Nightingales. Review on Five Best Female Singers of Bollywood

Mercifully, times in the Bollywood are changing. We are having the privilege to listen to new voices these days, unlike earlier times when there was only Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhosle. Hence, writing this review now is easier than it would have been some years back.

1. Asha Bhosle

Her voice is cocky, bubbly, seductive and surprisingly, it always sounds very young. I know and the whole world knows that her sister is supposed to the ultimate melody queen but I always found Asha  the better one. Well, though I don’t compare two people but I suppose if I am selecting just five best singers then comparisons are inevitable. Her “Kya gazab karte ho jee’(Love Story) where the over the hill but  tremendously sexy Aruna Irani seduces a green behind the years Kumar Gaurav is a gem among gems. And “O meri jaan”(Manzil Manzil) for a repentant and ethereally beautiful Dimple lingers and lasts forever.  Listen to her in ‘Tu rutha to main ro doongi sanam’(Jawaani) for the teenager Neelam and you will be sure that she is not a day more than fifteen years.

2.Sunidhi Chauhan

To be truthful, I did not think much of her when I heard her songs in “Mast”. I remember thinking that she will not last. But surprise! She is here to stay. She has a range from the tremblingly tender like ‘Chaha maine chaha’(Supari) and ‘Aa bhi jaa’(Sur) to the ultimately raunchy like ‘Seekh le: The remix with Anu Malik’(Munna bhai MBBS) and ‘Sajna ve Sajna’(Chameli). Listen to her laughing in that gay, mocking way in ‘Seekh le’ and you will know what I mean. Everytime I listen to a new number by her, I get amazed by her singing prowess.

1. Shreya Ghosal

In ‘Devdas’, she sounded achingly young and a little self conscious. But with every new song, she is losing her inhibitions and showing immense potential. ‘Jaadu hai nasha hai’ was intoxicating but I still feel that her ‘Chalo tumko leke chalen’ is the ultimate crowning glory. Her voice has an almost hypnotic quality as she invites you to a place where all your dreams come true.

1. Sadhana Sargam

‘Chupke se’(Saathiya) lingered in my dreams long after I had heard it the first time. A woman calling her lover in a silent and hesitant way, softly, almost afraid that he may tread upon her feather-like dreams. And lately, ‘Aao na’(Kun, ho gaya na) has the same shy, tentative notes which surround you like a whiff of a gentle perfume.

1. Alka Yagnik

I just love this voice. I became her fan since the QSQT days when the bubbly Juhi Chawla serenaded the practical and sensible Aamir Khan  with ‘Ghazab ka hai din’. ‘Ai mere hamsafar’ had me counting off the days, hours and minutes with Juhi. Her ‘Aisa kyon hota hai’ makes me want to jump and dance with the sudden flash of first love.