Originally published in The Hindu.
Aalayal thara venam – Masala Coffee (Malayalam)
Noted Malayalam playwright and poet Kavalam Narayana Panicker passed away recently, towards the end of June. So, it is fitting to see Masala Coffee—the band—pay a tribute to him through a wonderfully handled remix of the Anandabhairavi-based Aalayal thara venam. Kavalam had composed it himself for the film Aalolam and the film version was sung by Nedumudi Venu. Masala Coffee’s variant is decidedly less austere and works as a spritely pop melody, led by Sooraj Santhosh and Varun Sunil’s vocals, brilliantly punctuated by Krishnaraj’s violin!
Snehithudo – Baabu Bangaram (Telugu – Ghibran)
Ghibran’s latest, after last year’s Papanasam, is not in Tamil, but in Telugu. For the Venkatesh starrer Baabu Bangaram, he produces a largely predictable package but for the sparkling Snehithudo! The chorus is templatized masala, but Ghibran adorns it with his usually multi-layered sound. However, what really stands out in the song is the core tune that seems to straddle either Dharmavathi raaga or Gowrimanohari raaga, or perhaps a bit of both. That raaga usage makes all the difference!
Bairi bindiya – Antarman (Indipop)
Antarman is the trio Rahul Mukherjee, Pooja Shankar and Randeep Bhaskar. Their eponymous debut album is a delightful and eclectic melange of sounds from Eastern India. The pick of the album is Bairi bindiya that comes alive with a lilting, gently swaying rhythm that is reminiscent of the jhumur dance form, known in the tea gardens of Assam. Rahul and Pooja lead the sedate tune’s vocals, while Kiran Vinkar’s flute and Atur Soni’s drums eventually join Ankita Baruah’s Bihu Dhol, to end on an ecstatic high!
Aashiq tera – Happy Bhag Jayegi (Hindi – Sohail Sen)
Aanand L Rai is only a producer of Happy Bhag Jayegi, but right from the plot, trailer and the music, his stamp seems evident. Composer Sohail Sen delivers the best in Aashiq tera that he himself sings along with Altamash Faridi. The repetitive ‘tera tera’ hook lends a hypnotic quality to the song, even as the rhythm is wonderful energy in an almost prayer-like form, ending on a punchy rock mode!
Pari hoon main (cover) – Meenal Jain, Antara Mitra, Prajakta Shukre and Mauli Dave
Singer Suneeta Rao is still perhaps best known for the song Pari hun main, composed by Leslie Lewis for the 1991 album Dhuan. Now, Antara, Mauli, Meenal and Prajakta attempt a cover version of this iconic song, with help from Harpreet Singh who rearranges the incredibly familiar melody. Where Harpreet gets inventive is to fuse acapella (the first part of the song) with dance music (the second half)! The shift is seamless and brilliant, and the four singers do a stellar job across both parts!
