Main Agar Kahoon (cover)

The music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar has given us two wonderful songs last year - Main Agar Kahoon and Ajab Si (click here to listen to my version of Ajab Si). Two beautiful songs sung by two of the best filmy singers in India - Sonu Nigam and Kay Kay. Sonu Nigam has a special gift in giving the right feel to the songs. It is not easy to imitate the feel that he gives in to a song. And Main Agar Kahoon is a good example.

Here I am trying this song with Sindhuja. Lemme know how it sounds. :-)

Song: Main Agar Kahoon
Movie: Om Shanti Om
Music: Vishal-Shekhar
Originally sung by: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal
Sung by: Jo, Sindhuja

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Main Agar Kahoon (cover) at Muziboo.com

Manju Pole Oru Swapnam - Song Release

Remember when I mentioned about a couple of music projects which I was looking forward to? One of them was to compose and sing the theme song for a Malayalam telefilm, Manju Pole Oru Swapnam, which is a UK Malayalee production. That project is over now and the song has been completely done. The first schedule of the film's shooting is over and the next schedule will begin soon.

I had this opportunity because of my friend and well-wisher Dr. James Bright, who is in the UK and whom I have never met. :-) Right from the day when he first came to my blog and listened to my songs, he said he would definitely give me a chance when he comes up with a filmy project (he was the producer of Malayalam film "Vadhu Doctoraanu" which has Jayaram in the lead role). And he kept his word. Dr. Bright has also written the script and songs for this telefilm.

As I started with this project, I could interact with a couple of others from the crew. Jayaram, the director of the film, has become a good friend of mine. He would call me up and discuss ideas he had for the songs and continuously encouraged me throughout the project. He is full of spirits and I can't wait to see the film! And then the hero of the film, Nimal, a nice chap who easily became a good friend. A truly hero material, I say. :-)

Many thanks to all the musicians who have worked on this project. To Ajit Gopalakrishnan (for orchestrating the song), Bharath Venkatesan (for rhythm programming) and Nandu Mahadevan (for mixing the song) - thank you folks!

Song: Manju pole oru swapnam
Lyrics: James Bright
Composed and sung by: Joseph Thomas
Orchestration: Ajit Gopalakrishnan
Rhythm Programming: Bharath Venkatesan
Mixing: Nandu Mahadevan

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Now watch this video with the pictures of filming, right from the Pooja day.

Cheeni Kum (Cover)

I have said it over and over again in this blog that I am a huge fan of Shreya Ghoshal (somebody please let her know that I am on bride-hunt these days :P). Her voice and the way that girl adapts herself to several Indian languages are just amazing. The other day I was listening to Vida Parayukayaano, from the Malayalam movie Big B (Not Bacchan), composed by the talented Alphons Joseph. It is her first Malayalam song and I must say she has done an amazing job in the pronunciation part, better than any of her counterparts from North or South of India could do (except a Malayalee).

The title song Cheeni Kum from the Hindi movie Cheeni Kum is a beautiful song composed by Ilaiyaraja and given life by Shreya (I also loved the male version of this song). Here is my humble attempt to sing this song. And this is the first song I recorded in my new Shure SM 58! Let me know how it sounds. :-)

Song: Cheeni Kum
Music Composer: Ilaiyaraja
Original singer: Shreya Ghoshal
Cover sung by: Jo


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Dooba Dooba of Silk Route (cover)

I think it was after my pre-degree years that I came to watch the video of this beautiful song by Silk Route in the music channels. Actually it was the video which was the most talked about thing than the song itself because the entire song video was shot under water and it was a differently attempt. It happens so in the music industry that even a beautiful and different song needs a well-made video sell it out in the market for masses. Their first album Boondein was a huge hit and the song Dooba Dooba won so many awards within India. Even though their music was categorized into Indi-Pop, it certainly stood different from run-off-the-mill indi-pop songs and belonged to a more folk-rock category.

Their first album Boondein which has the song Dooba Dooba was released in 1997 and the band released it's second album Pehchaan in 2000, but then it was a long silence. Then the news came out that the band has formally dissolved. Being a big fan of Silk Route's music and lead singer Mohit Chauhan's voice, it was a huge dissapoint to me. I thought this band could lead the popular Indian music (other than the filmy or classical music) to a higher level. Later on the lead singer Mohit rendered vocals in some Hindi films and all were a treat to listen to.

Here is my attempt in singing the all-time hit of Silk Route - Dooba Dooba.

Song: Dooba Dooba
Music/Band: Silk Route
Lead and backing vocals: Jo


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(Image courtesy: Silkroute.net)

Ponmagal Vanthaal (cover)

Here is a song after a break of three weeks. This song from A R Rahman is a chart buster from the Tamil movie Azhagiya Thamizh Magan. Like a typical Rahman song, it took time to grow in me and now I keep listening to the song. This is a remix of an old Thamizh song.

Song: Ponmagal Vanthaal
Lyrics: Alangudi Somu
Music: A R Rahman
Original singers: Aslam, Ember Rap
Cover by: Jo (with the vocal track of Ember Rap)

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Maana Ho Tum - Yesudas song cover

Rakesh Baro of Muziboo had requested me to sing this song, one of the golden Hindi oldies by K J Yesudas. Here it is. Let me know what you think.

Song: Maana Ho Tum
Movie: Toote Khilone
Music: Bappi Lahiri
Original singer: K J Yesudas

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Right Here Waiting For you - Richard Marx cover

Richard Marx is probably the first English singer I listened to after Micheal Jackson. The first album I bought was Ballads, a collection of love songs sung by Richard Marx and there I heard this beautiful song, Right Here Waiting For You. The voice, the expressive singing, the soft piano touches... everything about this song is so beautiful. I don't know if I could do any justice to the original, but I enjoyed singing this one. The pitch was a little high for me though.

Song: Right here waiting for you
Originally sung by: Richard Marx
Sung by: Jo

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Kaatril Varum Geethame with Meera

It has been a long time since I and Meera have sung a duet song. So here comes one of the masterpieces from the melody king Ilaiyaraja - Kaatril Varum Geethame. Meera sang all female parts herself while I sang Hariharan's part. Do let us know your comments.

Song: Kaatril Varum Geethame
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Originally sung by: Bhavatharini, Shreya Ghoshal, Hariharan, Ilaiyaraja
Sung by: Meera Manohar & Jo

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Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain from Pardes

I hold this song dearly for one reason. When we bought a CD player at home, Pardes was the first music CD that we (I and my brother) played. We played the CD all day and night long. The experience of listening to music from a CD player was totally new and exciting. Even at night, I would play the music in a low volume and spent almost the entire night without sleeping. I still remember that time clearly.

Nadeem-Sharavan was a hit music duo of Hindi film industry. Their songs are beautiful and melodious. This song from Pardes is no different. The karaoke track had lots of problems. It slowed up after sometime and then fastened up in between. On and off. So it was really difficult to sing along, however I couldn't resist singing this beautiful song. :-) Here is my humble try in singing Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain from Pardes. Do let me know what you think.

Movie: Pardes
Music: Nadeem-Shravan
Originally sung by: Kumar Sanu
Sung by: Jo

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(Image courtesy)

Kannathil Muthamittaal

Kannatthil Muthamittaal is one of my favorite movies from Mani Ratnam. Needless to say that the music by A R Rahman for this movie is awesome. My favorite song from the movie is Vellai Pookkal sung by ARR himself, but the title song is also beautiful. This song gave Chinmayee a huge break and made her name famous in the south Indian music industry. The male version was sung by P Jayachandran, one of the finest singers of our time.

When Sindhuja suggested that we put the male-female cover versions of this song in our blogs simultaneously, I thought it was a wonderful idea. We did the initial humming part in each other's versions too. The karaoke track was in slightly higher pitch compared to the original though. I must say I like Sindhuja's version a lot. So head over to her blog after listening to this. And do let us know your comments as usual. :-)

Movie: Kannathil Muthamittal
Song: Kannathil Muthamittal
Music: A R Rahman
Original singers: Chinmayee, P Jayachandran
Sung by: Sindhuja, Jo

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(Image courtesy: Sulekha.com)

Jashn-e-Bahara from Jodha Akbar (my cover)

The song Jashn-e-Bahara from the movie Jodha Akbar has stayed in mind ever since I first heard it. Such a beautiful composition by A R Rahman and such a lovely rendition by Javed Ali. Here is my version and do let me know your comments.

Movie: Jodha Akbar
Music: A R Rahman
Original singer: Javed Ali
Covered by: Jo

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A prayer song

This song in Malayalam was first written by a Malayalam teacher and then composed by a music teacher in the same school. Interestingly, both teachers share the same name – Aravindakshan. I used to sing this song at school every morning during the school assembly. This is my all-time favorite prayer song and reminds me of my school days.

Song: Saarada neela rajani than
Written by: Aravindakshan master
Composed by: Aravindakshan master
Sung by: Jo

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Imagine - Cover version of John Lennon song

Ever since it's release in 1971, the song Imagine, which was written, composed and performed by the legendary John Lennon, has inspired people world over. Imagine talks about a world where there are no borders, no countries, no religions and where we humans live as one. No wonder why Lennon wrote that "you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one". This is the song of everyone who dreams of unity of humanity beyond the differences and a world of peace.

Some of the stanzas in the song lyrics, such as "imagine no possessions" have been subjected to criticism as one of the critics mentioned "Imagine" was written by a "multi-millionaire with one temperature-controlled room in his Manhattan mansion just to store his fur coats."[wiki]

Imagine is in the third place of Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time. It is also one of the top 100 most performed songs of 20th century.

I recorded this song in one stretch after I came back to room after work on Wednesday. I haven't even bothered to remove the breath noise from the track. Thanks to George Kuruvila for the karaoke track.

Song: Imagine
Written, composed and performed by: John Lennon
Cover version by: Joe

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Elangaathu Veesudhey with Sindhuja

I have always enjoyed listening to the songs by Sindhuja and wanted to do a duet with her, but it just didn't happen for some reason. Last time we were working together for Kaathirundhen, the Tamil song for BlogSwara V4, but then I had this terrible throat pain and could not complete the song. Anyway, here we are, with a cover version of Elangaathu Veeudhey from the Tamil movie Pithaamagan (thanks to Sindhu for suggesting this beauuuutiful song!). Hope you all enjoy this.

Movie: Pithamagan
Music Director: Ilayaraja
Original Singer(s): Shreya Ghoshal, Sriram Parthasarathy
Sung by: Sindhuja, Joe

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Maa from Taare Zameen Par

This song made me cry while watching the movie Taare Zameen Par. It is perfect for the situation and along with a wonderful actor that Darsheel Safary is, it was a perfect situational song in the movie. Here is my try in singing Maa, a melodious, soulful song sung by the ever amazing Shankar Mahadevan. Thanks to Rosh and Santhosh Iyer for the karaoke track.

Song: Maa
Movie: Taare Zameen Par
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Original singer: Shankar Mahadevan
Sung by: Joe
Requested by: Roshni

Download mp3 of the song from here (4.66 MB)

My first solo song in an album

On Monday of the last week, Anil chettan called me and asked if I would like to record a song with him. The song was for a devotional album. I was excited and grabbed the chance. I went to the studio on the very next day and recorded the song by 10 PM. This experience is quite new to me as I learned the song just 5 minutes before recording, something which never happened before. I always learn and practice songs beforehand for studio recordings. And this time it was different and was done in a professional manner. Also this is my first solo song that is released in an album. And it is really nice to see the song title with my name and also a photo printed in the back cover of the CD. :-)

Song: Oru kuttavum
Album: Aardra Sneham
Lyrics: Shobhana Mohan
Music: Vinod Mohan
Orchestration: Anil B S
Studio: S S Digital, Trivandrum

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My first solo song in an album

On Monday of the last week, Anil chettan called me and asked if I would like to record a song with him. The song was for a devotional album. I was excited and grabbed the chance. I went to the studio on the very next day and recorded the song by 10 PM. This experience is quite new to me as I learned the song just 5 minutes before recording, something which never happened before. I always learn and practice songs beforehand for studio recordings. And this time it was different and was done in a professional manner. Also this is my first solo song that is released in an album. And it is really nice to see the song title with my name and also a photo printed in the back cover of the CD. :-)

Song: Oru kuttavum
Album: Aardra Sneham
Lyrics: Shobhana Mohan
Music: Vinod Mohan
Orchestration: Anil B S
Studio: S S Digital, Trivandrum

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A devotional song

I blog-hopped into Geetha teacher's blog a couple of days back. There I read this beautiful song about Krishna and it was written with a lot of bhakti as we can see from the lyrics. Then I asked her permission to compose and sing this song. She was totally fine with it and here is the result. Do let me know how it sounds.

Song: Guruvayur thrikkovil
Lyrics: K C Geetha
Composed and sung by: Joe

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Nanmayaakunna Kaanthi

I heard this beautiful prayer song after Raj (peringodan) asked me to sing this song. It is from the movie Calcutta News and sung by Chitra. The lyricist needs two thumps up for this song for penning such beautiful and meaningful lines.

Movie: Calcutta News
Music: Deb Jyothi Mishra
Lyrics: Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma
Originally sung by: K S Chitra
Sung by: Joe

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United We Stand - A collaborative music project

United We Stand

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I found this song in one of the posts in Muziboo by Prateek. Prateek posted this song on behalf of Sanour Sunny Mohammad, who is a sound engineer with Sandeep Chowta.

This is what Sunny has to say about the song:

“We being musicians/technicians, can express our thoughts and present it to the
world in our own pleasing way … So come on guys and girls, seniors and amateurs,
contribute in this song, by taking part. I am uploading the idea of the song.
The tune and the arrangement pattern will be same further, but according to the
members submissions, i may change it. Drummers can record drums, guitarists can
do guitars, singers can do vocals/harmonies/aalaps/, flautists can do flute,
sitarists can do sitar portions, watever they like, but associated with the
song. Its not necessary to play the same thing, but ya over the same track u
have to do it. Anyone can contribute. Take the song in ur session, put the song
on the first or bar of ur choice, and go on!!!!! I have bounced the track on
bar, so it will sit on the tempo mentioned on the song page. If anyone wants the
song in some other way, like only rhythms, i can do tht even, and send it to
them.."

Sunny did this song as a base stuff and invited other Muziboo members to collaborate and contribute to this song. He provided the minus track and his vocals track separately. I liked the music, lyrics and the whole concept and I was humming along as I listened to the song. After I finished listening, I recorded the aalaaps and humming part. Then I cut some vocal portion of Sunny's original song and put some Malayalam lyrics there. Just to mention, the lyrics was an instant creation. I recorded the Malayalam part and mixed the song altogether and posted it. So it all happened in one hour (I added the last Vande Mataram bit on Saturday). The complete lyrics of the song and Sunny's original song can be heard from here. The Malayalam lyrics is as given below:

ii bhaaratha bhUvil nanmayum Saanthiyum pularaTTE
chidra SakthikaL nilam pathikkaTTE
uNaRnnonnaayuyaRnnu paaTaam
jayikkaTTE bhaarathaambaa

A rough translation of this would be:

May love and peace prevail in the land of India
May the divisive powers fall
Let us wake up and sing together
May the victory be with mother India

The original lyrics by Sunny:

Don’t u think u make mothers cry
Don’t u think innocents die
Don’t u think u r hurting a nations heart
Don’t u think u r making kids apart

Please stop this!!! Please stop this!!!
Please stop this!!! Please stop this!!!

Will ur mother be proud of what u r doing
Will sumone forgive u, for what u r doing
U r hurting a nations life
U r killing a world of smile

Whatever u did in the past
We were together
Whatever u do further
We will be together

United we stand United we stand
United we stand United we stand

Its a request
Its a warning for u
Its so disgusting
The things u really do
U took smiles away
from so many kids around
U took hearts away
from some ones bound

Dnt u think we r afraid of u
WE can get u down
One day will come u will plead us for mercy
Then we will show u how
Show u how….

UNITED WE STAND UNITED WE STAND
UNITED WE STAND UNITED WE STAND

War isnt an answer
To the questions u really dnt know
War will just give a loss
And nothing, even to u
Be ready to face us
We’ll strike together
We r coming together
U really cant beat us forever

UNITED WE STAND UNITED WE STAND
UNITED WE STAND

UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)
UNITED WE STAND (Vandemataram Vandemataram)

I must say that Sunny did a great job with this song. Kudos to him! Those of you who would like to add your part can feel free to do so as Sunny has mentioned in his post (you can download the minus track and Sunny's vocals track from his post). Here is my contribution and you guys listen to it and let me know your comments.