Originally published in The Hindu.
Bholay bhalay – Coke Studio Pakistan, Season 9 (Singer: Meesha Shafi. Composed by Shani Arshad)
Shani Arshad’s vocoder sampled voice opens the song and that prelude is hardly representative of what follows! What does follow can only be described as OP Nayyar-meets-reggae, with sitar (Shehroze Hussain) thrown in for good measure! It’s a delightful mix, and Meesha Shafi renders with the right amount of nakhra in her voice, even as the track enters a lovely blues’y phase mid-way!
Mugilu belmugilu – Pushpaka Vimana (Kannada, Charan Raj)
Imagine the Celtic band Clannad singing for a Kannada song! That’s precisely how the uncredited lady voice opens (and ends) the lovely Mugilu belmugilu! Now, composer Charan Raj has already proven himself with a stellar soundtrack for Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu earlier this year and Pushpaka Vimana is a fitting follow-up. In Mugilu, there’s a lot to notice and enjoy – the Celtic touch picks itself up mid-way again, even as the anupallavi moves to Reetigowlai raga! Haricharan’s vocals add a special dimension to the already fantastic song with Kalyan’s gorgeous lines espousing a father’s love for his daughter.
Listen to Mugilu belmugilu on Saavn:
Imsai rani – Aandavan Kattalai (Tamil, K)
Composer K, by now, has a trademark sound that he uses to splendid effect – it usually consists of gorgeous piano struts and strings, and it is showcased oh-so-well in Imsai rani, with the violins almost singing alongside Karthik’s already fantastic vocals. The melody is thoroughly likeable, and lyricist Vivek adds some nifty touches, like the ‘Ba ba ba’ line after ‘Oomayaagi ponen’!
Evare – Premam (Telugu, Rajesh Murugesan)
The makers of the original Malayalam version of Premam released the soundtrack’s best song—Malare—after the film’s release. It went on to become a monster hit. For the film’s Telugu remake, the producers cleverly release it with the actual soundtrack, and Rajesh Murugesan’s scintillating melody sounds equally good in sundara Telugu. Vijay Yesudas does the honors again, in Telugu too, and that helps in evoking wonderful nostalgia.
Doli re doli – Mirzya (Hindi, Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
How would an Indian-origin, Hindi speaking father from New Orleans sing during his daughter’s bidaai? If that sounds like a very specific and mighty odd question, just listen to the heady concoction that is Doli re doli, from Mirzya! The song is a delightful surprise, mixing stately jazz sound to the searing pathos in a bidaai, rendered superlatively by Shankar Mahadevan. Victor Garcia’s trumpet stands out in the jazz ensemble with its beautifully indulgent sound.
