This track is a gem of a backing track! As soon as I got “Rafi Resurrected” by “Sonu Niigaam” I was amazed by the backing from this world famous Symphony Orchestra for some of the songs in the album. This was one of them. Though this does not have tabla it was a joy singing along with this track! I think the best one in this album was “Tum Jo Milgaye Ho” in all respects, singing wise and Orchestra wise, but unfortunately it did not have a minus track in the album Sonu Niigaam has said about singing a Rafi, cover again after a long time “it’s always a bliss to come back to your roots”….great thoughts indeed from a well established singing icon and one of the best in the business in India!

Song: Yaad Na Jaaye Beete Dinon Ki

Original Singer: Mohammad Rafi

Film: Dil Ek Mandir (1963)

Music: Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics: Shailendra

Backing Track By: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

*Track courtesy: SAREGAMA LTD.*

Broad Band Player:

An evergreen beautiful song from the yesterday years in the golden voice of Mukesh. Mohammad Rafi also sang another short version of this song in the same film. One of my all time favourite song of Mukesh.
This was composed by Sardar Malik the father of Annu Malik!

Song: Saaranga Teri Yaad Mein
Film: Saaranga
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Sardar Malik
Lyrics: Bharat Vyas

Broad Band Player:

A beautiful and mind blowing composition from the young and upcoming music director Gopi Sunder! This was amazingly rendered to perfection by my very good friend “Gayatri Asokan” or “Gayu” as we all call her fondly. A singer who has a soft silky but classically trained voice she had won the state award for the best playback singer some years back. The arrangements that Gopi has created for this song takes us to a fairy land with Gayu’s magical voice……One of the best song’s that I have heard in Malayalam in the recent times.
Indcidentally Gopi was the programmer for “Vishal and Sekhar” in the “Sharukh” starrer “Om Shanti Om”!!!

Song: Nin Hridaya Mounam
Film: Flash
Music: Gopi Sunder
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahmed
Original Singer: Gayatri Asokan

Saw this film when I was a kid in Bharuch, Gujarat. It left a indelible mark that will never go away. The film was just awesome in all respects. Sholay still ignites passion in every one, be the action, the drama, the music. It was a masterpiece in every aspect. And this song still can make today’s generation go crazy though it is 34 years old. Such were R.D.B’s creations! They have stood the test of time. This song will forever be immortal in his unique voice! A humble tribute to the towering genius of R.D.B lovingly called Pancham Da! This is just blind admiration to one of my all time favorites. So excuse me if I have gone overboard in any way!

Song: Mehbooba
Film: Sholay
Music: R.D Burman
Original Singer: R.D Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This is a beautiful song from the film Yuvvraaj. Though this film flopped miserably at the box office, the songs were the saving grace. I have joined Meera Manohar after a very long break in this duet. This is the first time that I am doing a Hindi song with her. All of our previous duets have been in Tamil and Malayalam.

Song: Tu Muskura

Film: Yuvvraaj

Music: A.R Rahman

Original Singers: Alka Yagnik & Javed Ali

Lyrics: Gulzaar

Raveendran master, my mentor was a genius who was without no doubt instrumental in extracting the best out of K.J Yesudas’s depth and range of voice. He has created awesome songs which have had the best of today’s so called singer’s hanging their head’s in shame as they would not even be able to attempt many of them. Every creation of his had that inimitable “Raveendran touch”. The end of “Raveendra sangeetham” has definitely been the end of quality music in Malayalam Cinema which has deteriorated over the years. He was the last of the geniuses from the clan of Dakshinamoorthy and Devarajan whose songs had a great influence of classical music but still could command popular appeal.
This song from Aham, a Mohanlal starrer, would definitely be remembered as one of his best songs for K.J.Y. And again it is a toughie with the typical twists, turns, mysteries and un-precictabilities of  “Raveendra Sangeetham”. Raveendran master told me that once he heard a Pakistani folk singer singing a ghazal in “maand” on the radio in the quiteness of the dark night! This was his inspiration for this song. It will forever remain as one of my most favorite songs.

Song: Nirangale Paadu
Film: Aham
Music: Raveendran
Original Singer: K.J Yesudas
Lyrics: Kaavalam Naarayana Panikker

Again a Blog post after a long haitus! This time it’s a song that I have treasured from 1990 when I was doing my P.G at Vizag. Saw the film there and the song has stayed in my heart since then due to the meaningful words. Am not a great Kumar Sanu fan, but do like some of his songs where he has sung his heart out. And this is one of them. The tune itself is a gentle lift from the classic “500 miles” (Peter, Paul & Mary) as it begins, though Rajesh Roshan has brought out his own creativity as the song moves on. It’s surely a long song with three antaras.

Song: Jab Koi Baat
Film: Jurm
Original Singers: Kumar Sanu & Sadhana Sargam
Music: Rajesh Roshan
Lyrics: Indeevar

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“Manorama Music” has released “Rithubhangi” a collection of 9 songs penned by “Dr. Sreeja Balaraj” and tuned by “Kallara Gopan”. I have sung one song in the album. The other singers are P. Jayachandran, G.Venugopal, Kallara Gopan, Kavalam Sreekumar, Sujatha Mohan, Manjari and Shweta Mohan. The album is abvailable in all leading music stores across Kerala. Cost of the album is Rs. 75/-.