Coke Studio @Mtv Season 3 Featuring Amit Trivedi And Hitesh Sonik

A wonderful 3-set disc from Coke Studio Season-3 featuring music composers Amit Trivedi and Hitesh Sonik. Both compose music for Bollywood films. What is different & unique about this music is the fresh, new sounds presented in a innovative style. It is a blend of Indian roots music with traditional Indian classical music and global musical influences. You can hear a riff from Malian blues, or an old forgotten Indian folk tune or an old Middle Eastern percussion riff in these tracks.

And yes, the name is derived from Coca-Cola, which is the main sponsor of the show in South Asia.

CD-1
****1. Robust & powerful singing by Tochi Raina & Jaggi that has an R&B flavor.
***2. Gentle opening notes & then the soaring vocals of Tanvi Shah blends in.
Song picks up steams up slowly. Mid-tempo.
***3. Interesting blend of influences at the start & then Kavita Seth’s powerful folksy vocals kicks in. Has a slow, rhythmic folksy edge to it.
***4. Interesting use of piano,guitar & percussion. Bit of Latin/Rock n Roll flavor.
5. Slow drone of tampura & veena opens the song. And then lilting, folksy tune.The singing has a modern sound. Blend of Indian/Western influence. Song grows
on you.

CD-2
***1. Powerful folksy opening by Hans Raj Hans that morphs into an interesting duet with modern percussion elements. Sung in Punjabi.
***2. Pleasant & slow melody by Sukhwinder Singh of (Jai Ho fame).
***3. Stunning opening vocals by Sunidhi Chauhan & then a rock-infused
music kicks in & gives it that Indian-Western fusion sound that works.
***4. A slow melody sung in North Indian classical style.
***5. Beautiful & slow tune sung by Piyush Mishra about creating a home.
***6. A fantastic tune that mixes the soft sounds of a female chorus with the powerful & soaring vocals of Sukhwinder Singh.

CD-3
****1. Fast-paced track infused with all sorts of musical influences, while the song has a strong Indian folksy feel.
****2. Strong opening in traditional North Indian classical raga & then the electric guitar kicks in. Reminds you of Malian blues guitar riffs. The song itself retains its Indian classical soul. Interesting & innovative.
***3. An unusual blend of traditional Indian sounds with Western influences. Winit Tikoo’s soulful vocals make for an interesting listen.
***4. Slow & beautiful melody with English poetic verses blended in.
***5. The opening notes remind you of a hard-core rock band & then it morphs into a blend of Indian/English sounds. Kind of interesting.
***6. All sorts of musical influence ranging from Opera to Punjabi folks sound.Fast-paced, folksy song.

Kamla Oct 2014