is the line in the first stanza, but when it comes to the 2nd stanza "Irumbayum murikkidum iru vizhi kadhal", these two are set to two entirely different sets of notes. CD Anbumani, Abishek Ar, S Aakash Edwin are the recording engineers, Balu Thankachan is the mixing and mastering engineer with assistance from Paul Daniel and Hariharan. The music production manager is K Mahima Chowdhary with Bhuvana Ananth being the music supervisor. Sooravali PolaMusic Composer: Sathish Nair Arranged & Programmed by: Vijayan Vincent I was puzzled when I heard this song in Hindi, wondering how and when did Bollywood start making such good songs. I was almost certain that this a south Indian song and I turned out to be right. The song is from a movie called "Regina" which is being made in Tamil and dubbed in other languages. Nowadays the trend is to release music in multiple languages with various singers. I loved the Shankar Mahadevan version in Hindi too, but Sid Sriram's version in Tamil is well executed because it doesn't have the usual elaborate alaap-styled renditions by Sid. Other than the vocals, don't forget to pay attention to the plethora of background instrumentals. Sachin Nair makes a lasting impression as the composer, and his aide Vijayan Vincent must be equally appreciated for the arrangements and programming because this song is elevated thanks to its arrangements of the Strings section. Balaji & Team plays the Strings with Cynthia on the Solo Violin, Viji on the Cello, Selvaraj on the Double Bass. The way Shankar sings "Sach kehta hoon, meri duniya hai tu" and it feels like listening to that great song "Maa" from 'Taare Zameen Par'. I can hear the brilliant woodwinds in the background as well in the anupallavi section. Bruce Lee Mani plays the acoustic guitar and Alaap Raju is the bassist. The Solo Violin catches your attention in the interlude reminding us of songs like "Poove Sempoove" by Maestro Ilaiyaraja. It is closely supported by acoustic and bass guitars. Vijayan and Sathish handle the Keys and Rhythm programming. The lines "raat bhar jag ke" clearly sounds like the lines "kadhal devadhaiye" from the song 'Germaniyin Senthaen Malare" by Ilaiyaraja. Senthil Prasath is the recording engineer and Hari Shankar has mixed and mastered the track. ThanimaiyileMusic Composed and Produced by Harish Venkat and Prashanth Techno (Madley Blues)Lyrics - Harish VenkatVocals - MS KrsnaThese guys Madley Blues are sincere and talented and I am happy that they landed a good project on Sony LIV called " Story of things". The album has at least 2-3 very beautiful songs, but what impressed me more was the BGM score for the web-series. However, this song which has two versions is an absolute ripper. I loved both versions but I am featuring the one sung by MS Krsna who does valiantly against a version sung by the majestic Pradeep Kumar on vocals. If a vocalist even makes his/her version half as memorable as the version by Pradeep, that is a fabulous feat but Krsna here goes for the kill and I really couldn't pick a favourite between the two. I do sense some fragments of Raag Bihag in the song and I feel like standing up in clapping my hands for the melody and production by Harish Venkat and Prashanth Techno. Keba Jeremiah plays the guitars impressively as always. The solo violin piece by Raghavasimhan is one of the best moments of the track. This lullaby will take you into a sone of utmost tranquillity. The sound engineers are Vishnu Raj, Hariharan and Paul. Harish Venkat is the lyricistVaa Vaathi Music: GV Prakash KumarSingers - Shweta Mohan Lyrics - Poetu Dhanush I loved this song when it was released in late December, but waited for a few more songs and now am gladly including it as part of the best Tamil songs of January. GV Prakash Kumar who is a celebrated musician impresses me with this single and this song is a combination of energy and melody. Rajkumar Amal whose music I was quite impressed with a couple of months ago when he composed for the album "Parole". Here he is in-charge of programming. Shweta Mohan is the lead vocalist for this track and it is an absolute treat to the ears. Naveen Kumar and Lalit Talluri, two amazing Flautists go charging together right at the start. The lyrics are quite witty and Poetu Dhanush makes it that way. The song resembles the style we have observed in albums like "P Pandi" by Sean Roldan, and "3" by Anirudh. The presence of the strings section in the background is a huge plus and we have to thank Chennai Strings Orchestra for their outstanding work. They are conducted by Balaji, and recorded by Ashwin George. Yadu Krishnan sings in the background in the interlude. The stanza is as beautiful as the Pallavi and GV Prakash showcases his talent in this score. You fall in love with SHweta's voice when she sings "Band a vasichu, grandu marriageu

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 5th February 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music  with a clickable link on my Home Page 1. ByabodhanSinger - Ujjaini Mukherjee Music Direction - Barenya SahaLyrics - Somraj Das Language: BanglaGenre: Ballad I don't know whether to feel happy or disgruntled. I'll tell you why, as 2023 began, I started listening to a huge number of Bangla songs that got released in January, close to 40 or more. Based on my experience, I would love 6-7 songs at least in this sort of a cluster. However now, it is only 'Byabodhan' that made it past my rating metrics! So I feel disheartened. Having said that this song is so good that it tops the charts this week, and for that I am elated. Ujjaini Mukherjee has been featured many times on my website and she proves here yet again what a brilliant vocalist she is. Barenya Saha is the composer and I am sold in 10 seconds thanks to the brilliant arrangements by Dipesh Chakraborty, but also a huge round of applause to live instrumentalists Dwaipayan Ghosh on the stroke instruments, Jakirudding Khan on Guitars and Sandipan Ganguly on Strings. The combined effect of these instruments is mesmerising. The strokes are constant and Ujjaini grasps your attention delivering the lines with that innate sense of pathos. The Keys and Strings also keep the background occupied and Joy Nandy's timely intervention on the Tabla. The interlude has some strong harmonies and the Piano. Ujjaini owns this track, as she explores the ends of her vocal range with immaculate ease. To sing a song with an emotional connection and at the same time, sing it with adequate improvisations and vibrato are what make this a superior vocal performance. The outro with her free-flowing aalap is praise-worthy. The track is mixed and mastered by Debojit Sengupta. Somraj Das is the lyricist.  @ujjainimjee_official @barenyasaha @zeemusicbangla @spontaneous _somraj2. Ninnadu NodidaMusic: Arjun Janya  Singer: Sonu NigamLyrics: KavirajLanguage: KannadaGenre: Filmi MelodyArjun Janya is probably one of the most consistent film music composers and it is quite a rarity that someone scores such good songs with this incredible frequency. He ropes in Sonu Nigam, and there are not too many who can make a song sound this beautiful with just his/her vocal construct. It is like Sonu only keeps getting better and the love he gets from the Kannada audience is well-deserved. David Selvam is terrific at playing the acoustic guitars in the beginning, and he also is the one playing the bass and electric guitars. He also sizzles thanks to a lion's share of contribution to the output of the song, playing the Violin, Viola and also handling the Keys and Rhythm programming. Kannada music serves up a lot of melodies that stay close to the classical Raga influence and format, but this one is fresh and breezy and the interlude humming with the guitars in the background is proof of that. The backup vocalist is on fire with his fabulous humming in falsetto. The stanza takes a delightful turn after the first lines, as Arjun loads up the melody quotient. Here we hear the Violin and Viola played by David with the Cello by Seenu and Double bass by Ramachandran. At the end of the first stanza, just pay attention to Sonu breathlessly singing the Classical swaras at breakneck speed. When we get to the outro, the same notes that Sonu sang come onto the Violin. N Ramanathan the music co-ordinator and the track is mixed and mastered by David Selvam.  @davidselvam_official @sonunigamofficial 3. ShwasameLyrics - Vinayak SasikumarMusic - PS JayhariSingers - KS Harisankar, Nithya MammenComposed, arranged and programmed by PS JayhariAddn.Programming - Al NishadLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi melodyIf last week had some stalwarts from the indie space lining up in the top 10 songs, this week it is some fantastic playback singers like Sonu in the previous song, and south Indian supremos KS Harisankar and Nithya Mammen on this Malayalam melody. PS Jayhari is the composer and the established Vinayak Sasikumar has penned the lyrics. This song is not just about the tune, or the singing, but also about the excellent array of live instruments and their perfect arrangements. Jayhari handles all the arrangements and programming as well, but there are some great contributions by other musicians who arranged and conducted the strings sections. The song begins with Harisankar's vocals and the mild Keys in the background. The sense I get is that there is either a Kalyani or Yamunakalyani Ragam influence in the notes. Let us not forget the wonderful chorus too, which is formed of vocalists Amal Antony Agustin, Alexeena Shymon, Aarya Janardhanan, Jyothis Varghese, Gineesh KM, Vyjayanthi PS, Sreehari Warrier, Mejosh Joshy and Sariga Chandran of VOXOSAAA Vocal Ensemble. Amal Antony Augustun conducts the chorus. Hari just soars higher with the title line singing in the high pitch and we hear the strings section in full flow thanks to Cochin Strings involving Francis Xavier, Carol George, Josekutty, Herald Anthony and Francis Sebastian. The interlude has the flute solo by Nikhil and it is heart-warming, Sanu PS accompanies on guitars. The wait to hear Nithya is over and as the stanza opens up, she embellishes the track with her sweet voice. The composition is so rich with a long and winding stanza and PS Jayhari needs to be applauded for that. Sravan Krishnakumar has arranged all the strings and played the Cello. The part towards the end with Hari improvising on the title line, and Nithya humming in the background shows the abilities of these vocalists. The recording engineers are Sai Prakash, Shiju Eediyatheril, Ajay KJ and Akshay Kakkoth. The track is mixed by Balu Thankachan, assisted by Hariharan and Paul Daniel, and mastered by Shadab Rayeen. Is there anything better to hear than when Nithya sings like this? That is the feeling I get when she sings the Pallavi and Anu pallavi. @harisankar_ks @nithyamammen @alnishad @shiju_ediyatheril @sravan.krishnakumar @cochinstrings @shadabrayeen4. Maahi Ve Lyrics, Composition & Production: Dhidipon Dowarah

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 29th January 2023. We have 9 indie songs and 1 film song in this list and at the top of the charts is a brilliant song that is bound to move you. 1. Dil Da PechaProduced by Semwal & AgaazzLyrics by Hemant VijhLanguage: PunjabiGenre: Synth PopI know Semwal as a guy who, a couple of years ago impressed me with a mindblowing album "Elephant in the room" which had 4 amazing songs at least. I have been waiting for his next big thundering track and here it is. When I listen to so many songs, I tend to have an inkling about which of these 400 songs will make it to the very top. I got that feeling for this song for sure. Punjabi hip-hop and melody and bhangra is probably the most popular and frequent style of music released every week in India, yet very few qualify under my metric system of rating music. So even before we analyse this song I want to congratulate Shubham Semwal and Agaazz( Arjit Singh) for producing this Synth Pop wonder and showing the way and inspiring young musicians. Many songs are set in this style because I was born in the 1980s, I tend to fall in love with this genre which was famous globally at that time. But what sets this song apart is the underlying notes, chord progression, scintillating guitars and synths and for this, we have to credit Sushant Joshi on synths and Ameen Singh on guitars. The moment the guitars start and the rhythms and keyboards get introduced, it is irresistible and you have to get up and dance. Semwal is on fire singing with a cool attitude and unabating energy in his voice. The joy of listening to the bass guitars and harmonies in the background brings a smile to my face. I love how the drift happens when he sings " Main na dil da Pecha Laona" and even more satisfying notes as they move within the lines "Nave Sajan utto naviyan gallan" and finally one more beauty in the concluding segment of "man taan naveyan vich purana". This is not run-of-the-mill, and Arjit and Semwal have done a brilliant job. The track is mixed and mastered by Vic Cuccia. @semwalmusic @agaazz_music @hemantvijh @viccucciamusic @dopameen23 2. Breathe Vocals, Lyrics, Music: Kamakshi KhannaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Pop/BalladThis is a special week with many stalwarts back on the bandwagon with some terrific music. If it was Semwal at number 1, Kamakshi Khanna makes a statement and delivers an important message on mental health as well through her latest single 'Breathe'. The only reason this song comes in at number 2 is that it lost by a whisker to Semwal's single. Kamakshi who I interviewed last year promised me and all listeners that all upcoming new releases will be fraught with loads of live instruments and some solid production. Just as we were promised, listen to this and enjoy the power of music, as it slowly rises like an ember turning into a conflagration. Kamakshi has sung, written and play the Ukulele and the galaxy of live instrumentalists glorifies this track. It is just the peaceful sound of the Ukulele and her high-pitched vocals that drive the song forward. Slowly we hear the Piano by Tarana Marwah, and bass guitars by Adil Kurwa. Everything else stops and becomes a distant dream when Ajay Jayanthi plays the Violin Solo and then all the strings in the later stages. I love the notes as well as the execution and there is no better instrument than the Violin to deliver a serious message like mental health. As the song progresses, it transforms into a ballad/pop style from just being a sombre ballad at the start. Karun Kannampilly plays the drums and Apurv Isaac is on the acoustic guitars. I can feel the pain and desperation when Kamakshi sings "I'm just trying to find peace of mind". Gaurav Raina does a fine job mixing the different elements. The last 1 minute or so is a symphony of vocals and all instruments to up the ante and Ajay, Karun, Adil, Tarana and Apurv steal the show.  @kamakshikhannamusic @komorebi.music @karunk @lala_music @a_diilla @groovio @ajayjayanthi @exchangemastering3. Stuck up Composition, Lyrics, and Vocals: Neha KarodeMusic Production: Rupjit Das Language: HindiGenre: Indie PopDidn't I just say that we have a great line-up of stars in this week's countdown? Here comes one of my favourites, Neha Karode and she too had a wonderful discussion on her singing career, working for Anurag Saikia, and creating amazing fusion music when I interviewed her last year. But I am happier now that Neha now comes up with an original composition and there is nothing that falls short of expectations. Neha writes some excellent lyrics clearing standing up and saying "You are the one who's stuck up". This Jazz/Pop song has a good underlying melody and Neha just smashes home run after home run when it comes to her vocals. Feel the presence of the bass guitars by Prince Gogoi, and electric guitar strumming by Jobin David. It is an English Jazz/pop song alright but the structure is very similar to an Indian film song that has the demarcated opening verse, and then the stanza. As we have seen before Neha collaborates with Rupjit Das as the latter produces this song with wonderful and apt arrangements and programming. The highlight is the segment in the stanza that goes "If you ease up a bit, pour out your heart and submit" with some fantastic strumming on guitars and rhythms. Rupjit is the mixing and mastering engineer and Mrinal Kanti Das is the recording engineer at Playhead Studio. @nehakarode_music @princegogoi722 @jobindavid @rupjit_playheadstudio @mrinalkanti.das.334 @playheadstudio  4. MagizhiniComposed & Produced by Rini and Shakthisree GopalanLyrics: Shakthisree Gopalan & Rajesh SridharLanguage: Tamil/EnglishGenre: Jazz FusionShaktisree Gopalan moved to NY City after graduation from Berklee College of Music. She is being missed in the Tamil Indie as well as Kollywood music scene. But when we live in the post covid world of digital innovation, one can score music from anywhere in the world, record it from somewhere else and have a vocalist living 1000 miles away, yet everything comes out like a perfectly mixed hot cappuccino. The song is composed and produced by Shaktisree and Rini. The lyrics have both English and Tamil sections and they are penned by Shaktisree and Rajesh Sridhar. The moment we get the instruments playing the notes, I got a sense that maybe there is some Nalinakanti Ragam in the tune. Rini vocally performs the Swaras, and this is the first time I am hearing and reviewing Hairini Raghavan a.k.a. Rini who is NY based singer, composer and violinist. Shaktisree's English lines are so endearing and soothing like a balm on a burn. Her vocals and delivery act as a perfect compliment to Rini's energetic lines in Tamil. We have some amazing live instrumentalists here like Marco Bolfelli on Guitar, Maxime Cholley on Drums, Marcelo Maccagnan on Bass, Carrie Frey on Viola, Thea Mesirow on Cello. All these amazing musicians are band members who work and tour with Rini. In fact, I am excited to see her and the band perform live in Mumbai on Feb 23rd. The song is a creative force of bringing in a classical Car

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 22nd January 2023. We have 5 indie songs and 5 film songs in this list and at the top of the charts is a brilliant song that is bound to move you. 1. Toot Hi GayaProducer: Durgesh R RajbhattComposer: Durgesh R RajbhattLyricist: Saaveri VermaLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmi Melody When we hear some great music, it conquers everything, and I just surrender to the beauty of the melody straightaway. It is even more satisfying when it comes from the least expected quarters, say like Bollywood. One such album in January has been 'Chhatriwala' and it has multiple composers but it works pretty well. Durgesh R Rajbhatt is the composer and producer for this song that breaks your heart thanks to the melody and singing. Himani Kapoor is just unbelievable with her vocals, as she gets every element of the pathos spot on. Himani was solid in 'Me Vasantarao' for the song "Tere Dar se" and here she is once again showing her sublime singing skills. Saaveri Verma's lyrics have an equally magnificent impact. Durgesh not only composes but sings it like a dream after the initial lines by Himani. The use of the Tabla and Harmonium even while synths are being used and programmed is a wonderful combination. The interlude has some fast-paced acoustic guitars and strings sections executed and it stays brief moving into the stanza. It just keeps getting better with some solid vocals, the Sarangi and brilliant arrangements of instruments. I love how the stanza starts off with the guitars and when the lines repeat, they fade off and what we hear more is the Tabla and Sarangi combination adding immense delight. The way the stanza ends is another highlight of the track having both vocalists singing in two different layers. The change of pitch is subtle and creative. The song bears some similarities to the wonderful track "Dil K Gehna" by Rajat Nagpal and Yasser Desai released in 2022. Durgesh had impressed me last year with a fantastic indie single called "Khat", so it was just a matter of time before he came up with something awesome again.  @kapoorhimani @zeemusiccompany @durgesh_r_rajbhatt @thesaaveriverma 2. Jaane Phirse Kaise (2022)Composed, Written and Produced by Keshuv HuriaVocals by Vidhya Gopal, Keshuv HuriaLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop-Melody fusionKeshuv is one talented musician who came out as a very distinguished student from KMMC run by AR Rahman. This is not the first time I have featured his music, and he seems to be growing from strength to strength. This very EP has a couple of very good songs and I did feature a song "Teri Meri Kahani" which featured Sumedha Karmahe, and Keshuv has roped in some fantastic singers for the songs like Hansika Pareek. This one has another renowned singer who is quite suited for anything even remotely classical. Vidhya Gopal is the female lead vocalist Keshuv has written, composed, performed and produced this ravishing song that impressed me the most for its trajectory and stricture that never even sounded run-of-the-mill for a minute duration. Lascid plays the guitars and Dotaara and the talented Reena Gilbert is the mixing and mastering engineer. The vocals are endearing and we have a faint Violin, Guitars and Keyboards. Vidhya and Keshuv combine and start performing the vocals in Harmony and the eerie pathos element is sustained. In the stanza, I love the line "kal ko hum jo, rahe na rahe, rahega sada yeh afsana". Vidhya sings with just restrained control and she also delivers in the lower pitch. The outro on Keys is quite interesting and has that resemblance to the "Forrest Gump" OST soundtrack right at the beginning when the feather moves around in the air in the opening shot. The artwork is by Mriganka Bhuyan.  @keshuv_huria @vidhyagopal.musical @lascid_ @reena.gilbert @a_m_o_r_f_o_s3. Better Place (2022)Performed by Bulli Bainbridge, Shalmali KholgadeWritten by Bulli Bainbridge, Juhi SharmaProduced by Bulli BainbridgeLanguage: EnglishGenre: BalladThis EP 'Seasons' had some enjoyable music and the ones I loved the most are 'Betterplace' and 'Monochrome' featuring Shalmali Kholgade and Nushious respectively. Bulli Bainbridge a.k.a. Zain Calcuttawala is the composer and producer and he writes this tailor-made song for Shalmali. Juhi Sharma has penned the lyrics along with Zain. The violins, violas and Piano give an enraged entry like the way the curtain rises before a Broadway musical. Zain does a brilliant job producing this track and Shalmali is equal to the task. The strings section drops in intensity and after that, it is the Piano we also hear the adrenaline drop for Shalmali and all of it is intended. But just when she delivers the line " But without a sound, I scream" she ups the ante aided by the intense strings in the background. The harmonies @shalmiaow @andrewtmackay @siddharthbasrur @raghavmeattle @nushious @bohemiajunction @juiekablooey4. Another AvenueWritten and Composed by David BrittoProduced, Mixed and Mastered by Jason D'SouzaVocals by Riya Duggal Language: EnglishGenre: Synth-pop David Britto makes it a hat trick now with 3 consecutive singles being featured among India's best weekly music, but I can confidently say that this is his best work yet. This synth-pop beauty is written and composed by David, with production by Jason D'Souza. Riya Duggal is on fire and the vocals do the lion's share of pulling the song into a higher orbital of quality and likability. The lead guitars, bass and Keyboards are scintillating right from the start, but you do feel the magnetism when Riya sings "when your eyes intertwine with me, my oh my". The backing vocals support well but the song gets a good shift with the heavy Keys and Riya goes "Do I need to spell it out". I get the feeling David has given the entire gamut of creative freedom for Riya to explore her vocals and delivery these lines devoid of shackles. The lines might be the same but Riya has got different ways of executing them vocally, singing with a different style and an attached vibrato every time. The use of drums, rhythms and harmonies keep the interest intact. The DOP is Erika Besterwitch and all the art direction is by Tanvi Shah. @dave_arrows @jasonmxaudio @the_duggal_gal @bestie.erika @tanvi_joel 5. Maati Ko Maa Kehte Hain

Here are the best Indian songs of last week. There is some terrific debut by some musicians, especially check out the top ranking track sung by Shankar Mahadevan.  A few songs in this list are from the last month of 2022. 1. Meri Khushiyon KaMusic Composer: Sathish Nair Arranged & Programmed by: Vijayan Vincent Lyrics: Rashmi ViragLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmy MelodyI was puzzled when I heard this song in Hindi, wondering how and when did Bollywood start making such good songs. I was almost certain that this a south Indian song and I turned out to be right. The song is from a movie called "Regina" which is being made in Tamil and dubbed in other languages. Nowadays the trend is to release music in multiple languages with various singers. I loved the Shankar Mahadevan version in Hindi to Sid Sriram's versions in Tamil and Telugu for the simple reason that Shankar is a far superior vocalist. In-fact the song sounded very much like a Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy melody that the trio were experts in back in the 2000s. It is his outstanding voice that drags you deeper into the song but never you forget to pay attention to the plethora of background instrumentals. Sathish Nair makes a lasting impression as the composer, and his aide Vijayan Vincent must be equally appreciated for the arrangements and programming because this song is elevated thanks to its arrangements of the Strings section. Balaji & Team plays the Strings with Cynthia on the Solo Violin, Viji on the Cello, Selvaraj on the Double Bass. The way Shankar sings "Sach kehta hoon, meri duniya hai tu" and it feels like listening to that great song "Maa" from 'Taare Zameen Par'. I can hear the brilliant woodwinds in the background as well in the anupallavi section. Bruce Lee Mani plays the acoustic guitar and Alaap Raju is the bassist. The Solo Violin catches your attention in the interlude reminding us of songs like "Poove Sempoove" by Maestro Ilaiyaraja. It is closely supported by acoustic and bass guitars. Vijayan and Sathish handle the Keys and Rhythm programming. The lines "raat bhar jag ke" clearly sounds like the lines "kadhal devadhaiye" from the song 'Germaniyin Senthaen Malare" by Ilaiyaraja. Senthil Prasath is the recording engineer and Hari Shankar has mixed and mastered the track. Let us not forget to applaud Rashmi Virag for the brilliant words. @msathishnair @vincent_vijayan @shankar.mahadevan2. DardArtist: Asim Azhar  Music Composer: Kumail Abbas, Hassan Ali, Asim Azhar, Qasim AzharLyrics: Kunaal Vermaa Music Producer: Qasim Azhar Language: HindiGenre: Indie popThe song immediately impressed in a jiffy it started with a pretty mundane line, and then the next line that follows stuns you. Azim Azhar is a vocalist, who goes solo on vocals but the melody is composed by Kumail Abbas, Hassan Ali, Asim and Qasim Azhar. The opening lines tell you the whole story in a nutshell and that is the prowess of lyricist Kunaal Vermaa. "Bhale roz rulaana, hasaa bhi de naa". The best line that transforms into something brilliant is" sau dafa rootho toh ek bar mana bhi lena", it gets a kicker from Asim's throbbing vocals, lead abd bass guitar notes in the background and those interesting rhythms. Dilawar Hussain plays the guitars and a big round of applause to Qasim for his outstanding production. There are additional vocals in the background too and it is just cool and catchy as a whole package. The track is mixed by Chris “TEK” O Ryan and mastered by Joe Bozzi. I love how all the frills come to a pause in the stanza and it is just the guitars and the vocals that glide through. The delivery here in the first set of lines is with a classical flavour and immediately the notes shift into something modern with a pop twist in the line "kya zyaada maangte hai".@asimazhar @kunaalvermaa @qasimazharofficial 3. Raat (2022)Sung, composed & written: Shrinidhi Ghatate Music Production: Rhythm Shaw Language: HindiGenre: Indie PopShrinidhi Ghatate is upping the ante now and after a phenomenal English single called "Wildflower" two weeks ago now it's a Hindi track. The versatility of Shrinidhi is on full display here and she so easily shifts the style of delivery from coolness to caution. Rhythm Shah plays the guitars and produces this track. Shrinidhi has written, composed and performed this track with such fine elegance. The keyboard programming and vocal harmonies stand out and the line that sticks to my mind is "madhoshiyan, khamosiyaan sama hai raat ka". The lead guitar solo just past the 2nd minute creates a very different tone in the interlude and from there on, even the stanza sounds different from the opening and title lines. Pankaj Borah does the mixing and mastering. The label is Ahaibam Records. @rhythm_shaw @pankajborahb @dusshbag @ahaibam_records @shrinidhighatate4. Fool Artist: Emmanuel de Noronha Lyrics: Emmanuel de Noronha Producer: Emmanuel de NoronhaThis 21-year old multi-instrumentalist and producer from Goa goes solo on this one and comes out a winner in all aspects. Emmanuel de Noronha has written, composed, produced and sung this endearing single called 'Fool" and from the very first notes on the Piano, you are bound to fall in love with one. Soon enough, the brilliant backing vocals and humming join in along with some terrific synths. The drums are a great introduction when Emmanuel sings " I was only good until I let you go". The song feels like listening to Rick Astley and some of his great singles like "Never gonna give you up". The bridge section came as a good surprise and I loved how the pitch of the song shifted gradually through the bridge section rather than being abrupt. @emmanueldenoronha5. Enlightened! Written, Recorded Produced by Rounak Maiti Language: EnglishGenre: Synth-popThis Bengali boy from Mumbai moved to Los Angeles for his education and has been around since 2011 this multi-instrumentalist impresses massively with this new single. The track is written, composed, produced and performed by ROunak Maiti. The song represents all the brilliant synth-pop music I grew up listening to in the 1990s. It felt a lot like "Take my breath away" by 'Berlin'. I love the writing as Rounak sings "Bring me an empty canvas, so I can recreate the space between your eyes". The notes deviate nicely into something more unexpected with the lines " Another reason to hot the killswitch again". The track is mixed by Sanjay Das and mastered by Matt Jeffries. The label is Pagal Haina Records. @rounakmaiti 6. Jhoom Le Tu (2022)

Here are the best of Indian music for the week ending 8th January 2023. Out of these 11 songs only 2 were released in 2023 , while the remaining were released late in December 2022. 1. Muttathe MullaSinger: K S CHITHRAMusic: by 4 MUSICS Lyrics: B K HARINARAYANANProgrammer: NIHIL JIMMYLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi Melody4-Musics have been creating songs in Malayalam mostly and sometimes in Tamil and they do a wonderful job in creating untarnished melodies rich with live instrumental activity. I have featured them before but this one is probably their best yet. It is sung by the evergreen Diva KS Chitra, and it is almost beyond belief to hear her sing even today with this kind of vocal stability, control and impact. The group 4-Musics from Kochi has members Biby Mathew, Jim Jacob, Eldhose Alias and Justin James. The song has such a beautiful Pallavi and Anupallavi section with Chitra at the peak of her powers. It is set probably in Hamsadwani Ragam and the flute by Rajesh Chertala and acoustic and bass guitars vt Sumesh Parameswar decorate the track with great fervour. The way the Tabla starts off reminds me a some of Ilaiyaraja's greatest works and we have Anand and Boby Mathew playing the Tabla. The interlude has Cochin Strings in total domination mode, and with a few more Flute interventions, the song moves into a delightful stanza. It is such a rich melody that probably will end up being one of the best Malayalam releases of 2022. The strings and flute play cat and mouse in the second interlude. Balu Thankachan is the mix and master engineer, with Shekhar, Adhurv Babu as recording engineer @the4musics @kschitra @rajeshcherthala @thebaluthankachan @nihiljimmy_2. Zariya Tu Performed by RomyWritten by Romy, Sufi KhanLanguage: HindiGenre: Romantic BalladI did feature a song already called 'Maang Loon' a couple of weeks ago but did claim that the EP 'Zariya' has even better songs. So here it is, with a brilliant romantic ballad called 'Zariya Tu'. It is written by Romy and Sufi Khan with vocals by Romy. The sound of the acoustic guitars, bass, the string section in the background and the thumping rhythms all keep you incredibly glued to the proceedings. One more thing that works in favour of Romy is the amazing vocal harmonies arranged to perfection. I have a feeling there is a great influence of Raag Pilu (Kaapi Ragam in Carnatic). The song with some reverberating strings. I also love "Naina Pech Ladaayen by Romy and Simran Choudhary in the same EP and it has a sort of Latin Jazz feel to it, a groovy number that will make you want to dance. Finally, the slow sizzling melody called "Tu Mera Banja" sung by Vivek Hariharan and Madhubanti Bagchi is like an ode to AR Rahman's Bollywood music of the 2000s. Some amazing rhythms and keyboard programming along with fabulous singing intertwined with a melodious stanza make it a wonderful track.  @mainhoonromy @vivekhariharan @bagchi_mb @thisissimran_ @philosufi167 3. Mon Re Krishikaj Janona Lyrics & Music: Ramprasad SenMusic Arrangement: Joy SarkarSinger - Arijit SinghLanguage: BanglaGenre: BalladIt has been a while since we heard some good music in Bangla and finally it takes Joy Sarkar and Arijit Singh to get there. The song is composed and written by Ramprasad Sen a saint and poet who lived in the 13th century. Joy Sarkar the composer and producer, handles all the arrangements for the song and he also plays the Saz and Guitalele. The wonderful brass and strings section can be heard in the background and it can be credited to Souptik Mazumder and Achin Sarkar who have programmed. Arijit's vocals touch your heart unlike many of the Bollywood songs, where he goes about singing like a man with no heart, and maybe the bad compositions in Bollywood are to blame for that. Bubai Nandy plays the flute and Goutam Basu is the recording, mixing and mastering engineer. The Piano keeps the song grounded in its stated intent of being a slow and sombre song. It sounds very much like a Rabindra Sangeet owing to its slow tempo and structure. Ramprasad Sen is someone who brilliantly combined the Baul and Kirtan styles in his compositions. Sukanto Singha, Anirban Sinha Chowdhury and Joy all have taken up recording duties in the track. Arijit does remarkably well in transmitting the pain of the protagonist. I also am intrigued to listen to the Shreya Ghoshal version now.   @joythejoyous @arijitsingh @bubaibansuri 4. Fool's GoldPerformed by ruhdabehWritten by ruhdabehLanguage: EnglishGenre: R&BThis is the second successive EP that Ruhdabeh has released in a really short time and I did feature one single back in the earlier collective and in the latest called "about hue" I loved 'fools gold'. Tanay Purlekar is the producer, and Ruhdabeh has written, composed and sung this with such elan. Deivat Tapodhan is the man on the Piano that just feels like magic. She sings with such honesty and is filled with real emotion and the Piano aids in every note being delivered. The most favourite line that shines in the composition is " I realised, I can't even look her in the eye" and the notes drop towards the words in the end in the most unexpected fashion. Ruhdabeh raises the tempo in between and so does Deivat in harmony on the Piano. Her vocals are splendid and soar without shackles.  @tanay_parulekar @ruhdabeh @deivat_t 5. GabrieliteVocals/Acoustic guitar/Composition/Lyrics by Darren FernandesArranged by Ser O DuoLanguage: EnglishGenre: BalladDarren Fernandes is someone who I am featuring for the first time, and what a way for the artist to make a debut on my weekly charts. First of all the lyrics appealed to me right from the moment he sings " Or are you scared of your raging mind". The Flute at the beginning by Tomas Carrasco reminds me of Ian Anderson in Jethro Tull. Moa Edmunds Guevara plays the gentle nylon guitar. The track is sung, composed and written by Darren, as he also plays the acoustic guitars. The accompaniments on guitars and Flutes are constant and keep you hooked like listening to the Pied Piper. Thomas Juth does the mixing and mastering and all the exceptional backing vocals are done by Carrasco.  @darrenfernandesmusic 

This the list of the best Indian songs of the final week of 2022. I have handpicked these songs from over 350 songs across languages and states. 1. Keh Do NaVocals: Karan Verma Music: Swastik-The BandLyrics: Rohit Joshi, Mohit JoshiLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-RockJust a couple of weeks left for 2022 to draw to a close and the good music keeps coming in like goods on a conveyor belt. The Chandigarh-based Alt-Rock band has been around for a while and this has to be one of their best work yet. The highlight has to be the scintillating solo on the Violin by Jatin Chhabra. Karan Verma sings pitch-perfect vocals but nothing comes close to the impact of the Violin. Rohit Joshi on guitars and Abhishek Thakur on the bass accompany all along and they spice up things in the interlude. The stanza has some fantastic vocals by Karan, where he not only delivers some very tough high notes but also sings some unpredictable and tough notes. "Bekakar ka yeh silsila mera jo mujhko" and this line is followed by "kyun" sung in very high notes, and then Kunal follows up with a humming in falsetto. Raghav Bhutani is on th3 drums knowing when to pause, and when to smash things at the last 1 minute, especially with a fiery electric guitar solo. The song has the best of both the Alt-rock as well as the Filmi Bollywood styles. Keshav Dhar is the recording as well as the mixing and mastering engineer for the track. @swastiktheband @malsonsmedia @keshavdhar 2. O Rendu Prema MeghaalilaMusic Composer: Vijai BulganinLyricist: Anantha SriramSingers: Sreerama Chandra & Kids Chorus (Veda Vagdevi,Harshita,Tanishka,Ujjwal,Anagha & Veekshith)Female hummings: Lakshmi MeghanaI cannot write enough about Vijai Bulganin, it always seems short of praise. He is a serious talent and I can only thank God that such a brilliant composer lives amongst us. Having grown up in the age of Maestro Ilaiyaraja, I have high standards for music appreciation so Vijai should feel really proud of his accomplishments and scoring quality. Just do listen to the opening lines and the title line sung by the children in chorus. The melody is so rich and pure that you will just feel your heart melt. The finer points which set Vijai apart are the brilliant rhythms that you hear when the title line is being sung. Anantha Sriram is the lyricist and along with the kids, Sreeram Chandra is the lead vocalist. Lalit Talluri is at his best, blowing you away literally in the interlude on his Flute. Be sure to hear the delicate but definite bass notes by Shallu Varun in the interlude and he is accompanied by Abin Sagar on the acoustic guitar and Ukulele. Sreerama topples you with his incredible vocal quality and the ghamakas in the high-pitch notes are pure gold. Do pay attention to the Chennai Strings Orchestra in the background with Sreerag Dennies on Strings programming and arrangements, and Enzon being the conductor of the live strings session. Those segments reminded me of Maestro's "Oh Butterfly". The violins are running on riot towards the end and Lalit Talluri finishes the song by playing the song's title notes. Bhuvanesh Narayanan does the Keyboard programming with Balu S on additional programming. Anudeep Dev handles the vocal arrangements and the recording engineers are Anand Gurrana, KK Senthil Prasath and Bhanu Prasad. The track is mixed by Balu S and mastered by Rupendar Venkatesh.  @vijai_bulganin @anantha.sriram @sreeramachandra5 @lakshmimeghana @rupendar_venkatesh @lalittalluri @abinsagar 3. KojagiriSingers - Shreyas Puranik & Aanchal TyagiMusic - AV PrafullachandraLyricist - Jitendra JoshiSong Composed, Arranged and Produced by AV PrafullachandraLanguage: MarathiGenre: Filmy MelodyThere two very important pillars in Marathi music industry are Ajay-Atul and AV Prafullachandra and the two brilliant composers are going head to head with the former scoring for 'Ved' and the latter for 'Godavari'. Last week we had 'Besuri' at the number 1 spot, and this week it is 'Kojagiri' at number 2. I must appreciate AV for roping in a brand new talent called Aanchal Tyagi. People who read my blog last week might be knowing Aanchal from a fantastic crowd-pulling track called 'Saajanwa'. The male lead vocals belong to Shreyas Puranik with lyrics by Jitendra Joshi. This song is so stylish and probably traverses through more than a couple of styles. The initial singing is happening at the lower end of the vocal range and both Shreyas, and Aanchal excel. Jeetu Thakur plays all the live strings that you keep hearing in the background, and he just is strikes you with the creativity in the interludes. AV Prafullachandra is obviously credited with all the arrangements, programming and production work. The lead vocalists also get to explore and exhibit their higher end of the vocal range later in the stanza and it is so impressive to hear Aanchal sound like a seasoned campaigner. The live strings are present non-stop and never for a moment are the arrangements seen even marginally dull. The track is mixed by AV and mastered by Shadab Rayeen. The recording engineers are Rahul Sarma, Samir Dharap and Chinmay Mestry. Listen to the layers of the flute as we come close to the second interlude. Here it is just like a masterclass on how to have live instruments arranged and young musicians can learn so many things just by listening to this track. The humming and the flute are all loaded with quality as we approach the song's outro.  @aanchalmusic @avprafullachandra @shreyaspuranikofficial @jitendrajoshi27 @shadabrayeen @samirdharap9 @4. DuniyaMusic Composed & Produced by: Salim SulaimanLyrics: Dr. V. Nagendra PrasadSingers: Vijay Prakash, Salim MerchantMusic Co-Produced by: Raj PanditSalim and Sulaiman, I always believe are responsible for spreading the love of music all across the nation and the way singers from all corners of the country are brought on board are worthy of appreciation. The duo composed and produced the song as part of the project Bhoomi 2022. The song creates a setting of a forest dwelling community singing this, with all the high-octane backing vocals by Rajiv Sundaresan, Muheet Bharti, Aditya Kalway, Suhas Sawant, Yashika Sikka, Darshana Menon, Umesh Joshi, Janardan Dhatrak, Aditi Prabhudesai, Dattatray Mestri, Deepti Rege and Archana Gore. The live rhythms form an important component and they are arranged by Taufiq Qureshi and Raj Pandit, but the live rhythm performances are by Mumbai Stamp involving musicians Arun Solanki, Gautam Sharma, Keyur Barve, Jignesh Patel and Omkar Salunkhe. Vijay Prakash can be heard singing about the earth and its residents calling for "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". Anshuman Sharma does all the additional production. Very few could have delivered this kind of vocal performance, as Vijayprakash is on a roll here. The Keyboards are played by Raj Pandit, and Muheet Bharti is the bassist. It is not only the vocals, harmonies and rhythms, we also have some solid strings and brass section instruments in the background and they are stunning making you speechless. Tanuj Tiku produces these segments and Japjisingh Valecha conducts this session. Vijay performs the Konnakol and Swaras as part of the elaborate vocal performance and you are just glued to it. The recording engineers are Raj Pandit, Vijay Dalal and Abhishek Khandelwal. The track is mixed and mastered by Aftab Khan with Vatsal Chevli as the mixing assistant.  @salimsulaimanmusic @kaviratna_v.nagendra_prasad @tanujtiku @anshuman.sharma1 @vijayprakashvp @taufiqdjembe @rajpandit17 @muheetbharti @omkr99 @keyurdrums_official 5. Siva TerePerformed by Madhubanti BagchiWritten by A.M. Turaz, Sanjay Leela BhansaliLanguage: HindiGenre: GhazalAnyone who has watched or even been abreast with Bollywood for the last 10 years or more, must know that two very famous movie directors also compose music themselves for their movies, viz. Vishal Bharadwaj and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Sanjay has scored some amazing music in his recent movies like "Padmavat", "Gangubhai Kathiawadi" and "Bajirao Mastani". The song's opening lines have a resemblance to Kumar Sanu's "Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar" and that is why I feel there is a Raag Yaman influence. Madhubanti Bagchi is a fantastic vocalist, and she has been featured a few times by me in some Bangla songs, but this is probably one of her best. Sanjay uses the slow pace to create that massive impact of the Ghazal form and his generous use of the Tabla, Strings, Sitar and Sarangi all create such important layers in the song's beauty. Madhubanti is in top form singing "Khuda ke liye tu" in 3 to 4 different styles in the stanza, each time adding new ghamakas and improvisations. AM Turaz is the lyricist and he achieves an equally powerful impact with his words as have Madhu and Sanjay. 

Here is the list of Indias' best songs from across the independent and movie music space. After listening to more than 350 songs across languages and states of India. Do drop in your comments at the bottom of the article. If you are a musician submit your song on the website or DM me on Instagram. 1. BESURI Music - Ajay - Atul Lyrics - Ajay - AtulSinger - Vasudhara VeeLanguage- MarathiGenre- Filmi Melody/ Western Classical FusionJust last week I reviewed 'Ved Tujha' from the album 'Ved' by Ajay-Atul and these giants of Indian music prove their worth with another massive hit in the same album. In my opinion, this one is superior to the earlier song with some scintillating scores. When you have Vasundhara Vee doing the lead vocals, you probably have a winning formula already and this is the second straight week featuring a song of hers after last week's 'Garden Variety Hater' with Shalmali Kholgade. Ajay and Atul write, compose, program and arrange with Vijay Dalal being the recording and mixing engineer. The song is loaded with Pianos, Synths, Keyboards, and a persistent strings section. The sound design is fantastic and I had no doubts that this would climb to the number 1 spot in India for the week, the moment I heard it. Vasundhara sings it with such panache, and I have not heard many vocalists who can improvise and do vibrato with incredible ease and efficacy. Chinmay Mestry is the asst. sound engineer and the track is mastered by Donal Whelan. Who else but Rithu Vysakh could have played the Solo on the Viola and Cello with such impeccable style and grace? This will go down as one of the vocal performances to remember.  @ajayatulofficial @rithuvysakh @vasundhara_vee @chinamay.jpg 2. AINAVocals - Kaushik RamachandranMusic, Lyrics - Catastrotrophic DisintegrationLanguage- HindiGenre- Hindi RockHindi Rock bands are plenty, especially in the regions of Mumbai and Pune, and this is the first time I am featuring this band called "Catastrotrophic Disintegration", and Ill soon be listening to all the tracks in their debut album "Aaina". The title song is a heavy rock track infused with the goodness of Indian classical music, and 'Aaina' is probably set in Raag Charukeshi. Kaushik Ramachandran is the lead vocalist and he has vocals that allow him to tread into both the rock genre and classical Indian style. We can hear the influence of the guitarists Akash Prabhakar on rhythm guitar and Nandkishor Kumavat on lead guitar. Kunal Dalvi is both the lyricist as well as the drummer and the bassist is Pratik Borgaonkar. Kunal is a bundle of energy on the drums and the electric guitar solo is fierce once we get past the 3rd minute.  @catastrophic_disintegration3. CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSEComposed by Sanyanth NarothWritten by: Sanyanth Naroth and Abraham Zachariah Produced by Easy WanderlingsVocals - Pratika GopinathLanguage- EnglishGenre- R&B, Soul'Caught in a Parade' will certainly go down as one of the best indie EPs of 2022 in India and I have already reviewed 'Mayflower' a month or so ago. The song was slow, and sober and grew on me thanks to Nikhil Dsouza's vocals and the usual musical creativity of Easy Wanderlings. This one is the perfect example of the band's superior quality in composition and the talent pool that they boast of in terms of instrumentalists. Pratika Gopinath is the lead vocalist and she just serenades me into oblivion with her voice and the best line for me is "Everybody loves you, nobody needs you". Sanyanth Naroth composes the melody with lyrics by Sanyanth and Abraham Zachariah. The Clarinet in the interlude is played by Patricio Böttcher and Pedro Alvide, and what makes this a very enjoyable R&B/ Soul track is Varun Venkit's percussions. Abraham plays the drums and all the guitars are strummed by Sharad Rao. We can also feel the presence of Synths and Keyboards and it is Nitin Muralikrishna who does all the programming including the strings. The use of trumpets and trombones in the background gives the song the texture of Latin Jazz and Zion Mathew handles all the additional keys. I love the introduction of the flute towards the end, played by Siya Ragade and accompanied by backing vocal harmonies featuring Sanyanth Naroth, Sharad Rao and Joel Johnson. Shardul Bapat, Kartik Tate and Arnav Lalsare play the Violins. The track is mixed by Nitin, and mastered by Ronak Runwal.  @easywanderlings @graysparkaudio @ronakrunwal @palindromamusic @sanyanth @pratika.gopinath @malayvadalkar @radrao.g @shardulbapat @siyunever @zionmathew @abezch @sakshicrajan 4. SAATHVocals by Amira Gill, Haricharan, SathyaprakashWritten by Kausar MunirMusic- Santhosh NarayananIt has happened after a long time, and I just can't wait for the rest of India to find out about the incredible talent and abilities of composer Santhosh Narayanan. He is without doubt India's finest composer in my opinion and I felt elated when he first posted on Instagram about his project with Ashwini Iyer Tiwari on a new web series. The song is breezy, and melodious and makes for some loop-worthy listening. Santhosh excels not in in the underlying melody alone but also the arrangements and production that go into making the final product. The guitars and Ukulele are played by the talented multi-instrumentalist Aditya Ravindran, while all the strings section arrangements are by Karthik Manickavasagam. The first few seconds, the song starts and with the opening guitars and Ukulele, you know it lies right up there in the Santhosh zone of quality. The vocals must definitely belong to a seasoned artist, such is the authority and conviction in her delivery. No, it was Amira Gill ,who has been featured by me a few times especially working with Amrit Ramnath in 2022, and gets a great opportunity to perform for Santhosh. The opening lines tread along being very soft and classical, and that is why Amira's delivery is so pure painted with a tinge of Hindustani classical infusion. Santhosh gets the perfect vocalists for this one with Haricharan and Sathyaprakash being two male performers with gifted vocals. Amira displays that she possesses so much vocal variation and a wide range just in the lines "aa milke kaat le saare mushkilein" and then "manzilein safar mein ek saath hein" on wider ends of the vocal range. The interlude on the Violin immediately made me think if this was resembling a song composed by Govind Vasantha. I later find out that the Violin was played by the man himself, hence the quality. The song has so much to offer with a long pallavi and anupallavi, lasting close to 90 seconds. Sathyaprakash is so good that you feel your heart being moved by his voice when the stanza begins. I love how the lines"meri jaan, tu mere liye naa bani", are sung differently by the male lead just before the interlude. The presence of strings and the upright bass is so impactful. The best line of the stanza is "Na hai tu andhera, na hoon mein ujala", with the harmony of male and female leads and when the notes transform into something magnificent " bondh boondh mein bhi, milke samundar banein", you just end up surrendering to genius. and here too Amira soars into the high pitch with amazing elegance and impact. The last line with a synth loaded "Mere liye tu na bana" is where Santhosh gives a modern touch, deviating from the rest of the track, and even the Sathyaprakash and Amira move away from the classical touch to something more playful.@musicsanthosh @dsathyaprakash @amiragill @haricharanmusic @kausarmunir @adityaravindran95 @karthikmanickavasagam5. SINGARA SIRIYEMusic: B Ajaneesh Loknath Vocals: Vijayprakash, Ananya Bhat, Nagraj Panar ValturMusic Production: Bobby C R, B Ajaneesh LoknathLanguage: KannadaGenre: Filmi MelodyI know it is delayed, but it is better to feature it than completely miss or forget. Everybody talks about 'Varaha Roopam' because of the controversy (read my article), but this song is a masterpiece in its own right and reminds me of the heydays of Maestro Ilaiyaraja. Ajaneesh plays the keyboards, but I love how it starts with a folk song right at the beginning performed by Nagraj Panar Valtur. The way Ajaneesh moves from this part to the melody shows his genius, and he uses the bass guitars and flute by Kiran as a bridge. Once Vijayprakash starts we hear the wonderful rhythms by Kalyan Chakravarthi, and live percussions by Venky & group. The strings section is mesmerising and it is Chennai Strings Orchestra, conducted by Yenzone Baghyanadhan. Ajaneesh and Ganesh Karanth are heard on the backing vocals. The best part about the vocals is that Vijayprakash sounds mischievous while Ananya Bhat sounds shy and hesitant, just like the protagonists are shown on screen during the song. Also if you notice when Vijayprakash sings, it is the funky bass guitars that add decibels, but it becomes the serious sounds of the strings when Ananya sings. Kudos to the vocalists for bringing out that emotion to perfection. Balesh plays the Nadaswaram in the second interlude. The track is mixed and mastered by Sajayan Kumar with recording engineers Sajayan, Biju James, Narasimha Kruthi and Ashwin Prabath. @ananya_bhat_official @b_ajaneesh @vijayprakashvp6. MAANGLOONPerformed by RomyWritten by Kabul Bukhari, RomyLanguage: HindiGenre: This is another candidate for best EP/Album of 2022 and I will be featuring a few more songs but let us start with this one composed and performed by Romy. To me, it sounds like Raag Hamsadhwani straight away. The vocals are terrific, sung at a high pitch and accompanied by interesting rhythms. The flute solo, string section and acoustic guitars all decorate the interlude but the thumping percussions take the cakThe stanza is well-written and composed with Kabul Bukhari and Romy working together. I love the line "Tujhse tujhe, rabb se tujhe maangloon" and then followed by the humming. @mainhoonromy @kabulbukhari  7. NA JAANE TU NA MAIN JAANU Sung by – Vishal Dadlani & Shilpa Rao Music Composed by - Parth Bharat Thakkar Lyrics by - Chirag Tripathi Music Arranged & Produced by - Jarvis Menezes Language: HindiGenre: Filmi Melody/ PopManas Kumar plays the violin right at the beginning and you know that there is something to expect in this song. The Piano and drums dominate most of the instrumentals right at the beginning and it is refreshing to hear Vishal Dadlani after a long time. The interlude is a clincher as Manas' violin steals the show, and Parth must be appreciated for the wonderful composition of the melody. The arrangements and production credits per se go to Jarvis Menezes, so he is the man to have wonderfully arranged this interlude as well.  In fact that bit of the interlude was apparently written by Jarvis. Shilpa Rao takes over in the stanza and Parth and Jarvis experiment very well with the sounds and the Chords never sound repetitive or uninspiring for once. The humming is a fitting way to end the song and the production of this song is just breathtaking. @parthmusic @vishaldadlani @shilparao @chitrivichitra @kavyalimaye17 @himanshushirlekar255 @chinmay.jpg @samirdharap9 @manasviolin8. DO YOU CAREPerformed by: Meba OfiliaWritten and arranged by: Mebarisha Rynjah, Adiel MassarProduced by: adLBackground vocals: DappestThis is the second song from Meba's album after featuring 'My best behaviour' last week. This gets you into that mood of nodding your head right from the beginning and the stringed instruments pique your interest without wasting any time at all. I also sense maybe the presence of upright bass, and before I could pinpoint we get some violins, violas and cellos in the background. Dappest is the one involved in the background vocals and that keeps coming in between Meba's lead vocals and the instrumental arrangements. The Keys along with those finger flips all play second fiddle to Meba's amazing delivery. Listen to the part where she sings, improvises and does the vibrato around 'what you want, what you need, there is a thin line if you see'. Adiel Massar, Mebarisha Rynjah can pat themselves on the back for the arrangements, that is nothing short of genius. Adiel does the production while he and Mebarisha write the lyrics.  @mebaofilia @dappesst @fraapemusic @emerdjence.in @cassidygodwinmusic @_adlmusic 9. MERI ZUBAANSinger - Kamal KhanLyrics & Composer - JaaniMusic - B PraakArranged and programmed By Gaurav Dev, Kartik DevLanguage: PunjabiGenre: Filmi MelodyI feel alive not just listening to good music, but living and experiencing the consistency of terrific musicians who keep creating at an envious frequency. For all those who believe that music today has fallen off the cliff, just check out my weekly charts and here after Ajay-Atul's 2 songs in 2 weeks, we have Bpraak and Jaani combining for the 3rd song in the album 'Moh' to be featured in my weekly rankings. Paras Nath blows you away constantly with his flute interventions, and unlike the other two songs, it is not Praak as the vocalist, we have Kamal Khan singing here. The tune and melody are not new and sound like something we would have heard. It is the programming, arrangements and production that sets it apart from the rest. Listen to the interlude on the Flute solo and you will be mesmerised by Paras' performance. Bpraak produces and it is Gaurav Dev and Karthik Dev on arrangements and p[rogramming, so they deserve the huge credit. The rhythms and keyboards do enough to elevate the song. Gurjinder Guri & Akash Bambar have done the mixing and mastering. The outro is phenomenal with Kamal's humming and Paras playing the flute probably in the Darbari scale. 10. ZARA PAAS TOH BHAITHOPerformed by Shreya GhoshalWritten by Rajib Mona, Ravi BasnetProduced by Life & Music For those of us who are fans of 1990s Bollywood music, this could be just what the doctor ordered. There were many talented musicians back then, like Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan who paid a lot of attention to the underlying melody and also made sure there were a lot of live instrumentals. Here too Rajib-Mona, the composers start things off with a Saxophone, and then the strings section and guitars decorate the song enough even before Shreya Ghoshal sings a word. Ravi Basnet is the lyricist and we have Shreya being at her best, emoting like many modern-day singers cannot even attempt. The way she sings " Zara paas to bhaitho", you are tempted to sit right next to her and listen. The acoustic guitar interlude is something we have been missing for quite a while, and with the strings, I am certainly transported back in time. A major push comes from the arrangements and production and that is why Rajib Roy Chowdhury deserves credit @shreyaghoshal @rajibdroychowdhury @uniyalsona @movementcreationsllp11. RUBAAIYAAN Music by Amit TrivediVocals by Shahid MallyaWritten by Swanand KirkireLanguage - HindiGenre - Retro MelodyI have already said this feels like a true comeback by Amit Trivedi, and to have 3 phenomenal songs in one album is worth raising a toast for. Rubaaiyaan is sung by Shahid Mallya, a fine singer and I am happy he got this opportunity to deliver a fantastic song. The clarinet right at the start draws you in and the rhythms and keys all point to a golden time in Indian music as well. It is accompanied by the Woodwinds and strings section. The best-sounding line is when Shahid sings " Dil di Rubaaiyaan", and I am melting in joy. The interlude is rich with so many things happening, like the introduction of the Sarod mingles with the Clarinet and strings, and the gentle Tabla in the background. It shows that Amit as a composer was hugely impressed and inspired by the music of the 1960s and hence he can re-create that magic and yet sound original. The last line with both SHahid and Sireesha sounds like a dream. Swanand Kirkire pens the beautiful, emotional words.  @itsamittrivedi @sireeshabhagavatula @shahidmallya @anvita_dee @swanandkirkire  12. LAUT AA MERE DES Music Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman Lyrics: Shradha PanditSingers: Shreya Ghoshal, Sattar Khan LangaMusic Co-Produced by: Raj Pandit, Anshuman Sharma It is a juggernaut, the Bhoomi project and every sing that gets composed, produced and performed hits the right note without disappointing the music lover. Salim-Sulaimain duo now call up Shreya Ghoshal in 2022 for this track after "Muraliya" in 2021. Along with Shreya's ingenious performance, we have the rustic, folkish exuberance and earthiness of Sattar Khan Langa. Muheet Bharti and Nyzel D'lima play the guitars and it is the Mandolin by Tapas and Muheet that keeps intervening at important junctures. Shreya keeps you glued with her opening slow aalap-styled singing, and then Salim-Sulaiman get their A-game on with the heavy synths and keyboard influences. Salim plays the Piano and keyboard along with Anshuman Sharma and Raj Pandit. Amir Khan Bhiyani plays the Trumpet and we also get to hear the bass guitars by Rushad Mistry and Darshan Doshi on drums. I cannot point it out right but I feel both Desh and Kaapi( Pilu) Raagas are in the mix of things. The moment when Sattar Khan starts is such a high pitch and he delivers it with such style. The traditional percussions come into play with Satyajit Jamsandekar, Naeem Khan on Tabla, Aslam Dafrani and Satyajit on the Dholak as well. Raj Pandit, Muheet, Habib Khan and Kheta Khan all join the party through the backing vocals and chorus. Kheta Khan plays the harmonium and Feroj Khan plays the Morsing. Closer to the 4th minute, Shreya takes over completely and performs with such stylish and subtle vibrato, as though she has been handed a free hand to sing the way she likes. Aftab Khan has mixed the track along with mix assistant Vatsal Chevli. The recording engineers are Aftab, Raj and Muheet.  @shreyaghoshal @shraddhapandit @salimsulaimanmusic @nyzeldlima @rushad1981 @anshuman.sharma1 @rajpandit17 @muheetbharti @mixedbyaftab @sattarkhanlanga @13. KHAMOSHIMusic - KolamaVocals - Ashwin ThomasLanguage- Hindi/MalayalamGenre - Rock FusionRitic Joel plays the Keyboards and also produces and mixes this beautiful fusion track that brings the best of both worlds of Alt-Rock and Indian Carnatic Classical music. Just like Samil-Sulaiman has mastered that art, there are bands like Kolama in India that perform in this genre of Indian Rock fusion. Ashwin Thomas is the lead vocalist, and then Blesson Jacob and Edwin Antony are the guitarists. The song starts with a tinge of Abheri Ragam ( similar to Bhimpalasi in Hindustani). Kevin Verghese is the bassist and the pounding drums are played by Thomson George. The way Ashwin shifts from Hindi to Malayalam and back is seamless. @ash_thomas_156 @kolamamusic  14. ONE - KUKUBHPerformed by Kukubh, Mayank SharmaWritten by Kukubh MegwalProduced by Kukubh MegwalGenre - Alt-RockI loved the song 'Pacman' by Kukubh and Mayank Sharma a few months ago and I have been waiting to feature his next. Well here it is, and it is nothing like you can predict. That is what makes the song very exciting and Kukubh provides exactly what a music lover needs, quality combined with creativity. It sounds like a normal Soul/pop song with just the gentle guitars by Kukubh Megwal's vocals and bass by Mayank, but I dare you to think that way. The composition is quite complex and Kukubh does one step better with the programming and production. The use of the strings section is just beyond compare and he excels in getting the arrangements and execution spot on. The lines" I have been living here, but I see no difference" just comes out of the blue and that is the mark of an intelligent and committed composer. Just pay attention to the exuberant strings section in the background during these lines, accompanied by electric guitar and drums. This is a 9-minute track and so expect many moments of magic it will be a true music lover's delight. Kukubh also brings in the Flute and woodwinds to add to the incredible spread already on offer. When we near the 6th minute it is just spoken word poetry along with the guitars. Enjoy the silence and tranquillity after the initial half of belligerence.

Here is the list of India's best songs from across the independent and movie music space. After listening to more than 350 songs across languages and states of India. Do drop in your comments at the bottom of the article. If you are a musician submit your song on the website or DM me on Instagram. 1. MukilammathanMusic: BijibalVocals: Shahbaz Aman, Sithara KrishnakumarWritten by Bijibal, Harinarayanan B KGenre: Semi-classicalLanguage: MalayalamThe two vocalists Shahabaz Aman and Sithara Krishnakumar are among the finest and they pick only the best songs just like this one. Bijibal has composed this semi-classical melody that touches your heart with every note. There is an inherent sadness in their delivery and both Shahabaz and Sithara never lose track of the messaging and style of singing needed. Bijibal is immensely talented and consistent as a composer and he brings in all the wonderful elements of live instrumental music. Listen to the mesmerizing Veena in the interlude and this is where I felt that maybe there is a Raag Jog (Naatai in Carnatic) influence but the song probably has many other Ragas in the mix. The background strings section is so effective and it keeps you invested. The rhythms are simple but it is the vocals of Sithara and the accompaniments on Keyboards, Flute and melancholic humming that make you weep. The second interlude has the flute solo and Shahabaz continues to enthral just the way Sithara did in the first stanza. Harinarayanan BK has penned the words. 2. Sakkare PuttaMusic composer: Charan RajVocals: Meghana BhatMelody co-composer: Narayan SharmaMusic programmed by: Narayan Sharma Language: KannadaGenre: Filmy MelodyCharan Raj is an absolute genius and he will be among India's top 5 composers according to me. He gets even better when he works with this composer/producer/instrumentalist Narayan Sharma and the two have worked on the melody of this amazing song. The song immediately reminds me of Santhosh Narayanan's "Ey Sandakkara" from the movie 'Irudhi Suttru'. The strings in the background by Cochin Strings are fantastic and they too remind of the older song. The brilliant addition of the flute solo by Nikhil Ram in the background and all his interventions are the hallmarks of Charan and Narayan with the latter handling all the production. Keba Jeremiah plays that lovely acoustic guitar and there are segments where I am reminded of Santhosh's song " Vennila" from 'Vellai Yaanai' especially the interludes, the flute and the percussions. Let us not forget how brilliant Meghana Bhat is on the vocals as she keeps adding the oomph factor with huge generosity in the song. The combined effect of the flute, Keys, strings and percussions by Shruthi Raj is beyond magic. The song only keeps getting better as we hit the stanza and the melody of the song is elevated by all the multiple instruments and kudos to the arrangements and production. Venkatesh Bhat is the music supervisor and the recording engineers are Divine Joseph and Vishnuraj. The track is mixed and mastered by Sujith Sreedhar.  3. More Saiyyan JiSinger: Maninder ButtarLyrics: Jaani Music & Composer: BPraakLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmy -Folk MelodyHow many times do I have to say this? B Praak is a treasure and he is a diamond in the rough if I have to refer to music, in general, coming out of Punjab. He is not even singing in this venture and yet he just amazes me with the terrific production. The melody is not entirely new and many songs have similar notes, but it is the arrangements, and programming that magnify the goodness of this track. The Shehnai and Dhol and Dholak are a great combination making the wedding scene and setting come alive and Praak executes it perfectly. Maninder Buttar on vocals is full of life and maybe the song's style and genre don't suit B Praak as a vocalist with his heavy and high-pitched style of singing. In a way, the song does also remind me of Pritam's "Kabeera". The acoustic, bass guitars and vocal harmonies are huge factors in making the song feel fabulous. Gurjinder Guri and Akash Bambar have mixed and mastered the track. I especially love the chorus singing " tere bin mera, kaun piya re" in the second interlude. Jaani is the lyricist. 4. Trishna Antarman KiVocals and Composition: Nihira Joshi-Deshpande Lyrics: Apoorva Kulkarni Genre: Semi-classical FusionLanguage: Traditional HindiNihira Joshi-Despande is an exotic bird or a rare gemstone and although she might not be popular like some of the other modern-day female composers, she is right up there among India's finest. In-fact, if I have to rank some of them purely based on creative talent, Then Nihira will be the number 1 composer. Many months ago she released a Hindi song with a Latin Jazz twist which placed it right at the top of that week's chart. In this latest EP, I am quite confident she will set the guns blazing and the first track is a testament to that fact. Nihira's vocals are just accompanied by keys and it is set in Raag Hamsadhwani. The flute comes in when she sings "Bansuri". Carlos Cano plays multiple instruments like the flute, Vibraphone and all the percussion and he also handles all the arrangements. There is a massive intervention segment on all these instruments making it much more than a classical Hindustani-styled track. Hernán Milla González plays the Keyboards and the recording engineers are Amey Londhe and José Fernando Tercero with the former also mixing and mastering the track. Apoorva Kulkarni is the lyricist 5. Garden Variety HaterPerformed by Shalmali Kholgade, Vasundhara VeeWritten by Shalmali KholgadeProduced by Sunny M.R.Language: English Genre: Alt-popWe have already seen Shalmali's earlier single called 'Chills' from this EP and just like Nihira, Shalmali too is a prodigious talent. She is immensely underrated as a singer and composer and I am always ready to bet heavily on her. Here she performs along with another worthy compatriot in Vasundhara Vee. The two lead vocalists set the stage on fire with some amazing Tenor Saxophone , Trumpets and Trombones in the background played by Jovan Quallo, Steve Patrick and Joshua Scalf . Sunny MR is the genius at work here producing all the songs in this EP and the credits for arrangements and programming go to him. I can keep writing about the vocal performance and I can only view this as a beautiful battle between two astounding performers. 6. Phero Na NajariyaMusic by Amit Trivedi, Lyrics by Kausar MunirVocals by Sireesha BhagavatulaLanguage: HindiGenre: Retro MelodyI have been critical of Amit Trivedi over the last couple of years as he has been one composer who has fallen from grace. I remember being mindblown by albums like "Fitoor", "Dear Zindagi", "Lootera" and "Udta Punjab". His journey since 2019 has been nothing worth mentioning, so I was suspicious when I heard that Amit was the composer for this film called "Qala" based on a musician's life. To my greatest surprise, the songs in the album have been refreshing and I am glad that Amit has probably redeemed himself. The album has at least 3 amazing tracks, and to score music like the 1960s without sounding repetitive and uninspiring is one heck of a feat. This song takes me to a happy and contemplative space and Sireesha Bhagavutula is outstanding to say the least She is a vocalist who has been recently featured a lot on my weekly charts and I am elated to see her name in all the tracks of the album. The use of the Tabla, Harmonium and Sitar is exquisite and they create the aura of Retro music. As the song progresses we also hear the Sarangi in the interlude. Sireesha continues to sing with impeccable control and she never goes overboard keeping substance over style. Kausar Munir is the lyricist. 7. Aas Ka SoorajMusic - Ashu ChakrabortySinger - Javed AliLyricist: Amrendra VatsLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmy MelodyThe song has a Raag Jog influence in my opinion and the music is composed and produced by Ashu Chakraborty. He also has done all the design of rhythms and additional programming for the song. Ashu is someone who I have not reviewed or featured before and that is why it is very exciting to review his song from the movie 'Shadow Assasins'. Javed Ali is the lead vocalist with lyrics by Amendra Vats with some interesting messages. We can hear the impact of the grand orchestral music in the background, especially the strings section and it is Debasis Shome who has done all the orchestral arrangements. Sanjoy Das the exponent of guitars has also done the guitar design. Samir Dharap is the recording engineer along with Sanjit Giri and Soumen Paul. Soumen is also the mixing and mastering engineer for the track. The highlight was the introduction of the Saxophone in the interlude because not only was it a pleasant surprise, but it also was wonderfully executed and arranged. The song is very slow and melancholy-filled and Javed's singing  8. Sun Aye MiliSong Composed, Arranged and Produced: A.R. Rahman Singer: Vishal MishraLyrics: Javed AkhtarMusic Supervisor: Hiral ViradiaLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmi MelodyAR Rahman is not yet done, and if he is down, he is certainly not out yet. Ignore him at your peril, I guess. This movie is a remake of a Malayalam hit movie called 'Helen' and though the movie does not have great reviews, I liked a couple of songs, especially this one. Vishal Mishra is a composer/singer to watch out for, and If you have been following him or at least read my blog, his name would have been a regular. I am just stoked to see him performing for AR Rahman and just glad he is getting what he deserves. The strong points of the track are his vocals, the Sitar by Manisha Rai which keeps playing beautifully right through, and the vocal harmonies by El Fè Choir team. The movie is about survival instincts and ARR has gotten the right arrangements and production done to instil that feeling in us to make us experience what Mili herself is in the movie. Saar Singhal has conducted and arranged for the Sunshine Orchestra. This song could have been easily handed to Arijit Singh, but it would have sounded like 1000 other older songs, and it is only the fresh voice of Vishal that smashes this one out of the park. Dont you just love the vibrato bit "gunguna raha hmmmmm aaaa", and get up and give an ovation to Sarthak Kalyani for performing this incredible line. The rhythm programming, keyboards and the fast-paced Sitar in the background are pure gold. Sarthak is on the additional vocals and Keba Jeremiah. It has been a long time since ARR has created even a glimmer of magic like this, keep playing this on loop. The recording engineers are Suresh Permal, Karthik Sekaran, Sarthak Kalyani, Suryansh Jain, Prashanth Venkat, Nitish R Kumar, Dilshad Shabir Shaikh, Sivakumar S, Pradeep Menon, Aravind MS & Krishnan Subramanian. The track is mixed by Nitish Kumar and mastered by Suresh Permal, with iTunes mastering by Riyasdeen Riyan.  9. Mathe Mathe Muhu ModakeMusic: Arjun JanyaSinger: Vijay Prakash, Anuradha BhatLyrics: KavirajSome people don't seem to like his music, but from what I have heard over the years, I believe he has got quality and he never composes plain mundane uninspiring songs. Arjun Janya is the man being talked about here and check out this latest track sung by Vijay Prakash and Anuradha Bhat. Sound design, by Rajan, all the keyboard programming by Sharan Rao and rhythm programming by Aneesh Solomon deserve credit for their quality. David Selvam on guitars and Napier Naveen Kumar on bass are stunning. Bala plays the Nadaswaram and the song feels like an influence of Sumanesa Ranjani Ragam. The song has a good stanza as can be expected from Arjun and it gets glorified thanks to the lead vocalists. The track is mixed and mastered by David Selvam. 10. Ruk JaMusic Composed & Produced by: Salim Sulaiman Lyrics: Shradha PanditSinger: Sonu NigamMusic Co-Produced: Raj Pandit, Muheet BhartiLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop fusion The Bhoomi project continues and we have one more feather to the cap now in the 2002 collection. This one is sung by one of my Bollywood favourites of all time, Sonu Nigam and it is composed by the dynamic brother duo of Salim and Sulaiman. The Piano and keyboards for the spine of the song and we have Salim playing it and Sulaiman as always playing the Zen drum. It does remind me of the famous song "Pardesi Jaana nahin". Sonu is a master of using all his vocal strength and adding to the melody;'s beauty. It is a lesson for even other popular artists in knowing how to use ghamakas without being unimaginative and repetitive. Momin Khan Niazi plays the scintillating Sarangi in the interlude along with Darshan Doshi on drums. Salim-Sulaiman has a knack of writing musical notes with a lot of unpredictability and it happens here too in the opening parts of the stanza. The song is produced brilliantly by young talents Muheet Bharti and Raj Pandit who have been featured numerous times on this blog. Just listen to the change in style at the end of the first stanza, when the Tabla replaces drums and we have Ojas Adhiya and Naeem Sayyed playing. Muheet and Nyzel D'lima are on guitars and Jarvis Menezes is on the Keyboards along with Raj. It is always a dream to listen to Salim-Sulaiman songs especially in the Bhoomi Universe because of the immense effort and varied elements in every song. Rushad Mistry is the bassist, and all the wonderful Strings section and Brass section Orchestra is conducted and arranged by Japjisingh Valecha. This galaxy of young talent working under Salim-Sulaiamn's tutelage is the greatest gift the composers have given us. There are moments I sensed some Raag Charukeshi as well. The recording engineers are Aftab Khan, Raj and Muheet with Aftab on mixing and mastering duties and Vatsal Chevli assisting on mixing. 11. SaajanwaComposer : Abhijeet SrivastavaLyrics: Shayra ApoorvaMusic Produced by Aman Moroney, Ashish Manchanda, and Abhijeet Srivastava Vocals - Aanchal TyagiLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie popA couple of months ago visited Aman Moroney's studio, after the composer/producer invited me to have a little chat with some of his students who were learning music at The Media Tribe, an institute for music production. He played me a song that was set to release and I was blown away by the sheer magic in this woman's voice. Aanchal Tyagi was discovered after she was doing online covers of famous songs. She has now sung in a few songs with some great producers like Sashwat Sachdev and even sung in Marathi for AV Praffullachandra. This song will make you swoon and swing in joy as the melody composed by Abhijeet Shrivasta is sweeter than nectar, Aman's production is an example of turning something from 'Good' to 'Great'. The track is produced by Aman, Ashish Manchanda and Abhijeet. Just listen to Aanchal's vocals and you wonder if this is Shreya Ghoshal herself with a few years turned back. Aman plays the acoustic and electric guitars along with the Esraj as well. Ejaz Hussain plays the Sarangi. There is a strong chorus team involving Utkarsh Wankhede, Bhushan Meshram, Tejaswini Khodatkar and Gayatri Nagose and some fancy work follows after she sings "Main tumse haar gayi". This is where we hear both the Esraj and Sarangi. The stanza oozes of some rich musical quality and Abhijeet's tune is extremely catchy. Vaibhav Duratkar plays the Tabla, and all the vocal production and backgrounds are by Ghospop. The recording engineers are Jignesh Shetye, Dhaerya Malhotra, Aman and Abhijeet. The track is mixed and mastered by Ashish and Aman at Flying Carpet Productions.  12. SaavanGuitars/Composition/Production- Ritwik Shivam Vocals - Pritam Goswami AdhikaryLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-RockIt was a few months ago in early 2022 that I featured and reviewed a song called 'Panchi' by the band Aarlon. Now they are back with an even better song that is bound to captivate you. Ritwik Shivam is the composer and producer and he also plays the guitar, the incredible vocal performance comes from Pritam Goswami Adhikary. Piyush Rana is also the guitarist and has penned the words for this track. We have the electric guitars and drums working in tandem along with the incredible delivery of Pritam, all making it one fine Rock song. Ankit Ganguly is the bassist and Prankeet Borah is the drummer. I love how the song shifts from being something on steroids to something as peaceful as the morning sun. This is one helluva song that will be most suited for lonesome listening and introspective thoughts.  13. TimeWritten and performed: Shujan De and KokoProduced by: Chirak JamioLanguage: EnglishGenre: Soul/PopThe song is titled 'Time' but the timing of its release did not matter to me. I remembered for a long time that this song moved me so much but I had completely forgotten to feature and review it back then. Thankfully I recollected it just time before 2022 ends. The song is performed by Shujan De and Koko with the immaculate production of Chirak Jamio. The strumming of the guitar breaks through like daylight at the turn of dawn and Shujan's voice reflects the vulnerability of a man in love. Until now the vocals and guitars keep you engaged, but when the brilliant strings section in the background turns up, I just succumbed and surrendered to the beauty of the song. Koko's vocals are incredibly pristine and complement Shujan's vocals. This song keeps you grounded and without realising the eyes shut down and the ears open wide to absorb the song's notes and arrangements in its entirety. I feel tears when I hear "who we are to fall in love". The track is mixed and mastered by Kevi Pucho with all the recordings happening in Element Indie Studio, Dimapur Nagaland.  14. Best BehaviorPerformed by: Meba OfiliaWritten by: Mebarisha Rynjah, Adiel MassarProduced by: adLLanguage: EnglishGenre: Soul, R&BRecently one of my favourite Indian musicians Shalmali Kholgade share a post on Meba Ofilia's album 'Untitled.SHG' and her amazing work. at about the same time I also listened to her music and it was nothing short of stunning. This brilliant hip-hop artist/songwriter hails from Shillong and she is one more source of evidence that North East India is the most talented lot in Indie music. I'll be featuring one more track called "Do you care?" next week but for now let us enjoy this, which just symbolises India's place in global music. It feels like listening to Tina Turner and my favourite line is "Still I put on my best behaviour" accompanied by the rich strings section in the background. Adiel Massar deserves all the credit for the music production, programming and arrangements involving rhythms and keyboards. There is some very interesting vocal harmonies section as well. Mebarisha Rynjah, Adiel Massar  15. Evariki VaraeMusic - Leon JamesSinger - Harish SivaramakrishnanLyrics - Ramajogayya SastryLanguage: TeluguGenre: Semi-classical fusionHere we go, and I am all praise for Leon James, as getting two songs from the same album featured is not an easy feat. Two weeks ago I wrote about "Avunanavaa" sung by Sid Sriram and composed by Leon and here is another beautiful song set in Reethigowla Ragam and sung by the great Harish Sivaramakrishnan of one of India's greatest bands Agam. The song has all the great assets of this incredible Raaga and Leon arranges and programs it with Violins, guitars and spectacular rhythms and keyboards. Ramajogayya Sastry is the lyricist and we can just fall in love with Harish's exquisite ghamakas. The Flute solo intervention and humming by Harish form a nice interlude ending with a brisk Violin solo. It becomes a worthy duel between these two instruments in the outro. 16. Kya KareinSingers: Ananya Birla & Ankur Tewari

1. DeshMusic, Lyrics: Bridge MusicVocals:Genre: Semi-classical FusionLanguage: Hindi The core team of Bridge Music is formed by Sam Alex Pasula, Sober Emmanuel, and Nehemiah Kulothungan, who are also musicians, songwriters and producers. The team has some splendid musicians as well starting with Sober on lead guitars, Vineeth Methuselah on bass guitars, Solomon Raj on drums, Stephen Netto on Keyboards, Joel Udai on electric guitars, Sathwick John on guitars, Jesh Abraham as the Flautist, Sephas Wesley as the sound engineer. The idea of Bridge Music is to identify great young musical talent and produce songs every year. This Song 'Desh' was one of 8 released in 2021 but I came across this on streaming platforms just recently. I hope to listen to the rest and cover them as well and I am sure they will be featured even if they are half as good as this. The songwriters are a big crew for this track featuring Sheldon Bangera, Hemant Sharma, Natalia Kashyap, Balaji Kumar, Stephen Netto, Aneesh Daniel, Sheenu Mariam, Solomon Raj & Rachel Meghna. There are modifications by Anand Paul, Samarth Shukla, Prakruthi Angelina, Rachel Francis & Nehemiah Kulothungan. The main vocalists are Aneesh Daniel and Prakruthi Angelina but they get some splendid support from the backing vocalists Natalia Kashyap, gang vocals by Silvanus Brightie, Jim Eliot, Rachel Diana & Vindhya Naidu. Sam on Piano and the other lead and bass guitar players keep everything neat and of supreme quality. The production is superlative and it shows when a semi-classical melody is presented with modern flavours. Sheldon plays the acoustic guitars but the electric guitars are not far behind in creating the impact. Solomon Raj is a constant source of energy on drums with Sanjeev Sanju on Indian percussions. The keyboardists are Stephen Netto and Stanley Sajeev. There is a bridge section where the two vocalists Aneesh and Prakruthi simply sizzle with a folkish touch and here I get a feeling there is a resemblance to Raag Desh. The outro is a masterpiece as well heavy on alt-rock styles, as the chorus performs aided by guitars and drums almost feeling like a song by Coldplay. I have tried my best to capture elements of the song but I probably haven't even reached the halfway mark of the song's intricate layers. Just listen and feel blessed, and embrace the quality of the music. The recording engineers are Sabi Thankachan, Stephen, John Sathwick and Ashish Joseph. Same Alex does the mixing and Alex Solano does the mastering.  2. Dil Dubda JaaveSung, Composed, Lyrics: Pallavi IshpuniyaniMusic production: Avijeet SatapathyGenre: Semi-classical FusionLanguage: TraditionalPallavi Ishpuniyani has never been featured on this website before but what a brilliant debut. She goes solo with writing, composition and vocals in this semi-classical melody but all the credit for music production will go to Avijeey Satapathy who does a fine job. The keyboard programming combines well with the rhythms. A nice piece of the Sarod gets introduced followed by the Flute solo in the interlude. The electronic pop and synth-heavy programming are a creative way to deliver a classical melody that Pallavi has composed. Praveen Muralidhar has mixed and mastered the track. Suketu Bhuva and Dhanada Phatarphod are the Label executives.3. HygienePerformed by Atharva PhadkeWritten by Atharva Praful PhadkeLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockI am thrilled to just review this song, which is one of the very best I have heard from all over India last week. It very well could have taken the No.1 spot, that's how amazing this track is. Atharva Phadke has written, composed and performed this vocally. The song starts with some sensations of guitars by Atharva and Shubham Vaidya on drums. Atharva has a great voice and he utilises to great effect. The guitars, drums, bass and Keys combine with immaculate precision and style and the song is beautifully worded as well as Atharva sings " Trust me on this topic, Profound is misery, God knows I deserve to be free". There is a mild interlude on guitars and it slowly fades into the background. This song is the epitome of the talent India can boast of musically and even dethrone global stars. Atharva excites me as a music journalist and I urge you all to keep a close eye on this lad. 4. Bheegi AnkhiyaanLyrics: Nishant Kushwaha Featuring Vocal: Krishna BonganeVocals: Ashish NaskarGenre: Semi-classical fusionLanguage: HindiThe band Yugaant puts on an insane show of talent on this track and it is always one of my favourite genres i.e. India Classical fusion. Siddharth Shenoy is the producer and he plays the Keys and sings the harmony vocals. He also handles all the programming on keyboards. Krishna Bongane is the featured lead vocalist and his brilliant aalap sounds a lot like Raag Patdeep to me. Ashish Naskar is the band's lead vocalist who also sings in this beautiful track. I could close my eyes and fly away into space listening to the opening minute of vocal brilliance. Pratyay Mishra then starts strumming the guitar and Harsh Damania is the bassist. Bhushan Chavan plays the acoustic and bass guitars and within a few seconds, we move from Indian classical to rock style. Sukhpreet Singh plays the Beatbox and Vishal Bhanushali is the drummer. From here on it is a joyful ride of mixed styles and Yugaant delivers on both fronts. Siddharth, Bhushan, HArsh and Pratyay all play backing vocalists for this. After the 4th minute, it is all about the lead and electric guitars and drums and we are in for a rock-fest. Sidharth and Ashish are the recording engineers, and the latter also does the mixing and mastering.  5 . Itne BurePerformed by Tyesha KohliWritten by Tyesha KohliProducer: Fisher ThompsonLanguage: Hindi/EnglishGenre: Indie Pop, BalladShe is a rising star, and you too will start becoming fond of this performer with every new release. Tyesha Kohli was just featured last month with a sweet track called 'Sweet Sweet Boston', but this one is superior to that one in every way possible, according to me. This is also interestingly bilingual and Indian artists need to do something like this because it could be appealing to listeners to hear both Hindi and English and could have a farther reach, and the artist too can show diverse skill and variation when they can write in more than just the 1 language. Tyesha, has written, composed and sung this but she owes Fisher Thompson for the fabulous production. Gopi Vadsak does the photography work for the song cover. The sound of the Piano is beautiful like poetry, and the transformation from English to Hindi lyrics happened so smoothly and credit to Tyesha for that. I really hope singers like herself are given a chance in the Bollywood movie space, just so that their talent is given some recognition. The guitars engage with the beautiful basslines, but nothing captures the melancholy of the track like the strings section in the background. Tyesha does exactly what the song demands in terms of her improvisation, vibrato and so on without ever overcooking the good recipe. Listen to her elongate the line beautifully "Am I wrong to pick a fight" around the 2.25-minute mark. Even the bass guitar notes modify themselves so nicely in the background and all this means that the programming and arrangements have been executed quite well. She brings out the pain in her voice and message so effectively singing " she lenge ab yeh bhi abhi, ooh ooh ooh". Once that happens the drums, Keys and guitars build up in energy to sound cathartic. 6. So long, already againMusic, Lyrics by Anoushka MaskeyProducer: Pranay BakshiLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie Pop, BluesAnoushka Maskey is probably the first name that comes to my mind when someone asks me to name the brightest and most talented vocalist in the Indian indie space. Here is Anoushka Maskey once again proving what I believe in strongly and exhibiting her full potential in this track. Anoushka has written, composed and sung like a beautiful cadence. Pranay Bakshi, her usual accomplice in art does fantastic production along with mixing and mastering the track. The slow burn of the guitars is followed by Sahil Mathew's stunning bass guitars. After that, you cannot help but stay focused on her vocals and what she is capable of doing with that blessed voice. The travails of long-distance relationships couldn't have been better expressed than through Anoushka's vocals and words. She is a magician with impeccable and inexplicable tricks that she keeps unleashing with her vocals. The slow beat of the drums, the keys and the vocal harmonies all are engaging layers brought together by Pranay. I feel it when she sings "I'm closing my eyes, IM parting my lips", and that can be achieved only by a capable vocalist who excels in expressionism. 7. Tu ShaamilSinger - Jazim Sharma & Himani KapoorFeaturing Artist - Jazim Sharma & Tajasvi SharmaLyrics - Saaveri VermaComposer - Rimi DharMusic Producer - Sanjay JaipurwaleLanguage: HindiGenre: Filmi Melody, Light musicRimi Dhar is a respected composer and I look up to her as one of the beacons that would someday make the lives and prospects of women music composers much brighter. Jazim Sharma the vocalist, Rimi, Saaveri Verma have all been featured more than once on my weekly charts and when these masterminds combine the end result is bound to be this good. The melody is a very relatable tune but it is Sanjay Jaipurwale's production that adds a different texture and colour to the song. Jazim opens the account as the lead vocalist and we can hear accompaniments on the Keyboard. The best line is the title line where Jazim brings all of his vocal creativity, and then the electric and bass guitar interventions make you take notice. Himani Kapoor is the female lead vocalist and the two complement each other quite well. The track is mixed and mastered by Bhaskar Sarma. Partha Protim Das is the recording engineer and the moving lyrics are by Saaveri Verma. 8. WalohaWritten & Performed by Ali SaffudinRecording, Production & Mixing: Ritwik De, Amar PandeyLanguage: KashmiriGenre: Alt-Pop, Alt-RockIt starts with the effect of AR Rahman's 'Dil Se' title track, helped by strong guitars, and rhythms. Drummers Suyash Gabriel, Aman Singh Rathore and Aveleon Giles Vaz are involved and help in raising the ante of the track. In the album released by Ali Saffudin "Wolivo", this was my favourite track. The song is produced by Ritwik De and Amar Pandey who have also been recording and mixing engineers. Ali has written, composed, played the guitars and sung this gentle giant. The singing is inspirational and you can hear him putting all his effort and sounding excited and emotional like he means every word. The electric guitars are stunning, to say the least treading on the 'heavy metal' style. I can just urge you to play it in full blast and let go of your shackled emotions. The song is cathartic and will make you experience satisfaction at another level. There are layers of vocals, and the guitars keep altering their tempo. Prash Mistry is the mastering engineer. The visuals are by Yashovardhan Singh and the illustrations by Ajinkya Dekhane. 9. AasmaanWritten, composed and produced: Arunansh BhattSingers: Divyansh Sharma, Sai SilpaLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie pop, Soft balladAfter hearing some Heavy Metal, it is always perfect to calm down the nerves and cool the emotions. There cannot be a better track in this week's line-up than Arunansh Bhatt's "Aasmaan". Arunansh has composed, written and produced the slow, sentimental pop ballad and we have Divyansh Sharma and Sai Shilpa as the lead vocalists. The humming in the interlude aided by the Piano in the background is heartening, and then it is followed by the Sarangi. The opening of the stanza with the Tabla makes it delightful adding to the tranquillity. There is a tinge of Asha Bhonsle hidden in Sai Shilpa's voice, at least that is what I felt. I also did sense some Raag Bilawal in the song in segments. Arjit Agarwal does the mixing and Rima Biswas does the artwork. 10. Dil Khuda Tu Sung, Written and Composed by: Aditya KalwayMusic Produced by: Aditya Kalway and Muheet BhartiLanguage: HindiGenre: Synth-popThese young musicians are our hope, and I am putting my eggs in these baskets that will safeguard our musical future. Aditya Kalway is a brilliant, vocalist, composer and lyricist as well. He has written, composed and performed this number and this is probably the 4th single that I am featuring. Add to this we have another supreme talent in Muheet Bharti who is also a singer/ songwriter and he has joined hands with Aditya in producing this. The label is that of genius brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant and they never seem to stop promoting our nation's best talents. The Keyboards are like the Bazookas for this one as the song has a huge influence of synths and it works juxtaposed against Aditya's vocals. We can also hear some lofi-styled output and I love it as long as it doesn't dominate the melody. Ravi Romana has mixed and mastered the track. Aditya sings this with incredible control and do listen to his groovy ghamakas as he sings " Ab kar diya khudko, tere hawaale".   11. Find you therePerformed by Mohit MukhiWritten by Mohit MukhiProduced by Mohit Mukhi, Soutrik ChakrabortyLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie pop, BluesI am glad I found him here. Mohit Mukhi is a debutant for me on my website featuring India's best music every week. But this feels like breathtaking baptism as I am convinced that Mohit has some amazing things to offer music lovers in 2023. He has written, produced and performed the song that feels like a slow Elton John song, and memories of "Candle in the wind" come to the fore. Mohit sings and plays the guitars, and we have Mayank Singh Rawat on drums and Smit Hajare on bass guitars. Soutrik Chakraborty has co-produced the song and he also is the mixing/mastering engineer. It is nice to hear a secondary layer of vocals and also Aditya Ahir's Keys. I love how Smit continues to impress on the basslines despite being so much lower on the spotlight and decibel levels. The lead guitar solo is free-flowing and a major highlight, combining with the female and male harmonies. Heather Andrews is the backing vocalist and the outro is a refreshing change, out of the blue as the focus is just on acoustic guitars and Keys now. Ashish Anand is the recording engineer and all the artwork is by Drishali Motwani. 12. Andhala ChandamamaveySinger: Sid SriramLyrics: RehmanMusic: Gopi SundarLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi MelodyAfter a super project called "Nitham Oru Vaanam" a bilingual in Tamil and Telugu, with 3 fabulous songs, Gopi shifted focus to a Telugu album and this is proof that Gopi Sundar is in no mood to stop right now. The Mohan Veena at the top starts things off and Gopi goes for glory by picking stalwarts like Sid Sriram as the lead vocalists. The sounds of the guitars, Mandolin probably (or maybe the Guitalele) are just way too cool and the arrangements deserve applause. The rhythm programming is another plus for the song, but Gopi's tremendous use of the Guitalele works wonders for me feeling like a leaf out of the US Country music book. At a time when musicians have stopped creating marvellous interludes, Gopi somehow still follows the old-school style and that is fantastic for music lovers like me.13. What worldPerformed by Thermal And A QuarterWritten by Bruce Lee Mani, Leslie Charles, Premkumar Rajeev Rajagopal, Tony Jason DasLanguage: EnglishGenre: Jazz-rockThermal And A Quarter were once rated as the best with some terrific songs back in 2020 in my weekly and monthly charts for their brilliant album "A world gone mad". Bruce Lee Mani on guitars and vocals enthrals us as Rajeev plays the drums and Leslie Charles plays the bass guitars and Tony Das is on the guitars. The most intriguing part of the song is however the Tenor Saxophone by Gautam David. He is on fire, spewing even more as the song moves forward. Closely matching him on energy and enthusiasm in the track is Rajeev's drums and percussion. Ananya Raja of the band 'Kelvikkuri' can be heard singing in the background right through. This is one song that would have brought down the roof while being played live. 14. Pehli DafaPerformed by Sunny SubramanianWritten by Alok Jha, Sunny SubramanianLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-Classical fusionThe moment the violin solo by Manas Kumar hits you, I could sense a bit of Raag Jog, and the melody started flowing with the acoustic guitars as well. Sunny Subramanian and Alok Jha have penned the lyrics, with the former composing and performing. Just the vocals, guitars and mild percussions drive the song forward, and it magnifies into something bigger and more impactful when Manas plays the Violin. The structure and the underlying melody are simple but it is the live instruments and arrangements and production that conquer the heart 15. Lullaby for the Anxious BonesWritten & Composed by - Raman Negi Vocals: Raman NegiSong Produced by : Gaurav Chintamani & Raman NegiLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-RockI think it is official, Raman Negi would be the single artist to have appeared in most of my weekly charts for 2022. It is not a simple feat, to be among the top 15 on more than 6-7 occasions, meaning that all these songs have beaten 400 other music releases across India in the respective weeks. Raman's songs are like beating 97% of others in terms of quality and to achieve this so many times is something I'll stand up in ovation for. The guitars, the vocals, the composition, the live instrumental arrangements and I could keep piling up on the great factors that make his songs amazing. Raman and the usual suspect Gaurav Chintamani playing the acoustic guitars, with Raman on electric guitars and Gaurav being the bassist as well. The collective symphony of all the guitars and drums is like paradise on earth and that is what I experience when I hear this music. The acoustic guitar riff keeps playing but the bass guitar adds a layer of creative beauty. Raman's vocals are unique and his style of diction and delivery always pique my interest. Shantanu Sudharshan is the drummer and he keeps at it right through. Just past the 1.20-minute mark, we hear some fantastic electric guitar notes and then it is followed by the lines "paanv tale sar ke ye zameen, dilon mein fat raha aasamaan". We have another fantastic solo by Raman on electric guitars past the 2nd minute and I can just ask music lovers to cherish and enjoy his work. I feel like a lullaby and I am put into a tranquil state when I hear Raman sing "hai bas dhuaan dhuaan". Gaurav has mixed and recorded while Chris Athens has mastered the track. The video was shot and directed by Maan Boruah. 16. Tere NishaanComposed by: Nidhi Wagle & Mihirr DWritten by: Nidhi WagleSung by: Nidhi WagleProduced by: Mihirr DLanguage: HindiGenre: Blues/ PopNidhi Wagle had requested that I listen to her new single a few months ago. I was keen, and when I listened to it, I was nothing short of blown away. The vocals are just an essential part of a song, the vehicle or medium that transmits the song to the listeners. Not just that, it is the primary source of expression in the song, sometimes even more important than the melody and the words. I have to apologise that I have delayed the review of this fabulous performance due to some oversight. Nonetheless, here is one of the best songs I have heard in recent weeks with probably one of the best vocal performances as well. The song has a tonality and tempo that reminds me of Stevie Wonder's "I just called to say I love you". Nidhi and Mihirr DD have composed the melody, and Nidhi has wr

On December 18th 2022, I got an opportunity to understand the different styles and appreciate the diverse nature of this artform: music. You must be thinking, 'How is someone mentioning 18th Dec 2022 and not talking about the FIFA World Cup?". That is exactly the point. I am a massive sports nut and an Argentina fan. I had been waiting to see them lift the World Cup for the last 32 years, ever since I started watching football back in 1990 as a 10-year-old kid. Each day this year since the beginning of the world-cup were spent with a mix of anxiety and jubilation. Until Argentina met France in the finals. While looking for ways and excuses to distract myself on that Sunday(to avoid the anxiety of the finals) I got invited to a private concert by Chandana Bala Kalyan on vocals accompanied by Vinayak Netke on Tabla and Omkar Patil on the Harmonium. I had earlier reviewed both Chandana and Omkar on two separate instances so my expectations were set. I had interacted with both of them and was excited to meet them in person this time. I was also curious to meet and hear a new artist in Vinayak.As I entered the lawn of the private bungalow where the concert was scheduled I heard the three artists rehearsing and setting their audio systems almost as if the concert had already begun. This perfection and the sheer dedication of the trio made me confident that I was in for a treat.Chandana is a brilliant vocalist, and if you want to know what she is capable of, do listen to this masterpiece set in Puriya Dhanasree called 'The Great Escape' featuring Finix Ramdas and many other brilliant instrumentalists. The evening started and the concept amazed me, she calls it 'Marma'. It is about the realm of fantasy revolving around divinity and spirituality and how music helps interpret it. This concert was not for music lovers who come with a narrow view of music, believing that only Carnatic, Hindustani or a certain style of music was supreme. Here is my review and descriptive analysis of what I heard. In the end, I will paint a picture of why this concept and concert were precisely what our community need today. The concert set in a beautiful farmhouse, surrounded by nature and water set the tone for the concept that Marma is. She started with a Varnam 'Gopala pruthvi chandana' composed in Raag Shyam Kalyan. A varnam is a classical format to start a carnatic concert especially apt for the ongoing Margazhi season. The next song was a Namasankeerthanam or an invocation to the Lord, also called a Bhagwantwadiyacharane and although I was thinking it is probably set in Revathi Ragam, it could probably be in Raag Bhatiyar when I did some research later. Now we started experiencing a transformation in the flow of the concert and new styles started getting introduced. It was magical to simply see Chandana sing in different languages and styles which demand so much of flexibility in imagination and execution. The beauty of the concert lay in the way Chandana gives a narrative description before every song. Next up was a song to celebrate the festival of Holi. A pure joyful song set in Raag Desh. There was exuberance and Omkar was incredibly up to the task on the Harmonium while Vinayak showed his dexterity on the Tabla. There were many moments when Chanadana would have to take a breather and the intensity never dropped one-bit thanks to Omkar and Vinayak.Chandana then took out her Ukulele, a green one blending perfectly with the surrounding. I was curious to know what was in store next. She mesmerised by singing a beautiful Oriya verse in the Baul tradition which she later combined with an Ashtapathi called Nindati Chandana. The mild light musical style with a gentle humming sounded like a melodious number from the 1970s.Then came a heartwarming and interesting story from Maharashtra, set probably in the temple town of Pandharpur. She talks about how in our culture God can be spoken to like a friend or even foe without any deterring fear. The original writing here translates to lord Panduranga entering a forest and being eaten by a ghost, the inner meaning of the song was mind-blowing. The amazing storytelling skills that she possesses actually makes Marma even more special. . This song was set in Mohana Ragam. Chandana sang in a free-spirited way devoid of restraints and she also got all her Marathi diction right, especially with two Maharashtrian musicians on either side. Kannada was not forgotten in the mix of things as she sang a Kanakadasa song 'Nee Maya olago' set in Raag Gopriya. Apparently, it is also representative of the Western scale called Whole-tone. As a musical enthusiast, it was unimaginably difficult to comprehend, and I am certain it is an extremely complicated song to perform. The evening was getting better with such diverse creativity and novelty. The song and scale all the elements of Jazz which has incredible degrees of freedom for an artist to improvise and perform. A Nirguni Stuti was sung like a Ram Leela and it had a wonderful story about how we feel dejected when a temple is shut thinking it is a sign from God. But Chandana through this had other ideas to convey. Along with the playful interceptions by Omkar it almost felt like the Villu-Pattu style heard in rural Tamil Nadu. Here the message is that it doesn't matter if the main door of a temple shuts off, God can be found inside our hearts. Gammawala a Punjabi Heer written by Bulleh Shah in raag Charukeshi asking us to give up our ego and Ahankara and get closer to God. It was immediately followed by Kabir's Jheeni set in Maand. The great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's beautiful song "Kinna Sona Tennu Rabb ne banaya" and although I assumed it was Shivaranjani Ragam, Chandana tells me it is basically in Karna Ranjani. As we approached the end she took us into another zone with aTelugu song called Nirguni Sadashiva Brahmalinga with some amazing philosophy asking what is inside what? I'll need a new post explaining just the concept itself but the eternal dilemma in whatever we do and think and intend was encapsulated in that work. It was set Raag Karaharapriya.Finally a burst of energy came about in the bhajan 'Saavare Aijaiyo' which to my mind and understanding was in Raag Thilak Kamod or a mix of Khamaj and Bihag. The whole concert went on till 8.40PM and I never even realised that the finals of the World Cup had already begun. That is the power of music as it can make you oblivious of any other realms of reality. I met with the artists and told them that whatever I have been trying to achieve as a music journalist was accomplished by Chandana, Omkar and Vinayak in under 2 hours. Music is beyond languages and no style or genre can claim superiority over another. The only way we can grow as human beings is if we keep our minds open and accept music outside of our comfort zones. My main aim as a music journalist is to throw light on India's musicians irrespective of what language they sing in, where they hail from or the genre they belong to. However, it is never easy to convince music lovers to listen to new styles of music. I hope through Chandana and her project 'Marma', music transcends all boundaries.

Here is the week’s best indian songs from over 350 music releases across languages and states1. Jitthe PyaarMusic, Lyrics: Mitika Kanwar, Muheet BhartiVocals: Mitika Kanwar, Muheet BhartiMusic Produced: Muheet BhartiLanguage: PunjabiGenre: R&B, Indie popThis is one of those rare songs that blew me away the very first time. I remember sharing this with many music lovers as proof that great music still exists here and keeps getting created if you look for it in the right places. It is my honour to write a review of this song and there can be no other song that can vie for the top spot, and mind you, the list that follows has some breathtaking music as well. Muheet Bharti is a fine musician who I believe will create wonders in the future and here he and Mitika Kanwar work to write, compose and perform this single. When I had a word with her, she tells me that the idea behind this song was to create awareness that Punjabi music was much more than just promoting violence, aggression and male ego. Here is Mitika through her music and lyrics telling music lovers and people to raise their consciousness. As much as the song's underlying tune, its production is very important as well and that is where Muheet's skills make a foray. It is an unbelievable ride that you have to experience as a music lover, and Mitika's singing is nothing short of unbelievable. The vibrato and measure approach to ghamakas is just a lesson to even some distinguished singers, in being creative and not singing like a broken record. The Keys and rhythms provide some mild decoration along with the saxophone in the background. I am guessing that there is some influence of Raag Jog. I cannot begin to describe the pleasure I get when I listen to Mitika's aalap, as it feels like she is a Godsend. This could very well be 2022's best vocal performance in my opinion. Muheet does some insane arrangements and only he could have envisioned all these instruments conjoining and adding the R&B flavour. Aftab Khan deserves praise for mixing and mastering along with Vatsal Chevli as the mixing assistant. Muheet joins the party late, but he shows why he is also an essential player, and he too adds some fantastic aalap, especially towards the end. The two bring the creative freedom of Jazz and intertwine it with a classical scale. The Executive Producers are Shivansh Jindal and Radhika Mistry, and who else but Salim-Sulaiman could have promoted and presented this with their Merchant Records Label? 2. Aise KyunComposed: Anurag Saikia Lyrics: Raj Shekhar Singer: Rekha Bhardwaj, Anurag Saikia Music Produced by Oblong Sioni, Ishan DasLanguage: HindiGenre: Ghazal, PopThe top performers and talents can never be in the dark for too long, as Anurag Saikia appears on this week's charts at the number 2 spot. He has been having a busy year with movies as well as OTT content and after "Anek" this web series on Netflix 'Mismatched S2' boasted some good content and music. This is a ghazal version and who better to sing with panache and poise than Rekha Bhardwaj. Raj Shekhar writes the touching words and we have Anurag also playing a vocalist here. The song is produced by Guitarist Ishan Das and Oblong Sioni. You feel the love and warm embrace when you hear Rekha's voice and the Keys in the background keep the mild pathos and longing alive. Gauranga Sekhar and Arabinda Neog have done all the additional programming. Ishan Das and Abhinav Bora are the guitarists and you can hear the Sitar played by Bhagirath Bhatt. She shows us what shes made of with those delicate twists and ghamaks like in the line "sab kuch kah kar hee sab ko bataana jaruri hai kya". Bhaskar Jyoti Kalita and Kiran Vinkar play the Woodwinds in the interlude aided by some well-arranged vocal harmonies as well, the backing vocalists being Gauranga Shekhar, Bishal Sharma, Arabinda Neog, Pratikhyaa Sharma, Dipakshi Kalita and Kavya-Kriti. The impact of the Tabla by Sanjiv Sen and the bass guitars is unbelievable and there is no match to the unison of these two. Sanjiv Sen goes creative and does a very basic but enticing play on the Tabla when the stanza ends. The second interlude is a very classical intervention on the Sitar and it is just heartwarming. Nijei Nijok and Alok Punjani are the recording engineers, and the track is mixed and mastered by Pankaj Borah with Pranjal Borah as the mix assistant. I hear a mix of influences like Raag Khamaj, Raag Bilawal and Raag Yaman in various segments.3. Then ThulliMusic: Kailas Lyrics: B.K Harinarayanan Singers: K.K Nishad, Sruthy Sivadas Music Production: Ebin Pallichan & KailasKailas Memon has had a very successful 2022 and I have featured all the 3 songs of the recent "Vaashi" composed by him. This is one more splendid melody composed by Kailas and produced by Ebin Pallichan and Kailas. I love that Kailas always goes all out in his instrumentals and the huge array of live instrumentalists is a huge blessing for the song. Bonny Abraham plays the Oud, Saaz that add a middle eastern flavour while Anurag Rajeev Nayan plays the Ukulele and Mandolin. KK NIshad is someone I am hearing for the first time and I am quite impressed with his voice. The background layers of the Ukulele and Mandolin are fascinating in the Anu Pallavi. Sruthy Sivadas is the female lead vocalist and she compliments the male vocals perfectly, and all this sounds amazing with Josy John on bass guitars in the background layer. Roopa Revathi joins the parade with her solo Violin and the full impact of the strings section is felt when Sruthy sings the Anupallavi in a higher pitch. The Cochin Strings comprising Josekutty, Francis Xavier, Carol, Herald, Danny, Francis, Jain M.P, Mariyadas and Sekar on Cello are a grand presence. The interlude is a cadence of all these amazing instruments beginning with the Saaz and then the Violin. Aravindh S Krishna plays the Darbuka and all the brilliant rhythm programming is by Aswin Sivadas. Sujith Hydher, Midhun V Dev, John Glady, Amal Mithu and Priyamali are the recording engineers, and we have Midhun doing the mixing and Balu Thankachen on mastering. 4. Aankehin JudiSinger - Papon & Monali Thakur Composer - Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam, Himanshu Joshi, Nikhil RaoLyrics - Varun Grover Language: HindiGenre: Indie PopIndian Ocean the mercurial band of the 1990s has been scoring music for some amazing movies in the 2000s, like 'Peepli Live', 'Masaan', 'Gulaal' and now they have scored for 'Chakki'. I loved two songs one being "Aankhein Judi" and the other being "Kyun". The song starts with a wonderful whistle by Rahul Ram and then some solid strumming on the guitars and bass by Nikhil Rao and Rahul Ram respectively. Then Papon takes over and does what he does best serenade! Amit Kilam can be heard playing the percussion and drums and it is now Monika Thakur's turn to become the lead vocalist. A renowned member of 'The Revisit Project', Abhay Sharma plays the Saxophone in the interlude in a scintillating style and the stanza gets better with Monika singing in the lower pitch and a simultaneous higher octave layer in the background with the lines " Tu chand, Tu Katori ". My favourite line is the one that follows going "Tu hai dason dishaen, Tu dard tu dava hai" giving so much meaning and also a tinge of sadness thanks to a possible Raag Charukesi influence. Varun Grover does a fine job with the lyrics. Mukul Jain is the recording engineer, and we have Shantanu Hudlikar on mixing and Amit Kilam on mastering. 5. AvunanavaaMusic Composed, Arranged & Produced - Leon James Singer - Sid Sriram Lyrics - Ramajogayya Sastry Language: TeluguGenre: MelodyLeon James has been riding a very tangible wave of appreciation and success in Kollywood but it is nice to see him score some good music in Tollywood as well. He ropes in the most famous vocalist in South India, and Sid Sriram does what is expected of him bringing all the elements of love to the forefront. A chorus team is a group of well-established playback singers like Sinduri Vishal, Maalavika Sundar, Sushmita Narasimhan and Triya Sushma. The sound of the Ghatam goes quite well with Keba Jeremiah's acoustic and bass guitars, and it is thanks to Leon's rhythm production. The title line is the highlight of the song as Sid brings in more variations, but it sounds even better with Vishnu Vijay's flute solo playing the same notes. Keerthana Vaidhyanthan sings the solo vocal in certain segments. Leon James as a producer/composer depends heavily on the Piano and here too we can hear all the accompaniment, especially in the stanza. The closing lines of the stanza with the string Piano chords as Sid slowly raises the pitch of delivery is fantastic to hear. Sayee Rakhsith stuns with his Solo on the Violin in the second interlude, and the flute notes we heard are now sung by the chorus. David Joseph plays the additional drums and we have Avinash Satish as the vocal producer, Lijesh Kumar as the recording engineer, and Rupendar Venkatesh on mixing and mastering. 6. Nilaathumbi Nee Music Composed and Arranged by JAKES BEJOY Singer: VIJAY YESUDAS Lyrics: JOE PAUL Music Producers: JAKES BEJOY, EBIN PALLICHANLanguage: MalayalamGenre: MelodyJakes Bejoy is in the thick of things and is one of the few music composers in the land who is exemplary and shows the younger lot how one can be good and consistent and never compromise on quality. Jakes has composed, arranged, programmed and co-produced the song, with Ebin Pallichan involved in the production. The initial humming and guitars by Godfrey Immanuel and Sumesh Parameshwar create that feeling of love, and romance and Vijay Yesudas stamps his authority with than unmistakable voice. Joe Paul writes the lyrics and all the lovely arrangements are thanks to the session prepared by Daniel Joseph Antony with Maneeth Manoj assisting. Vijay's voice reminds us of his father's magnificent vocal presence. During the Anupallavi we do hear some mild Lo-fi influences and it is Midhun Anand who has done the mixing. The Anupallavi which comes after the title is the best of the song with Vijay exploring the higher pitch and a strings section in the background. Josy Alappuzha plays the flute solo in the interlude along with Keys and strings in the background. The way Vijay sings in the lower vocal pitch sounds incredible and shows his wide range. The strong presence of Synths and Keyboard programming is very effective in the song. Daniel Joseph Antony and Jisto George are recording engineers. 7. Mazha PattuLyrics: Anwar AliSinger: Govind Vasantha, Anne Amie  Mixed and Mastered: Amith Bal Language: MalayalamGenre: MelodyThe genius and mastery of Govind Vasantha are on full display here and he moves you into a state of amazement with the sounds, melody and lead vocals. Anne Amie is one of my favourite vocalists in India, and she can sing better than anyone else in the lower pitch, Govind picks her for this song as the perfect fit. We have Keba Jeremiah on guitars and Naveen Kumar as the bassist. Govind has composed, arranged and even sung and he probably is the composer with the most delectable voice. The male chorus is very effective and continues to keep us hooked along with the guitars and bass. The highlight is the Keyboard chords, sounding like Woodwinds, that follow and the notes just haunt you. Somehow I feel that there is an influence of Raag Keeravani. The Piano that follows in the interlude has a very strong similarity with the Piano notes that we have heard in AR Rahman's "Vennilave Vennilave". Anne Amie will make you feel heavy in the heart as she sings in the heart, and the stanza is filled with such quality and Govind shows such vulnerability as he sings "Dhoore Dhoore". The track is mixed and mastered by Amith Bal.  8. Aane Se PehleSinger/Composer - Ami Mishra Lyrics - Kunaal Vermaa Music Producer and Guitars - Vaibhav Pani Language: HindiGenre: Indie PopAmi Mishra is someone I am hearing for the first time, but when I read about him I realised he has composed a couple of songs in Bollywood for famous albums like 'Hamari Adhoori Kahani' and 'Half Girlfriend'. He is no novice and you can make up your mind on that when you hear him singing like an absolute pro. He has composed the tune as well but a huge upliftment comes Vaibhav Pani's production. The sounds of the song are exquisite thanks to the programming and arrangements and he also plays the guitars. The best line is when he sings Kunaal Vermaa's amazing lines " Main main nahi tha, tere aane se pehle" followed by a mild vibrato and a superb humming. Samrat Awasthi does the backing vocals and the track is mixed and mastered by Pankaj Borah. Vaibhav does a fantastic solo intervention on guitars, and we also have a good bridge section. 9. Is Shheher MeinSinger & Composer: Yashita Sharma Lyrics: Yashita Sharma Music Producer: Bhushan ChitnisLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-popI love the fact that singers just don't wait for the final call from composers to perform in a movie, but write, compose, perform and produce based on their ability and network in the music circle. Yashita Sharma has sung in '2 States' and 'Dil Dhadakne Do' but she is also an indie artist. I have featured a couple of times for songs like 'Mila Yun', and this one is another feather to her cap. The song is written, composed and performed by Yashita but produced by the famous Guitarist/Producer Bhushan Chitnius. The song belongs to the Alt-pop and Alt-Rock genre and the live instrumentalists play a vital role. Amit Gadgil is the bassist, and he also plays the synth bass, with Bhushan on guitars. Archit Shah plays the Keys while Chinmay Roy is the drummer. The pop era of the 2000s is rekindled and Yashita uses her voice to great effect to give that impression of freedom, confidence and heightened spirits. Bhaskar Sarma has mixed and mastered the track with Bhushan handling all the arrangements. Past the 2.30 minute-mark we have a bridge section with some good humming and strong guitars. Partho Pritam Das is the recording engineer, and amidst all the accompaniments, Yashita smartly uses a segment to just silence the instruments and does some improvised singing 10. Water-loo Song Credits: Lyrics/Composition/vocals/rhythm guitars- Gurpreet Gulati (Joerocks) Music Producer: Vaibhav Ahuja and JoerocksLAnguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-rockThe song is a fantastic take on a bad unfortunate event, and how one can put a positive spin on it. Here the protagonist Gurpreet Gulati drops his phone in the Loo, and then when sees the Waterloo station in UK, he finds it to be a weird coincidence. The song is almost like a full-on solo project with Gurpreet a.k.a Joerocks writing, singing, composing, playing the rhythm guitars and co-producing it. The guitars, drums and Horns section in the background are just an impounding presence. Shailendra Wakhlu plays the lead as well as additional rhythm guitars, and let us forget the constant bass guitar support by Sajal Sharma making it ooze with funk. Vaibha Ahuja who works on all the Raman Negi compositions has played the thumping drums, he has also mixed the track, with Parth as the mastering engineer. All the cover art is by Simi Gulati. The supporting vocals we hear in the background is by Mandhir Sikander. I really look forward to the rest of the songs by this Delhi-based singer-songwriter in his upcoming EP. This is a simple song in terms of composition and structure, but the live instruments and arrangements truly more than compensate. 11. Yaar Zaahir Singers: Ustad Rashid Khan & Palak Muchhal Music: Sandesh ShandilyaMusic producer: Himonshu Parikh Language: HindiGenre: MelodyI had to rub my eyes and see it a few times to see who the composer was because right from the moment it started I assumed it was an AR Rahman score. The sounds and the opening humming with the keyboard programming were just like a leaf out of the genius' book. It felt like "Tere Bina " or "Ae Hairathe", and this meant to be a huge compliment to the composer Sandesh Shandilya. Palak Munchhal does a brilliant job of singing her lines and I am entirely consumed in the saccharine vocals. Ustad Rashid Khan is perfect in his role as the male vocalist and the strings in the background are the master stroke. Sandesh has arranged the vocal harmonies as well as the strings. Let us clap for Himonshu Parikh who has produced and programmed and been the man behind the wonderful sounds we hear. The stanza is rich as well and Rashid Khan keeps getting better and to some extent supported by Yash Mishra and Himonshu on backing vocals. Irshad Kamil writes the beautiful and touching words "Mein dhundu tere chehare ko baadal mein sada" and we have Shomu Seal as the guitarist in the track. The track is mixed and mastered by Bhaskar Sarma and we have Mandar Wadkar, Ameer Shaikh, Ranjit Prasad and Nitin Kayarkar. 12. Nee Chaaredu KalleVocals: Armaan Malik & Sanjana KalmanjeMusic: Sagar MahathiLyrics: Krishna KanthLanguage: TeluguGenre: MelodyThis is a musician who has been handed over some envious pedigree. The composer is Sagar Mahathi who is the son of composer Mani Sharma and he has composed, arranged and programmed this song. The vocalists are the dashing Armaan Malik who has now made a name for himself in Tollywood and the female lead is singer Sanjana Kalmanje who just got married to Sagar. The singing has some support in the form of guitars, synths and backup vocals. My favourite line is the title line and it is followed by the guitar and Tabla combination. Then you will get stunned by the Flute solo in the interlude, and the stanza has Sanjana mesmerising in full flow. The song is just full of goodness and positive energy and I cannot stop playing this on loop. It also cements the fact that Armaan Malik is probably one of India's topmost playback singers. 13. ChillsSongwriter(s) - Shalmali Kholgade Music Producer - Sunny M.R. Vocals - Shalmali Kholgade Music Arrangement – ZIA & Sunny M.R. She is undoubtedly one of India's supreme singers and composers. Shalmali Kholgade is the one name I will root for when it comes to searching for India's finest female music composer and someone who can topple any male domination in the industry. Just check out her Marathi album 'June' and her previous indie EP "2X Side A". Now it is time for '2X Side B' and it is damn good. Other than 'Chills' I also love 'Garden Variety Hater'. Shalmali excels at the writing, composing and singing parts and she gets some spectacular creativity. It is not her vocals but the superimposing vocals in the background thanks to singers like Hricha Narayana, Sianna Gomes and Harjot Kaur. Sunny MR is a master when it comes to producing, arranging and programming and he gives us a blinder here. Zafar Ansari a.k.a. ZIA and Sunny do the arrangements and it is Zafar on Keys, Synths and the Vocoder. Roland Fernandes is the bassist but a huge part of the domination comes from ZIA with the Synths and Vocoder sounds. Sunny mixes and Colin Leonard has mastered the track with Ritvik Shah as the recording engineer. The song is so catchy that we could forget to pay attention to Shalmali's brilliant vocals and improvisations. 14. Urimeytee MeghaleyMusic: Mark K Robin Vocals: Harini Ivaturi Lyrics: Krishna MadineniThe movie 'Ghost' has some good music score by Mark K Robin and this one caught my attention the most. Harini Ivaturi is the lead singer and the song is a very pleasant melody, the semi-classical tune is aided by some creative rock and synth-heavy pop style texture. The backing vocals help and add weight especially when the notes shift higher in pitch. The strong presence of drums, electric guitars and strings makes for some excellent listening. The best line is "Nuuve Kadha, Emai na", and towards the end we have a Flute solo to help us through the outro and this is where I felt a sense of Raag Hamsadhwani. The humming by Harini and the bass guitars is a solid end to the track. Krishna Madineni is the lyricist. 15. Salooq Singer - B Praak Lyrics & Composer - Jaani Music - B Praak Arranged and programmed By Gaurav Dev, Kartik DevLanguage: PunjabiGenre: Semi-classical MelodyAfter 'Sab Kuch' this song had io be featured in the album "Moh". The combination of Jaani an

Here are the best Indian songs of the week 20th November 2022, picked from over 350 song releases across the nation1. Maanegi Kis TarahComposed and Sung: Aasa Singh Lyrics: Aasa Singh, Rishikesh PathakMusic produced: RAWNAKAdditional Production: Aasa Singh Language: HindiGenre: Jazz/Pop Here is the best song of the week it was a song shared by the producer with me to see what my feedback was. I had no words and my only way of responding was to tell RAWNAK that it is good enough to be among the best songs in the country. Aasa Singh has composed, written and sung this gentle, and tender melody. The melody is catchy and Aasa makes it even better with his voice which has a tinge of an Arijit-impression, but is likeable for sure. Aasa has never been featured by me before and I am glad he is discovered now, as he also does backing vocals and mixes and masters the track as well, an all-rounder for sure. The layer of backing vocals doing the humming is great but the most impressive is the genius ID Rao's Saxohone that hits you in the interlude. The arrangements are made such that you hear the sound of the sax, like waves in an ocean, coming at you one after the other relentlessly. Aasa sings in falsetto so beautifully at the beginning of the stanza and you have to love the style and delivery here. The way Aasa experiments and improvises with his vocals is delightful and the outro is just the saxophone and drums in full and free flow. The production by RAWNAK stands out when you hear all the elements together.   @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 2. VeadhanePerformed by Srinisha JayaseelanWritten by Rambabu GosalaProduced by Bekkem Venu GopalSrinisha Jayaseelan is a noteworthy performer who has this larger-than-life attitude in her vocals and there is not a genre or style she cannot adapt to. Here she goes all out in Opera style singing. The Piano and the Strings section along with the vocal harmonies create an unforgettable impact. Bekkem Venu Gopal has produced the number with lyrics by Rambabu Gosala. The end of the opening lines brings about some rock flavour with the heavy drums and electric guitar. Listen to Srinisha's singing and how aggressive her delivery sounds and that is she is so skilled as a singer. The moment the stanza starts, she uses a voice laden with sadness to sing, and that is aided by the solo Violin. Srinisha also employs some very mild yet tangible vibrato. @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 3. Oceans Written, Composed & Performed by Hanita BhambriProduced: Raag SethiLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie pop, soft balladThese guys at Compass Box Studios are like an ocean of music, unassailable, vast and deep. If it was Gouri & Aksha with Chirag Todi last week on 'Paper Boats', it is Hanita Bambhri 'Oceans' that Raag Sethi produces and his gang play instruments for this week. Hanita has been around for a while now and I have featured her before but this is probably one of her best yet, as much as her composition and vocals play a role, the production, arrangements and execution of love instruments bear importance and relevance too. Raag plays the guitars and Harmish Joshi is on the clarinet. Hanita's singing is spotless and she sings like a Goddess on a mission who will turn anything into ambrosia. I listen to this line "When you kiss my lips, do you feel the oceans of emotion?", and I could sense the feeling, and that painting become real in front of my eyes was only possible because of the solid writing and even better singing. The moment the line " Do you miss me when I'm gone" ends Harmish is at his sizzling best playing the Clarinet there. The track is mixed and mastered by Protyay Chakroborty and he also lends his voice for the backing vocals. Gopi Vadsak handles the beautiful artwork @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 4. The search Produced by RIATSU (Shadaab Kadri)Lyrics/Composition/Vocals by Shilpa AnanthLanguage: EnglishGenre: Synth-popShilpa Ananth is one remarkable artist who I shall blindly trust to make stunning music every time she releases one. I have already featured her two times for songs "fear" and "i dwell" and this time 'the search' (pun intended) for great music ends. She combines all strengths and knowledge of music styles into one and blending things this well is no mean task. The track is produced by RIATSU with mixing by Ishan Naik and mastered by Jett Galindo. The production is ethereal with keyboard programming given some strings in the background and then a repetitive riff that sounds other-worldly. The writing is quite good as well talking about the way power can corrupt a human being and this dilemma and the state of the mind Shilpa is in, is brought out wonderfully through the contemplative voice and eerie background sound and tone. "what will I do in search of power, who will I turn into when it's over?", she asks and the influence of classical Carnatic aalap is visible in many places. Vocal harmonies arranged in the background also work like magic and add to the mystery. @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}   5. Find love Written, composed and sung by Abji GeorgeProduction by Ashish Kujur - Gray Spark Studio, PuneLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopThis guy seems to be a regular performer and most of the time it is him singing a Michael Jackson number. I am more interested in writing about this beautiful pop melody written, composed and performed by Pune-based singer-songwriter Abji George. Ajay Majethia is stunning on his guitars, like the hero's closest friend on screen. The romanticizing of the sing happens predominantly happens thanks to the acoustic guitars. Ajay also mixes the song and Nitin M Krishna does the mastering at Gray Spark Studio. The artwork is by Shruti Purkar and lyrical video is by Jhanvi Ambasta. The strumming and the tone of the song remind me of "More than words" by the band 'Extreme'. The singing, the chords on the keyboard, and the backup vocals are all coming together so beautifully and it fills the heart with joy listening to them together as well as if you focused on them individually. The acoustic guitar plays second fiddle sometimes to the lead guitars and the combination sounds flawless. The electric guitar is heard playing some fantastic notes in the background and try and listen to that to experience some more musical bliss. The change of the vocal pitch happens without any hiccups and then we have a guitar solo in the end like icing on the cake. @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 6. Karumban Inningu VarumoMusic Composed, Arranged and Produced by: M. JayachandranLyrics: Rafeeq AhammedVocals: Narayani Gopan, Nikhil RajLanguage: MalayalamGenre: MelodyEnjoy this energetic number from Kerala composed by one of Mollywood's stalwarts M Jayachandran. he has composed, arranged and produced this song that is bound to get you all pumped up also because of the way Narayani Gopan sings. Rafeeq Ahammed pens the lyrics and Nikhil Raj is the lead male vocalist. It starts off like a pop number thanks to the Keys and western percussions and even the harmonies. Then the brilliance lies in how it shifts to a rural Malayalam folk number thanks to the change of the percussions, and Nikhil's singing. The male chorus team has Arun Gopan, Nikhil Raj, Unni Elayaraja and the female team has Narayani Gopan, Poornasree Haridas, Anna Baby, Neethu Naduvathettu. Kamalakar and Durga Prasad are the flautists with the Mohana Veena and Veena played by Bhavani Prasad. Mithun Maaliyekkal plays the Keys and with Kalyan on rhythm Alap Raju plays the additional instruments. The strings section is obviously enhanced thanks to Cochin Strings' members Francis Xavier, Francis T S, Carol George, Herald and Josekutty. Unni Elayaraja plays the Violin Solo and also conducts the musical session. The interludes are rich and it is where Jayachandran stamps his authority. The recording engineers are Akshay Kakkoth, Sai Prakash, Emin, Mithun Manoj and Avinash Satheesh and the Orchestra Coordinators are KD Vincent and Dawn Vincent. The track is mixed and mastered by Harishankar V. The vocals by both the leads deliver all the right flavours of the land Kerala. @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 7. Talli Singers: Bann Chakraborty and Sunidhi ChauhanMusic Composer: Bann Chakraborty Language: HindiGenre: Dance-popThe movie did not make any impression on viewers when it was released on Netflix, but 'Plan A Plan B' has 3 fantastic songs, 2 of which are composed by Bann Chakraborty who was part of the New Delhi rock band 'Orange Street'. I loved both his scores for "Talli" and "Keh do ke" by Bann. The first song is a lovely dance Jazz number and the Horns section is huge plus for the song. Ramon Ibrahim plays the Trombone and he also arranged and programs the Horns section. Rhys Sebastian Dsouza plays the Tenor Sax. I have not heard Bann sing before but he makes singing sound easy and against a celebrated vocalist like Sunidhi Chauhan, he stands his ground quite well. Saibal Basu's guitars drive the song into that peppy mode and other than that the keyboard programming contributed heavily as well and I am assuming it all comes together thanks to Abhijit Nalani's production. Ginny Diwan is the lyricist and she gives as much meaning and energy as the drums and instruments in the song. It reminds me of "Papa Kehte Hain" purely because of the tone. Hanish Taneja mixes and masters the track. The song has a few lines which get repeated, so the trick lies in singing the lines differently every time and Sunidhi smashes this bit. The other song is a slow number that is perfect for some ballroom slow dancing. We have Vivek Hariharan and indie singer-songwriter Maalavika Manoj as lead vocalists, Neil Mukherjee playing the guitars and the song is produced by Aditya Pushkarna. Vivek is a wonderful singer and I have come to hear him so much thanks to composer Anurag Saikia. Maalavika just eases through with her vocals and it makes me glad to hear artists make the crossover into mainstream Bollywood music, just because it gives them more visibility. The song has a very European flavour maybe thanks to the sounds of Accordion that I presume to hear in the background. I loved the outro with the Violins and both lead vocalists singing the lines innovatively. @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 8. Sob Loke KoyMusic & Lyrics: Alo The BandProducer: Akash AgarwalaLanguage: BanglaGenre: Rock, Folk fusionThe song is part of the new album called "Baulana" by the popular Kolkatta band 'Alo', and I just loved this song the most. There are 5 songs, which are refurbished gems from Bangla folk and the band just gives a brilliant spin to the originals. Syamantak Sengupta is the front-man on vocals and guitars, Sarthak Paul on drums, Arko Roy on guitars, Bubla on bass, Jaydeep Ghosh on Keyboards, Debasmita Sengupta on backing vocals, Bipra Bala on the Flute. The vocals are phenomenal giving a Baul tone to the song, and the guitars and Sitar decorate the song and there are some fragments of Raag Shanmukapriya that I sense. In the stanza it is all about Syamantak's deeply involved and emotional delivery that stuns me. The second interlude is a bea

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This is the week's best of Indian music across languages and states, covering more than 350 song releases from movie albums and the independent space @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Helvetica Neue"; panose-1:2 0 5 3 0 0 0 2 0 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; border:none;}p.Default, li.Default, div.Default {mso-style-name:Default; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:8.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:120%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; color:black; border:none; mso-style-textoutline-type:none; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; border:none;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} 1. Maaripoye - Jakes Bejoy Music Composed and Arranged by JAKES BEJOY Singer: KARTHI Lyrics: KRISHNA CHAITANYA  Language: Telugu Genre: Synth-pop/ Dance-pop   I, some time ago mentioned that I am happy that Jakes Bejoy is making in-roads into other music industries like Tollywood and he is getting better with every album. This one is a Tamil and Telugu bilingual movie and I had already featured one song in Tamil a few weeks ago. This one is a very upbeat number produced by Jakes Bejoy and Praveen Ninan with Jakes composing and arranging as well. There will be memories of Ilaiyaraja's movie album 'Anjali' with the kids chorus and disco/pop similarities. The kids singing are Kichan, Nandu and Idazhika. The male adult voice belongs to Karthi and the song had many elements which work right like the funky groovy bits, and the programming and production are of supreme quality. Sumesh Parameshwar is just spot on with his guitars, and to add more to the song we have a rap segment as well with Travis A King singing the rap verses in the interlude. The 90's synth-pop is an enjoyable experience and it is Daniel Joseph Antony(assisted by Maneeth Manoj) who prepares and arranges the session. Sumesh's bass guitars provide that oomph at every instance and then obviously Jakes' keyboard and rhythm programming. The track is mixed by Balu Thankachan, with assistance from Hariharan and Paul Daniel. John Gethin masters the track along with Daniel, Midhun Manoj and KK Senthil Prasad as recording engineers.        2. Tafriyan Music: Sameer Uddin Lyrics: Shellee Singers: Neha Bhasin, Devenderpal Singh Language: Hindi Genre: Lullaby, Soft Melody I never knew or tracked Neha Bhasin when she was part of this all-women band called 'Viva', but in her recent avatar as a solo performer in the indie space, I have enjoyed her music. This is a score by her spouse, composer Sameer Uddin for the Netflix movie 'Jogi', with lyrics by Shellee. Natasha Pinto is the champion of the song driving it forward with her gentle and tender Keys. The harmonies in A Capella style are beautifully executed and arranged with Abhishek Nailwal on backing vocals. Jitender Thakur plays the Violins and Viola, giving it a European or Sicilian flavour. Devendrapal Singh is fantastic as the male lead vocalist giving out the wonderful emotions of this love track and you are sometimes torn between choosing the lead vocals, or the harmonies or the amazing instrumentals. Meir Shitrit plays the Bouzooki and the track has Chris Athens on mastering and Tanishk Lalla as the recording engineer. The song is a masterclass on arrangements of vocals and live instruments. Rashi Bagai is the Executive Producer.         3. Oh Darling Performed by Priyanka Nath Written by Jonathan Edward, Priyanka Nath Language: English Genre: Alt-Rock  Priyanka Nath was very impressive the last time she had a single, and I have been waiting for her next. It is a delight that the latest one is even better in my opinion compared to her previous single "Run". She has composed, written and performed the number that has excellent lead and, backing vocals. The interlude has a nice section on the electric guitar, and when combined with the drums we have a very enjoyable alt-rock number. Just before the bridge section, there is another longer intervention on the electric guitars, giving a lot of weight to the quality of the number. The bridge section takes things into a calmer zone, but the drums perfectly up the ante as we approach the end. Jonathan Edward produces this number.      4. Antaragini  Vocals: Aman Raj Music: The Lost Symbols Language: Hindi Genre: Rock   Their brand of music is just consistently inspiring, as I don't think I have ever featured any other Indian band so many times on my weekly charts. Their album 'Gharq' has had at-least 4 different singles that have made it to the top 10 songs in India during various weeks. Songs like "Khwaab", "Riha", "Surkh" and "Nindiya Re", are reflective of great Indian Rock music and "Antaragni" is one more that breathes fire. Aman Raj is the lead vocalist, with Gunjan Soral on lead guitars and backing vocals. There is also Jubin Choudhary on guitars and Rahul Sharma on bass with Arun Singh Naruka on the drums. The song is supposed to refer to our inner fire and desire and when you hear this number you can feel that sense of desire and passion even without a single word uttered. Kudos to the composition and instrumentals for making that possible. Just let the opening guitar notes flow into your head and you will be drawn immediately. From there on it is Aman's vocals that raise the energy levels. Not for a single moment, the guitars play second fiddle, and the same goes for the drums which just keep the energy pumped on. Just past the mid-way-mark, we have a guitar and strings-based duel and union leading up to the bridge section. The feeling is transcendental in the bridge section with the vocals and electric guitars. Gunjan and Arun make merry in the minute-long outro section.      5. Khan Market gang  Production by Moses Koul Composed, Written : Kraken Genre: Jazz-Rock, Hip-hop Language: English By the title, we know that this is a New Delhi band, and I have never known about them before this single. This band was formed back in 2015, and in this return avatar they have released an entire EP with some very good numbers that don't generally conform to a style. This particular single is as good as an instrumental piece and I loved the guitars and rhythms particularly. Koul plays the guitars and reminds me of Durwin Dsouza's sensational "Ever Young". Suyash Gabriel is brilliant on drums, Vipul Verma is cool and stylish with his vocals. The bassist os Divij Kapoor and Reuben Das does the Keyboard programming. The song is everything you can wish for when you want to just let go of your emotions and break free. The track is mixed by Krishna Rao and Donal Whelan masters it. The artwork is by Hideo Diakoku     6. Paper Boats Composition: Chirag Todi, Gouri Ranjit, Aksha Kini Lyrics: Gouri Ranjit, Aksha Kini Producer: Raag Sethi Language: English Genre: Indie Pop, R&B I have been waiting eagerly for Raag Sethi and Chirag Todi and the usual suspects who work at Compass Box Studios. Here they are but they have raised the bar with two phenomenal singers who go together as 'Gouri & Aksha'. I have featured Gouri Ranjit Aksha Kini in a few reviews of mine and they are nothing short of fabulous. This moving R&B number has the heavy upright bass right at the beginning and it is Chirag Todi on guitars and Raag playing the bass guitars along with his arrangements and production. Harmish Joshi plays the Woodwinds ever so mildly, and there is so much happening in the background with Protyay Chakraborty teasing you with the strings section. Chirag reminds you of some Santana sizzles as he plays the guitars taking us into the world of Latin Jazz. There is also that extended freedom of creativity displayed by the instrumentalists, heartening to see. Gouri and Aksha perform on different pitches and still display such splendid harmony and union. when they sing together. The delightful drums are by SHivang Kapadia who knows exactly how to make his presence felt without drawing too much attention. Drona Acharya mixes and masters while Tushar Kejriwal does the artwork.      7. Tu Hi Nahi  Composition/Lyrics/Vocals by Piyush Bhisekar Language: Hindi Genre: Ballad The union of the pleasant guitar strings being plucked along with the haunting female humming is magical right at the start. Piyush Bhisekar plays the acoustic guitar and he has gone solo in composing, writing and performing this number. Piyush's vocals are soft, but the emotions that come out show vulnerability with that tender shake that he exhibits. Srinibas Misra plays the bass guitar and you can all along hear the backing vocals performed by Shubha Mukherjee. Those amazing lines "Saath chalna tha, par tu hi nahi" show pain and longing vocally and lyrically. As the song moves along Shubha not just hums and she starts singing the lines and enters the fabulous string section. Piyush and Shardul Bapat compose the strings section with arrangements by Shardul. The performers on the strings are Shardul, Arnav Lalsare and Kartik Tarte. Just when you thought this is a fabulous number, it gets even better with the heart-warming Santoor played by Ninad Daithankar. I listened to this song and fell in love with life itself and music as its greatest bounty. Robin plays the electric guitar and Piyush plays the percussions. The track is mastered by Ronak Runwal, and Malay Vadalkar mixes and does the recording.    8. Ghar Jaane De Vocals, Additional Composition and L

At the outset let me clarify a few things 1. This is entirely my view based on facts I have read in the public domain 2. opinion is based on my knowledge of music in general and Carnatic classical music 3. I don't have formal training in any music form vocal or instrumental 4. I don't know any members of Thaikkudam Bridge (TB hereafter) or Ajaneesh Loknath (AL hereafter) or Sai Vignesh (SV hereafter) personally, but I have interacted with some of them as a music-reviewer. 5. None of what I am about to write has been discussed with either TB or AL and I am simply stating my opinion.6. I will not be making comments on the movie, and I don't know what transpired behind the scenes 7. I did not listen to Navarasam at the time of my exposure to Varaha Roopam(VR hereafter) and only later listened to the TB number after reports of "inspiration" or " Plagiarism" emerged on social media. The following article will be in the form of Q&A and I hope some of you benefit from reading this Q. At first glance or upon first hearing Navarasam, what did I feel?Someone I know pointed out to me that Varaha Roopam sounds exactly like Navarasam and that I should listen to the original. I was stunned by this because I had never listened to the Thaikkudam Bridge song before. I must confess that when I first heard VR in the theatre I told myself " wow this sounds like a number that Agam, the Kerala-based Rock/Metal band, would have composed". So when I later listened to Navarasam I definitely understood why people felt it was a copy but I couldn't hear it. Q. What do I think happened that made TB approach the courts and file a suit against the creative team of Kantara?I believe there are elements of the song VR that sound very similar to their Navarasam, one being the Ragam base of Varali which is common in both and the second being the style of metal-carnatic fusion. So the extent of similarity musically could be one reason, but the other even more glaring similarity is the video or the visuals of the song. If VR was used to show a 'Bootha Kola' folk dance, it was 'Thaiyyam' in the case of Navarasam, and maybe this spurred fears and suspicion of malicious intents by the team of Kantara. The unbelievable success of VR and the movie probably also motivated TB to initiate such legal actionQ. What are the points in defence of Kantara team and AL?Based on my musical knowledge if someone decides to compose a song based on a certain Raga then it is bound to have many similarities with any other song in the same Raga. So the uncanny similarities do emerge because of this, and one could say that had AL chosen some other Raga as the base for the melody this would not have emerged as an issue. Also in a recent interview with The News Minute,  SV says that he and AL had jammed together and come up with near impromptu variations and hence the song has at-least 4 different Raga variations like Varali, Mukari, Thodi, Kanakaangi. This too is quite valid and one could hear traces of old classics like '"Thaaye Yashodha" and "Gaanamurthe" ( which is in a Raga very closely connected to Kanakaangi). This is why in his blog famous music journalist Karthik Srinivas had written that despite the similarities AL makes this song his own. When I heard the two songs closely they both go into different trajectories after the initial similarities, and this is why I couldn't see how VR was a copy. Even the initial instrumental notes are not a mirror image or copy, but they follow the same Raga. This is why I am not sure how even an arbitrator or Court could come to the conclusion, that AL copied the song. Q. What are the points in defence of TB team?Well if you hear the opening segments with the riff on Keyboards and guitars and the notes of the Violin in Navarasam and Nadaswaram in VR, they do sound similar. Even if they are the same Raga, the tone and feeling you get are that they are too similar for comfort and make it hard for AL to plead innocence. So the team TB probably wanted to address this considering the song's style and visuals also seemed similar. So they had to take it up with the Kantara teamQ. Are there prior examples of such incidents in India?Well Yes, do read this nice article that came out in The News Minute.Here there are 6 examples with some sounding just like very mild inspirations or mild similarities, yet courts ruled in favour of the Original composers. I think in the famous web series on Amazon Prime called "Guilty Minds" there was an episode on musical creativity rights, and the lawyers referred to two cases that are also mentioned in this News Minute article. The case against Urumi musician Deepak Dev, and Krazzy 4 composer Rajesh Roshan tell me that minute similarities can be termed as 'plagiarism' as well. Interestingly AL has been involved in a case where his music for Rakshit Shetty's 'Kirik Party' was caught in an entanglement with an older Kannada song and composer. I heard both versions and I could sense a similarity in one humming that comes right at the beginning, barring that nothing quite solid enough to call it a copy. The two parties amicably resolved the issue but I now feel why there was even a need to have even a minor segment sounding similar to an original if there was not going to be any credit given to the original or at least an admission of inspiration.Q. What is my opinion on these matters of similarities in certain segments of two songs and so on?In this space of music, I think it is impossible to be 100% original, without even inspiration from somewhere else. If the opening segment sounded the same and this led to this fight between TB and Al, then I feel the last part of AR Rahman's "Thumbi Thullal" is exactly the same as the first lines of "Kadhaippoma" scored by Leon James. The similarities between Urumi song by Deepak Dev and an English number as mentioned in The News Minute Article, are as good as those between Ar Rahman's "Kuluvalile" and a song called "Rescue me" that plays as OST in the movie 'Sister Act'. But just because some musician gets away with something, or some musician doesn't want to make it an issue and ask for credit, it doesn't mean that that is the rule by which the world should function. Q. What do I think could have happened to avoid this mess?Well AL could have straightaway mentioned to TB and asked for their permission during the creative process. They could have later just publically given credits of inspiration to the TB team, like how we in the field of financial markets always put the name of the source data for numbers, or even charts. TB could have let this go thinking here is a young musician who has definitely taken some inspiration from the song but made a very good number on his own too. By the way VR is a fantastic song. Q. How do I rate both songs?Having listened to both, the styles are similar belonging to Carnatic-Metal fusion, and hence both would score similar points in terms of creativity. Vocally Sai Vignesh sings it brilliantly and hence I would give VR more points on the vocal execution. As an overall song to me, Varaha Roopam is a better song with a greater appeal, more Ragas are brought in making it better to listen to and sing as well. In terms of live instrumentals and arrangements, both songs score equally with some splendid guitars, violins, folk percussion and so on. VR would get a score of 8.5/10 while I would give Navarasam a 7.75/10. Navarsam gives me trance effect, while VR does that plus also throws in a lovely sense of divinity and calmness. Q. Does creating a better song mean that one can copy or take inspiration from the original without credit?I don't think it is a copy, but VR could well be inspired by Navarasam. I am reminded of this scene from the movie "License to Wed". Here Robin Wiliams is a Priest at a church and he is seen giving a lecture to young children. A question is put forward " is it ok to cheat on your partner with someone who doesn't look attractive". Robin answers " yes it is still a sin". So even if I believe VR is a much better song, it would be wrong if it was a copy. Q. What is the latest progress in the legal proceedings?"The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode has injuncted the Producer, Director, Music Composer, Amazon, Youtube, Spotify, Wynk Music, Jio Savan and others from playing the song Varaha Roopam in the film Kantara without the permission of Thaikkudam Bridge. Suit for the injunction has been filed on behalf of Thaikkudam Bridge by Music Attorney, Satish Murthi, Advocate Supreme Court of India."This is what we have seen on the official Thaikkudam Bridge accounts on social media and in the newspapers. This tells us that the courts approached based on the evidence provided see that AL and the team of Kantara have copied or taken inspiration from TB's Navarasam without due credit or proper permission. Without any bias or agenda, I can only tell that AL and Kantara have to abide by the ruling, but it is only them who will truly know if they intended to copy or use any material from Navarasam. When I listen, I see mild similarities but nothing that shows red flags. I also did read in one of the papers that AL met up with Govind Vasantha, but something else has provoked TB into filing the legal notice.Q. What lessons can I learn from this?We live in an era where one has to be 100%, in fact 200% sure of what to say or write before doing so. Offending any community or any group at large or hurting someone's sentiments, or saying anything inappropriate was something one could get away with even a decade ago. For all teh right reasons, one needs multiple layers of filters and has to be sure he/she is not uttering anything that comes to mind. The field of music too has shaped up that way where it is NOT ok to copy or lift segments from an original without credit or due permission. The other day I listened to a song called "Bholi Bhali ladki" by Rajesh Roshan, which is a shameful copy of Vidyasagar's "Bodhai eri pochu". I don't think the composers cared back then, but it is what probably let people like Rajesh Roshan learn no lesson and they continued to copy from other musicians without remorse or a sense of ethics.I still believe that VR is not a copy, but if it was inspired by Navarasam, AL could have talked to TB before the creative process saw the light of day. It is always better to ask someone nicely in life about what they feel, before assuming something. Q. Any words for either party?To Ajaneesh - I think he is one of the brightest