Naren's indie round-up/ Jan 2026, Ep 1


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Divine/ Walking On Water (album title track)

Language & genre: Hindi, desi rap

Label: Gully Gang Records

Rating: ***

Rap star Divine's new album Walking On Water has some interesting collaborations, including one with Hanumankind on 'Tequila Star', with Gurinder Gill on 'Late Knights' and with MC Altaf and Sammohit on 'ABCD'. The other 12 songs on this 47-minute record are solo outings.

Here, we talk of the title track, because Divine has taken the autobiographical route describing how he made it big after all the struggles. More of an 'I, me, myself' vibe as he sings "Bhai bola baat maan, rap nahin aasan, jaa kar kuch aur kaam, main poocha last chance" before talking about his deal with Sony Music and his involvement with Gully Gang. "Hardest mein nikla, phir Mumbai se finest", he announces. Thank you for letting us know.

Stunnah Beatz shines on the track's production, with Anami doing background vocals and Partha Hazarika on guitar. Though Divine's style hasn't changed, and many tunes sound like rehashes of older ones, he has the ability to cater to his audience. Braggadocio is one of the elements of contemporary rap, after all.

Diljit Dosanjh feat. J Balvin/ Senorita

Language & genre: Punjabi with Spanish, pop

Label: Warner Music Indis

Rating; ** 1/2

The other star Diljit Dosanjh teams up with Colombian singer J Balvin to sing about 'kudiye' on the track titled 'Senorita'. So he talks about 'cappuccino skin' and 'kaan ke neeche earring' to express his admiration.

Not to be outdone, Balvin flaunts his deep knowledge of India by screaming 'Priyanka Chopra', before getting into Spanish rap. Both of them, however, seem to agree on one thing - the object of their fascination is 'Senorita'. Poor lady.

The video is naturally filled with 'kudiye'in different designerwear, with both singers trying to show of their dancing skills. The film is reminiscent of those late 1990s Latino-pop things they showed on the music channels. Today's senoritas may find it old-fashioned.

IndoFuzon/ Baithak 2.0 (medley)

Language & genre: Hindustani, contemporary Sufi

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

The group IndoFuzon is led by singers Suraj Verma, Sanjay Verma and Radhika Kumar. Their formula is simple - make a medley of some popular contemporary and filmi Sufi numbers, and back them with fresh arrangements.

Thus, 'Baithak 2.0' begins with 'Tu Jhoom', popularised by Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal, and later get into the Guide song 'Gaata Rahe Mera Dil' and Noor Jehan's 'Chandni Raatein'. Though they sound unconnected in their themes ('Gaata Rahe' kahaan se gus gaya?), the medley blinds them smoothly in terms of sound flow.

One also wonders why they picked 'Tum Kya Mile' from Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, as it doesn't have the charm of the others. A.R. Rahman's 'Kun Faaya Kun' (Rockstar) is a better choice and so is Nusrat's 'Halka Halka Suroor'. The sequence ends with the predictable and overdone 'Mast Qalandar', depriving the medley of its 'dam-a-dam'.

The three singers coordinate well, and the medley evokes nostalgia. Going with the title, the video shows the musicians in baithak style. One wonders why the accompanying  artistes appearing in the video are different from the actual ones who appeared in the audio. Not that many will know the difference.

Alif/ Live at NMACC, three videos

Language & genre: Kashmiri & Hindustani, folk-fusion 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

In November, Kashmiri singer-songwriter Alif performed his thematic show Charsu at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC). While the show was reviewed at length in this blog, we now look at some videos from that performance.

On the Kashmiri song 'Dilgeer', Alif showcases his vocal dynamics. 'Hosh Ha', also in Kashmiri, reminisces about life, with Tanmay Pawar coming up with a simply outstanding guitar coda that takes you back to vintage Pink Floyd and Gary Moore.

'Chaaragar', in Hindustani, talks of the need for a healer, using the lines, "Chaaragar ko kya sunna padaa, mera rona rona padaa". Alif is accompanied by a tight band which besides guitarist Tanmay comprises keyboardist Aditya Bhandakkar, bassist Nikhil Nair and Karan Chitra Deshmukh on drums and percussion.

It's great to see some live footage coming out after performances at Mumbai's venues. Hopefully this trend will catch up.

Nihar Shembekar, Lyla, Adinath Patkar & Mayuresh Adhikari/ Baandhe Re

Language & genre: Hindi, English, folk-fusion 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Though this song was created six years ago for a competition, it was released last month. 'Baandhe Re' uses the kite as metaphor, and thus fits in perfectly for Makar Sankranti.

Here, Nihar Shembekar sings in Hindi and Lyla delivers jazz-inspired English lines. They are joined by Adinath Patkar on keyboards and Mayuresh Adhikari on guitars, with Pratik Kawale and Nitish Ranadive on rhythms.

The song starts in folk style, with the lines "Mohe kyon zindadi patang laage re, laage re". The English lines go "The sun doesn't change, we just call it dusk and dawn". The transitions between Indi-folk and jazz-pop are smooth, and the orchestration is lively, making this a likeable song.




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