Naren's indie round-up/ Feb 2023, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Hariharan & Bikram Ghosh/ Qawwali

Label: Eternal Sounds

Rating: ** 1/2

When two super-brilliant artistes like singer Hariharan and composer-tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh get together, expectations are high. After all, the duo had collaborated two years ago on the wonderful EP Ishq - Songs Of Love, which had the excellent tracks 'Naina' and 'Radha'.

Sadly, 'Qawwali' from their new release Manmarzee is a pedestrian affair. The biggest put-off is the lyrical content by Rajiv Pandey and Sutapa Basu, as Hariharan begins, "Nasha teri baali, nasha tera jhumka, nasheeli hai nazarein, nasha tera thumka".

Even the basic tune is just a rehash of filmi qawwalis one has heard in the 1970s. Just adding a chorus line, handclaps and energetic arrangements doesn't make a great qawwali. If it works, it will be because of the names. 

Manali Chaturvedi / Haal Poochh Le

Label: Viral Music

Rating: ***

Singer Manali Chaturvedi has earlier appeared on songs like 'Rafta Rafta' (with Salman Ali) and 'Tere Bina'. Her latest 'Haal Poochh Le' has a catchy tune composed by Kashi Kashyap.

Presented by Sadhvi Bhatt, the song expresses fear of losing one's love while seeking attention from a partner. "Kabhi haske tu mera haal poochh le", writes lyricist Mukesh Mishra. The song has a hook that makes it hummable.

The video shows Manali singing live with a band. It's a routine film that offers little new, but goes with the song.

Karan Aujla/ 52 Bars

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ** 1/2

Indo-Canadian Punjabi rapper Karan Aujla's latest song '52 Bars' is about how to sing superfast in the same tune for three minutes and then suddenly introduce an English rap when you run out of breath.

That shouldn't matter, as Karan has a sizeable following in the North and among the Punjabi-speaking diaspora. To add to his CV, he has collaborated with the Badshah.

The song opens Karan's new EP Four You. If anything, Amrit Thind's video is stylishly shot, though the song falls into repetitive mode after a while.

Bhrigu Sahni feat. Shalmali Kholgade & Karsh Kale/ Everytime 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Pune-bred singer-songwriter Bhrigu Sahni teams up with musicians Shalmali Kholgade and Karsh Kale on his new single 'Everytime'. It's about being unable to get a psst love out of one's head, just when one believes he has moved on.

Bhrigu has a pleasant voice texture and lots of expression as he sings, "Everytime I walk the streets I see, I see you looking straight at me". Add to that some creative instrumentation, gentle guitarwork, mild back-up vocals and imaginative percussion, and you have a winner.

After releasing his EP What Is Now in 2016, Bhrigu has released a few singles, including the well-wriiten and tongue-in-cheek 'Lockdown Blues' in 2021. He surely has a good presentation style. 

Inga/ Say My Name

Label: Nexa Music

Rating: ***

One of the artistes of Inga has released her song 'Say My Name'. In a chat with A.R. Rahman, used as part of the video, she says she's from Bombay and Bangalore.

The song has a catchy folk-pop vibe, and talks of a single encounter. The feeling of "We kissed for a moment, I felt so alive" turns into "Now he won't say my name". Get the drift?

Sonically, the song has been well-produced, with Bann Chakraborty at the helm. The video uses psychedelic colours, but beyond a point, gets monotonous. But the heartening thing is that there's a froth in the tune.