1. Lavinia Performed by Prabhtoj SinghWritten by Aman Sagar, Prabhtoj SinghLanguage EnglishGenre Indie Pop These two musicians just combine and come up with some fantastic music viz. Aman Sagar and Prabhtoh Singh. I have featured their wonderful songs "Angela" and "You belong with me" and I get thoroughly impressed with their work. We have Aman Sagar who recently won the Jio Saavan's SPOTTED contest's Hindi version. He has written, played the guitars, and synths, mixed, and produced the track. Prabhtoj Singh's vocals resemble the wonderful pop of the 1990s that is just supposed to be heard on your walkman sporting baggy Jeans. It takes us back to those good times, and he is also backed up on vocals by Aman. Danik Ghosh plays the funky bass and it is Aveleon Giles Vaz on drums. The electric Piano adds style and purpose thanks to Rythem Bansal and I can imagine playing this song or even singing it to impress my woman if only I could get that coolness quotient of Prabhtoj. I love the bridge version, accompanied by very noticeable changes to the beats on the drums and the harmonies. Prabhtoj has co-written the lyrics and he delivers the lines with incredible style, and the song is right at the top of the charts for these multiple factors  2. IntezaarPerformed by, Composer, Writer: Harshad SatheLanguage: HindiGenre: Rock Classical FusionWell, I heard this track one fine morning as I was walking and this rock-classical fusion number just made me take notice. Harshad Sathe is on fire in this number writing, composing, singing and producing it. The instrumental arrangements give a very pure rock texture. He then sings the best line of the song " Shayad na mile, tere kadmon ki nishaan", and the way he ends the line vocally is bliss. This is the part which made me bet that there is some Raag Cahrukeshi influence in the song, and later when I discussed it with Harshad, he tells me that there are also some definite influences of Bhimpalasi and Bageshri, and the fusion elements reminded me of the great Indian rock bands of the 2000s. The use of another layer of vocals kind of vocals. After we hit 3 minutes, it is all about Bhushan Chitnis the producer/guitarist who just goes berserk on the electric guitar solo 3. Mere Baare Singer - Simran RajLyrics and Composer - JaaniMusic - Hunny BunnyLanguage - PunjabiGenre - MelodyJaani has worked along with B Praak a lot in Punjabi melodies before and they always have sounded fantastic. In fact, before knowing the composer, I commented that Simran Raj has just sung it like a female version of BR Praak, and how right I was. The style of the song bears similarities to the B Praak ones we know, owing to the common composer. Jaani has also written the lyrics and it is Hunny Bunny who has produced the number. But all the lion's share of credits must go to Simran for her outstanding vocals, and it is unimaginable how she reaches for such high notes with delicate ease. The emotional outrage that Simran brings with her appropriate delivery is fantastic. This could very well be one of the best vocal performances of 2022 so far. Hunny Bunny do well on the rhythm and keyboard programming, and Arvind Khaira handles the video direction part. The track is mixed and mastered by Akash Bambar and Gurjinder Guri4. What we could bePerformed, written by Kiara ChettriProduced by Rohan SolomonLanguage - EnglishGenre - Indie PopDo I need to even write and praise this youngster? Well, it is my job, but what kind of words do I use to celebrate her vocals and writing? Maybe my recommendation and just mentioning her name are good enough. If you remember Kiara Chettri's "Why" made it to global Indie charts and that too at the very top. So I was not even a bit surprised by this delivery and her absolute dominance when she sings every note. There is not a flat or dull moment and it is like listening to that young, restless and uber-talented Avril Lavigne perform. Abhijit Sood is scintillating on drums with humongous energy exhibited, but the quality of the end product you hear is thanks to this Hulk of a producer called Rohan Solomon. I strongly urge you guys to listen to his production for other artists, as well as his self-written and composed songs. Rohan has also mixed the track with Dan Millice on mastering. Kiara goes for the kill in the end with some explosive vocals. Devangi Verma takes care of the album art.  5. Koyaliya BoleSingers: Abhay Jodhpurkar and Neha KarodeComposition and Lyrics: Neha KarodeMusic: Rupjit DasLanguage: HindiGenre: Classical-FusionNeha Karode is unstoppable as she experiments non-stop in the classical-fusion genre and we end up getting a very stylised version of a classic. She has composed and written the number and performed along with one of my favourite vocalists Abhay Jodhpurkar. Rupjit Das must be credited with all the production elements. Nantu Mukherjee plays the bass guitar and we have two flautists in Kiran Vinkar and Adwait Kashikar. Abhay's vocals are magnetic, to say the least. I thought that the song has some Raag Bhimpalasi, but Neha tells me it may have some mild similarities, although the song is inspired by Raag Malkauns. The flute segment with the drums and Keys paves the way for the classical fusion. Madhab Deka plays the keys, Shreedhara Chari is on Tabla, and Augustine Chettiar is on drums. Neha sings the second verse and she excels at her delivery moving from a normal scale to the higher end with no stress  6. Always Meant To Be Vocals - Mayank Mittal, Sana AroraProduction - Kapow!Composition, Lyrics - Pratyaksh SharmaLanguage - EnglishGenre - Alt-RockWhat a cool name for a band, right? Yepp maybe they want to hit you hard with their music and maybe their songs pack a punch. I have featured them before and this is a song I was casually listening to in the queue of a boarding line at the airport. It drew me to such an extent that I almost lost my way and forgot to proceed toward the boarding gate. Mayank Mittal, the frontman of the band and Sana Arora are the lead vocalists. Vinod Arora plays the guitars gently but it is Puru who kills you with his bass guitars. The two vocalists start singing in unison, and their textures are different making the combination devastating. Sana's solo vocals are electrifying at the lower scales and it is impossible to not close your eyes and shake your head in total submission. Prakhar Srivastava plays the drums and he dictates the setting alternating between the thumping presence and mild hi-hat sounds. The best portion is when the singers go " When we start to miss it when we look around but there's no one by our side" and here there is stronger strumming of guitars, heavier drums and higher scales explored by the vocalists making it one tasty treat. Mukul Jain does the mix and master and the beautiful artwork is by Annie Hazarika. 7. Chalo Theek HaiMusic Composer & Singer : Amaal MallikLyrics : Kaushal KishoreMusic Produced By: Vaibhav PaniAdditional Music Production: ZeekLanguage: HindiGenre: MelodyIt has been a while since I featured the elder sibling Amaal Mallik, I think it was for the album 'Saina'. This is a single composed and performed by Amaal while it is guitarist/producer Vaibhav Pani who has produced this one with additional production by Zeek. Wholesome numbers like these are the ones that salvage some Hope for Hindi music and maybe Bollywood could still see the light of day, with talent lurking around. Dilshad Khan's Sarangi starts off and synchronously plays alongside western-sounding guitars by three absolute stalwarts viz. Sanjoy Das, Roland Fernandes and Vaibhav Pani. Amaal's vocal tone comes off as a younger version of Shankar Mahadevan. After the opening lines, the rhythm and keyboard programming is spectacular along with Amaal's humming. The stanza is mellowed down after that with some enticing backing vocals arranged and performed by Suzanne D'mello. Hanish Tanejas has mixed and mastered the track, with Ansh Radia as the recording engineer. Kaushal Kishore's beautiful words stand out. 8. Crimson skiesPerformed by Aidah Asrar, The Earflower ExperimentWritten by Aidah Asrar, Astaaq AhmedProduced by Aman SaxenaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie Pop/balladI have heard the work of 'The Earflower Experiment' a few times and have been intrigued. This is one of Astaaq Ahmed's better projects and it gets amplified by Aidah Asrar's terrific vocals. Aidah also writes the lyrics along Astaaq and the track is produced by Aman Saxena. The guitars just lay the background work for Aidah's touching performance. This New Delhi-based one-man band goes for a very sober ballad here and Astaaq continues from where Aidah has left off vocally. The combination of the stunning guitar sounds along with multiple layers of lead and backing vocals truly feels beautiful like witnessing the crimson skies. The humming that comes in ten beginning also finds its way towards the end and this is one of the most uplifting segments of the song aided by some mild strings in the background. Dhruv Ganguly handles the artwork for the cover  9. Saang NaVocals by Mugdha KarhadeWritten and Composed by Ketan MohiteProduced by Abhijay SharmaThis Mumbai-based producer, Songwriter has been featured more than a few times on my website for some influential and calming music. Keyan Mohite has an affinity for songs that are vastly influenced by heavy instrumentals and that is one more reason I am fond of this producer's work. Ketan has composed and written this Marathi number and Abhijay Sharma comes on board to produce this. The song is performed with exquisite and pop-styled vocals by Mugdha Karhade and I am reminded of Shalmali Kholgade's beautiful album last year called 'June'. The guitars and Keyboard programming are spot-on. 10. MineWritten, Produced, and Performed by RaaginderLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopIn this 7-track EP, there is some very interesting music but I found this track called "Mine" most satisfying. Raaginder Momi s a California-based producer and violinist and he brings both those facets forward in this number. Saihaj Bajwa plays the guitars and he provides the support, but the focus keeps shifting between Raaginder's vocals, those interesting percussions, the Keyboard programming and most importantly the Violin layer in the background. At the halfway mark, be stunned by the Violin Solo, and that will be constantly playing on your mind and making you want more. The track is mixed by Raaginder and mastered by Kermode.  11. Le ChalComposer, Producer, Singer: Himonshu Parikh Lyrics: Himonshu Parikh, Rajan Batra Language: HindiGenre: Alt-PopThe guy creates sounds that will just elevate your mood and spirits in no time, and he is the producer and Keyboardist for the uber-famous Punjabi Synth-Pop, Alt-rock band 'The Yellow Diary'(TYD). I love his production whether it is his single like this or for other budding singer-songwriters, and here Himonshu has sung, composed and produced. For those who loved 'Kesariya' from 'Brahmastra', I want to bring to their notice that it is Himonshu who produced the song for Pritam. TYD's frontman Rajan Batra has also worked with Himonshu and penned the lyrics. The Keys and rhythms lead into your trance and with Himonshu's charismatic vocals we just want to be carried away into a zone of bliss. Harshvardhan Gadhvi has played the guitars and the track is recorded by Samir Dharap and mixed and mastered by Sid Shirodkar. The song gets your mind travelling to places like the 1990s and early 2000s when some of the best global pop music mushroomed. 12. Scarlet SkiesLyrics and Song Composed by Swati Bhatt  Arrangement and Production by Takar Nabam  Vocals by Swati and TakarGenre: R&BLanguage: EnglishA couple of years ago I featured Swati Bhatt's song called "Reverie" and ever since I have been waiting for her next. Here it is as she combined with another consistent Indie musician who goes by the name Takar Nabam from Arunachal Pradesh. The song is right down that Rhythm & Blues zone and it is helped by Tiziano Bianchi's trumpets. Takar plays the acoustic, and bass guitars and also works on the Synths providing all the necessary instrumental support for this number that feels refreshing like a sundowner. Teji Toko plays the drums while Suyash Gabriel is on the percussion. The lyrics ask us to "slow down" and "stay still" and that is in perfect coherence with the style of the music, singing as well as arrangements. The humming and harmonies along with the guitar solo in the background are as pleasant as they come. Jake Owen has mixed the track and we have Mukul Jain and Haggai Rongmei as the recording engineers. 13. Zoobie DoobiePerformed by Little-Black-DressWritten by Amit Verma Swapnil GogoiGenre: Punk Rock Alt-RockLanguage: HindiLittle-Black-Dress is a band that has been performing for a while now and they specialise in Punk Rock and Alt-Rock. Amit Verma and Swapnil Gogoi of the band have written the song with Amit's lead vocals. It has all the elements that have to be available for the song to qualify as a rock number with adrenaline-pumping electric guitars ad drums and sensational singing. There is a moment where the song pauses, and slows down and we have an interlude dominated by a Piano solo which is more than what you can ask for. 14. Ye Zindagi Performed, written by Shivang AroraA solo effort by Shivang Arora who has written, composed and sung this soft and tender pop. I just love the Piano solo that comes in just past the 1st minute and it leaves a lasting impression on you despite being just barely present for the rest of the track. The guitar, drums and background harmonies add such beautiful layers to a simple song in structure and composition.   15. Khone DoWritten by: Kanika Patawari, Anurvi MehraProduced by: Ysoblue, Kanika PatawariLanguage: HindiGenre: Lo-fi, EDM, FusionIt sounds like one of those Lo-fi and EDM tracks but behold a Sitar playing and slowly gaining traction and decibel levels rising. This just plays out into becoming very enjoyable with programmed Sitar sounds and rhythms. Ysoblue and Kanika Patawari have done the production with the latter performing the number. Anurvi Mehra and Kanika have written the song and the mixing is by Tyler Scott and mastered by Jett Galindo. The song is a foot-tapping dance-pop number  16. Magic PotionMusic/Production - ViepsaLyrics - Viepsa Language: EnglishGenre: Indie popViepsa Arora goes solo, on this breezy number as she writes, composes, produces and performs. I felt like I was listening to a seductress using some magi potion and enticing me through her voice, like the voice of Kaa in Jungle Book. This simply is me complimenting Viepsa's emotive delivery and execution in the singing. I could hear the bass guitars and the beautiful Flute and Woodwinds in the background. The ending lines singing "Don't wanna go home" despite being repeated so often still leave you wanting for more. 

There is a lot of music released these days and some yester-year greats like Hariharan have recently commented on the clutter of music. This is where I chip in and make things easier for music enthusiasts, so that a properly filtered and refined set of songs, and EPs are available. This time I am recommending two excellent EPs by two very different kinds of female artists viz. Pratibha Singh Baghel and Sona Mohapatra. The composers/producers who have worked with them and created these gems are the duo of Deepak Pandit, Gaurav Vaswani and Ram Sampath respectively. I just began reviewing music back in 2019, and very soon the pandemic struck, making me all confused and befuddled about the impact of lockdowns on musicians and their work. It was almost like nothing applied the breaks on musicians and inventive ways of recording artists and instrumentalists separated physically and geographically, and two artists who kept a steady influx of releases were Sona and Pratibha and they show here that it is not just about the quantity but predominantly about the quality. My very first memory of Sona Mohapatra & Ram Sampath is "Ambarsariya" which is of the best Hindi melodies I have known yet and owing to very little exposure, and actual low supply of "Good" Bollywood music, I never paid attention to the genius of Ram, but better late than never I guess. The two EPs that I am recommending are 'Inheritance' produced by the brilliant composer/violinist Deepak Pandit along with Gaurav Vaswani and 'Shut Up Sona' produced by Ram Sampath. Pratibha impresses as always with her outstanding vocal strength and Ghazal-styled delivery, while Sona uses her unique vocal texture to deliver 4 songs with incredible poise. Here is the review of 'Inheritance' firstThe EP has 4 tracks with my favourites being "Hamari Atariya" and "Lakhon Ke Bol", and I would assign them a score of 8.5/10 and 8.25 on 10 respectively to these tracks, with "Babul Mora" getting 8 and "Saiyyan Bina" at 7.5. Overall I would give the EP a very enviable score of 8/10. I had already reviewed "Babul Mora" a couple of weeks ago in the list of India's best weekly music, and would soon be doing a full review of "Hamari Atariya" as well. In terms of a score "Hamari Atariya" is mind-blowing bringing in elements of Western Classical music, and Deepak Pandit along with Gaurav Vaswani probably have just given us one of the best singles of 2022. Tapas Roy plays the stringed instruments with Prashant Sonagra shining on the Tabla. The Budapest Live Symphony Orchestra gives us the grand opulence of the music in all the tracks and Deepak intervenes with his solo Violin at the right instances, creating an Indian classical texture. The second interlude gives me the impression that it is influenced by Raag Keeravani. Pratibha Singh melts your heart with her emotionally charged voice. "Babul Mora" had a very Raag Sindhubhairavi impression and it is closer to the grammar of Indian classical music unlike "Hamari Atariya" which had fused other styles. The song is more pathos-inducing and like the other songs has K Sethuraman on mixing, and Christian Wright on mastering.  "Lakhon Ke Bol" is that track that will just make you sit down and gaze at the sunset without any worry in the world. It most probably has influences from the Raag Maand and it has some splendid strings and Tabla decorating the background, and Pratibha showcasing her full potential. The production by Deepak and Gauarv is simply breathtaking and I can safely say that Deepak Pandit is one of the most talented producers/composers in the nation today. The final track in my order of preference is "Saiyyan Bina" and by most standards, this too will cut among the best performed and produced songs, and this according to me does exhibit some influence of Raag Bihag. The recording engineers are K Sethuraman Sanket Tole, Harshul Khadse, Anushree Manjrekar, Ezekiah NaniwadekarMoving onto Sona Mohapatra and Ram Sampath's 'Shut up Sona', it comes a very close 2nd with an average EP score of 7.75/10. The most impressive numbers were "Rang De" at 8.25/10 and "Piya Se Naina" with a score of 8/10. "Mangal Gaan" too was a very enjoyable number with an impressive score of 7.75/10. I have already featured and reviewed it a few weeks back and this was a refurbished number that Ram Sampath created for the Coke Studio many years ago. Set probably in Raag Desh, this is an energetic number with original lyrics by Hazrat Amir Khusro. John Paul has also produced this and played the guitars with Ram' composing the tune. The flute Solo we hear is by Rajeev Prasanna."Rang De" stands head and shoulders above the rest thanks to its amazing production and arrangements. Sanjoy Das plays the guitars (watch out for the brief solo) and with Nitish Ranadive on Tabla and lyrics penned by Meera Bai, the song is a charmer. I am not very certain, but maybe there is some Raag Kaapi influence somewhere in the number. The track is recorded by Nitesh Bisht and like all the songs in the EP, Amey Wadibhasme does the mixing and mastering. "Lal Pari Mastani" would be rated the last in the EP in my opinion, and here Vrashal Tejasingh Chavan does the additional production, and Munna Dhiman pens the lyrics. The song sounds like a little bit of Raag Bilawal to my mind. "Mangal Gaan" has some powerful singing and lyrics and this is the most serene of the songs and probably this too is set in Raag Desh. The use of drums, bass guitars and the flute is really exciting and elevates the song. This song is also produced by John Paul and Ram, and the Bols by Sona and Nitish Ranadive are inspiring additions. Check out these two EPs and celebrate the work of great musicians 

1. Yeh Jhoota SamaVocals - Shruti DhasmanaMusic – AntarikshLyrics - Kimberley Rodrigues, Varun RajputLanguage - HindiGenre - Rock Antariksh is a very dependable band of musicians who will deliver unadulterated Rock music to thirsty Indian fans. I have featured them before for the track “Kaisi Yeh Jeet”.  and despite listening to their music with a sense of hype I never get disappointed. The electric guitars by Varun Rajput lay the foundation along with Shrikant Biswakarma and Dan Thomas pounding away on drums. These are not just names but star musicians whose sounds are not new to music lovers. Shrikant also plays the acoustic guitars on the track.  A good 30 seconds is spent on giving the energetic intro music, and that itself is a welcome change in a world driven by 1 min music. Shruti Dhasmana is sizzling as the lead vocalist and this too is refreshing compared to the number of male voices we hear in the rock genre. If you look at some of her performances they would be in semi-classical songs and so the way she delivers this is beyond excellent, and it is the attitude and style that she possesses and exhibits that truly captivated me. Sonic Shori is the bassist and if you pay attention you can hear him painting the song with exotic colours, just a bit subtly. It is Kimberley Rodrigues and Varun who pen the words. I would pay money to go and listen to Shruti sing this, check out the line "Mudke Na dekh, aage jeene ki wajah", and after this, there is a segment where she just freely innovates and does something like a Scat singing in Jazz, all to perfection. The track is mixed by M Krishna Rao, and mastered by Steve Nagasaki. Just after the 2:40 second mark Dan Thomas breaks away and changes the beats and the guitarists have their moment from hereon. Welcome Mr Abhay Sharma, and who better to sound sexy on the saxophone than the man himself? This is where you just get up and dance and let all your shyness and inhibitions fly away. The recording engineers are Varun and Gaurav Chintamani, and the track is also produced by Varun. All the lovely artwork is taken care of by Ishita Singh. 2.  Gagan Dhuan DhuanMusic Composed, Arranged & Produced by B PrasannaPerformed by Bombay JayashriLyrics by Preetika DixitLanguage: HindiGenre: Ballad/Western Classical FusionI was invigorated already when I listened to and wrote about the number 1 song, and to follow that up with this number felt like a blessing. You can't go wrong when you have Bombay Jayashri as the lead vocalist, still to get a song to a level of this degree requires some genius at work. I have heard about B Prasanna's might as a composer but sadly this is the first time I am ever reviewing. This just requires a standing ovation. If you don't have time to read my review, I recommend that you just visit his blog or Instagram page where Prasanna has written a "Composer's Note". Those words would suffice and are worth more than whatever I write to describe the beauty of this song. He has composed, arranged, and produced this masterly work and it feels like a dedication or ode to a singing legend called Bombay Jayashri.  She starts slow much like a drizzle or a gentle breeze we feel sitting by our balcony opening. Keba Jeremiah is mild but meddles with style on the Acoustic and Nylon guitars. There is the strings section that is brought into play with some outstanding musicians Lyrit Milgram & Alexandra Lomeiko on Violins, Jossalyn Jensen on the Viola, and Cecilia Bignall on the Cello. That brief interlude ends with a humming and playful Flutes by Lucy Driver. The brass and horns make their way now during the stanza, with Oboes by Cèlia Tort Pujol, Clarinets by Ettore Biagi, Bassoons by Cristian Coliver, Horns by Paul Wolf & Ona Ramos, and Trumpets by Matias Diaz Alfaro. Just get away from all the noise and listen to the incredible arrangements on your headphones and give yourself a treat. Like Prasanna rightly says, the song allows Jayashri to show her full vocal range and I can imagine singers practising and making covers of this phenomenon. The Orchestra is conducted by Joaquim Badia and with John Praveen on bass, Keba also plays the Ukulele. The imposing Synths are handled by Prashanth Techno and the track is mixed and mastered by Prasanna himself. Vishnu M Namboodri and Navneeth Balachandren are the recording engineers, while the video is edited and directed by Sriram Raja. The talented Choir singers are Aabha Soumitra, Karthik Manickavasakam, Maya Bajaj, Mayank Kapri, Nalini Vittobane, Nidhi Saraogi, and Karthik has co-ordinated the Choir.  Preetika Dixit pens these emotionally relevant words. 3.  Love Love LoveMusic, Lyrics - Tough on TobaccoVocals - Sidd CouttoLanguage - EnglishGenre - Alt-RockForget music reviewing, I wasn't even following Indian music on the indie scene back in 2009. It was just 3 years after I moved to Mumbai and was still being bombarded with mediocre Bollywood music. So I spent time lamenting I couldn't hear any good Tamil songs on the FM radio. This was the time an alternative Rock band in India was formed by the name 'Tough on Tobacco' with members Sidd Coutto on vocals and guitars, Niranjan 'Pozy' Dhar on guitars, Bassist Johan Pais, guitarist/vocalist Gaurav Gupta, and Drummer Jai Row Kavi. Anyway fast forward to 2022, I heard this amazing song by the band and later I found out that they were re-releasing their entire catalogue on Apple Music. I just considered myself lucky and had to include it in this list of India's best music. Sidd's captivating voice and I don't know, but I felt a magnetism that I would when hearing Sting or Bono from U2. The guitarists have a merry day with bassline support all just making your hair raise when the drums get punched in and the harmonies turn up. The production is supreme and every second is more mesmerizing than the second gone by. As we approach the 3rd minute, drummer Jai establishes domination with his thumping presence, followed by a tantalizing electric guitar solo. The climax is like musical heaven with all elements coming together and I just look up to the skies, thanking God for music. 4.  Koyla Vocals: Raman NegiSong Produced by : Gaurav Chintamani & Raman NegiLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-RockA few weeks ago I never had heard of the name Raman Negi, and now he is hugely respected and I'm in awe of his music. I first featured his "Mehroom" and like wine becoming better as time grows, the next single 'Koyla' is a hoot. Gaurav Chintamani of 'Antariksh' has produced this with Raman, and also mixed and recorded the track. His bass guitars are the stable support system, to his vocals and guitars of Raman. This is the sort of music that should be playing in Bollywood movies as OST and I can imagine a Hero introduction with this funky alternative rock. Raman just explodes with his upper vocal limit being put to the test. It is probably India's version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Vaibhav Ahuja gets the tempo spot-on with his drums.  The track is mastered by Brian Lucey5. Fight on (acoustic)Vocals: Winston BalmanMusic: Winston Balman & the Prophets of RockGenre: Country RockLanguage: English When the song you hear is mesmerizing you might get distracted and start messing up on some very basic faculties. I kept reading the song's name as "Flight on", maybe because the number was lifting me up in the air thanks to its levitating spirit. It was 'Fight on' and I realized it much later. It is one of the finest songs I have heard in 2022 and I got introduced to the band. Many times when I write my reviews I feel like the song belonged to the Country style of music, but here I was for the time that a band recognises itself as belonging to that genre. Winston Balman and The Prophets Of Rock. Why is it that these COuntry musicians have such resplendent vocals? And Winston Balman owned such a voice. Winston from Dehradun and his bandmates will soothe you in this song that talks about his forgettable past. Bhaskar Dutta hits you with the pathos through the soo Violin and we have Archit Agrawal as the bassist and mix/master engineer. Jonty Indra has done the recording. I would not be surprised if young musicians with just a guitar learn this exciting song and showcase their vocals. The arrangement of the Violin in the multiple layers is phenomenal and keeps you invested, wishing the song never ended. Towards the end, I love how the Violin notes move from being sadness-inducing to inspiring and Bhaskar conjures up more magic dominating the air space. 6. Jodedla BandiMusic: Phani KalyanLyrics : Kittu VissapragadaSingers: Mohana Bhogaraju, Phani KalyanGenre: Melody/ DanceLanguage: TeluguA Telugu song that not only gets your dancing mood on, but also some excellent singing, instrumentals, and a very hummable tune. Phani Kalyan and Mohana BHogaraju are at the peak of their powers in delivering their vocals. Mallikarjuna Eruvuri plays the Nadaswaram in the first interlude which just adds volumes to the song's beauty and the expert Sandilya Pisapati fiddles his way through the second interlude on his Violin. The reason the song feels so lively is because of the rhythm and percussion by Sharath Ravi and the ever-dependable Subhani plays the charming sections on the Mandolin and Banjo. The female chorus fills in and it has some beautiful voice viz. Meghana Sai, Aparna Nandan and Snigdha Sharma. The stanza is just not a few more bonus lines, they too are rich in quality and the second is different from the first.  VS Bharan does all the programming and he is to thank for the sounds that we hear. Nithin M Vinayan is the recording engineer while Ijaz Ahamed has mixed and mastered the track. Phani Kalyan is the composer for this gem and the lyrics are written by Kittu Vissapragada 7. SNDSongwriters: Aditya Rao & Shri SriramAdditional Production: NagaariGenre: Alt-popLanguage: EnglishI recently came across the name Aditya Rao when I heard the music and watched the movie 'Rocketry'. "En Kanmani" in Tamil was incredibly performed and made many of my friends ask "Who is this singer?". It needed a very imposing set of vocals and Aditya Rao just smashed it. He now has this fantastic indie single that got me confused when I read the title. Later when I heard him sing it all became clear like his resonating voice. Aditya and Shri Sriram are the songwriters for this with some additional production by Nagaari. Dan Konopka who also worked on the movie 'Rocketry' has done the mix and master for this number. Aditya just lets himself go free and improvises the notes and does these vibratos and further impresses with his skills as a vocalist. The title 'SND' also refers to sound, maybe the sound of music. The keyboard programming is what delivers a modern sound. The celebrated bassist/composer Sriram plays the Bassolin, an instrument that I am hearing for the first time, invented by the man himself. As I heard segments of the song I felt an influence of Raag Bhimpalasi, and when I checked, the Avarohanam of the Raag does have Sa Ni Dha. 8. Gaaye JaComposed, Produced: Sunny M.R.Sung by Arijit SinghLyrics by Shloke LalLanguage: HindiGenre: Alt-pop, Synth-popThe duo is quite lethal, Sunny M.R. and Arijit Singh, and when one of the time composes/ produces and the other sings rest assured you'll have to listen to some awesome music. They both have been working with Pritam for a while now making expectations and results go hand-in-hand. Once you have a winning formula, you never should mess with it, and you can reap all the great benefits. The starting riff on keyboards somehow gets the dish cooking and from there you will just start liking the song deeper. Arijit Singh's vocals with a tinge of vulnerability and vocal laze work very well here, and the moment he pauses the techno sounds start to dominate. It is all the work of Sunny M.R. and he also joins in as the additional vocalist along with mixing and mastering the track. The recording engineer is Ritvik Shah, with Sukanta Singha recording the vocals. The humming and programming combine quite well and then a sizzling hot solo on the electric guitar by Ankur Mukherjee, takes into trance mode in the interlude. The song gives you a feeling of "Listen and sing along and just done care about a thing in the world",  the exact thing the title says, "Gaaye Ja". The outro is vocals and instrumentals in an unrestrained joyride. Shloke Lal with his interesting words proves once again he is one of the most sought-after Hindi lyricists in the country today. 9. Mhare Hiwade Singer - RahgirLyrics - Shivam ChaturvediComposer- Shivam ChaturvediMusic- Shakti Vishwakarma (Grand Stave Music Production Studio, Jabalpur) @shaktimusicliveGenre: Folk FusionLanguage: RajasthaniThe singer Rahgir has been doing quite well, singing, writing, and composing a song for a recent movie 'Sherdil'. This is a delightful Rajasthani Folk number and much before my trip recently to the state I have been serenaded by their quality. However after my visit, the love has just become multifold, and this number is just a perfect example of how beautiful folk music can sound. Rahgir sings the tune composed by Shivam Chaturvedi who has also penned the lyrics but the production is by Shakti Vishwakarma and he elevates it by more than a few notches. The Sarangi followed by Rahgir's rustic vocals just please the heart. I can sense the influences of the Raag Maand. The Sargam part is sung by Navneet Bairagi and Shakti also accompanies the backing vocals. The use of strings, rhythms, and folk percussions also enhances the genuine texture of the song. 10. Phir Na Aisi Raat AayegiSinger: Arijit SinghMusic Director: PritamLyricist: Amitabh BhattacharyaGenre: HindiLanguage: MelodyThe movie probably didn't fare too well, as mimicking Tom Hanks was never a good plan and to better his acting in "Forrest Gump' was a Himalayan task even for Amir Khan. Leaving all that aside, I was thrilled by Pritam's score for the songs, as I had already featured "Kahani" before, and then this number betters that. Himonshu Parikh who produced "Kesaiya" also works on this number and it is DJ Phukan and Himonshu who handle all the arrangements. It is the line of usual suspects with Arijit Singh on lead vocals and Amitabh Bhattacharya on lyrics. The opening line is extremely rich and it straight away touches a nerve. Tanuj Tiku handles the additional keys with Krishna Pradhan on guitars. Arijit plays around with the notes when he sings the words "aisee raat aaeegee" the second time around. Himonshu does a splendid job bringing in the guitars and rhythms just when the next line "nazadik se raat-bhar" begins making for some wonderful sounds. DJ Phukan and Ashwin Kulkarni handle the excellent sound design and Eric Pillai does the mix and master with assistance from Michael Edwin Pillai. The stanza has some very unique notes that get landed on the Keyboards giving the song a very fresh look. Dev Arijit, Aniruddh Anantha & Akashdeep Sengupta are the vocal conductors and the sound engineers are Ashwin Kulkarni, Aniruddh Anantha, Pranav Gupta, and Harjot Kaur, with Sukanto Singha as the recording engineer. Arjun Chandy adds a very stylish and gentle layer with his backing vocals. 11. Maditho MadhiMusic: Tapas ReliaVocals:  Chandana Bala Kalyan, Vidhya GopalLyricist: Kittu VissapragadaGenre: Melody, Semi-classical, QawwaliLanguage: TeluguThe Amazon Prime anthology had some interesting stories, but the music probably deserves a lion's share of the credits. Tapas Relia has been featured by me on more than a few occasions, and here is scoring the BGM and composing 2 songs. I loved this one sung by Chandana Bala Kalyan and Vidhya Gopal. the latter I have featured multiple times for her enchanting performances in indie singles like "Nadan Dil" recently with Aanchal Shrivastava. The introduction of the male harmonies gives a very Qawwali style making the texture symbolic of Old Hyderabad. There are some fragments of Raag Desh that I could sense, although it could be Raag Tilak Kamod owing to similarities to the famous song "Aaoge Jab Tum" by Pritam. The singing by the duo is incredibly sweet and you fall in love with music all over again. The Tabla, by Prasad Padhye, and the synchronous singing all just add incredible lustre to the song. The backing vocalists are Rishikesh Kamerkar and Rajiv Sundaresan, and the Oud is played by Tapas Roy. The track is produced by Tapas and mixed, mastered by Farhad K DadyBurjor 12. Aaje veSinger: Vishal MishraComposer: Vishal MishraLyrics: Vishal Mishra, Kaushal Kishore & Faruk KabirMusic Arranged & Produced by: Gaurav VaswaniGenre: Melody/ BalladLanguage: HindiI featured a "Rubaru" by Vishal Mishra from the movie 'Khuda Hafiz 2'  a few weeks ago and I could have mentioned this song, but I felt it deserved a separate review, and for the effort and execution of Vishal, I could do this much at least. When I heard it, I could sense all the pathos generated and knew for sure that it had fragments and influences from Raag Charukeshi. Vishal has composed and performed this number with intense passion as always but the song needs a guy like Gaurav Vaswani who has refined it by arranging and producing the number. Vishal doesn't stop there, he has done all the additional arrangements and production and also co-written the lyrics with Faruk Kabir and Kaushal Kishore. Parth Shankar plays the flute solo and Shomu Seal is on the guitars and within seconds you are drawn into the song thanks to Vishal's fantastic vocals. The percussions are by Swaranjay Dhumal and Prashant Sonagra, and the latter also plays the Tabla, which goes exceeding well with the Female Harmonies in the interlude, comprising of some terrific singers like Shreya Gupta, Shreya Phukan, Harjot Kaur & Hansika Pareek. the interludes do feel like a portion of AR Rahman's 'O Paalanhaare'. The closing stages witness a coming together of the female and male chorus which is uplifting. The Male backing vocalists are  Kumar Gaurav Singh, Kaushal Kishore, Abhinav Mishra, Anirudhh Anantha, Aaroh Velankar & Ayush Phukan. The massive array of string instruments gives the song grandeur thanks to Violinists  Dharmendra Javda, Shayam Sunder Javda, Chandan Singh Javda, Jitendra Javda, Naville Franco, Abhijeet Mujumdar, Sanjay Verma & Rajiv Padhiyer, Viola by  Dharmendra Javda, Jitendra Javda, Shayamsunder Javda, Chandan Singh Javda, Rajiv Padhiyar & Sanjay Varma and Cello by Leo. The track is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup. Vishal's music assistant is  Kumar Gaurav Singh, and the recording engineers are Trihangku Lahkar, Sethuraman, Sanket Tole & Ezekiah Naniwadekar.  13.  KanavariyatheMusic: Aloshya PeterVocals: Aloshya Peter, Lakshmi PriyaGenre: MelodyLanguage: MalayalamOut of nowhere, I heard songs from the album which was composed by Aloshya Peter for a Malayalam web series called 'Love- Out for delivery'. There were a few decent songs but I loved this one the most and had to review it. The vocals are by Aloshya and Lakshmi Priya. The acoustic guitar strumming and basslines are strong like the backbone of the song and the melody rides on these. A beautifully executes and arranged flute solo stuns you in the interlude and during a well-scored stanza, the strings in the background try and fight for attention. I must admit that Lakshmi sings the lines beautifully and kudos to Aloshya for giving a good score and tantalizing arrangements. I would have preferred if t

The song was a raging hit in all parts of India crossing over 50 million YT hits within days, but that was partly helped by the “Love Storiyan” battle over lyrics. I liked any ingenuity in lyrics so that did not bother me, but apparently, the song in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam became very popular as fans wanted to boycott the Hindi version and listen to the tune in other languages. The song is not something out of the ordinary but it was Pritam in 3rd gear when he is quite capable of moving in the 5th. The song’s likability was boosted thanks to the production by Himonshu Parikh who is also one of the guys behind the success of the Indie group ‘The Yellow Diary’. I am going to rate the 5 versions of the song based on overall likability, singing quality, styles and delivery, lyrical fit with the notes, and finally creativity. Since the song had no changes in the notes and production, all these factors apply to the vocals and lyrics alone. I follow only Tamil and Hindi, so for all 5 languages, I’ll only judge how the lyrical sounds fit the music without going into their meaning and depth. Let me first describe the elements I liked and disliked about each version and shall present my scores in the end. The original was in Hindi and created all the buzz and here I perfectly liked the lyrics including how creatively “love storiyan” was introduced. So I would give solid points for lyrics here. Arijit sings it quite well, and he is bringing his A game for Pritam, although a lot of the aalap he does are quite predictable, if you have heard him enough before. The Ghamakas are fine but without any creativity and so the style of delivery is monotonous. Pritam ropes in Sid Sriram to sing the Tamil and Telugu versions completely, and they sound exactly similar. I wish Pritam used some local knowledge to get someone else to the singing, I feel he just took the easy route and picked a popular singer with a massive social media following at the moment. When I spoke to a few people who understand Telugu, dismissed Sid’s diction and that has been a common complaint. As a layman when I heard Tamil and Telugu, I felt Tamil lyrics fit the song better. There are moments when I got very uncomfortable with Sid’s higher notes (which made me cringe) and his Tamil pronunciation is questionable saying “Ulahe” instead of “Ulage” “Mahala” instead of “Magala”, and “Azhahe” instead of “Azhage”. Some composer has to tell Sid to change his style as it just sounds repetitive with his ghamakas. Having said that the way he brought in swaras in the places which had just no vocal involvement in the case of Arijit. Sanjith Hegde is one of my favourite vocalists and he smashes it. His singing, style, delivery, and creativity all are unmatched making it my favourite version. “Kesariya Rangu” is the best version with a score of 50/60. The lyrics match the notes very well and the mild vibrato that Sanjith brings in is just exemplary. Mayalayal is a close second along with Hindi as Hesham Abdul Wahab scores best on creative ghamakas. Just listen to the closing stages as Hesham does tricks and pauses which gets him solid points. But I did feel in the last outro when the title line is slowed down in singing (like all the other versions too), Hesham alone wasn’t keeping in perfect tempo and I felt he may have skipped a beat here and there. My complaint across Kannada and Malayalam was that Sid Sriram had to be featured in both to do the Swara bit, while I am sure Hesham and Sanjith are capable of doing it on their own. The lyrical fit of Malayalm was pretty good as well. The scores are as shown belowKesariya Rangu 50Kesariya 49Kunkumamaake 48Theethiriyaai 45Kumkumala 43 Best version – Kesariya Rangu – KannadaBest Vocals – Sanjith HegdeBest Lyrical fit – Kesariya – Hindi – Amitabh BhattacharyaBest Creativity – Sid Sriram Best style of delivery – Hesham Abdul Wahab – MalayalamWorst Version – Kumkumala - Telugu

1. Hey Kanmani Music Production: Kailas, Ebin PallichanLyrics: Vinayak SasikumarSingers: Abhijith Anilkumar, Greeshma TharavathMusicians: Francis Xavier, Abhijith Anilkumar, Rafael Freitas (Brazil), Ashik M, Vimal JohnLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Pop Like I promised Kailas Menon's 3rd song from 'Vaashi' has now made it, and like 'Rithuragam' and 'Yathonnum Parayathe' this song too makes it to the very top. It is one of the best movie albums I have heard in 2022 and we hope Kailas can keep raising the bar even higher. The Kazoo is played by the lead vocalist Abhijit Anilkumar himself, and it starts things off. The rhythms, synth, and keyboards keep the song high on energy and relevance and we have to thank Ebin Pallichan, Kailas for their production. Ashik M and Vimal John take care of the additional rhythm. I am so glad to hear Abhijit sing this with brilliant impact and he is one of the very fresh and likable voices from Mollywood. Is the interlude a tribute to Maestro Ilaiyaraja, well it certainly feels like, with Francis Xavier playing a sizzling solo reminding of "Kalakala maga vazhum kathalukku" from 'Punnagain Mannan'. Vinayak Sasikumar is the lyricist. The Kazoo and Keys ornament the interlude further, to be picked up from there by Greeshma Tharavath as the lead female vocalist in the stanza. She maintains a very low scale and delivers it with great style and Kailas and Ebin arrange the instrumentals very well with the violin coming and going in the background. The harmonies are quite catchy but let us not forget the bassist from Brazil, Rafael Freitas who has kept things incredibly groovy. The song has a tone that feels similar to "Ennai Konjum Maatri" by Harris Jayaraj. The recording engineers are Midhun V Dev, Vimal John, Ebin Pallichan, and Amal Mithu with studio assistants Amal Raj, and Stanley. The track is mixed Suijith Hyder and mastered by Gethin John.   2. Deedar e KhudaSinger: Muheet Bharti and Zaheed Damani Composer: Muheet Bharti and Zaheed Damani Lyrics: Alyas Nasiri Music Production: Muheet Bharti Language: HindiGenre: Indie Pop/Fusion Muheet Bharti has been a supremely talented musician and whether a guitarist or singer or a composer he is top-draw. The song impressed me so much that I immediately fell in love, but because of my carelessness, I forgot to include it in my earlier lists. The power of 2 is what I see here as Muheet and Zaheed Damani co-work on both the composition and vocals making this a total chart-buster. The singing is exemplary with intricately laden vibrato, and never overdone to create a cringe. The harmonies are subtle but are substantial in impact because they create a varying style of the Church Choir nature. Cimone Rajan, Muheet himself, and another bright talent in Aditya Kalway constitute the harmonies.  Guitars and rhythms provide a more western touch along with bass guitars but the Sarangi takes us back to our backyard. One can feel the proximity and influence of the Salim-Sulaiman brothers in the composition, but it is only their label involved in this track. The segment with the rendering of swaras is delightful and when the song draws to a close we sense the Qawwali style gaining traction. The track is mixed and mastered by Aftab Khan.   3. Main Kaun Hun Lyrics, Vocals: Shreyas BhartiyaMusic Production: Brince BoraMusicians: Shreyas, Saurabh Lodha, Saket RaoLanguage: HindiGenre: Pop, Alt-Rock Who Am I? That pertinent question everyone has on their minds at some point of time in their lives is this. Shreyas Bhartiya is the musician who poses himself this question now, and whether or not he found the answer, his song helps me gain reason and answers to why I am a music reviewer. Shreyas has written, played the lead and rhythm guitars, and performed the number vocally. The guitars enthrall you along with the Keys in the background. Githin Sam George does a clean job with the vocal production, with harmonies and humming adding some delight. Brince Bora deserves massive credit for the production because the song as one finished product is just brilliant.  The electric guitar solo in the interlude is very intriguing, and although they are the same notes as the song's opening lines, it adds a different flavor. Saket Rao is constantly engaging through his drums and Saurabh Lodha is the bassist. The silence in percussion after the 3rd minute with only guitars and layers of vocals is very soothing. The trumpets and probably trombones programmed are very clever and just surrender to the outro on guitars enhanced by drums, trumpets, and keys making it one spectacular piece. Khsitij Kumar Choudhary has done the mixing and mastering and the song is recorded at the Gray Spark Audio Academy in Pune.   4. VichhdaComposer: Anand Bhaskar Singer: Romy Lyrics: Ginny Diwan Music Production: Hrishi Giridhar Musicians: Ajay Jayanthi, Hrishi GiridharLanguage: HindiGenre- Semi-classical Fusion He is one shining light, in the Hindi music space, and whether it is indie music or scores for movies/series Anand Bhaskar puts his hand up and serves a delicious song. 'Masoom' has probably one of the best BGM scores in Hindi in recent memory along with Ajay Jayanthi's 'Thar'. What do you know, both of them belong to this band called 'Anand Bhaskar Collective. Ajay plays the strings while Hrishi Giridhar is on the guitars. Romy delivers the vocals, and we get that vocal texture of a Divya Kumar or a Sukhwinder Singh, and I do hear traces and influence of Raag Bhimpalasi. The harmonies add a lot of weight to the vocals and it helps in delivering the beautiful lines written by Ginny Diwan. The pace and tempo suddenly drop in the middle of the track, and gives a flavor of a devotional number, helped by additional vocals, Keys, and guitars. The track is mixed and mastered by Prathamesh Dudhane with Krina Shah as the recording engineer. The last 1 minute is where Anand Bhaskar enters familiar territory or the rock genre and it is a tete-a-tete between, vocals, guitars, and drums.   5. Aane Maadi Heluteni Music: B Ajneesh LoknathSingers: Vijay Prakash, Harshika DevanathLyrics: Punith Arya Musicians: B.Ajaneesh Loknath, Shruthi Raj, Kabuli, JosyLanguage: KannadaGenre: Melody One of the finest composers we have in India at the moment is B Ajaneesh Loknath and it is a matter of pride that he and Charan Raj both belong to the Kannada movie industry. With Ajaneesh one can always expect some riveting melodies that would make even the geniuses of yesteryears proud. Harshika Devanath has been singing brilliantly for Ajaneesh of late and this is one more to the list. Josy's bass guitars and Chennai Strings Orchestra in full flow are what delighted me straight away. The humming accompanies the strings and finally the brilliant percussion by Shruthi Raj work like magic.  It reminds me of Ilaiyaraja's "Inji Iduppazhagi" and "Nenjukkulle Innaru". Ajaneesh is on the Keyboards and all additional programming is by Midhun Ashok. To aid the percussion, we have rhythm programming by Ricky D Costa and Ajaneesh. But I would be amiss if I don't credit Ramesh Vinayagam and Ajaneesh who have done the arrangements. CR Bobby co-produced the number along with Ajaneesh which takes us back to the 1990s and it is B Sajayan Kumar who does the mixing and mastering. Vijay Prakash joins late but provides the perfect compliment and shows why he is Kannada's top vocalist even today. The second interlude is a pleasant ride on the flute solo, but the richness of the stanza is what separates Ajaneesh from other also-rans who just impress with a few good lines.   6. Kashmakash Music Composer: Swastika & Sagnik (Jam8 Studio)Lyrics: Shloke LalSingers: Antara Mitra and Mohammed IrfanMusicians:Language: HindiGenre: Indie Pop Here we go, and we have one more song in the same Roposo Jamroom project making it the 5th song to be reviewed. This is showing a marked difference from the song 'Dil ka Kabootar'. It is more of a melody hovering around the pop genre. Swastika and Sagnik are a mother-son duo who have composed this number and how many times have we heard of such a combination before? Zilch according to me. Mohammed Irfan and Antara Mitra are the lead vocalists and there is so much newness to the vocal texture when we hear them sing.  The guitars and drums and vocal harmonies are elegant layers that just elevate the song and we have Roland Fernandes, Udhayan Dharmadhikari on acoustic guitars, Prachotosh Bhowmick, and Roland on electric guitar, and Rajkumar Dewan on bass, Dev Modi plays the drums, Chinmay Deore plays percussions and the chorus team has Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Vacha Bipin, Archita Ajgaokar, Sonu Ishteyak Khan and Vaishali Singh and Swastika is on the additional vocals The vocal harmonies are arranged and designed such that they almost sound like a Gospel. Sunny M.R. and ZIA have arranged and programmed with the former completely on mixing and mastering, with Ritvik Shah as the mix assistant. The interlude then introduces the Sarangi by Momin Khan and that is where this whole project has stood apart, in that the songs are very skillful pieces of fusion rather than just unidirectional and predictable. The song has a lot of tonal similarities to 'Zehnaseeb' by Vishal-Shekhar. The best part of the song is the stanza which has immense richness and is sung very deftly by Irfan and this is where the song probably has some traces of Raag Yaman, especially as I can hear similarities to "Ae Hairathe". The last part where the scale is just lifted higher and then the chorus takes over singing the title line works pretty well. Rudrik Mistry plays the upright Piano and Sagnik is on the Keyboards and Synths.  In this project, Brianna Supriyo does music supervision along with Antara Mitra, and the latter also does Curation. The Executive Producers are Shraddha Mohanti and Vikas Nopany, audio engineers on the track are Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar   7. After EffectsLyrics, vocals: JzzyMusic Production: Adam NielsonLanguage: EnglishGenre: Synth-pop This song came as a total surprise to me and the after-effects of the song on me were pretty intense. Ajmat Jasmine Mohammaed a.k.a. Jzzy is a young artist who hails from Ajmer but now is settled in the US. She has written, composed, and performed brilliantly while the song is produced by Adam Nielson. The guitars are resplending and make you wake from any slumber of any degree. With a delivery like that Avril Lavigne Jzzy teases you with her vocals. The production is scintillating by Adam and beefs up the song. There are moments where Jzzy goes into that falsetto zone impressively. This synth-pop number genre in all its glory is heard here.   8. Dil Ka Kabootar Composer: Ana Rehman & Shubham ShiruleSinger: Mame Khan, Nikhita Gandhi and Shubham ShiruleLyrics: Shloke LalMusicians: Salman Khan, Prachotosh Bhowmick, Roland Fernandes, Udayan Dharmadhikari, Raj Kumar Dewan, Ishteyak Khan, Mushtak Khan, Chinmay Deore, Shubham Shirule, Ana Rehman, Rudrik Mistry  Is this one of the finest projects of 2022, I think so. Jam 8 Studio had created this Roposo Jamroom to give music lovers 9 tracks involving different composers, musicians, and a galaxy of live instrumentalists. Shubham Shirule and Ana Rehman who already have been featured with 2 songs once again compose this very different and enjoyable fusion track, while it is Shubham on arrangements and programming. Once again it is Niraj Sanghai on concept and ideation with Pritam as the mentor. Salman Khan's Sitar is the hero at the start and if you were expecting something very classical, just wait for Mame Khan to start singing and be accompanied by Rajkumar Dewan's bass guitars and Roland Fernandes on the Trigggered Electric guitar.  Shubham also joins on the vocals with Chinmay Deore playing the percussion and Tabla. We also hear the constant accompaniment on the chorus by Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Vacha Bipin, Archita Ajgaokar, Sonu Ishteyak Khan, Vaishali Singh. Nikhita Singh is probably wasted in so many songs with the songs she is offered and that is what I feel when she performs in this number. Udayan Dharmadhikari plays the acoustic and Prachotosh Bhowmick is on the electric guitar. The song is not very complex with too many variations but the singing, and the choice of percussion in different segments makes it a very interesting song. Ishteyak Khan, Mushtak Khan play the Dholak and the upright Piano is played by Rudrik Mistry . The track is mixed and mastered by Ashwin Kulkarni and the composer duo Ana and Shubham handle the Keys and Synths. As usual in this project, Brianna Supriyo does music supervision along with Antara Mitra, and the latter also does Curation. The Executive Producers are Shraddha Mohanti and Vikas Nopany, audio engineers on the track are Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar   9. TigressComposition, Lyrics, Vocals: ManchildVocals: Sethu KalyaaniProduced by: Best AsokCo-composed by ChidakashaMusicians: Dixon Dennis, Rohit Sanjay, Arjun Subramanian, Krishnan Meep This is the second time I was hearing Manchild a.k.a. Sachin Rajeev and to say that I was thoroughly impressed would be an understatement. The first time around it was a song called "Better" along with Chennai-based Michael Timothy and though the song did have some impressive portions fusing Carnatic and Western styles, I was waiting for something better, and here it was. Sachin has composed, performed, and written the lyrics along with Sethu Kalyaani on vocals alone. Chidakasha has co-composed while Best Asok has produced this outstanding number and also played the guitars and done the additional programming.  Arjun Subramanian plays the guitars and you can hear Rohit Sanjay on the bass. The song is filled with Synth inputs and it takes into a trance mode straight away thanks to Krishnan Meep. Arjun accompanies on additional vocals but you can feel the beautiful fusion with the way the singing has a Carnatic finish and Ornamentation in the way it is delivered. Dixon Dennis plays the drums and he chooses his moments of silence and domination perfectly. There is, according to me, Abher Raag influences in the aalap that we hear past the 3rd minute. Arun K Ramachandran does the mixing and mastering.   10. JeevakashamComposed, Programmed, and arranged: Shaan RahmanLyrics: B.K Harinarayanan Singer: Sooraj SanthoshAdditional vocals: Chitra PaiMusicians: Bharath Sajikumar, AnandLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Melody Why doesn’t he sing all songs in all languages? Well, looks like my liking for Sooraj Santhosh inadvertently got blurted out. He is without any doubt, or debate one of the finest vocalists in India, and has been extremely active in the indie space of late. From time to time when he sings in Mollywood, it ends up being a cracker like this one. Shaan Rahman too has upped the ante and has now probably been on my lists quite periodically. The Piano is not just subtle as it imposing in sound and then the vocals of Sooraj tend to mellow things down. Bharath Sajikumar impresses as the bassist and Anand pounces on you with his Tabla and Dholak. The mild vibrato he injects is exemplary to major artists who overdo it and kill a song. Chitra Pai can be heard accompanying Sooraj in the backing vocals. The Harmonium and Tabla combination is charming as expected in the interlude. The stanza does deviate too far from the pallavi, and the singing and instrumentals do enough to touch your heart. A special mention to Chitra for delivering the humming bits with style and she adds an innocent and sweet charm. The track is mixed and mastered by Balu Thankachan  11. TakhthiyaanSinger: Dhaval Kothari Music Production and Arrangement: Vishal Khatri Composition: Dhaval Kothari and Pulkit Jain Lyrics: Mufazzal MGenericMusicians: Akshay Jadhav, Megha Rawoot, Sanchit Mhatre, Jobin DavidLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical fusion The duo is not new when it comes to these weekly Indian charts, and I have to admit that Vishal Khatri and Dhaval Kothari impress when they work on a project. Vishal has composed, produced, arranged, and played the Keyboards for this one with the lead vocals of Dhaval. The song starts in a very stylish pop style aided by Jobin David on guitars and Sanchit Mhatre on drums. The title line engages you thanks to the singing and guitar notes, not to forget the chords we hear from Vishal on keyboards. The 180-degree shift happens with a soothing Sitar solo by Megha Rawoot and a drop in tempo and energy. Akshay Jadhav accompanies on Tabla and there are moments here where I did feel an influence of Raag Shanmukhapriy

1. Hold on to meVocals, Songwriting- Ruhee AhamedProduction – Jonathan Anand WesleyMusicians – Israel ThomasLanguage – EnglishGenre – Indie Pop This is outstanding singing, something that can give any global celebrity artist a tough fight and a run for their money. I start listening to Ruhee Ahamed and it feels like Celine Dion of the 1990s has landed in Bengaluru. She is not even close to being a novice as she has been involved vocally in many projects since 2010. When a singer is a distinguished A Capella performer you are guaranteed unshakable vocal prowess and that is exactly what she exhibits here. Many weeks ago I called Arunaja’s “For Who I am” one of the best vocal performances of 2022 yet, and now you better add this to that very short list. Ruhee has even been part of harmonies for the Carnatic fusion band ‘Agam’ and she brings in every ounce of that experience and training on board here. I featured “Maybe I'm foolish” back in 2020 and when I told her that the song would be number 2 in India, she had the immense confidence and self-belief to ask me why not number 1 and whose song took that position. Israel Thomas on Keyboards dominates the scene both accompanying and guiding the initial segment along with Ruhee. The song is a lesson for young, aspiring singers to practice and make covers of, and how she progressively raises her energy, during the song is remarkable. Jonathan Anand Wesley has done a brilliant production along with Ruhee of the song leaving no space for flaws and he also mixes and masters the track. Ruhee goes for the kill without even resting on the laurels won in the first 4 minutes and what you hear in the closing section is a hair-raising performance and I can't see any reason why anyone in her life wouldn’t want to Hold on to her. Sumesh Nayadi and Akshaj Balaji are recording engineers. I want to tell Ruhee Ahamed, ‘Hey this time, there is no other song better than yours, you have the number 1 song in the country for the week, and maybe for the month as well”. 2. Nenne TanakaMusic – Arjun JanyaSinger – Sanjith HegdeLyrics - Kavirathna Dr V. Nagendra PrasadMusicians – V Sukumar, Chinna, Subhani, Madhu, Lekshmi Narayan, RajuLanguage – KannadaGenre - Melody  This combination is supreme and one of the most successful and I am referring to Arjun Janya the composer and Sanjith Hegde the singer, and I cannot even begin to count those hits with my fingers right now. This song is from the album ‘Trivikrama’ and is very much down the Arjun alley with a load of live instruments, harmonies, and solid programming. V Sukumar handles the keyboard and rhythm programming to great effect and right from the very start you can hear the mild harmonies comprising Aniruddha Sastry, Supreeth Phalguna, Madhwesh Bharadwaj, and Sriranga Darshan. The bass guitars keep decorating the background layer and Subhani enters in the interlude with the Solo on Mandolin and the Sitar is probably programmed. Sanjith proves right here in every way that he is right up there among India’s best male vocalists with his high-pitched singing, enjoyable ghamakas, etc. Chinna plays the Harmonium and the second interlude oozes richness and melody. The rhythms we hear, are played by Madhu, Lekshmi Narayan, and Raju and D Hariharan join in on all the additional programming. I was glad to see some excellent budding musicians Aromal Chekaver and Rakesh Pazhedam contributing as recording engineers on this song Along with Shiva. The track is mixed and mastered by David Selvam3. KannuSinger: ADHEEF MUHAMEDMusic : JUSTIN VARGHESELyrics: SUHAIL KOYALanguage: MalayalamGenre - Melody Hey Justin Beiber, I have some words of advice for you, well you should take some lessons for composition from India’s own Justin Varghese. He is one of the finest in the country and for those who don't know much about him, listen to the BGM score of the movie ‘Joji’. While at it, Beiber can also take some singing lessons from Adheef Muhammed, because this guy kills it with his performance, especially the spell-binding ghamakas. I don't even feel like spending my time writing about this song, because I would rather close my eyes and just listen to the glorious singing, flute, and overall production. Anyway, Justin Varghese proves here that he is just not skilled at BGM scores but also at creating beautiful melodies. Right from the start, every sound you hear is magical, and then the whistle leads the way. Adheef shows how a song should be delivered even to the so-called superstar singers in India. Just pay attention to the incredible vibrato he attached when he sings ‘Kannu’. Huge credit must also be given to Sankaran S and Sidarthan who have done the sound design, and Vishnu Sujathan who has done the mixing. The EP for the track is Vineeth Shornur. I fell in love with the flute solo in the interlude and the second half of the solo sounded similar to the interlude segment of Ilaiyarajas ‘Manguyile Poonguiyile’ s solo version by SPB in the movie ‘Karagattakaran’. These days songs become a hit just for 1 good line, but Justin gives you even a beautiful melody in the stanza. When the song draws to a close, Adheef once again does that ‘Kannu’ vibrato but here the flute also accompanies in the background, the thing that amazes me most is that he does as much with ghamaka as the flautist does, which according to my limited musical knowledge is quite difficult to achieve vocally. 4. Main Jee RahaMusic Composer: Ana Rehman (Jam8 Studio)Lyrics: Shloke LalSingers: Jazim Sharma and Shilpa RaoMusicians – Roland Fernandes, Rajkumar Dewan, ZIA, Salman Khan, Feroz Shan, Dev Modi, Chinmay Deore, Ishteyak Khan, Mushtak Khan, Vikram Bishwakarma This is an incredible project #RoposoJamroom as they intended 9 songs with different singers and composers, and I have already done 2 a couple of weeks ago, and now for the 3rd. a big round of applause to two people here is called for viz. Niraj Sanghai who has conceptualized the project and Pritam who has mentored every composer for this project. 2 weeks ago Ana Rehman and Shubham Shirule gave us a smashing number called “Raah Dikha De” and now this is composed by Ana, and arranged and arranged and programmed by Shubham. The set-up is similar to the other songs we saw 2 weeks ago like “Heer Meri” where there is a galaxy of live instrumentalists here too. Singers are the vehicle to carry a song from the composer’s ideation stage to the ultimate listeners’ ears and heart, and just like how Mohit Chauhan and Asees Kaur shone, we have two amazing vocalists viz. Jazim Sharma and Shilpa Rao delivering the lines here. Both have been featured multiple times on my charts and reviews and for JAzim this is different from his solo projects which are very classical and slow. Sunny MR has arranged, programmed, and produced the track with all the mixing and mastering responsibilities as well, and you can hear the sound quality and tone being at the highest notch thanks to that. The Tabla and percussion by Chinmay Deore along with the Harmonium by Feroz Khan stand out at the beginning, and the song’s tone and texture have a lot of similarities to Salim-Sulaiman’s “Haule Haule ho jayega Pyar”. Some elements make me wonder if there is some influence of Raag Darbari. Rajkumar Dewan on bass and Roland Fernandes on guitars go about their business as usual, and ZIA does all the arrangements on Keys, with Shubham playing the Keyboards and Synths. Wait for that scintillating interlude on the Sitar by Salman Khan, you will get a hint of a tear in your eyes, but I was also in awe with Jazim’s ghamakas, the way he sings the part “Tere Liye”. Dev Modi plays the drums and it combines so well with the Sitar, and also pays attention to the Tabla Tarang played by Chinmay in the interlude. The stanza has an excellent shift into Sufi style singing “Intezaar ka fal de Maula”. And we have the Dholak played by Ishteyak Khan, Mushtak Khan, Mandolin by Vikram Bishwakarma, and a solid chorus team comprising Vaishali Singh, Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Vacha Bipin, Archita Ajgaokar, Sonu Ishteyak Khan. The harmonies sound excellent in the closing stages of the song and the line “Kya bana Pattar dil Maula, Tu..Tu…” is skillfully handled by the chorus team and this reminds us of the great songs by AR Rahman as well. Antara Mitra does the music supervision with Brianna Supriyo and Antara also does the curation. The recording engineers involved are Hemaksh Kalsi, Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, and Pranav Gupta and the mixing assistant is Ritvik Shah. Let us not forget to credit Shloke Lal for those words that keep ringing in your ears. 5. Bonding SongMusic: Nobin Paul Singer: Pancham Jeeva Lyrics: Nagarjun SharmaMusicians – Rithu Vysakh, Sumesh ParameshwarLanguage – KannadaGenre – Melody I have heard so much about this movie Charlie 777 and it is a must-watch for all dog lovers, but if you are a music lover this is one of the best albums released in 2022 so far. Nobin Paul is one serious talent in the Kannada music space and he has proven himself beyond doubt. I have featured 2 songs from this album and this is the 3rd and every song is as good as the other. Nobin has arranged and programmed along with his score and gets this excellent but underrated singer Pancham Jeeva to do the lead vocals for the song. The keyboard programming comes to the forefront, and with Pancham we have very capable support on harmonies that includes Pancham, Pavan Kumar, Pooja Rao, and Meghana Kulkarni Joshi. That line where the entire group sings “Charlie” is just fantastic and soothing and uplifting. The interlude is pure genius and what else can we expect when Rithu Vysakh plays and arranges the one-man String Quartet. Sumesh Parameshwar is the wingman on acoustic and bass guitars and the song is full of freshness and energy that not even a second fails to boost your spirits. The track is mixed and mastered by Balu Thankachen. The second interlude has some exciting notes performed in the Chorus The apt lyrics for the song that bursts with messages of love and dependency are penned by Nagarjun Sharma.6. JuneWritten & composed by Sidharth BendiCo-produced by Sidharth Bendi & SudanMusicians – Kritskaya TatianaLanguage – EnglishGenre – BalladThis composer/producer Sidharth Bendi, from Hyderabad, has been a regular on my website and if it is not his single like “It's over”, he has also been a valiant producer for “Dear Madeline” by Sai VSR. Kritskaya Tatiana is like the star of the show with her solo on the Cello, and its constant presence is like an enhanced addition of spices and flavours to the recipe. Sidharth has written and composed along with performing the vocals all of which are intriguing. The guitars come and go in significance just like the well-arranged harmonies. This makes sure the lyrics are heard with full attention. The love and heartbreak of the protagonist are well established with words like “It’s the 11th day of June, Two years ago I was so in love with you, It’s the 11th day of June, 4 days to go, Ill be nothing more to you”. Nothing encapsulates pathos like an instrument from the Strings section and that is why Tatiana’s Cello works like magic. Navjyoth Kumar handles the artwork pictures and video with design by Sidharth himself. Sudan is not to be forgotten because he has co-produced the song along with Sidharth and the number wouldn’t be as impactful without some solid arrangements programming and production 7. RubaruSingers: Vishal Mishra & Asees KaurComposer: Vishal MishraLyrics: Manoj MuntashirMusicians – Shomu Seal, Parth Shankar, Ashish JhaLanguage – HindiGenre – Melody/ Semi-classical I never miss an opportunity to heap praise on Vishal Mishra who is like a diamond in the rough when it comes to searching for good composers in Bollywood. Despite the movie getting very average reviews the songs have been excellent and after this song, I will be featuring one more song “Aaja Ve” in the subsequent weeks. The vocals by Vishal and Asses Kaur are perfectly suited to deliver the emotional message of the song. The title line is just the best part of the song and it gets aided by the Piano in the background, but the moment Vishal finishes the line the Tabla by Ashish Jha and the serenading Flute solo by Parth Shankar fill the interlude space and amplify the quality of the song. Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics can give the listener the true picture and theme of the song thanks to his words. The voice texture of Vishal is truly unique and it sounds very apt in semi-classical numbers like this one too which I believe has influences from Raag Desh. Shomu Seal plays the guitars and Gaurav Vaswani has played a massive role along with Vishal in getting the arrangements right along with producing the number. The second interlude is a gem with the brisk-paced flowy flute and guitars, and then we get the low-scale entrance by Asees Kaur. Only during her lines, do we get to hear the bass guitars accompanying with style and substance. The rhythm programming too is excellent in the track as they appear at the right instances with the expected vigour in the track. The lead vocalists singing in unison is a great segment, but then the Niazi Nizami brothers, Imran and Hasan, strike gold with their Qawwali part in the end. The track is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with assistance from Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup Gandharla. The music assistant is Gaurav Singh and Trihangku Lahkar is the recording engineer.8. NashaWritten, composition, Vocals – Shevya AwasthiProduction – Varun Jhunjhunwala, Shankara SrikantanLanguage – HindiGenre – Indie Pop, SoulAfter some Indian semi-classical, it is time to shift to another genre 180 degrees apart, and that is why Shevya Awasthi helps us with this groovy number that makes you want to let loose, settle down after a long day and turn the lights down listening to her sing. She has written, composed, and performed, while the production by Varun Jhunjhunwala and Shankara Srikantan get the sounds spot-on. The keyboards and synths are doing their thing. The rhythm and keyboard programming does skip a beat and they are wonderfully supported by bass guitars, electric guitars, and harmonies that follow the lead vocals with a lag. The last 1-minute is also something that steals the show with the solo on electric guitars.9. MaayagangeSinger: Arman MallikComposer: B Ajaneesh LoknathLyrics: V Nagendra PrasadMusicians: Midhun AshokLanguage: KannadaGenre: Melody Many people use the word Pan-India while others also despise it these days, as just calling it Indian is good enough. Staying away from that debate, I think Armaan Malik is not just an Indian but a global icon thanks to his forays into global music. I believe he is a very capable vocalist who possesses a likeable voice and the fact that he now sings in Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu with excellent diction has magnified his value. Here he performs for one of my favourite composers B Ajaneesh Loknath and delivers this breezy number with superb ease. When Loknath is the composer, you can expect quite a lot of instrumental support and arrangement and here we have the Chennai Strings performing live with Yensone as the conductor and KD Vincent and Jagannadhan as the co-ordinators. The strings are fantastic and create a grand aura something that reminds me of Ajay-Atul’s “Yaad Laag la” from the movie ‘Sairat’. The rhythm programming is by Ajanessh while all the additional keys are by Midhun Ashok. CR Bobby should be equally credited with the final output of the song thanks to his production work along with Ajaneesh. Unlike his usual songs, he has employed more of a modern soundscape with synths and Keyboards. Armaan Malik’s singing in the stanza is truly a testament to his vocal strength and virtuoso. The second interlude on the saxophone is a nice deviation from the other sounds we hear. Overall Armaan truly elevates a song that could fit many moods and times of the day. Biju James and Amey Londhe are the recording engineers and with Renjith Vishwwanathan on mixing, Mazen Murad masters the track. 10. Paalvarnna KuthiramelMusic Composed and Arranged by: Jakes BejoySinger: Jakes Bejoy, Libin Scaria, Midhun Suresh, Swetha AshokLyrics: Santhosh VarmaMusicians: Sumesh Parameswar, Daniel Joseph AntonyJust listen to this song and the sounds on offer, and it reminds me of AR Rahman's “Oruvan Oruvan Muthalali” and the opening brass section there. One of the premier composers in the land today is Jakes Bejoy he creates a thumping song here as a composer and arranger and he works with Praveen Ninan on production. The Orchestra session we hear is prepared and arranged by Daniel Joseph Antony and assisted by Maneeth Manoj. Then in truly Santhosh Narayanan style, the trumpets come on board helped by Derick’s rhythm programming, and the song transforms into a folk fusion. The vocalists are Jakes Bejoy, Libin Scaria, Midhun Suresh, and Swetha Ashok with lyrics by Santhosh Varma. The interlude past the mid-section has some nice strings as well and Sumesh Parameswar is on guitars right through. The female vocals and male vocals come one after the other in the stanza and that sounds brilliant, especially with the vocal textures that all of them exhibit. Balu Tahnkachan must be appreciated for mixing and mastering this interesting number with so many layers. I could be wrong but many segments of the song do exhibit some influence of Raag Sindhubhairavi. 11.    Haq Tumko HiSinger: Abhay Jodhpurkar, Saheb Biswas, Senjuti DasLyrics: Mayur PuriComposed, arranged, and produced by: Bharat-HitarthMusicians – Shomu Seal, Hitarth, AtulLanguage – HindiGenre – Melody We have already seen one song a couple of weeks ago from this album, sung by Shalmali Kholgade called “Mr. Malang” and I have praised the composers Bharat-Hitarth, and they deserve more with this track. Abhay Jodhpurkar is a mighty force vocally and how can one not fall in love with his voice? The duo has composed, arranged, and produced the track and we have one more song from this album coming in the next week. The guitars are tender, played by Hitarth Bhatt and Shomu Seal, and they add a romantic element other than the beautiful vibrato as only he can. That serene flute solo in the interlude played by Atul makes this melody shine even more and then the guitars take over. The composers have added a nice layer of the Sarod which always is a very classical addition to the scheme of things. The track is mixed and mastered by Prithvi Sharma and the recording engineers are Ikramuddin Lochoor and Pankaj Bohra. The use of harmonies also must be noted here and they in no way harm the delicate rendering of the melody it is only enhanced thanks to Saheb Biswas and Senjuti Das. Mayur Puri touches your heart when he says “Dil dukhane ka Haq tumko hi”. The outro section is almost like a bridge deviating from the rest and it exhibits the composers’ skill further. Some lines remind me of that great number “Aaoge Jab Tum” and hence maybe there is an influence of Raag Tilak Kamod or maybe some Khamaj.12. QisseSong Co-written & Co-produced – Gaya, Reiner ErlingsLyrics – GayaLanguage – HindiGenre – Lullaby/ Ballad Gaya a.k.a. Gayathri is on fire telling her story and message in this song ‘Qisse’ and if taking a break can get you to deliver with such brilliance, then breaks are what we all need. Gaya released her last music 5 years back before I ever started reviewing music. This number is co-composed and co-produced by Reiner Erlings and her and I was astounded at once, so strong enough that I felt the urge to immediately connect with her and give her my words of appreciation. It is just the guitar and her perfect vocals at the beginning show in every note. Just listen to that subtle but tangible ghamaka as she sings “ Jhoote sacch Bolke”. Within the first 1st minute she offers so much both musi

1. Naan Ninage KaavalugaaraComposed – Charan RajProduced – Charan Raj, Narayan SharmaSingers – Ankita Kundu, Sanjith HegdeLyrics – Chethan KumarMusicians - Narayan Sharma, Sunil Sylvester, Narayan Sharma, Nathan, Shruthiraj, Shadaj GodkindiGenre – MelodyLanguage - Kannada He is known as ‘Power Star’, and he passed away, way too young in his 40s. Puneeth Rajkumar, is the son of a mega star Kannada actor and he had become a massive figure, but when he died people from all over India and the world poured their commiserations because he was a simple, modest man and that was his biggest asset. Anyway, this song is a tribute to the man and is composed beyond brilliance by Charan Raj. Charan is one of my favourites from South India and he proves exactly why! The song is slow but it hardly takes a few seconds to impress and woo the listener. The reason lies in the quality of vocalists and the array of live musicians on board, in the project. I remember Ankita Kundu from one of the Indian singing reality shows she was quite good as a young girl, and here her vocals are next to perfect. Sanjith Hegde is a vocalist who according to me comes in the top 3 Indian singers are the moment, so I was not surprised even a bit by what I was hearing from him. Even before Ankita utters a note, there is so much happening with the Piano by Narayan Sharma and strings which Narayan himself arranges in a mind-blowing fashion. Ankita brings in those delicate ghamakas and I couldn’t control the mild tear that rolled down my cheek in pure joy and admiration for the music. Only after Ankita rocks you to sleep with her vocals do we get the title line sung by the majestic Sanjith, accompanied by the delicate Tabla played by Shruthiraj. Sanjith’s fabulous vocals are also aided by well-arranged harmonies. The interlude hits you hard with an Ilaiyaraja-styled flute solo played with extreme finesse by Shadaj Godkindi and your heart swells with love listening to the glorious notes. Nathan handles the Woodwind arrangements and Sunil Sylvester can be heard playing the acoustic guitars, especially in the stanza as all the percussion stops for a while. The stanza ends nicely with that line from the anupallavi and this time both Ankit and Sanjith sing it together. Narayan Sharma is also the bassist in the song and the mixing is done by Charan, with Sujith Sreedhar on mastering. I love the title line in the end sung by Ankita where she modifies the notes a bit and all I can feel is sadness in that the song is coming to end. Deepesh Krishnamurthy is the music supervisor and Divine Joseph, Kashyap, and Sree Shankar are the recording engineers. When I was listening to this, I felt some resemblance to “Sonnathu Nee thaana” by MS Viswanathan, and hence believed this to be a Raag Jaunpuri influence. However, when I had a word with Narayan Sharma he tells me this is more of a Natabhairavi influence.2. RithuragamMusic: KailasLyrics: Vinayak SasikumarSingers : Keshav Vinod, Sruthy SivadasMusic Production: Ebin Pallichan, KailasMusicians – Rithu VysakhLanguage – MalayalamGenre – Pop, R&B A few weeks ago Kailas Menon’s amazing number “Yathonnum Parayaathe” was on this list among the best songs in the country and more than 1 song from the same album rarely appears on my list. Kailas does that handsomely as, after “Rithuragam”, there will be one more song also featured in the subsequent weeks. This song is funky, and groovy, and makes you want to slow dance, thanks to its tone, scintillating keyboard programming, and bass guitars. A round of applause to Ebin Pallichan and Kailas for their production and Keshav Vinod for all the additional programming is necessary. The male lead vocalist is Keshav and he is cool in his delivery. The interlude has the backing harmonies performed by Keshav, Kailas, and Sruthy Sivadas. The stanza is where Sruthy makes the entry as the female lead vocalist, but the harmonies and bass guitars give a texture of R&B to the song. Rithu Vysakh takes over in the second interlude and he is the single man playing the String Quartet adding a very classical flavour to the song. Sruthy singing in the lower scales and Keshav opting for the higher scales is the game-changer for the song and when you hear the outro over the last 1 minute or so, the song just elevates itself with the humming, and Piano all coming together. Now, this is fantastic 1-minute music. The track is mixed by Balu Thankachan and mastered by Gethin John, with Midhun V Dev, Vimal John, Vipin G Kumar, Ebin Pallichan, and Amal Mithu as recording engineers.  3. MeherbaanComposer, Producer – Sagar Dhote Singer: Sneha Astunkar, Abhay JodhpurkarLyrics: Aditya KalwayMusicians – Shomu Seal, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Shweta SrivastavaLanguage - HindiGenre – Indie PopWhen you see a certain logo, you are bound to form an opinion even before trying it out, and this is based on established trust. Yes, and when I see the ‘M’ stylized in red, I know that the Merchant Records label will ensure this song is of wonderful quality. Sagar Dhote is having his stock price rise with every song release and my respect and admiration for him as a composer is not looking back at all. A couple of months ago he composed and produced a very melodious number called “Bas Yun Hi” sung by Sneha Astunkar and he uses her again along with an additional force that goes by the name of Abhay Jodhpurkar. When you hear the first line maybe you won’t even be that thrilled, as it seems like a very run-of-the-mill melody. But wait for Sneha to finish singing “Do aankhon ka yeh silsila”, as she traverses like a step-function into the higher scale. The subtle ghamakas are so beautiful and sound very difficult to execute. Shomu Seal plays the guitars and Sagar does all the keyboard programming. The stanza has Abhay singing in his usual serenading style with some gentle delivery and an even gentler Tabla played by Satyajit Jamsandekar. Sagar exhibits skill in scoring some very unpredictable notes from here as Sneha’s segment has twists and turns with the Keys and acoustic guitars guiding and aiding, and he cleverly lands back in the opening lines of the song. Let us appreciate Shweta Srivastava, the singer-songwriter, who has designed all the vocal harmonies, and Sneha and Abhay who have just added layers of beauty to the tune through their expressive vocals. The track is recorded, mixed, and mastered by Ajinkya Dhapare with assistance from Virat Bhushetty. Two more wonderful young talents have worked on this project viz. Aditya Kalway is the lyricist and Shivansh Jindal is the executive producer. 4. FaqueeraComposer: Anand BhaskarSingers: Jatinder Singh, Anand BhaskarLyrics: Ginny DiwanMusic Production: Ajay JayanthiMusicians – Hrishi Giridhar, Ajay Jayanthi , Mihir DesaiLanguage – HindiGenre – Folk Fusion Ignore him at your peril! Well, that is what I can say, about Anand Bhaskar. If you think you can ignore his music, we know who is losing out. He is one of the finest composers I have been reviewing since I began doing this and It gives me great satisfaction that a guy of his abilities is finally getting a lot of real opportunity in the movie/web-content space. The album ‘Masoom’ has some excellent singles along with a terrific background soundtrack. This song to me seems like possessing an influence of Raag Jog (Naatai in Carnatic) in the beginning but as we go along, there is some Raag Bhimpalasi according to my understanding. Jatinder Singh is emphatic and explosive in his vocals and he holds the song on his shoulders. Ajay Jayanthi who is part of the team ‘Anand Bhaskar, is scintillating on the strings and he also produces this number. The

1. PareshanWriter, Composer and Performer: SuzonnMusic Producer: Anubhav GogoiEngineer: Rob Murray (Wilderfox Studios, Vermont, USA)Language – HindiGenre – Indie Pop This youngster Suzonn was featured for a beautiful melodious track called ‘Humse Khafa’ back in Nov 2021. Please do listen to that song once before you hear this, as it sets a certain standard of expectation for you, and when you listen to his latest number “Pareshan” you will feel the exact opposite of the title words – Pure Bliss. As a listener, your music appreciation will tell you that Suzonn has hugely outdone himself in this song and is deserving of the number 1 spot it occupies across all the 400 songs released in the week. Suzonn a.k.a. Sujan Sinha has written, composed and performed the number with Anubhav Gogoi producing it. These men are the pride of Assam and a testament to the lineup of musical talent the state has been producing like a conveyor belt. This song would have made Anurag Saikia, Shankuraj Konwar and Papon proud. He starts off in an extremely mild fashion, as though he just is making an attempt to slowly get comfortable and sing aloud. The Keys are just like the North Star giving the song direction and then the beautiful line “bewajah rehta pareshaan”, sung and composed like a waterfall dropping and landing with grace. The strings are becoming more prominent in the background during the humming, and they are like an unstoppable force right through. The song picks up in tempo with the Piano also more free-flowing now than before, but Anubhav Gogoi decorates the song with impeccable beauty thanks to his production. I haven’t heard such an amazing strings arrangement in 2022 so far with over 7000 songs already that have been heard and analyzed by me this year. Suzonn introduces a nice bridge section as well just after a minor interlude on strings and Piano, singing “mann tu bataa, Main kaun hoon maujood”. The track is mixed, mastered and recorded by Rob Murray. 2.   MannimpuComposer, Singer : Ranina ReddyLyrics: Rakendu Mouli | Rambabu GosalaMusicians Asad Khan, Arshad Khan, Pradyumna, John Paul, Nakul Abhyankar We have heard of songs where the message is apology and repentance maybe to a lover or a friend, but how about to Mother Earth. Ranina Reddy has composed and sung this number which originated in creation during the lockdowns and it is set beautifully in Raag Yaman. Asad Khan opens the song with his Sitar solo gravitating upon us the mood of the song. John Paul who is a master of the art., strums the guitars and with Arshad Khan’s Sarangi solo giving away the Raag influences. The rhythm programming is excellent as all credits of arrangements and programming go to the famed musician Nakul Abhyankar.  After the opening lines by Ranina, and some harmonies in the background, Arshad Khan stuns you as the notes take a trajectory and deviate like you wouldn’t predict. The Sitar, electric guitars and drums combine into a pacy and energizing interlude. The stanza is all about Ranina’s low-scale vocals, supported by Pradyumna on Tabla and John’s basslines. The song’s message aligns with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s message of “Save Soil” as Ranina expresses the sorrow of having destroyed Mother Earth and its natural resources. John Paul explodes with an electric guitar solo in the second interlude and it all adds such diverse elements to the song’s wholesomeness. Nakul solidifies the track’s output with all the arrangements as Asad’s Sitar solo plays a fitting end to the song. The track is recorded by Hariharan, while Balu Thankachan mixes and masters the track. 3.   Vishay cutMusic Director, Producer : Advait NemlekarSingers : Aanandi Joshi , Advait NemlekarLyrics: Akshay ShindeMusicians – Hrishi Giridhar, Lavine da costa, Ninad MulaokarLanguage – MarathiGenre - Melody It has been a while since we heard a nice Marathi melody, and like we hear when it rains, it pours. This week we have a few and they all strike you like Thor’s hammer. I hope the Marvel fans will pardon me for this comparison and if I have used any words incorrectly. To me, however, this song has the power to move mountains and seas with its stunning melody and instrumentals and kudos to Advait Nemlekar the producer, composer and vocalist. Hrishi Giridhar plays the guitars with such eloquence accompanying the lovely vocals of Advait and Aanandi Joshi. Ninad Mulaokar plays the flute solo and he intervenes with magical perfection, romanticizing the tune even more. Lavine da Costa, who is a legend and worked with stalwarts like Salim-Sulaiman, does an enviable job in orchestrating and arranging the Strings section which dominates the interlude like a Western Classical bit and the flute lifts you up in the air. I am so excited to hear Advait sing and compose because I have never heard his work before, but this creates a massive wave of expectation for me. The track is mixed and mastered by Ajinkya Dhapare and recorded by Aslam Khan with Bevin Fernandes’ assistance. 4. Mr MalangSinger: Shalmali KholgadeLyrics: Mayur PuriComposed, arranged and produced by: Bharat-HitarthBacking vocals: Amrita TalukdarMusicians - Prachtes Bhowmik, Hitarth Bhatt,Language – HindiGenre –Rock n RollOut of the blue, a song comes up and takes you by so much surprise, that you just can’t proceed to do anything that you were originally working on. I was so impressed with Bharat-Hitarth they do and I very much enjoyed two more songs in this little know movie album called “Titu Ambani”. When I did some more research I found that the duo is famous in the jingle world creating music for many famous brands and their advertisements. This is a welcome foray into the world of movies and I urge music enthusiasts to listen to the songs in the album. Shalmali Kholgade is a rock star and I can think of no one else to deliver this demanding song with incredible ease. Bharath and Hitarth compose, arrange and produce this song giving it a touch of 1960s Rock ‘n’ Roll much like Elvis Presley’s gems. Just listen to her vocals, as she incredibly alters her delivery style to suit a retro Hindi style as well. Amrita Talukdar provides the backing vocals but also gets enthused by Hitarth Bhatt’s and Prachotosh Bhowmik’s guitars which are snazzy. I can hear some Ukulele as well. The humming and vocal harmonies are well arranged, and there is a barrage of instruments from the Horns and Brass section, maybe Trumpets and Trombones and French Horns, but they all come together quite well. It is a massive task for the mixing engineer and Prathamesh Dudhane comes out on top in mastering as well. The stanza is where Shalmali takes it mild and gentle before once again moving the ante and adrenaline up. The second interlude with the guitars and Piano is a straight influence of old classic songs from Hindi as well but the song is a hit thanks to the singing, harmonies, arrangements and production. It feels like spotting an oasis in a desert when Bollywood music is going down the drain for lack of quality and originality. The Recording engineers are Ikramuddin Lochoor and Aamey Londhe. I will be reviewing two more songs from the album in the subsequent weeks.5. BetahashaSinger: Akanksha BhandariComposed, Written, Produced - Nilotpal SinhaMusicians- Mehtab Ali Niazi, Shahrukh Khan, Sharafat HussainLanguage – HindiGenre – Semi- classical I was blown away by the number, and as I have always been told, when I see the symbol “M” denoting Merchant Records, I know there is going to be some superior quality ahead. Nilotpal Sinha composes, produces and also writes this semi-classical number that just doesn’t stop oozing richness. The way Akanksha Bhandari sings is just phenomenal, with a mild sense of vulnerability in her voice depicting the message of the song. Shahrukh Khan’s Sarangi is stunning right from the beginning, and it drives the classical elements forward along with Sharafat Hussain’s Tabla. The interlude has joyful notes played on the Sitar by Mehtab Ali NIazi, and simultaneous the pathos is derived from the Sarangi. The delivery by Akanksha is just perfect in terms of her decibel level and energy as well, and I can feel a woman wanting to be loved with subtle and gentle expressions of romance. Shivansh Jindal who is an up-and-coming indie musician is the Executive Producer for the track and the song is mixed and mastered by the masterful Kohinoor Mukherjee. The song seems to be having influences from Raag Desh in my opinion. 6. Raah dikha deMusic Composer: Shubham Shirule and Ana Rehman (Jam8 Studio)Lyrics: Shloke LalSingers: Mohit Chauhan and Asees KaurMusicians - Sunny M.R. and ZIA, Utkarsh Dhotekar, Suresh Lalwani, Jitender H Thakur, Mohan, Ram Chandran, Dev Modi, Chinmay Deore, Sharmilee, Rajkumar Dewan, Roland Fernandes.Language – HindiGenre – Indie Pop, Melody Let me tell you straight away that songs like these are a rarity, especially in Hindi, songs which make you fall in love with the idea of music without having to destroy your ears with a high noise level of dance beats or having to listen to cuss words and offensive and degrading language. This song composed by Shubham Shirule and Ana Rehman is priceless. Apparently, their mentor is Pritam and now you know where they have taken inspiration from. The most supreme talents like Sunny M.R. and ZIA have arranged and programmed along with Utkarsh Dhotekar, and right from the start the sounds give you a hint that it is the work and production of Sunny M.R. and listen to the impactful strings even before Mohit Chauhan begins singing. Jitender H Thajur plays the Violin while they are arranged by Suresh Lalwani. Jitender is accompanied by Mohan on Viola and Ram Chandran on the Cello. It really feels like you just got to feel the fresh air in your lungs after being suffocated to death, when you hear Mohit’s voice after listening to some very mediocre singing and a million of them mimicking Arijit Singh. Dev Modi on drums and Chinmay Deore on percussion start making an impact with strings just interjecting at every instance. The arrangements couldn’t have been better and often do we hear so many live instruments all in one place, and this deserves huge applause to Ana, Shubham, Sunny, Zia, and Utkarsh. The title line “Raah Dikha De” is just magical not just when Mohit sings but an extremely inspiring chorus does it that includes Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Vacha Bipin, Archita Ajgaokar, Rudrik Mistry, Sonu and Ishteyak Khan. Shloke Lal clearly brings his A game with his lovely lyrics. Let us also pay attention to the Piano played by Sharmilee and as ZIA arranges the keys, we have the Keyboards and Synths handled by Shubham and Ana. Asees Kaur proves that she owns a powerful and likeable voice that probably is wasted many times. Here when she opens the stanza with a very cool and laidback approach you start enjoying the minute yet meaningful vibrato she introduces at just the right places. Roland Fernandes is on guitars with another very common name on bass viz. Rajkumar Dewan. Everything goes silent when Asees performs giving all the spotlight on her, and then the bass, guitars, drums and keyboards along with the harmonies beautify the background. It is amazing to just hear the way Asees moves into the opening lines after the stanza as she seamlessly moves to the higher scale with ease. We can all just stand up and thank Niraj Singhai who is responsible for the concept and Ideation. The song is a celebration of music and how every player has a role to play in the ultimate sound and output, and we get more proof when that aggravated and upbeat drum bit leads us into one final “raah dikha de” moment, this time with the entire chorus. The audio engineers who have worked on the project are Hemaksh Kalsi, Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar and Pranav Gupta. Antara Mitra and Brianna Supriyo handle music supervision, with Antara also doing the curation.   7. Chaal ka badaleliSinger: Abhay JodhpurkarMusic Composed; Arranged - Hrishikesh, Saurabh, JasrajLyrics: Jitendra JoshiMusicians - Shriram Sampath Kalyanee MujumdarLanguage - MarathiGenre - Melody Like I mentioned a while ago, it is pouring Marathi and another pleasing number is here for us sung by the serenading Abhay Jodhpurkar while it is the brainchild of Hrishikesh, Saurabh and Jasraj as the trio composes and arranges the track. The song is from this album called “Medium Spicy” and what a great way to begin the track, free flowing strings and a strong-lunged whistle. Abhay proves once again that he is probably one of the best Indian vocalists who can sing beautifully across languages. The guitars and bass start playing the mild impact along with the flipping sound of the fingers acting like percussion. Hrishijesh, Saurabh and Jasraj also do all the programming and arrangements. Kalyanee Mujumdar is simply sensational on the Violin solo in the interlude and she is supported on the Flute by Shriram Sampath. The guitars complete the outro and the song is mixed and mastered by Tushar Pandit, Kittu Myakal and Tishar also on recording. 8. TruceWritten, composed, Vocals – AnamiProduction – Varun Murali @ The Red Music BoxLanguage – EnglishGenre – Indie Pop, Ballad This Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter has been featured on my website with a brilliant track called “Vultures” and now she’s back with a ‘truce’. Before you start reading this or listening to the song go musically prey on “Vultures”, wow I love how I wrote that ironic line. Anami is next to perfect in her vocals in this song and a very close second to her is the song’s production and programming and who else but Varun Murali of ‘The Red Music Box’. He does a stupendous job of production, arrangements, mixing and mastering. The guitars at the beginning with the rhythms set a beautiful tone and sound and it is like Anami’s vocals and the production sounds are find Truce and entertaining us equally without competing for our attention. A brilliant line both lyrically and musically is “We’re caterpillars learning to be butterflies” where Anami just sings the line with immense passion, and skill, if you observe the rise in scale as she sings the first part and her delivery and breath adjustment when she sings the second part. ‘This is a truce with the voice inside you” is how we all try and lead a happy life and Anami summarizes it perfectly. The guitar riff is simple but it gives a song texture like the “Dream is collapsing” by Hans Zimmer. There is a nice portion where Anami plays and teases just with the word try, maybe like saying try harder, or keep trying different ways, all symbolic and encoded. The song makes the shift upward to a higher scale and only some artists and songs achieve it without looking forced, Anami does it well. The strings in the background are mild and give a nice layer to the tone.9. RaaiSinger- Rekha BhardwajMusic Director-Sravan BhattacharyyaLyrics- Ritam SenMusic Production and sound design- Dev ArijitMusicians Debashish Halder,Language - BanglaGenre – Ballad, Semi-classical This is a Rekha Bharadwaj special as she does a beautiful, soulful aalap at the start and when everything around you must stop. The Piano is the only accompaniment with some mild percussions, but the arrangements are perfectly done to make sure we don’t get distracted away from Rekha his vocals. Sravan Bhattacharya and Dev Arijit are the arrangers with Sravan being the composer. Slowly you start hearing the acoustic guitars but the Sarangi Debashish Halder makes a lasting impression. Alok Punjani and Abhimanyu Chatterjee are the recording engineers. The song gives me a flavour of Raag Desh and we have Subhadeep Mitra on mixing and mastering. 10.  Babul MoraMusic Produced by Deepak PanditSinger: Pratibha Singh BaghelMusic Co-Produced by Gaurav VaswaniMusicians – Deepak Pandit, Prashant Sonagra, Tapas RoyLanguage – HindiGenre – Semi-classical, fusion The Queen, Diva whatever you want to call her, she is the voice of Ghazals and any influences of that brand of music, a voice which AR Rahman said he always listens to a.k.a. Pratibha Singh Baghel. She has worked with composer/Producer Deepak Pandit and whenever they have a song is generally brilliant in sounds, sense and substance.  The song felt like Raag Sindhubhairavi in Carnatic and Tapas Roy can be heard playing the stringed instruments like maybe the Harp and we have the Live Orchestra from The Budapest Live Symphony Orchestra in charge. Pratibha just keeps you glued with her vocals and you can’t help but close your eyes, and shake your head in approval of what you hear. Deepak is a master in producing such tracks with a fusion of Classical Indian music and Western Classical styles. The strings section is heavenly in the background and in the interlude. Prashant Sonagra plays the Tabla ever so delicately and the Piano adds the extra element of Western influences to the mix just listen to the stunning humming just before the second Antara starts.  Gaurav Vaswani also co-produces this track and it is a mystery how this classical song could be even envisioned with such wonderful western sound support and arrangements. Deepak also plays the violin solo and the track has recording engineers K. Sethuraman, Sanket Tole, Ezekiah Naniwadekar, Harshul Khadse and Anushree Manjrekar. The track is mixed by K Sethuraman and mastered by Christian Wright. There is more in this EP called “inheritance” and I shall review more in the subsequent days. 11.  Heer MeriMusic Composer - Shahzan MujeebLyrics - Mandy GillHook Lyrics - Shahzan MujeebSingers - Ash King, Shalmali Kholgade, Shahzan MujeebLanguage – Punjabi/ HindiGenre – Indie PopMusicians - Roland Fernandes, Rajkumar Dewan, Tejas Vinchurkar, Vishal Pathak, Ishteyak Khan, Rudrik Mistry, Chinmay Deore, Dev Modi,    It is that project again ideated and conceptualized by Niraj Sanghai, where some excellent young musicians mentored by Pritam are composing originals and presenting for our listening pleasure. It is called Roposo Jamroom. If it was Shubham- Ana for “Raah Dikha De”, it is Shahzan Mujeeb for this catchy number. Ash King impressed me immensely with that high-pitched delivery and what do I say about Shalmali Kholgade. This is her second song ins this week’s list and she is a superstar vocalist once again proving it here. We have heard Tejas Vinchurkar on flute before but he only arranges that portion on flute played by a young Vishal Pathak. Vishal keeps intervening nicely in the opening segment itself. Rajkumar Dewan the bassist and Roland Fernandes on guitars do their thing as usual. The title line “Oh Heer meri” is sung to perfection and with a mild but lovable ghamak by Ash. Gibson George does an outstanding job producing the track and he also does the arrangements here which you can understand is a mighty task for a song with so many levels of live instrumentals. Ishteyak Khan plays the Tabla, while it is Dev Modi on drums and Chinmay Deore on percussion. The chorus team once again impress like the previous song, and that includes Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar, Vacha Bipin, Archita Ajgaokar, Sonu and Ishteyak Khan. The upright Paino is played by Rudrik Mistry and Gibson Georges's production thanks to the Keys and Synths sounds like the work of geniuses Salim-Sulaiman in many places. The recording engineers are Subhashree Das, Akash Mukherjee, Aaroh Velankar and Aniruddh Anantha, with Ashwin Kulkarni on mixing and mastering, Akash Mukherjee and Subhashree on BTS Mixing. Once again here too is Brianna Supriyo and Antara Mitra on musical supervision.  12.  Don’t shut your eyesVocals: Niranjan MenonComposition: Niranjan Menon, Sarthak Ray, Kanishk DiwakerProduction: Niranjan Menon, Sarthak RayLyrics: Niranjan MenonLanguage – EnglishGenre – Indie Pop/ Ballad/ Alt-Rock How very unique? Is it an irony? Who cares just listen to this number that encapsulates some western pop/ballad and b

1. I don’t sleep enoughVocals – Anubha KaulWritten, Composed – Anubha KaulProducer – Aman Jangwani The duo has just been one of the best when they work together on various projects. Aman Jagwani and Anubha Kaul have done phenomenally well and that is why I have always featured their work like “This Place” and “Hope” at the top of the India charts. Now, this is a hat-trick of features and before listening to this, I strongly urge you to listen to the other two tracks I have mentioned in the lines above. Anubha is just insanely good with her vocals and I get tensed here thinking how she will hit the notes on the way down in the lower scale, but she does it like a walk in the park. The keys come along and decorate the background, and the way she hums it lingers on in your head, just before those beautiful lines “I dream a little too much, and I still don’t sleep enough”. Aman has excelled in leaps and bounds in production and the quality of output is a testament to the man’s work. The layers of vocals behind the main track are interesting and create an aura of infinite space and hence add to the mystery and intrigue of the message in the song. Aman also mixes the track, while it is Ayan De on mastering.2. Ilamazha ChattinMusic: PS JayhariSingers: Pradeep Kumar, Nithya Mammen, Amrita JayakumarMusicians  - Charu Hariharan, Sandeep Mohan, Varun Kumar, Rithu Vysakh, Abin Paul, Avinash Satish, Donal WhelanLyrics – Santhosh VarmaGenre – MelodyLanguage - Malayalam I just read the names of the vocalists, and then I knew the song will be an absolute belter. It is a shame that Pradeep Kumar doesn’t sing more in other languages, as he hands down have one of the most pleasing voices in the industry. The Pallavi is as pleasant as one can find any romantic song with Sandeep Mohan aiding on guitars. The anu pallavi part where he sings “ariyum kuttalam aruvi thullatam” is beauty packed into a few lines. The introduction of the Ghatam by Charu Hariharan adds a nice local and rustic flavour even before the interlude start. Varun Kumar plays the flute in the interlude and then we are served a treat with Nithya Mammen singing those lines in the moderately higher scales. How can one sound incredibly sweet like a truckload of sugar dumped on you?  I wonder what Def Leppard would do singing “Pour some sugar on me”, if he heard Nithya sing. Here in the charanam is where I felt there was a tinge of Shankarabharanam Raagam. Paulson gives a tease in the background with his solo on Sitar towards the end of the stanza, but I love how the anupallavi is used to connect the charanam and pallavi once again, especially when it is the most melodies line in the song. Paulson goes beyond just a tease in the second interlude, and we have Amrita Jayakumar on vocals in the humming. How skilled is PS Jayhari the composer for having two completely different tunes for the 2 stanzas and there is so much he has offered like the way songs in movies have been in the 1980s and 1990s? I am supremely impressed with PS Jayhari and this is the second time after his song in Tamil “Sellama” a couple of months ago. He also has done keyboard and rhythm programming. Rithu Vysakh plays the strings as a constant support element throughout the song, with Sandeep also playing the bass guitars and Mandolin. Avinash Satish, Sai Prakash and Akshay are the recording engineer, and with Abin Paul on mixing, Donal Whelan does the mastering.3. Sun Bhi LeComposer - Vishal Mishravocals- Arijit Singh & Vishal Mishra, Prateeksha SrivastavaLyrics - Raj ShekharMusicians – Shomu Seal,Language – HindiGenre – Light, melody I have told many times that Vishal Mishra is a shining light amidst all the darkness surrounding Bollywood music, and he proves it yet again. The movie could be small and low-budget called ‘Ittu si baat’ but the generosity of music is big and abundant. For starters just notice how the poster has the words “Vishal Mishra Musical” and sadly barring South Indian Cinema nowhere else will you find such huge importance given to a music composer. I am glad Vishal smashes this one and after a long time, we have Arijit Singh's number that touches your heart. The last time that happened was back in May when we heard Somesh Saha’s “Maan le”. Prateeksha Srivastava gives a Rajasthani/Gujarati folk tone with her vocals at the beginning, and the Shehnai sounds like an influence of Raag Saranga. Arijit then just strikes you hard making it impossible to focus on anything else. The Keys and programming of all sounds are just phenomenal and all that is thanks to Vishal himself who takes care of arrangements too. Stop everything you do and just listen to an AR Rahmanesque interlude with the humming, guitars and strokes by Shomu Seal. It does probably have a flavour of Raag Yaman Kalyani here and I could just play this part on loop a million times. The rhythm programming will bring a smile to your face by getting the right elements like the Dholak, Kanjira etc at the right time. Shadab Rayeen does the mix and master with Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup assisting. Trihangku Lahkar is the recording engineer while Kumar Gaurav Singh assists Vishal. 4. Ultay Hor ZamaneMusic Producer, Composition & Singer - Kanishk SethPoetry - Baba BullehshahMusicians - Wei Xiao, Ricky YoungKanishk Seth is someone I eagerly look forward to when he releases something, because he has the knack to fuse classical Indian music along with techno and modern sounds, without corrupting either and he only lets the lines between them naturally blur. It is a skill that not many can claim to be good at, and here is another proof of his sublime expertise in doing that. I fell in love with the live instrumentals used here as they delivered a very fresh sound and the fusion is even better because it gets global exponents an opportunity to exhibit their work. Kanishk has composed, sung and produced this number while the original poetry belongs to Baba Bullehshah. Wei Xiao’s Violin and Ricky Young on the electric guitar just make this one heavenly experience. The swaras are by vocalists Yatharth Sharma and Devashri Manohar. The opening lines to me had some Shivranjani Raag influences. The interlude is filled with the fantastically haunting Violin and the guitars soon follow suit. The outro is magical with the concoction of the Violin, the swaras, the programmed sounds and a mild humming. Kanishk truly excels here even at the mixing and mastering, especially because there are too many components to coagulate perfectly. 5.  Osaarilaa RaaMusic – Rahul RajSinger -  Sid Sriram Lyrics: Rehman Musicians – Sumesh Parameshwar, Haritha RajLanguage – TeluguGenre – Light, Semi-classical, melodyRahul Raj is a fantastic composer and I have been thrilled to listen to his brand of music always. This is not the first time I am featuring this brilliant musician, but definitely his first foray into Telugu. Rahul infuses melody and that too with a mix of classical Raagas and it just not only makes the listening but the reviewing process too way too much fun for me. Sid Sriram becomes a natural choice as the lead vocalist for such melodies whereby he can bring his Carnatic experience to the table. I could definitely hear Aabheri and Sri Raagas, but Rahul says there is also Madhyamavathi in the mix. Sumesh Parameshwar is just killing it with the acoustic and bass guitars especially. Haritha Raj is just a supremely talented Veena exponent and she just breezes through competing with the westernized guitars. Rahul’s arrangements are breathtaking in that he introduces the bass guitars and Veena almost non-stop in the stanza and it keeps the whole segment fresh and catchy. Any words like catchy, would not do enough justification to this beauty but this is loop-worthy beyond doubt. Let us not forget the rhythm programming too, which is quite impressive. The track is mixed by Harishankar V and mastered by Pablo Schuller. 6. Aa Brahmanenba Music – Bharath BJSinging – Mehboob SaabLyrics – V Nagendra PrasadMusicians – Keerthy Narayanan, Siddhart Kamat, NelsonLanguage – KannadaGenre – Pathos, semi-classical Bharath BJ has been featured on my page for a fabulous Kannada song a few months ago called “Rangu Raate” sung by the indomitable Vijay Prakash. This too is from the same movie called ‘Wheelchair Romeo’ and is sung by Mehboob Saab with heaviness and a sense of Pathos which is very much intended. The song is definitely having some mild influences on Raag Maand, especially in the Pallavi. Siddhart Kamat who has been featured a few times plays the guitars but a lot of credit goes to Keerthy Narayanan who does the programming. Nelson plays the solo on the Violin in the interlude and Bharath Bj tells me the number is loosely based on Raag Khamaj, and you can easily sense that with the way there are similarities with the super famous Bollywood number “Zindagi maut na ban jaye” sung by Sonu Nigam in ‘Sarfarosh’. The track is mixed and mastered by Bharath himself.  The second interlude is grand in style and execution like a symphony and Bharath does exceedingly well in getting the basslines in place to add groove and funk to a semi-classical slow song. Mehboob Saab gets all the emotive elements on the dot with his delivery and impressive but under-played vibrato.7. Babul - Richa SharmaPerformed by: Richa SharmaWritten, Produced: Dhruv GhanekarLanguage – HindiGenre – Folk FusionJust a couple of weeks ago I showered praise on Dhruv Ghanekar for his splendid show and only saviour for the movie ‘Dhaakad’. The title track sung by Vasundhara Vee was emphatic with solid energy and orchestral grandeur. This is the second track I am recommending and this is no less. Clearly, the album is one of the best we have heard in Bollywood in 2022 and although that is not a very difficult thing to achieve considering the quality of Bollywood music, I can assure you that Dhruv’s score is as good as any we have heard in Indian movie albums in 2022. Richa Sharma is flawless in her delivery and the song starts off like an old classic song from the 1960s steeped in pathos. Then Richa just blasts away and Dhruv’s creative use of electro and techno sounds to modernize works just as well. The Punjabi folk tone becomes apparent in the production where Dhruv dominates the scene. Dhruv tells me that the folk is based on Raag Bhairavi, although with my limited knowledge I also heard some Raag Revati. Richa’s expression and modulations are hugely influential ingredients in the outcome of the song.8. Confide Composer, Producer – Moosa SaleemLyricist, Vocals– Moosa Saleem, Jeremiah de RozarioLanguage – EnglishGenre – Country, PopMoosa Saleem is one of the busiest music producers around and if I am not wrong, he has produced at least a dozen tracks in 2022, which is phenomenal and I must admit this is the first of those I am featuring and reviewing. Jeremiah de Rozario is a highly rated singer and for the first time, he is featured here singing for another musician’s production. Rozario brings in that element of western vocals that is apt for a song like this and the guitar riffs merge very well into the tone of the track. I feel there is the slide Guitar in use as well and that is why it belongs to the Country style of music we hear a lot from the US. The hummin and the vocal arrangements create a mesmeric effect .

Soul 8.5/10A saxophone player’s delight, as it is a trip that is certainly going to pump enough adrenaline into your bloodstream. I have been fascinated by this wind instrument ever since Kadri Gopalnath played it in DUET by AR Rahman, but who else but Gautam David can do wonders like this. I consider him one of the two best along with Abhay Sharma obviously.  This is SOUL-stirring music that you cannot just fail to occupy your brain with. The Keys played by Derek are on point, and along with the bass guitars by Vishal Varier and drums, by Jason Sharat, we have something very complete. Look out for the electric guitar solo by Adesh Vinod in the middle and portions where there are interventions. Just let loose and dance, drive, groove whatever. Your SOUL needs this! At 8 minutes this is long and pure like Test-match Cricket. The track is written, composed and produced by Derek Mathias, with Nirmit Shah mixing, and co-producing. Drona Acharya masters the track and Anand Murali plays the Keyboards, watch-out out for his solo effort around the 5.45-minute mark which reminds me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja’s works.Maya 7.5/10This is Indian electronica at its best, as Alboe introduces us to something mesmerizing, trance in full mode and you will fall subservient to the commanding powers of the Sitar sounds, and EDM influences here. The “Oh Maya” humming will be meditative to hear, I guarantee. Kenzani and Tech Panda are two more artists who have worked on and helped release this gem. Pinkoblue has done the artwork with Sathyadev Pius working on the motion.Lunar month 7/10The Bodhisattwa Trio are legendary for their rock music, with Bodhisattwa Ghosh being the frontman and lead guitarist, Premjit Dutta on drums and Shonai on Piano. I have featured Bodhisattwa many times for his work in Bangla music but the first time the trio is getting featured. Just like how the northern part of the Moon was named “The Sea of Tranquility”, this track called “Lunar month” feels like bathing in the sea of tranquillity with intermittent moments of high-octane energy and relative calmness as well thanks to the soothing Keys. There are segments where I was also reminded of Hans Zimmer’s “Dream is collapsing” from the ‘Inception’ OST.Sax on Drumz 8/10 God was watching and gave me a sign when I committed a grave error. I just mentioned that Abhay Sharma and Gautam David were the best saxophone players in India, but how can I ever forget ID Rao. This multi-instrumentalist is seasoned and incredibly potent and when his track found its way to my ears, I believe the Universe sent me a sign. This brilliant number is composed and arranged by Mann Bipin who plays the drums. ID Rao smashes away with the flute solo and saxophone solo and it takes an immense effort by Aslam Khan on mixing and Aftab Khan on mastering with assistance from Vatsal Chevli. You will just nod your head in approval as the flute and sax play cat and mouse and dominate proceedings, with the drums providing the tempo and energy to sustain this long track. It is recorded by Benvin Fernandes with assistance from Elvis Fernandes.Odyssey 8/10It's funky, groovy, out-of-the-world hip in every way possible. Of the 5 tracks we have seen for May that make the cut for Best Instrumental pieces, this one here is the most stylish, probably one of most in 2022 yet. It has some cool electric guitar notes with basslines and electronica additions just amplifying the level of likability for this track. There are similarities with Santhosh Narayanan’s “Bujji song”, thanks to some amazing guitars, but there is also a similarity with “International Suruli” from the ‘Jagame Thandhiram’ OST composed by Santhosh. The similarity begins and ends with the inspiring funkiness and there is a Michael Jackson-like grunt in both. Shashank Alamuru is the producer and he gives the track direction it deserves. Just near the 3rd minute, we have a drop in tempo as things pacify and Baidurjya tries to ease up a bit giving us milder shades of the track. The final outro is once again a fitting end on keyboards, and guitars and the piece deserve to be played all around the nation on weekend nights in pubs/discotheques. Neha Sharma does all the excellent artwork.

1. Oh MamaComposer – Anurag SaikiaSinger – Neha KarodeLanguage – EnglishGenre – Pop, JazzMusicians – Ishan Das, Gauranga Shekhar, Arabinda Neog, Dipakshi Kalita, Pratikhyaa Sarma, Bishal Sharma, Nawaz Hussian, Jitendra JavdaMovie - Anek It really feels amazing when you rate a musician highly and constantly review and feature their great work, and soon enough one of the best composers in the land uses that singer for one of his/her scores in a big banner movie album.  OK let me break all the suspense, the singer/musician I am talking about is Neha Karode and she just sang for Anurag Saikia in the recently released “Anek”. Neha has been featured multiple times on my music reviews and Indian playlists and she always makes it right to the top. Go check out her number 1 songs of the past like “Lat Uljhi” and “Piya Bin”. Anurag never ceases to impress and where he makes several strides as a composer in this album is the diverse styles that he brings to the table. The song is sung by Neha and Anurag, with Anubhav Sinha, the director himself writing the lyrics. This is a vocalist’s dream come true to be able to get a song that demands so much from you vocally and Neha smashes it like a nut with a hammer. Oblong Sioni and Ishan Das produce the track and though I haven’t seen the movie to judge the point where the song comes, it still has a considerable impact on the listener. The sounds are unique along with some fabulous backing vocals by Gauranga Shekhar, Arabinda Neog, Dipakshi Kalita, Pratikhyaa Sarma, and Bishal Sharma. The keys and bass guitars combine to add gravity but the strings elevate the song which is owned by Neha for her impeccable delivery. How she manages to sing a song with such westernized Jazz influences might be new to some but, for those who have heard her production of classical-Jazz fusions, this is right down her alley.  The juxtaposition of the drums, electric guitars and humming just energizes the song.  Ishan plays the guitars and Nawaz Hussain is on the drums. The Violin and Viola have been brilliantly played by Jitendra Javda. The track is mixed and mastered by Pankaj Borah with Pranjal Borah as his mix assistant. Rupjit, Pranjal, Ashish Anand and Utkarsh Parab are the recording engineers and the drums alone have been mixed by Akash Sawant.2. Bekal - Aditya KalwayComposer, Singer, Lyricist – Aditya KalwayLanguage – EnglishGenre – Pop, Semi-ClassicalMusicians – Muheet Bharti, Salim Sulaiman  I always get thrilled when I see Aditya Kalway’s name because he is the man behind “kalabaaziyaan” a song that probably instilled belief in me that excellent music still exists and indie musicians have taken that mantle away from Bollywood at least. He doesn’t disappoint me at all and even after that massive number Aditya got featured for 2 more of his wonderful numbers “Aasman ke raaz” and “Aakhri zarra”. This one here is loaded with stars like a galaxy of its own and every musician here has been featured multiple times even before you listen to the track on the Spotify link below, your expectations should be reaching a steady rise. Aditya has a voice that can make many vocalists jealous and thank God he is not one of those Arijit Singh copycats who I am tired of. As a music reviewer, it is a delight listening to his music and even better writing about it as he sticks to the knitting of what good music is all about – Melody. Great words and instruments aside a good tune will always connect well and create the necessary impact and ‘Bekal’ is exactly proof of that. Muheet Bharti is another phenomenal musician, and I will be featuring his new single soon here, and he plays the guitars with the Strings by the Violin/Viola duo called Severn Duo which I recently featured in. The Keys along with guitars guide the structural backbone of the song with Aditya's delightful voice taking over every ounce of our attention. Look at how he sings these lines “Mann ye zyada bekal sa, Tera chehra ek hal sa” with those delicate vibratos. In the subsequent lines, you can hear the splendid strings as they intervene in quick bursts, arranged by Salim Sulaiman. The bridge segment begins with “baat me teri itna asar kyun hai’ and this is when the strings amp up in the background. Ajinkya Dhapara does the mixing and mastering for the track with Virat Bhushetty’s assistance. The song written, composed and sung by AdityaKalway is the answer to your dull and uninspiring day and it has some fragments of similarities to “Kuch na kahom Kuch bhi na kaho” by the gigantic RD Burman, and I don’t think Aditya will mind that comparison one bit.3. I thought you were the oneBand - PeachLanguage – EnglishGenre – Pop, Alt-popMusicians – Shristee Bhitri Kothi, Vimarsh Pandita, Ali Armaan Zaivi, Archit Agarwal, Himanshu Rawat  I have heard this expression often referring to something as ‘Peach’, almost calling it the best of the lot. Well, This 3-member band from Dehradun sure sounds like a ‘peach of a band’ who goes by the name ‘peach’. The band is just over 1 year old but they seem to be creating and performing at a level that to me by astonishing. We as lovers of music can only be thankful that 3 individuals gave up their professional careers in other fields and have decided to give their everything for music. Vimarsh Pandita is the lyricist and composer, and he along with Ali Armaan Zaivi are the guitarists with Ali also being the producer. Shristee Bhitri Kothi is the vocalist, and together they cook up something tasty. Let us hope the other tracks in their debut EP ‘Confluence’ turn out to be as good and even with half as good as this, they would be worth our time. The bass guitars do the bulk of the heavy lifting at the beginning of the track, and soon enough Shristee charms her with that voice. Peculiarly the opening lines very much follow a scale that reminds me of “Take me home” by Phil Collins. The Keyboards by Archit Agarwal, bass guitars by Himanshu Rawat and drums provide all the necessary support but Shristee truly sounds enchanting. Listen to the guitar notes strumming about when the lines go “With every passing hour, wonder if you think of me”, and I felt like the guitarists just wanted to get noticed by the listener saying, “hey you music lover, did you think of us”. Prakhar Kumar does the mastering for the track.4. I’m TiredComposer, singer, and lyricist – TrishaLanguage – EnglishGenre – Pop, BalladProducer – Krimson Avenue Studios This is a teenage sensation, and I am not just saying that. Trisha prefers the lowercase t, and at an age when Indians in America participate in spelling bees, this 14-year-old just released a fantastic single written, composed and sung with exuberance unlimited. If this is how she scores and sings when she’s tired, wonder how the music would sound at the peak of her energies. Krimson Avenue Studios plays a vital role in the production of this song and when you hear you will know the value of a strong and dependable production house. The Keys are on point and the way they play generates the impact a ballad needs to create. The strings in the background are nothing short of perfection as they pull the strings attached to our hearts moving us and letting the sadness transmit from her voice and lyrics to our ears and hearts. Her way of singing reminds me of indie singer-songwriter Aditi Ramesh who is a superstar vocalist herself.5. BaadalComposer, singer, producer– The RedMooneLanguage – HindiGenre – Pop, MelodyLyricist – Rupali MogheMusicians – Rithu Vysakh, Rahul Narayan, Vivek ThomasAlan Joy Mathew who goes by the name The RedMoone has been featured many times for his indie projects as well as being a part of some phenomenal productions in the Mollywood album space, especially for the composer Jakes Bejoy. The guitars and Alan’s vocals are all that you hear and these come in various layers, but wait till you get bowled over by the one-man string quartet played by the one and only Rithu Vysakh. The vocal harmonies are executed and arranged to create a wavy feeling where the waves keep hitting the shores one after the other without ever catching a break. Vivek Thomas does the mixing and mastering and Rahul Narayan is the recording engineer.6. One Love Composer & Singer: Hemachandra Vedala (He/Him)Executive Producer: Teerdha Palagummi (She/Her)Lyrics: Kittu Vissapragada (He/Him)Genre – Indie popLanguage – TeluguMusicians – Joel Sastry, Aditya GajulaHemachandra Vedala is one of those composers who doesn’t just sit idle waiting for movie projects, as he keeps himself busy with indie singles every now and then. The last time when I featured him was for the mesmerizing number called “Rabba”. The song has some excellent guitars played by Joel Sastry who also plays the bass, and he strums in exquisite fashion. The lines “chusa chusa” along with harmonies are such a delight to hear, and rap lines are done by Pranav Chaganty. Vedala composed and sang the song with lyrics by Kittu Vissapragada. The more you hear, you will feel that Joel is like the protagonist and even the sound design is such that the guitars are not playing the supporting role but are very much the lead. The song is refreshing and creates an effusion of love, romance and all associated feelings. The outro with the swaras probably is influenced by Raag Maand. Aditya Gajula has mixed and mastered the track. Finally, we have a good song about love irrespective of your gender and sexual orientation. 7. Jaza Composition, lyrics, vocals & instruments: Nishant MittalLanguage – HindiGenre – Pop, MelodyTracking, mixing, mastering & production: Abhishek Pawar This guy, Nishant Mittal is a Master of many trades, not just a Jack. He has been a successful entrepreneur and owned many start-ups, but what impresses me the most is his talent as a composer. A few months ago I did feature him for a song called “Sahi” and just like the name, everything was just right about the number. It ended up being one of the best Indian songs released in October 2021 and was picked from over 1500 songs released. If that song had some rock tendencies, this one is just pure melody and delight to the ears. If I ever could sing half as well, and play the guitars 10% as good as this, I still would pick this song to impress a woo-a-girl. The strumming of the guitars is what we hear from the beginning and it is like a feeling of wind on your cheeks, with the windows of your car rolled down. This brilliance on guitars is accompanied by the slightly coarse vocal delivery of Nishant. The bridge is a wonderful deviation and the

Gautam Agrawal, a young musician has recently released a new song Uljhanein. It tells his experience in the last two months, as he mentioned in the video description. He also said that his music is just going to get better from now on and I wish the best to him.   Now let’s talk about how I felt when I listened to this song. Talking firstly about the music, I felt it was engaging and mysterious. The background scores kept me occupied with the song and made me listen to it till the end. There is a similarity to the uber-hit called “ Tanha Dil” by Shaan released back in the 1990s. The song is loaded with synths and keyboard programming along with vocal harmonies in the background.  Next comes the video which starts with Gautam’s friends asking him "is he alright" and why he keeps listening to a particular song, in reply to which he answers that he feels connected to this song and it’s time to tell everyone his hearts desires or ‘dil ki baatein’. Even in the song, he mentions many times, that from now on he is going to say what his heart feels and also asks the people to not take it seriously by the line ‘dil pe mat lena inhe’. The video consists of snippets of Gautam alone. The places he is at are all empty. I think this resembles his heart. How he feels may be alone in his heart. The walk shows his efforts in trying to get out of this sadness and the window scene tells how he is feeling stuck.  Talking about the lyrics of the song and something that I pay most attention to. Lyrics always tell the story of a song. And the message that Gautam wanted to give through this song is clear. The song ‘Uljhanien’ tells about the problems that he is stuck in. He is trying to tell that he is in a dilemma but now he is deciding to do what he wants. The thing that confuses me is to who is he dedicating the song? My assumptions are that he is either talking to god, society or an ex-lover, through this song. But I can’t quite make which one it is. But maybe that is what he tried to do. That is what the song is - to make your own assumption and connect it the way the listener wants. Another bonus point I would like to add is that I really liked the way he added small dialogues/ phrases between the song. The dialogue  ‘Log kehte haiKuch bhi do baar soch ke bola karoKyun do baar soch ke boluEk baar Kaafi nahi?’ is something I really liked. It shows his will, his power, and his decision to not listen to others anymore and say what his heart feels, do what his heart feels. And isn’t it right? Sometimes by waiting to think twice before speaking anything we lose the importance of the words and the situation. Isn’t it better to say what you feel, instead of keeping it inside and regretting later !!? And then it continues as : ‘Log samajhte hai mujhe kuch aata nahiPar ye waqt hai ki ab unhe batana haiKi mujhe Kya kuch nahi aata’  These lines are also very motivating. In the end, he has finally made a decision to stand up for himself and show others what he is capable of. This was my review on the song go give it a listen yourself.  

1.   Jazz KalluJust a few days ago I had one of my Liv sessions on Instagram with a talented composer/singer called Ajesh Ashok and I compared him to some of the best talents in India like Sushin Shyam, Charan Raj, Ajaneesh Loknath and others. Sweekar Agasti was in that list as well, and here he is making me proud and justifying his talent and potential by composing the best song in India for the week. This as the name suggests is a brilliant rendition in Jazz style of music and since I am a fan of the genre I have a high bar. Sweekar crosses that with splendid ease and he is helped enormously by a magical sounding Damini Bhatla. She has a tailor made voice for this and I am happy for this opportunity that she has landed like a perfect 10. The singing is a masterclass in Jazz vocals and we have some very crucial support on the Keys. Sunil Abraham, Phil and Sweekar are the programmers, and they bring about the perfect harmony of the Piano and drums. Shravvya Kothalanka is the lyricist and Sweekar plays the guitar. The interlude is studded with the Saxophone solo by Weber Marley and Rajesh, but don’t forget to pay attention to the groovy bass guitars by Dan Gallagher. I wonder where Damini got the inspiration and idea to deliver vocals with such tenderness in certain places and at times with coarse punches. The track is mixed and mastered by AM Rahmathulla 2. PAATHAI - KEVA wonderful Tamil song comes up at the number 2 spot in the country thanks to some excellent collaborative work from artists around the nation. The song is written by Anand Kashinath who has featured many times here and my articles for Tamil numbers on Behindwoods. He also has produced this brilliant number. Kev and Anand collaborated and worked on this song back in 2020, and like great Tech companies were born out of garages, songs like these originated in rooms during lockdowns. In-fact go read up on this bizarre yet inspiring story of how Kevin Paul a.k.a. Mr. Kev stayed inside his room vowing never to come out till he finished composing an entire album. Kev does the vocals in the first half with Vaisakh Somanath singing the latter part. Kev plays the electric, acoustic and bass guitars, with Baidurjya Banerjee relishing the solo in the middle. It is Vinay Ramakrishnan. I will be listening to the other tracks from this album pretty soon. The track is mixed and mastered by Sajin A Stanly. The electronic sounds from some solid programming adorn the track and then Vaisakh takes the track to a newer high with his vocals.  The drums are not just run-of-the-mill, but Vinay is outstanding especially combining that solo along with Baidurjya, and this segment is pure magic, good enough to outclass any global rock single. The song has a texture and tone resembling “Aaromale” by AR Rahman.3. ASCEND - EVENODDThese Indian musicians have moved base to the US, founders Debojit Kaushik and Karan Chowdhary, but they are not only living the American dream but also keeping the dream of many Indian musicians alive by continuing their musical project under Evenodd. Zorran Mendosa has produced the track. This is like the Rock Gods have descended upon earth to perform ‘Ascend’ for us. The electric guitars are scintillating with upbeat drums and the lead vocals are nothing short of dreamy. The kind of rock music that stuns you, uplifts you and at the end of it all when you are ready and locked, energizes every cell in you. Just listen and let go of the meandering and mesmerizing music. 4. BEQANAB - WADALII remember featuring and writing about Lakhwinder Wadali in a song produced and composed by Salim-Sulaiman a few months ago. This is another Ghazal-styled melody, just a brisk faster in tempo. Wadali ji has composed the song along with singing it but the song is produced by Aar Be. The song thanks to some excellent production has a mix of western and Indian classical sounds as well. The guitars are a strong presence with drums and Tabla in unison, it feels like fresh air hitting the cheeks. The interludes are laden with instrumental arrangements and the bass guitars provide a beautiful layer underneath the vocal strength of Wadali ji. Just watch out for that brilliant landing into the opening lines, form the antara aided by terrific drums. MS Abid is the lyricist and the track is wonderfully mixed and mastered by Sameer Charegaonkar.  5. HELPLINEKalpana is an artist who has spent time in the US and India and like many indie artists, it only helps implement facets of the art that is specific to either hemisphere. The song impressed me at the get go and there are not many who can do that when I am hearing their name for the first time. The singing is pitch-perfect, but as you can see the song is not supposed or meant to inspire from the very beginning. It treads a story in itself with the title giving away precious amounts of hints about the theme of the song. The guitars are like the heartbeat of the track thanks to Andrew Deepak. The production is immense in effort and impact and that is the sole reason we can hear such amazing sounds beyond the hymns and cries of Kalpana. I categorize it as ‘cry’ because she displays the vulnerability in her voice. Sanjai Shine and Balaji R Krishnan have gotten the elements in place to produce something soothing and substantial, knowing exactly when to let Kalpana’s vocals dominate and when to interject with layered sounds on the synths and Keyboards. It might have sounded low and mellow at the start, but she does ante up vocally and to the listener it feels like Help is on the way and hence the pumped up adrenaline. The vocal arrangements are never to be ignored in this number and we have Sanjai, Balaji and Nora Alexy working on those. The track is mixed by Pushkar Srivatsal of ‘Second Sight’, and mastered by Thomas Juth. Amulya Kundran and Yashna Tulsiani have handled album art, photography respectively 6. DHAAKAD The man has been in the papers for having returned to composition after a while, Dhruv Ghanekar. For a man who has 20 years of experience in composing, producing and playing with some of the global greats, he has had very little opportunity to prove his mettle. I did not have great expectations when I knew this was one mediocre movie, but the music simply amazed me. I'll be featuring the title song here but in the subsequent week I'll be mentioning the other amazing songs in the album plus I will be doing an album review as well. Dhruv Ghanekar has composed, arranged and produced the track, with lyrics by Ishitta Arun. This is no ordinary number as the song feels like an elaborate orchestral piece in itself. I have probably never seen so many live instrumentalists used in a Bollywood number in a very long time. Vasundhara Vee is the lead vocalist and she performs with incredible zest and control as always expected from a singer of her caliber. The last time I mentioned or featured Dhruv was last year when he produced Vasundhara’s “Run”. The flute is just majestic and mesmerizing right at the start and it is all part of the FILMharmonic Orchestra in Prague conducted by Adam Klemens. The guitars are a very western movie sounding like something out of “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. Dhruv himself plays the Keys and acoustic guitar and bass along with the mercurial Mohini Dey . Neuman Pinto, who I have also featured in some lovely indie singles, has done the vocal arrangements and backing vocals for this track. I can go on and write about every element like the strings, the horns and so much more and this truly is what music should be like. The title line is sung with pumped up energy by Vasundhara and ably supported by backing vocals. Jai Row Kavi plays the drums while there are many percussionists involved viz. Taufiq Qureshi, Dipesh Varma, Khwab Haria and Shikhar Naad, Taufiq have done the percussion arrangements. The song flows like a river with varying intensities and all the strings we hear right through, is orchestrated by Steve Turner. The solo Sitar is played by Ravindra Chary and I listen to him sizzle in the end at break-neck speed. P.A. Deepak is the mixing engineer assisted by Vincent Joseph, and the track is mastered by Rueben Cohen. 7. ENTHA CHITRAMWhat did I just write or mention at the beginning of this article? I talked about some of the new-age composers in South India who are dominating the scene, and just like Sweekar Agasthi made it, at number 1 this week we have the other name Vivek Sagar composing here. His earlier single in the same movie sung by the legendary Carnatic artist Aruna Sairam was also featured and reviewed. This song has an Irish feel to it thanks to the multitude of fiddles and it feels like that song in Dhanush’s debut score by Yuvan Shankar Raja called “ Nenjodu ''. Anurag Kulkarni is at his best, exploring his full range vocally. Just listen to some tantalizing vocals in the chorus by ‘EL Fé’ with vocal arrangements by Roe Vincent. The fiddle is played by Ray Legere and Vivek himself plays the acoustic and electric guitars while Keba on bass. Lalit Talluri plays the flute solo to some delight in the interlude and Abhijeet Gurjale plays the Violin. The stanza has Keerthana Vaidyanathan singing the female lead vocals and many lines are sung in harmony by the lead vocalists which sounds fantastic. The second interlude is beautifully scored as well with Abhijeet playing the Violin solo. The notes are truly reminding me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja especially in the closing segment of the stanza. Sanjay Das does the mixing and mastering which would have taken a toll considering all the vocals, harmonies and instrumental layers in this song. The lyrics are written by Ramajogayya Sastry with additional programming and Synth by Vivek. 8. DUREAfter a brief gap, according to my understanding, Papon makes a comeback in Bangla after many forays into indie music in Assamese and Hindi. Rohan Roy’s strings welcome the listener in this slow and somber melody composed by Indraadip Das Gupta. I get a sense there is some Raag Khamaj in places, and to make matters even more touching and moving Iman Chakraborty jo

1.     FableJunkyard Groove is all about Ameeth Thomas who is the front man, soul and spirit of the band. He believes that that the only constant existence in the band is him and he is perfectly fine going solo, with band members and instrumentalists changing around him for different projects. All these details aside, if you are reading this, just take a break and listen to the brilliant rock number, one that elevates to a global scale or quality. This is proof that music produced in India is definitely right up there with the rest in these genres popularized by, and originated in the West like Rock. Ameeth’s vocals are nothing short of tantalizing reminding me of great voices like Chad Kroeger from ‘Nickelback’. The vocals keep me glued, as I who claim to be a multi-tasker am struggling to do anything beyond listening to the enticing vocals, thumping drums and electrifying guitars. The writing is excellent and you pay attention to the beautiful words, and the way Ameeth sings “anything we say, anything we want, we can make it up as we go along” with a tinge of falsetto, is memorable. Past the 2.30-minute mark we hear a stunning electric guitar solo by Vikram that perfectly encapsulates what we hear right through. This is not just a ‘Fable’, this is just as Real as it gets. Ameeth plays all other instruments in the track.2.     Baby JaanThis Delhi-Gurugram based band is a coming-together of some supremely talented and experienced musicians and I was mighty impressed with their recent single. Sumit Pratihast has this very likable vocal delivery style which oozes of confidence and style and he also has written and composed this track. There is some very solid support on the drums and guitars by Palash Bedi and Jishnu Banerjee respectively. The vocal harmonies are extremely crucial in this track as they form an inseparable layer right through. The song very vividly reminds me of Shaan’ astronomical hit “Tanha Dil Tanha Safar”. Gavin Pacheco plays the bass guitars and Sumit contributes himself on other musical accompaniments. Anindo Bose at Plug ‘N’ Play Studio does the mixing and mastering for the track. Ths song is just not about the solid instrumental support, Sumit’s singing is excellent at times like the portion where he sings “Teri yaadosh mein dhubke , rehna hai aur kahin na jana hain”. He displays subtle vibrato which is delightful to hear unlike misunderstood rock-styled songs where only decibel levels rise.  The recording engineers are Anindo, Mukul Jain and Abhinav Upadhyay. The artwork illustration is handled by Liana Petri.    3.     The Same Some nice stories need or entail good music as well. This particular short in the anthology series “Modern Love Mumbai” was one of the best showcasing a cute love story set in Thane. If you watch this story, and as it slowly comes to the climax the relevance of this song in the background is apt and clear. Neel Adhikari is the composer and lyricist, and I have featured him before for a Bangla track called “Karon Amar Akashe”. The moment Karsh Kale comes on board as the lead vocalist, the song gets elevated into something else. Karsh has been a very impressive musician/producer and I have featured him many times but his vocals simply never make you feel like ‘It’s the same’.  He has a baritone voice and it suits the English lyrics better for some reason. The synths are straight away reminiscent of the magical 90s Pop and it is Neel on both guitars and synths. The way the scale and notes shift as Karsh sings “the same” just after singing “Now the roof is gone, nothing quite feels the same”, pure magic both in singing and composition. I would pay to just go hear those lines, as Karsh elevates the scale one more time. Karshni Nair comes out of nowhere and makes her presence felt with her low-scaled vocals. Neel and Kelly D’lima back on the vocals in the harmonies, layer that feels not forced but very functional. Yohaan Pissurlenkar is the bassist, and he has been featured for his role in songs like “Kow Your Hail Mary”, and Sanjay Das does the mixing, additional synths and production. The song feels like a chirpy promising love song, and at the same time one which creates some mystery and suspense almost like making you wish the couple got together on screen but unsure about what they would do. Samarth Chawla does the additional production with Matt Jeferies on mastering. 4.     Moonbrain Shikhar C will immediately grab your attention whether you like it, want it or not. The guitar strokes are particularly strong and imposing and with a voice like that of Bryan Adams (sounded like that to my mind). The electric guitar solo comes in thanks to Melvin Mukerji, but behold the drums by Gaurav Khanna, as he stops just for a second when Shikhar sings “Stop here just for a second”. Soorya Praveen is the bassist, as he proclaims his powers and presence the moment Shikhar finishes the line “Im stuck waiting by the Sea”. The shift in the Octaves when Shikhar sings “Moonbrain” twice, the use of strings and their arrangements in the background by Aman Arakh all are very noteworthy features of this fantastic number. Aman has produced the track along with mixing and mastering and kudos to him for getting all the intricate elements right in the final product.  Shikhar also does additional production, and he sings like a dream.   5.     The OneAishwarya Andrade released her debut album called “Discovery” and it helped me discover a new artist, that I quite like and will probably end up following closely now. Ash Andrade as she is known delivers her best in “The one” according to me as she writes, composes and performs with Brandon Mendes on mixing, mastering and overall production. I love serene the song starts off with repetitive mention of “the one” in multiple layers of vocals. The guitars and vocals are soothing like how the words “you are the one” itself would make one feel, being at the receiving end. The drums probably programmed, gently gain momentum and tempo and you start shaking your head and tapping your feet. As the song progresses, Ash shows greater confidence especially in the bridge singing “You’re running after me, you’re ever seeking for me”.6.     MehroomA lot of the songs this week are extremely well composed melodies with the predominant guitar, yet every one of these is different from each other making it a fantastic list. Raman Negi has written, sung and produced the track. The song starts off like the calm before the storm, but the storm sure does arrive, just past the 1-minute mark when Raman sings “Aarzoo dhunde kushi ke tikhane”, this is some vocal delivery of outstanding quality at the higher scales. Gaurav Chintamani has co-produced the track and he has recorded and mixed the track. The song has a nice shift in notes and trajectory when Raman sings “ Aawaz de mujhe”. The electric guitar solo comes in for a brief while in this wholesome number. Brian Lucey masters the track, and the video is a film by Maan Boruah.7.     Ghum KahinHansika Pareek is a fantastic vocalist and she has been featured on my lists for songs like “Bano” and “Besharam si Nazarein”. Even if you just glance through her Instagram account you will hear wonderful covers of some famous numbers and the best part is that she explores languages she doesn’t speak. Shubham Srivastava is the male vocalist who we hear right from the start and he creates a great platform over which the song then tends to build. Shubham is the composer, lyricist and producer and he must get more than the lion’s share of credits for getting this track the way it from start to finish. The guitars and keyboard programming is effective and keeps the song’s creative value high. There is an electric guitar solo, along with the Harmonica at the interlude after which Hansika goes from 0-100 kmph in no time, metaphorically meaning that she hardly takes time to outperform vocally. The subtle yet stunning things she does with her vocals is truly impressive and the song is a electronic pop song that will be on loop after you hear it once. Lowkey does the mix and master 8.     Dekhlo Wahaan PeIt is a Chandigarh based band and they call themselves a western-classical fusion band. No wonder they have a beautiful name “Gamak” known to be the Vibrato in Indian classical music. The band consists of Mrinal Sippy on lead vocals and rhythm guitars, Gaurav Arora on Lead guitars, Kushal Sood on drums, and Vaibhav Kathuria on bass guitars. The EP that the band released is called “Four Lane”, and I loved this track the most. The guitars lead the way with the mild drums and gathering intensity. The vulnerability in Mrinal’s voice is refreshing as it draws you deeper. But he doesn’t stop there, as he explodes into the higher scales singing “na jaan kyun, aasoon behaye”. His band mates Gaurav, Kushal and Vaibhav provide backing vocals creating a nice layer of harmonies. Just as the name in the band, Mrinal gives those minute gamakas when he sings “mujhko rulaye”. The support on drums and bass by Kushal and Vaibhav is adequate. Gaurav sizzles on the electric guitar in the background past the 2.30-minute mark if you pay attention. The track is mixed and mastered by Mrinal and Gaurav with Kushal assisting. Mrinal Sippy has written and composed the track. 9.     Give Up

1.  SuperhumanIt is amazing when you can trust a certain name, and can bet on the quality of their work and output. Tarang Joseph is one of those musicians who falls right smack in the middle of that category. A regular on my rankings thanks to some consistently good composition, flamboyant Piano chops and amazing vocals. “Feeling empty” and “Destiny” were excellent tracks that both got featured among the best in the country and now we have this. Tarang gets RANJ on board, a diva with an attitude that makes most of us envious and she comes in with the savvy Rap portions along with Mary Ann Alexander on vocals. Tarang has written, composed and performed as usual with his unmissable role as the Pianist as well. Doc Awes does the musical production and it is one heck of a track possessing all the perfect ingredients.  You don’t have to be feeling sorry Tarang, maybe you and the entire team can feel superhuman for this effort. Surya Kalyan keeps the song groovy and stylish with his bass guitars. Doc Awes ups the game with the splendid horns section and drums and just when you think “wow, love where this track is heading”, RANJ brings the house down with her Rap rendition and many artists wanting to specialize in Rap/Hip=Hip can learn a thing or two from her. The constant Piano in the background with the rap feels like a deluge of energy. The track is mastered by Stuart G Hawkes and on the video credits side, the producer is Yashas Hegde with Denin Day as DOP, Divya Runwal doing the set designs, Akshaya on styling and Deanne on Makeup. Akshit Bahri handles the subtitles, with Saasmit Chhetri directing the video. 2. Is this that feelingA few combinations are always golden, and they work together like magic. Many months ago we had a composition by Meghdeep Bose which was sung by Shekhar Ravijani called “Boonda Baandhi”, a tranquil melody that perfectly fits the impending monsoon in Mumbai. Now we have nothing tranquil about this song, but is scintillating in quality and impact, bringing in elements of Latino Jazz, Calypso styles. Shekhar has composed and sung it with impeccable bravado and here Meghdeep has produced, arranged and mixed the track. The first time I heard, I couldn’t stop singing the title lines, and I only ended up irritating my wife even though she is a huge Shekhar fan, I probably should blame it on my singing. I just wanted to drive the point that this song is contagious so watch out. Priya Saraiya mixes Hindi and English lyrics so beautifully but the Hero is Shekhar and how he delivers it vocally. Meghdeep can’t be far behind and probably he has elevated a very catchy tune into something of monstrous likability. I over the years have attached great respect and admiration for Meghdeep’s work and he time again surpasses my expectations. The guitars right at the start set you up for something fiery along with the tantalizing riff on the guitars and the basslines. The song has some influences of the Vishal-Sheykhar times. Hear the amazing bass guitar notes along with the percussion when he sings “Jo dil mein reh jati hai”. How eloquently Meghdeep brings in the trumpets and Accordion into the fray of things. It is a joy ride and you need to hear it to believe it. The track is mastered by Christian Wright and Joshua Rodrigues is the mastering co-ordinator3. KhatBig names don’t surprise as much as some new singers and composers, when you suddenly hear their work for the first time. It brings a smile wider than the pacific rim. I specifically loved the guitar strokes by Arbaaz Khan who keeps the romantic quotient very high with his ingenious plucking. The line that is my favorite is “Har dam tu, haan tiu, har haal mein tu”, sung beautifully by Durgesh R Rajbhatt and Deepali Sathe. I cannot make out who among the two is more mellifluous, maybe they both equally are. Durgesh composes a soft and tender melody that oozes rich quality. The sound of the percussion instrument which is mostly a Thavil to my mind is a great addition. The interlude on guitars takes the song forward, and the stanza is a beautiful extension of the melody and the vocalists are truly like an oasis in the desert, rare and priceless. Saaveri Verma cooks up perfectly sensible and emotional lyrics that will make you shed a tear thinking of your loved one. Durgesh does quite well on the arrangements and programing which I am sure includes all the rhythms and the track is mixed and mastered by Pranjal Bohra and the recording is by Rahul Sharma and Sameer. The song does have a mild flavor of “Hey Sona, Hey Sona”, which was incidentally composed by Vishal-Sheykhar.  4. Aur kya (Chapter 1)I don’t remember the last time I featured 3 songs from the same EP in 3 different weeks by any musician from the day I started reviewing music. Is this guy Anurag Mishra cut form a different fabric? The previous songs “Khwaab” and “Dhaage” were fabulous tunes and productions and the effort that has gone into each of these is there for all to see. Every song has a story and a video that depicts a message, like this one here showcases the life of Ganesh Vanare, a photographer and influencer.  Very impressive screenplay and theme shows the main character getting a letter from his younger version and the idea of the video was to inspire others through Ganesh’s story. Anurag has composed and written this very touching number that rises and ebbs like a wave. When I heard it the first time it reminded me of an Ajay-Atul score and Anurag should be proud of this comparison. The female vocals are by this Ahmendabad based musician, Krishani Gadhvi and she acts as the perfect complement to Anurag’s tantalizing vocals. The strings arranged in the background along with the Piano, and harmonies are like extremely well assembled blocks in a structure giving stability and strength to the final output. Prasanna Suresh who has been a regular for all his composition/ production work of late especially in collaboration with Sanah Moidutty produces this one too, so he must desrve a pat on the back for all the grand sounds we hear and a fine finished good. Jaichu C and Prasanna Suesh have mixed and mastered the track. As far as the beautiful video goes, Bijoya handles the story, direction and screenplay with Abhii Kamble as cinematographer and photography by Rishi Agarwal.5. Who I loveAnanya has been featured before with a A-grade song called “State of the art” and so I recommend that you first listen to that to know what a high bar she had set for herself. Now we know sequels are always difficult for people to enjoy and they never get even remotely close to being a decent effort after the original. But Ananya stuns me with her “Who I love”. It has the striking presence of Sanjay Divecha on guitars stroking away to glory and he also has adequately flaunted his production and arrangement skills on this one. It is a wholesome number that will please the ears in every way possible, so long as you are looking for music in its purest form. Icing on the cake, well who doesn’t love that, and Ananya has that too for us with Brecilla Dsouza’s backing vocals in the number. If I am not wrong Ananya did the same for Brecilla’s single called “Know you Hail Mary” which too was featured and reviewed here. The reason I called this an icing is because I Have reason to believe Brecilla is one of the finest vocalists out there and she brings a fine element in the harmonies thereby enriching Ananya’s wonderful composition. The guitar notes are a separate song in itself and pay close attention to the acoustic and bass guitars, with some very soothing percussions. The humming is like a lovely pack of birds calling out in love. The electric guitar solo is unexpected and turns the song into something more energetic from there on.6. Mehki hawaIt seems to be a new band of boys from Mumbai and they call themselves ‘The Atlas Project’ (TAP), and I am sure with this excellent and exciting new single their name should soon be on the map. Get it? It is a great move to rope in this talented singer-songwriter Ashish Kulkarni to do the vocals. People might know him from the recent Indian Idol but I have featured him a few times even before for some excellent Hindi indie singles. The band is a pop focus group, but the song is very gentle like the blues, and the song literally feels like the cool breeze as the title says. Soumil Pandit plays the guitars, and I love the drums being so gentle like it barely exists. The harmonies are excellent arranged right from the beginning. The electric guitar solo is splendid after the initial vocals, and let us applaud Jignesh Patel for the high-hat drums and even otherwise for being solid. Archit Shah and Ruparel SMit were together as a duo making music and they probably are the brains behind the composition and programming for TAP. Some of the excellent percussion we hear is because of the specialist Omkar Salunkhe and he has been working with AR Rahman and I remember mentioning his name when I reviewed “Jalwanuma” the song few weeks ago. Omkar is a rhythm programmer, percussionist and rhythm producer. The fantastic bass guitars are by Govind Gawli and it keeps it stylist right through. The song has some excellent layers if you pay attention there are so many instruments coming and going, and I think I also heard the slide guitar if I am not wrong. The track is mixed by Vijay Dayal and mastered by Donal Whelan. Ashish truly experiments with his vocals, improvising the notes and he comes out on top every single time he does that. The song is not without a clean and nice theme and message and it is apparently about a bird called “Mehki” and it talks about the journey on flight it is taking against the heavy winds, probably indicating the journey that TAP itself is taking. I wish them a happy flight, and always a safe landing at the destination. 7. Laage re nainIt is extremely exciting when singers, instrumentalists cross the bridge over into musical composition, just like how actors enter the domain of direction. It is an uptick and a higher run of their professional ladders and it showcases their overall sense and sensibilities in music. Well Paras Nath is a brilliant flautist, just listen to him compete and at times dominate Shreya Ghoshal in “Muraliya” by Salim-Sulaiman released as a part of Bhoomi 2020. Here he as recreated, arranged this song and added some very fine textures and layers to the song. Pratibha Singh Baghel is a walking, singing ‘University of Ghazal style music’, and she nails the vocals. Dilshad Khan’s Sarangi beautifully decorates the interlude along with Pratibha’s swara delivery. The way the song also eludes a Jazz style thanks to the tempo, drums, and bass guitars is a masterstroke. Santhosh Mulekar does the music programming while all the woodwinds and Flute is played by the man Paras himself. The song sounds very much like an influence of Raag Hamsadhwani to my ears. Sameer DHarap does the recording while Elvis Garagic handles the mixing and mastering. The outro with the aalap and flute solo is fitting.8. Have you

1.    YaadeinThey have always been on the radar, have ‘Last Minute India’ a band from Mumbai that primary focuses on Alternative rock as the style. ‘Yaadein’ is a single that belong to the album called” Kaagaz Ki Naav”. The song to me is their best yet, amongst all the ones I have heard so far and it finally shows the true potential of the band. The core strength seems like the lead vocalist Abdul Shaikh and he impresses right off the bat sounding like the stylish and husky Atif Aslam. The band is equipped with all elements and very efficient instrumentalists and we have the drums by Yash Khona and lead guitars by Austin Furtado accompanying Abdul on vocals. The rock quotient is quite high and it hardly takes the band 1 minute to showcase that, as we hear a fabulous and zingy electric guitar solo with Bhumit Gor on Rhythm guitar and Subodh Gupta on bass guitars. The drums and guitars take a back seat allowing Abdul to perform both emotionally invested and charged and when the tempo and energy needs to be raised the pounding drums and crackling guitars set the stage on fire. Subodh also joins in on the backing vocals which form a nice layer and he writes the lyrics as well. The track is mixed and mastered by Jagdish Bhandge and the impressive artwork is by Sanjana Kadam. Very often when we have a rock band, the lead vocalist is more focused on having a high decibel level alone, but here Abdul Shaikh is immaculate in his delivery and all his vibrato and only to be matched by the electric guitar. Darshil Gala is the band’s manager.2.   KaashNatasha Vora reached out to me when she released her new song called ‘Kaash’ and this was her debut Hindi single. I had not heard of her before especially she is settled in Los Angeles, but it took me under 5 seconds to fall in love and be entirely prepared for the magic that was about to unfold. This singer-songwriter who was born in Bhiali, Chhatisgarh went to study economics, and when she decided to quit that to pursue music, a star was born. Being a economics buff myself, I reckon the world has too many of those, but needs supreme musical talents like Natasha. She has written, and sung this song with Akshat Pradhan being the brains behind the production. The song is a guitarist’s delight and we need to stand up in appreciation and approval for Hunter O’dore’s excellence, and he apparently studied at the Musician’s University in LA along with Natasha. She sings like a dream and not just an ordinary one, it feels like a dream within a dream within a dream which I just don’t want to get out of, something like in Nolan’s ‘Inception’. The use of harmonies adds that blues feeling to the song and one can just shut his/her eyes and be transported to New Orleans with Hunter’s basslines. I love the lines “ Toh rukh ja, samja mujhe, oh rukh ja, bas thodi der”, and how the rhythm stops and pauses accordingly. Samarth Dhawan does the mix and master with Katsuya Sezaki doing the recording. Franco Salas is the photographer and Anushka Tendolkar handles the graphic design.3.   KanhaThe giants are back and that too with a bang. Ajay-Atul are probably one of India’s finest composers and I love it when don’t rest on their past laurels but rather create melodies and scores at a rampant consistency like this. The other songs in the album are worth your time and I will be writing a bit about “Bai Ga” also but this one is something that will hold your attention and raise your hair, well it just did for me as I was typing the review.  The strings section is brilliant and just truly is a representation of their idol Maestro Ilaiyaraja. Ajay-Atul compose, arranged, produce and conduct the brilliant Orchestra as well. Ajay Gogavale is the vocalist and reminds us of some of their smashing hits even before ‘Sairat’. The track is mixed by Vijay Dalal and mastered by Gethin John. Chinmay Mestry is the sound engineer and Guru Thakur is the lyricist. The line “Muralitsa” and the strings that follow will melt you into surrendering to the beauty and powers of music. The fusion of the Konnakol and symphonic strings in the end is fantastic.The other song I do love is ‘Bai Ga’ which sounds a lot like there is a Raag Puriya Dhanashree influence. Aarya Ambekar gives a spell-binding vocal display and it feels like you are on this incredible floating hot-air balloon soaring higher and higher without a worry in the world. You will be enthralled by the world of percussion that Ajay Atul bring you into with Vinayak Netake and Prasad Paddhye on the Tabla, Krishna Musalem Satyajeet Jamsandekar on the Dholki and finally Prarap Rath, Ajay himself and Satyajete on percussion.  The Sitar is played by the genius Purbayan Chatterjee in the interlude supported very ably by the men on Tabla in the stanza. Listen to the mild Keys in the background. Towards the end Varad Kathapurkar plays a dazzling solo on the flute and I remember him from his performance in “Me Vasantrao”. The chorus comprises of Aditi Kulkarni, Maithili Joshi - Panse, Mrunmayee Dadke, Sharayu Date, Sonali Karnik, Shalmali Sukhtankar4.   NilashakalamIn an age when songs hardly extend past the 2.5-minute mark, here is one splendid Malayalam number that spend more than 70 seconds just on the Pallavi and Anu pallavi. The anupallavi portion is probably the best portion with some enchanting assembly of sounds from live instruments. We can hear the strings section by Cochin Strings and played by Francis Xavier, Josekutty, Carol and Albin and a separate solo on Violin by Francis. The Keys play along in the background and they are programmed by Dil Vinu who also does the strings arrangements. Dr. Sandeep R is the composer and he has also produced the number with lyrics by Dr. Sukesh RS. Arvind Venugopal is the singer and he brings a freshness to the table through his vocals. The interludes and the stanza are laden with excellent strings and the track is wholesome for various reasons both vocal and instrumental arrangements. I love how the stanza gains traction, as it starts off slow and pacified but feels like a raging wave as it ends. The mixing and mastering is by Mani Ratnam and Teena Mary joins in on the backing vocal where we hear her humming. The recording engineers are Jisto George and Sanjai Arakkal, with artwork by Roshan Xavier.5.    Tere BinaIf Natasha was studying economics before moving into music, here we a full fledge finance graduate from NYU who decided it was time to take up music whole-heartedly. This is just so positive to hear and read because it is all proof that no matter what you do, you can always work on your dreams and make your way closer to achieving it. His name is Arnav Maggo a singer-songwriter from Delhi and he combines with another precious talent called Vasuda Sharma who studied in Berklee College of Music. It might start off to give an impression of a run-of-the-mill song with guy and his guitar, but be surprised as it elevates with every moving second and note into something magical. As the title suggests the song is about a bond between two people that is heading towards its demise, something we never want to experience but it is one of those inevitable things at times. So the sadness is deep-rooted in the lyrics and delivery styles as well. The song is performed and composed by both these lead artists with Vasuda on lyrics and Arnav on guitars. Arnav does exceedingly well in the baritone kind of scale, and when both of them sing we get so invested in the message like Vasuda asking “tumse juda hokar jayein kahaan”. The strings section is the surprise package and that steals the show giving the song gravity, meat and what not. Severn Duo play the strings, and watch-out for some magic on the strings at the 3-rd minute mark, just before the bridge section. A solo violin plays adding to the pathos and the outro has a well arranged bit with the lead vocalists singing in unison almost making us hope that they never separate but only unite. The mixing and mastering is done by the expert Anindo Bose at Plug ‘N’ play studios. As far as the video goes Shrutiman Deori and Kirtiman Singh do the conceptualization and cinematography. Arjun T Bhardwaj handles the editing and Makrand does the Color grading. A special mention to the Severn duo comprising of Jess Townsend playing the Violin and Tom Mccluskey on the Cello. 6.   Just another pretty face There are different kinds of music lovers, the one who focus on the lyrics, and then those like me who just focus on then music, notes instruments and vocals. Apparently this song was penned by Mithun when he was in a bad place but eventually came out of it with flying colors and the song is a message to everyone out there to cut the bad company and be focused on the good things in life. Such a great thing to hear from a young musician and he is already a Doctor from Manipal who can sing and compose. I am sold in-fact much before I knew all this about the guy, the purity of the song, and its overall production had me captivated. Rajath Rao is the producer who deserves a massive round of applause for giving the song direction and depth. Adesh Vinod plays the guitars and supports the very likable vocals of Mithun Kiran who very ably manages a nice falsetto too. We have another expert in Roshan Sebastian on mixing and mastering, and I loved the bridge portion which only glorified the track further. Let us hope Mithun needs no more disappointments in life to create great music like this. He has written, sung, composed and co-produced. The outro on the electric guitar feels like sweet redemption something that Mithun would have felt at the end of all this.7. Kannil PettoleVishnu Vijay is a dependable musician who will get you some brilliant original music that will not only please listeners at that given juncture but also stay in our hearts for many months together. However in my opinion what separates a great musician from a good, is ones ability to score music across genres and not just be a one trick pony. With songs like this Vishnu rises past the “good musician” category for sure, as this funky brass section-filled musical will make you dance, sing, and revel in joy. Vishnu also sings this number with great efficacy and the Arabic and Malaylam lines on the female vocals are by Irfana Hameed. She has also written the rap lyrics herself. The song is composed, arranged and produced by Vishnu. Subhani plays the Oud, Ruan, Saz and Babu is in-charge of the brass section, which mainly has trumpets and maybe trombone. The song just reminds me of “Sususudio” by Genesis the band, which had Phil Collins. There is one small segment, which acts like an interlude as Subhani plays the Oud at breakneck speed. Deepesh Krishnamoorthy is the manager and vocal producer, with recording engineers being Kashyap Ram Mohan, Prince Joe and Nishant. Sujith Sreedhar is the mixing and mastering engineer.

1.    For who I amI reached out to Arunaja a few days ago, saying how overwhelmed I was listening to this song. I am going to repeat what I told her, so here goes. I was walking back home coming down the metro station stairs, wearing my headphones, going through a massive list of songs pending for listening and reviewing. It was all happening steeped in monotony, and suddenly The Piano and Arunaja’s vocal struck me. I literally lost my balance as my mind was not aware of the events and people around me, but deeply engrossed in the music. I felt like I was listening to some of the greatest musicians the world has known in the pop genre, like a Madonna, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Carlton, Celine Dion, and so many names. Arunaja soars to a level I haven’t heard in a very long time and she definitely occupies the top tier of Indian vocalists with this number. The music drew me in and I was shaking my head, thanking the heavens for giving me the passion to listen to so much of music, just so that I stumble upon a song like this. Arunaja writes, composes and performs this with Keshav Dhar’s emphatic production. This is proof that a voice to kill and a Piano to plunder you can do more magic than David Copperfield. The way she sings and introduces such minute vibrato et the end of each line is worth paying attention to. The title line as she sings “For who I am, for who I am not” you will surrender to the song’s capacity to allure and mesmerize you. A big applause to Sonu Milton who slays the song as he plays the Keys, as it is nothing shot of phenomenal. If you actually pay attention, or even without that Sonu’s Piano has a aggrandizing effect on you and just as much as Arunaja serenades with her vocals, Sonu turns out to be the Pied Piper. The production value is heightened by Keshav’s hand in this along with his expertise in mixing and mastering for the track. Designer Aki does the artwork, with Azhar handles the photography. Arunaja plays it mild and vulnerable, in the lower scales and she performs with full bravado as she sings “would you stay here for a while, is there something holding you back”.  The unison of the vocals, Piano, drums and guitars towards end is an experience you must feel yourself, and watch out for the outro where Arunaja goes full blast on her vocals, and this is where I feel privileged and determined to keep going on as a music reviewer.2.     Nadichaa NadichaaJust last month Osho Venkat impressed with a fantastic dance song in Tamil, and that was featured by me. In an age where dance music is simply perceived as a collecti9n of remixes and heavy percussion, Osho did a wonderful job with his song “Baby nee sugar”. He ropes in two amazing singers in Chinmayi Sripada and Amala Chebolu. The electric Veena played by Haritha shows some influence of Abheri Raagam. Srikrishna is the male vocalist for the song and he has this tonality which sounds like SPB Charan, but it all starts with Chinmayi’s voice.  Osho’s programming and Synth bass is spaced right through. Sandy’s solo violin comes in at the interludes and joined by the Veena making it one stunning epoch in the song. Amala brings her A game as well as the table, and the moment in the stanza when thee singers sing in union is breathtaking. The instrumentl arrangements are exemplary with Shuba on acoustic guitar, Jobin on Clean guitar, and Tanish Krishna on Bouzouki. The talam is performed by Arun Subramani, with Abhiikya, Sruthi Shivakumar & Dharshini on chorus. Pukhraj Sonkar has mixed and mastered the track. 3.     2 ChordThis 2 –man act called Itra hails from Bengaluru and they have been producing some good singles in Hindi. The duo of Vinod Patney and Naren Thota met back in 2015 and they have been performing quite well, although this is the first time I’m hearing their work. It didn’t take me more than 10 seconds to love the track as it had all the right elements straight off the bat. Vinod plays the guitars, and he has composed, written and performed the lead vocals while his partner Naren does the production, arrangements and sound design. The guitars sound way too cool, and matching that with Vinod’s oomph on the vocals creates a super setting for a drive. The vocal harmonies in the background and the drums and electric guitar sounds are just too fabulous to ignore or be indifferent to. The drums have a certain way about them and I love the beats where they hasten and increase the count without altering the tempo. The song totally feels like something out of the “Rock On” album by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, and this is meant to be a ravishing compliment on the Itra. Decaville is the mixing engineer and Andres Mayo does the mastering. The video animation is thanks to Priyanka Thampi, Kaushik Mandal and Rahul Tampi  4.     BechariYou may call her the Bpraak of the female world, or why? Just know her name, and you will probably not get such an impactful voice like hers even if you look hard. She is Afsana Khan. She sings like she has not 1 but two pairs of lungs and listen to her in full flow here at unimaginably high scales. The melody is composed by Nirmaan and lyrics too and Goldboypro does the production and arrangements. Apoorv Ghai and Mansi Singh conceptualize and execute the project. The string instrumentals maybe along with the percussion and the humming add to the beauty in the interludes. This is one song that will impact you with the depth and sadness as it plays along.  5.     Colors I seeA year or so ago I have featured her and then after a brief hiatus she’s back, Pritha Ghosh.  The artist has written, composed, produced and performed this stunner, with Karthik Nair also producing, mixing mastering and recording. She does some unbelievable vocal jugglery in certain instances but the way her voice captivates you and doesn’t let you lose attention for even a second is what mystifies me, listen to her sing “If only you’d understand”. The guitars have a strong presence and more than just fill the gaps when there is a vocal pause. The art work is by Afifa Eram.  6.     SnowThe EP called “Gramophone Goodbyes” has some good music, but ‘Snow’ thrilled me the most. Arka Saha has written, composed and sung this while Varun Murali produces this at his studios ‘the red music box’.  Tulip handles the photography and Tarun Mishra does the cover art. I write this on a Wednesday dated 1st June, when two artists on either end of the spectrum of achievements died, one being KK the singer and another being this young Indian Frank Sinatra called Sheil Sagar of just 22 years. Arka Saha’s singing and the Organ make my heart swell in sadness. The guitars and string section in the background add such layers of depth maybe to signify life just like music is beyond the simple truths that we can comprehend. There is a nice vocal arrangement as well where the backing vocal follows the lead with a very mild marginal lag. Arka’s singing is emotionally apt singing “When the winter comes, you’ll understand”. The bridge segment is even more powerful “I know, you know my pain, but your pain is too much” with the strings intensifying. Like he says, it is ludicrous! 7. KhamakhaGive a album/song to this guy and he will compose a score, that absolutely befits the theme and message. This is a story of a cricketer who arrived very late in to the scene after many years of struggle and hard-work and obviously there had to be an inspiring anthem of sorts, and Anurag Saikia delivers. The movie showing the rise of Pravin Tambe is well appreciated and I couldn’t think of anyone else who was ideal to score for a movie of this appeal. His trusted man Vivek Hariharan is the lead vocalist and he leaves no stone unturned singing this with immaculate passion. Shakeel Azmi is the lyricist, and Ishan Das along with Anurag produce the songs in the album. Even as the singing happens, there is so much instrumental backup happening and Japjisingh Valecha has done the additional production and orchestration. The extremely popular and efficient Cochin Strings handle the strings section, and the team comprises of Francis Xavier, Herald Josekutty and Francis Sebastián. The interlude has the woodwinds playing and we have two phenomnela instrumentalists on duty in Tejas Vinchurkar and ID Rao. Vivek shows his skill by being so delicate in segments and raising the decibels when he has to and all that happens seamlessly without a struggle. A song like this sounding like an anthem can never be a success without the backing vocalists and that is why Gauranga Shekhar, Arabinda Neog, Rakesh Deol and Sudhanshu Shome deserve credit. The guitars are played by Ishan Das and with mixing by Ninad Lad, mastering is done by Gethin John 8.     Now she KnowsAarifah Rebello is someone I’m hearing for the first time, and rightly so because this is her debut single. The fact that many young indie musicians have now started delivering superlative debuts is really heartening to see. This young heap of talent starts things off quite slow with the gentle guitars and it is almost a one –woman show with Aarifah writing, composing, singing producing and playing the acoustic guitars. Bharath Kashyap accompanies her on guitars with the solid bassline support by Yohan Coutinho. The song felt like

1.    Jao Piya They come back with one more massive stunner, as Maati Baani has now mastered the production of some of the best Indian classical fusion today. Continuing with the great singles that they have released in 2022, here we have Nirali Kartik and Kartik Shah (duo of Matti Baani) featuring two splendid Indian instrumentalists in Ambi Subramaniam and Abhay Nayampally have a fantastic duel on the Violin and Carnatic guitar respectively (a modified version of the guitar that sounds like the Mandolin his Guru U Srinivas played).  Kartik produces this breathtaking rollercoaster of a song while both NIirali and Kartik compose it. Nirali lends her voice and Kartik also plays the acoustic guitars. The song straight away begins with Abhay on the Carnatic guitars and immediately followed by the Tap dance. The rest of the cast on instruments are a global list of musicians, with some from Ukraine, was it all symbolic in a way to spread peace and send a message? Apparently the music was created and recorded mushc before the war, and coincidentally the day the song released, was also when the Russian attack on Ukraine began. The musicians are Anastasiia Avramenko, Sergey Ostapenko on Tap dance, German Dmitriev, Olga Ulyashenko on Violin, Alanys Arauz, Sanja Smileska on Viola, Isidora Novakovic on the Cello. Tao Issaro plays the Cajon and the bassist is Shalini Mohan. The solo on the Violin is brisk and solid and there are influences of Raag Sarang strewn around, but vaguely I also heard some traces of Carnatic Raag Kaapi. The interlude on the Carnatic guitar and Konnakol is interesting like a Jugalbandhi and Ambi and Abhay then set the tone for a violin – guitar tete-a-tete. The anatara showcases Nirali’s prowess as a singer and Anubha Bhat joins in as the music supervisor. Don’t forget to pay attention to the percussions on Cajon and the Tapdance and the cool underlying tones on the bass guitar. Francisco Nicholson has mixed and mastered the track, and editing and grading is by Kartik.  2.     Nachchesinde I have been listening to some of the singles by RR Dhruvan and whether his indie projects or movie albums. This is one spectacular number that enthralls the listener, accompanies by some very effective instruments, and a top-notch vocal exhibition by Sid Sriram. I particularly loved the acoustic guitars by Joel Sastry, who also plays the electric guitars. The beats and percussion have that very recognizable tone like the song “Venmathiye” by Harris Jayaraj. The song is composed, arranged by Dhruvan and programmed by Bharth Madhusdhan.  The stanza has a very fine melody and as it progresses, I sensed some similarities with SPB’s “Ayiram NIlave Vaa” especially towards the end. Kasarla Shyam is the lyricist and the song is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen. The Sarangi is played by Manonmani in the second interlude reminding us of the interlude from the AR Rahman number “Snegithane” in the movie ‘Alaipayuthe’.  3.     LighthouseStevie is a musician who I have already featured before for a track called ‘Free’ where it was a band called ‘Nobody’ and Steve played a part in the band. Stevie goes solo here with vocals, but hands over the sound design and production to Rhenius Hudson. The splendid solo on Violin you hear right from the start is by Fenny Daniel, and he accompanies right through. It is not something we hear often, but the guitars and Violin go well together and add a little bit of Piano in the background. It might seem like a regular pop song, but credit to the creative production that sets it apart from all the crowd. Isaac Philip does the mixing and mastering and other video credits include Karthik Alagar Sivakumar as DOP, Pooja Venkat on Colour and Editing, Ritchie Michael Gomez on Titling and Graphics. 4.     Guilty minds title trackThere was so much hype around this Web series called ‘Guilty minds’ on Amazon Prime Video, that I was engrossed in reading all the reviews and so on, but little did I Know that its music would be such a breath of fresh air. Nobody ever wrote about the music, but U guess that is where I come in and project and propagate the image of the musical side of things. Anyway I was walking one fine morning to work, and it is habitual for me to wear my headphones and listen to a huge list of new releases. I had zero expectations when the album opened, because I have tuned my ears and heart to expect nothing great from the Hindi movie and web series, space. However as the first title track played I was blown away and my day got a new lease of life. I had to immediately search for the composer’s name, and I hadn’t heard of him before. Sagar Desai is the brains behind this tune and he has already won awards for the OTT movies “Kadkah” and “Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi”. The Cello by Leo Velho will just grab you and hold your attention without a second of distraction. Swanand Kirkire sings it with a Kishore Kumar styled rendition and that gives it a very retro feeling. Shellee writes the lyricsand Ishan Naik mixes and masters the track.Hakk MaangteCyli Khare sings and composes this Marathi song that hits you like an iron rod on an anvil. The guitars are intriguing and with the Tabla, the tone is one of a woman in pain and probably demanding justice and her rights from a corrupt system. The Flute solo plays notes that add to the pathos. Jayant Digambar Somalkar pens the lyrics with Rajat Parasanna stunningly playing the flute. Amey Thakurdesai plays the Tabla and Ishan Naik mixes and masters the track. Dil Choor Choor HuaDivya Kumar sings many singles, but this is one is different and sounds nothing like he usually peforms. The song is once again composed by Sagar Desai and has a Rock ballad tonality and it is the guitars by Siddharth Chopra and Cello by Leo Velho that hold you hostage. Leo simply sizzles in the interlude along with the drums, and to electrify matters more we have a electric guitar solo by Siddharth that makes this song, something Shankar Ehsan Loy would have gladly included as a part of the album “Rock on”.5.     Tera Tha Tera Hoon