Various Artists — Namaste Bombay — A Musical Tribute to Hindi Cinema (ARC, 2024)
There is something about the sound of a sitar plucking its first note or the echoing resonance of a tabla roll that transports you instantly to a dreamscape, a memory, a scene from a film that might never have existed outside your mind. Namaste Bombay – A Musical Tribute to Hindi Cinema is precisely that, a richly textured journey through the evolution of Bollywood’s grand musical legacy.
Kuljit Bhamra, a master of rhythm and storytelling, has assembled a breathtaking ensemble of musicians, composers, and vocalists, shaping this 38-track set as an homage to the engaging cinematic melodies and cherished songs that have defined generations of Indians.
Listening to this album, I found myself in an old single-screen theater, the kind that barely exists anymore, faint scent of incense in the air, walls painted with posters of stars from the 1960s and 1970s. There’s a romance to the orchestration here, an acknowledgment that Bollywood music was never just about melody, it was about spectacle, about longing, about grandeur.
What makes Namaste Bombay truly special is its vocalists. Bhamra has brought together some of the most revered voices of Bollywood’s past and present. The vocal styles range from the delicate, classical inflections to exuberant, joyful performances.
Musicians: Bardewa, Sharmila (vocals); Bhamra, Kuljit; Bhanot, Pooja (lyricist); Bhatia, Vibs (vocals, lyricist); Bombay Gold Orchestra; Brahmbhatt, Bali (vocals); Chawla, Ramneet (vocals); Chauhan, Anj (vocals); Correa, Hazel (conductor); Faraaz, Nasir (lyricist); Gadhvi, Mahesh (vocals); Gajjar, Mangesh (lyricist); Kaur, Harbir (vocals); Kaur, Priti (vocals); Khan, Shahid (vocals); Mad, Parry (vocals); Menon, Priti (vocals); Narayanan, PN (vocals); Nihal, Preet (lyricist); Parry and Rekha (ensemble); Purshottam, Minoo; Rai, Sapan Kumar (vocals); Rana, Ekta (vocals); Rekha (vocals); Shah, Abira (vocals); Singh, Mangal (vocals); Singh, Mushtaq (lyricist); Yogeswaran, Manickam (vocals).
Buy Namaste Bombay – A Musical Tribute to Hindi Cinema.
Author: Madison Quinn
