A song

While shifting to Germany, Amma had just one request: to email her songs sung by me. So since my move I have made it a point to record every little tune for her. Even if it's just a tiny bit recorded during my riyaz, she is happy listening to it. Mothers I tell you! 
A couple of months back I found Thode Badmash's (Movie: Saawariya) karaoke. I knew this was Amma's favorite song and couldn't resist recording this for her. 

This song has always been on my list of songs to share here. I hope you like it.
A note before you hit the play button- the recording is hideous. Seriously. The quality is not great at all but my voice is heard (slightly). Despite its flaws I had fun recording.

I would love to hear your thoughts :)

Don...Don...Don....

As quoted by a world-famous common man who gives motivational speech standing next to a lamp-post near Malleshwaram grounds- “time barbeku saar time-u” (translated: what ees the right time, sir, please?), this blog-post too was waiting for the right time. Whatte beautiful wisdom. Profound.

Teehee okay I’ll stop my out of context talks. So as I was saying, this post has been waiting to get published for more than a year now. Yes yes I know it isn't surprising, I have a master degree in procrastination. But like Mr.world-famous-lamp-post-man says, time saar time-u.

Last year, when fellow-blogger-singer Vimmuuu, and I were generally chatting about songs, singers and AR Rahman (not in that order), he suddenly suggested -"aye why don’t we record a duet?" It got me very excited as I have always wished to record a duet number. Thus, we immediately started hunting for songs and finally, aaj ki raat (movie: Don) seemed like the right choice (I hope you people agree :)). I first sang the female vocalist's lines and mailed it to him. He later recorded his lines and tadah! the song was ready. Well, not quite. Vimmuuu then worked on the post-recording/mixing bit, all techie stuff, and made it sound all professional. Both of us agreed to post the song simultaneously and hence had to wait for the 'right time'.

So finally the auspicious day has arrived heehee.. Also, Don-2 is all set to release tomorrow. By re-visiting this song, I hope Shankar-Ehsan-Loy (some how land on our blogs) reminisce their Don-1 days and help us live peacefully by not scoring atrocious music (such as Don-2 tracks). Yep now you understand the context.

Presenting aaj ki raat, for the first time (simultaneously) on two blogs. I hope you have as much fun listening to the track as we did singing it.

Please do let us know your feedback; brickbats and bouquets are welcome!

And thank you Vimzy boy :) Hope to sing more such duets with you :)

Aaj Ki Raat by Full_Meals

p.s. Contact us for birthday parties, ladies kitty parties, anniversaries, naming ceremonies, wedding reception.. what? Really. heehee nah. Just kidding. On the other hand, if your party budget is high then we may re-think *wink wink*

p.p.s. You can read Vimmuuu's post here

Paayaliya

My friend Maanasi, after listening to my rendition here, decided to come up with a video, on YouTube. She worked on it for few hours and voila! here is the first look. She says this is her first attempt, but I don't believe her. Coz it looks very artistic with all the right pictures, matching the mood of this composition.
The pictures shared in this video are by Megi and Deepak (excellent photographers, both of them. Probably it runs in the family :)) Thank you folks! :)

And thank you Maans. You are the best :)

Attuned

Almost four years ago I stepped inside a recording studio to come up with a demo CD. I was actually threatened by a friend of mine with dire consequences if I had not done this, so to save my life I decided to sing few solo tracks.

One of them was a classical bandish in Raag Puriya Dhanasri.

I recently got in touch with Chandra from Wiredbeats who volunteered to come up with a mix (of this bandish). I readily agreed coz this was something new and I was very excited about it.

I wanted to share it with you folks. And so here I am with the link (use headphones please).

He has done an amazing job and I am sure you’ll agree.

Thank you so much, Chandra :)

http://www.wiredbeats.com/2009/08/18/puriya-dhanashree-by-shruthi-krishnamurthy/#more-311

Hope you like it. I look forward to your feedback :)

Time for some abuse. Kutte... Kaminey...

It's raining as I type these words. And I am loving it :D
and I find myself humming - Abke sajan saawan mein

Ok thought I'll give my readers (?) an update on what 's happening in my life. I promise to keep it short.
Most of the time (Day/night) I am working. Yes people can see me online for about 18 hours (I expect you to pity me as you read this sentence) on any given day.

Currently, I am addicted to Kaminey. Vishal Bharadwaj has given us yet another off-beat musical treat. Listen to the title song and I am sure you'll fall in love with it. I am also sure you'll blink and wonder- "How does Vishal make the word 'kaminey' sound so beautiful?"

Apart from this there is nothing else happening in my life.

I will leave you with a famous auto raja quote:

Love maaDidre romance
ildidre nimhans

(Translation - If you do love romance, if not no, NIMHANS)

Honey-soaked voice

At the beginning of this millennium, when hindi film-music industry was falling apart due to lack of good female singers (wokay I think I am exaggerating a bit) and when most of us were deafened by Alka ji’s, sadhna ji’s, Kavita ji’s, Sunidhi’s monotonous vocal torment and not to forget, once amazing, unbeatable sisters asha tai’s and lata ji’s shaky vocal torment, there entered a voice that left us all enthralled; a voice that charmed us; a voice that captivated our hearts; a voice that sometimes felt like a cool breeze and sometimes like a deep ocean. When we heard her for the first time, we all exclaimed at once- "ah! whatay"

Okay, I am talking about Shreya Ghoshal.
Twenty something Shreya has a voice that’s difficult to replace. I don’t think any of her contemporaries can sound as good as her. Maybe few, but not all. And please let's not talk about few singers whom I am not too “fond of”. Can Alisha howtospellherastname sing a note without going flat? Or can Sunidhi-falsetto specialist-Chauhan for once sing without murdering a tune? I do feel Sunidhi, Kavitha, Alka and Sadhna sargam are better than most of the talent show winners; like that moaning-groaning singer and that other aggh sounding singer. These girls are better off doing moaning-groaning numbers (alright alright I know it sounds errmm.. somewhat crude, but don’t they sound horrible with their ooh’s, ahh’s and mmh’s?).
Anyway in my opinion Shreya is a fabulous singer. Period.

I thought of sharing two of her songs today:

Bhor Bhaye (Delhi 6): I haven’t stopped listening to this wonderful album (Delhi 6) since its release. And thanks to ARR this thumri in Raag Gujari Todi is neither remixed (like what Imsail darbar did to Albela sajan in Hum dil de chuke sanam) nor murdered. It is kept as it is. And mind you it's not easy to sing this fabulous thumri, what with it's complicated sargam and taans, you'll go crazy. Shreya does a commendable job. Well, few of them might compare this to the original piece, sung by Ustad Bade Ghulam ali, which is unfair I tell you. Coz this man is God. Nobody can sing like him.
Enjoy the song.

Tere Naina (Chandni Chowk to China): With a movie name such as this, one can hardly expect a nice soothing number. But Shankar, Ehsan & Loy give us a sweet romantic number with Tere Naina. Not their best though. Shreya matches Shankar Mahadevan with ease. Not only that, she also out-performs him this time. A sweet cute SEL-ish song.

Here are a few other songs by Shreya I recommend listening to:
Dheemi Dheemi si (Shiva), O Saathi re (Omkara), Silsila yeh chahat (Devdas), Chalo tumko lekar (Jism), Tumhe jo maine dekha (Main hoon na), Barso re (Guru), Naam ada (Yahaan), Wada raha (Khakhee), Ishq hua (Aaja Nachle), Mere Dholna (Bhulbhulaiya), Thode Badmash (saawariya) and Teri ore (Singh is King).

Let me know how you liked these songs :)

Rahman - Unseen

To list out songs which I think are A R Rahman’s best is a tough job. [Though Maanasi beat me to it ;)] I would still like to go ahead and list few of his compositions. Let me rephrase it, will list out few of his not-so-popular compositions. Tracks which have not made it as chart busters but are as good, if not better than the best. My take on the maestro’s compositions:

Noor-un-Ala-Noor (Meenaxi): A movie that made no sense to most of us has some amazing set of songs. Noor-un-ala is one of them. It starts off with alaap accompanied by bass and chimes. Then it transcends into, ARR’s favorite genre, sufi. The composition has shades of Raag Jog. Murtuza Khan and Qadir Khan sing well and improvise this haunting Qawwali with sargam and alaap. Great track.

Do kadam (Meenaxi): One more from Meenaxi. In fact I like the entire album. There are no words to describe this album. Anyway, coming back to this song- give me chimes, bells and other tinkling stuff as background music and I can listen to it forever on a lazy afternoon.. It also has the melody of guitar. As some kinda bonus we have Sonu Nigam (aka feeling Raja) singing for us. Do kadam? Bah! I don’t mind taking two million steps with Sonu ;) I love the way he sings “Aao chale hum wahi, Do kadam aur sahi”… So romantic..

Main Albeli (Zubeida): Three things I love about this track- Percussion: can’t get enough of it. Accordion: I go crazy whenever ARR uses accordion. It sounds divine. and Kavitha: those who know me will be surprised but yes I think she has sung it well. Sukhwinder Singh does a good job too. The other songs I like from Zubeidaa are Chhodo More (by Richa Sharma), So Gaye and Pyara sa gaon (both sung by Lata Mangeshkar).

Dheemi Dheemi (1947 Earth): Rahman brings in the silent killer- Hariharan, for Dheemi Dheemi. It’s packed with romance and poetry. Rahman sticks to the melody and plays around with mild chords. He is a master when it comes to that. I feel the song could have had some nice harmony. Just a thought.

Manmohini (Yuvraaj): This classical fusion is my favorite from Yuvraaj. The film’s a dud, who cares, we have Vijay Prakash (the guy who sang Cheeni Kum). Yayy! The Mysore boy steals the show. A great east meets west track.

Tu Bole Main Boloon (Jaane Tu ya Jaane na): And all that jazz! Rahman gives us a jazz number with drums, trumpet and clarinet. He proves himself to be the only musician who dares to explore a genre such as jazz.

Piya Ho (Water) : Piya ho which is based on Raag Lalit is slow and reminds you of a calm river, with lot of emotions underneath. The song starts off with mild chords and vocals. Apparently ARR missed out on Oscars in 2006. I feel this to be a better album when compared to Slumdog.

Sarfaroshi ki tamanna (The lengend of Bhagat Singh) : I get goosbumps whenever I listen to it. Sonu and Hariharan get together to sing this masterpiece… Composed in Raag Des (not pure form of Des ) it starts off with no percussions; just flute, Sitar and santoor. A Fantabulous number.

Shauk Hai (Guru): The soft piano in Shauk hai is enhanced by Sowmya rao’s evocative singing. Rahman and Gulzar create a wishful world. love this line - “Neend ki goliyon ka, khwab ki loriyon ka.. Bezubaan aus ki boliyon ka .. shauk hai”.

Pyar yeh jaane kaisa (Rangeela): Violins ..violins.. Love the violins used here. ARR, you are the best.

Paigham laaya saawan (Lakeer): Based on Raag Darbari, Paigham is a sweet romantic track. But what was ARR thinking when he made Shaan sing? But the composition is so beautiful you forgive him. Next time Rahman, please don't make this guy sing...

Rasiya (Mangal Pandey - the Rising): Richa sharma sings “o chaliya o rasiya” effortlessly. And the GUITAR! Love the guitar chords played. Spanish mixed Indian tune is just B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and so is its haunting chorus.

Door na jaa mujhse (Sapnay): The groovy beat and shifty notes make this an extremely enjoyable number. SPB, who IMHO is the best playback singer we have, sings it with lot of passion (his accent forgiven). The best part of this composition is its antara which is just perfect. Can’t be improvised further. It sounds better in Tamil though..

Ada: Title song of this album is the best, sung by Parul Mishra. The track has subtle back vocals and guitar but it completely belongs to the vocalist. Other tracks that I like are Milo Wahaan (classy number which has cello, Violin and just a dafli beat in the background) and Mehrabaan (sung by ARR). Fabulous is the word. If you haven’t bought this album go grab it child!

Aahista Aahista (Swades): Thanks to a friend of mine who made me listen to this song, I got introduced to Raag Charukeshi. The lullaby is intoxicating. When ARR brings in Santoor you just glide in reverie. This hundred stringed instrument, is my current favorite, apart from accordion that is.

There. I did it. Needless to say I have thoroughly enjoyed myself writing this post.

So fraands go ahead and add songs which you think went unnoticed.

p.s. I have intentionally not included his Tamil, telugu, non-filmi and international albums. I think the list would be endless :)

Ah! I remember you

I am thrilled. My music teacher still remembers me! I mean my very first guru whom I haven’t met since 15 years or so, still remembers me as a good student. Yay! She recognized me when I went to meet her last week. Wooohooo.. I rock!

I started learning music at a tender age of *ahem* … err ok will start again.. –
When my Dad got transferred to Hubli, many years ago, I was extremely unhappy to leave Bangalore. I threw tantrums and cried for a month. After a couple of months dad and mom (who couldn’t take my “I want to go back to Bangalore” whine any longer) made me join some music class (vocal. I can’t play no instrument) very close to our house. And Mrs Shirodkar was my first music teacher who taught Hindustani classical music. Initially I never liked going to class coz there were no friends to learn along with. But as the classes progressed I came to love music (I still do). I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say it’s from here that I started my journey of music which, by the way, has been very eventful.
This time when I visited Hubli, I thought of saying ‘hi’ to my guru and was delighted when she said she still talks to her family about me. Well that’s something for me to feel elated about isn’t it?

Wah Ustad Wah!

I have never liked Pritam. Yeah yeah the same music director who looks like he badly needs to be introduced to a barber.. I still don't understand how he gets to compose for so many films. I mean his compositions are mostly flicked from some Bengali song or the other. And so I used to wonder how he could come up with such a nice composition in the movie Jab we met. I am talking about the song Aago jab tum o saajana. I recently got to know that this one track from the movie is by Sandesh Shandilya.. That guy is talented I tell you. He is the same guy who has composed songs such as-Suraj hua madham (Kabhi khushi kabhi (chewing) gum), Bole re man mora dole re (Some godforsaken movie), Bhaage re man kahin (Chameli) etc..
Coming back to this track, sandesh has used some simple instruments- Flute especially is very soothing. The whole flow of the song is simple, yet different. I loved the fact that he has made Ustad Rashid Khan sing this track. I couldn't have imagined Ustad-ji singing a film song. But I must say he has done full justice to the composition. His sargam and aalaap is just perfect..
This is in Raag Tilak Kamod. One of my favourite raags.. I do not want to say anything more, you just have to listen to it. Here is the link.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=zbF9bU4XPRE

On a completely different note here is another link- Ustad-ji singing my (another) favourite Raag-Basant ., (No no not Annie Besant.. raag Basant).
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NK5M_WNMrJA&feature=related

Random thoughts- 1

I was going through some of my old cassettes (yes, they used to be very popular) and came across one that caught my attention and stayed with me throughout the day… It brought back all those bitter-sweet memories of a show which I was a part of. The concert was held long ago at Gayana Samaja, an old and famous hall situated on KR road (don’t ask me for directions. I often get lost when I go to South Bangalore). The programme was conceptualized in a big manner. I was asked to be a part of it by my “then” Music teacher. My Guruji said it was a very big event with more than 15 musicians on a huge stage. I guess I was the youngest of the lot. I was some 15- 16 years of age (sigh… sigh… sigh… I don’t understand why we have to grow up!). Okay, I know you must be wondering why in the hells' name am I going on and on about my teenage woes! Well, what I am going to say next has had a great influence on me. You will find out why and how shortly :)

So the practice sessions started. I was thrilled to be a part of such a great group which had few great musicians, very very senior to me. Some of them were up and coming musicians, who were given a lot of attention by the way. The rest were (and still are) professional Hindustani classical musicians. We were putting up a two and a half hour mega Meera Bhajan show. My Guruji -a perfectionist, if I can say so, was extremely strict. As in, even a slightest mistake wouldn’t go unnoticed and he would make us sing the entire bandish again! After three or four practice sessions I realized that I would just be there to support the rest of the singers. Like.. umm.. well .. chorus.. I did not have a major role so to speak, but I was hoping to get a solo piece (which I did, a 30 second aalaap.. you can snicker if you like.. pffftt). These sessions were very educative; however I envied those “up-coming stars” who got a chance to sing some brilliant compositions by my Guruji. Some people have all the luck I say!!!

The day of the concert is unforgettable. A lady (neither do I remember her name nor do I know how she got into the group) came up to me and said – “You know, Shruthi.. umm… there is a slight problem. We will not be able to provide a mic to you, cos there is a shortage of microphones'. As I believe you wouldn’t be singing anything important (!!) I guess its ok with you? Yes? I have discussed this with so-and-so and she says its fine”-*with a pretentious smile on her face*. The so-and-so happened to be one of the “up and coming singers”. I was furious. By the time I could respond she was gone. I gaped and let the whole one-sided dialogue sink in.
My ego was immensely hurt. I went to my mom and sister (who else) and furiously ranted about it; furious about the fact that I wouldn’t be of any use on stage. My sister was furious as well. She was like -“Don’t tell me they have mics for 15 odd people and not one extra for you? A very nice way to treat an artist I must say (?? Hehe). Shall I go speak to her?” She is a darling I tell you :). I imagined myself on stage without a microphone!! How hideous would that look I thought! Meanwhile my mom, a very patient and a calm lady, asked me to relax and sing anyway as nothing was important for me than to sing in front of an audience. I wasn’t convinced. I walked out of the room to witness another dialogue between the “up-and-coming singer” and one of our senior artists, he said “look so-and-so, arrange for another mic. We still have another hour before we can start. Shruthi should be heard”.
That’s when I realized it’s not a big deal to be recognized as a good singer and feel proud about it. Greatness lies in humility, the respect we show towards people who are junior to us. And that’s what this great man did by showing his concern over the fact that I could not be heard without a mike/mic and respecting me as an artist. An observation which has influenced me in many ways. Thank you Sir.
I haven’t heard or seen either of those ladies after the show got over. By now, I hope they would have realized what it takes to achieve greatness…

An Emperor’s Tune

I was watching the trailer of Jodha Akbar and all of a sudden I thought of one common factor that could link two men from two different centuries- Music. Tansen the greatest musician ever, and AR Rahman (ARR) India’s most creative composer and a living legend linked to Akbar! Hmm what do you say? But yes, there is a small difference though- Real life and Reel Life. Akbar the real emperor had Tansen to sing for him in his court. And here is our reel life Akbar (role played by Hrithik Roshan) who has ARR, well not really singing in front of him but his brand of course lingers in the movie Jodha Akbar. Ashutosh Gowarikar, after Lagaan and Swades, has come back with ARR and we have got high hopes from both of them.

One thing that can’t go unnoticed is that ARR has this knack of composing great tracks for period films. Lagaan, 1947 Earth, Mangal Pandey, Zubeida, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Guru have some superb numbers. Songs such as Sarforishi Ki Tamanna (The Legend of Bhagat Singh), So Gaye Hai (Zubeida), Dheemi Dheemi (Earth) and Shuak hai (Guru) still give me goose bumps when I listen to them. None of us can deny the fact that he is one of the best musicians we have in our country.

I wouldn’t call this post as a music review of Jodha Akbar, but an opinion about few tracks from the movie. I am right now listening to ‘In lamhon ke daaman mein’ (5th time to be precise), sung by Sonu and Madhushree, the best track of the lot I must say. Sonu coulsud’ve been the only choice for this song. He sings each note with such passion and patience that can only be achieved through riyaz. Madhushree joins him somewhere in the middle of the song with her mesmerizing voice. I feel she is the most under utilized and under rated singer in Bollywood. Even after proving herself I see fewer musicians making her sing. Or maybe she prefers singing only for ARR. Possible. I don’t blame her then ;)

'Azeem-o-shaan' has got some powerful vocals by Mohd. Aslam, Bonny Chakravarti and also the back vocals sound nice. The rhythm of the song makes you look up and notice. If you are a sucker for songs which have an anthem feel to it and with some great rhythmic drums this is the song for you.

‘Mannmohana’ is next sung by Bela Shinde. Bela, a winner in a TV reality show in 90’s (Sa re ga ma) has come a long way. The composition is neat and she handles it well. She keeps up the emotion needed with maturity in her voice till the end of the bhajan.

'Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai' is easy on your ears and is sung by Javed Ali. ARR has given him few intricate jumping notes which he sings effortlessly. Other than that the track is quite ordinary. But we do get a deserving change from all the Shans’, Ganjawalas’, Atifs’ and Mikas’. From an unheard Beti No. 1 to 'Nagada Nagada' to this, Ali has had quite a journey I must say.

'Khwaja mere Khwaja' is a typical ARR number with nice harmony. It has some amazing back vocals and of course Rahman’s voice in it. Music arrangement is commendable (the Tabla beat especially is very catchy). It starts really well and the Mukhda is beautiful. But seriously I can’t make out what the song is all about. Lyrics I mean. Its just that few words are too difficult to follow :p

As always you need to listen to Rahman’s music again and again to appreciate its beauty. Rahman definitely is an Emperor in his own way. From one Emperor to another, you expect grandeur and you get it to some extent. I would give 3 and a half stars for this album.