Generation Next: The B-list of Indian Playback Singers

There are a small set of A-list playback singers in India - they are the names that come first to mind when music directors/producers are conceiving their songs. They are the elite everyone wants to work with. They are the Asha Bhonsles, Sonu Nigams, Shaans, Kavita Krishnamurthys, Udit Narayans, Sukhwinder Singhs, Shreya Ghoshals, Alka Yagniks and Sunidhi Chauhans.

But while I'm quite fond of listening to any of them sing, I also enjoy my B-listers just as much - those that get called in for specialist songs or when Sonu's calendar is full. I kid - they are on the verge of making it big, biding their time. There are scores of them - but some I like more than others entirely for personal reasons.

Here is my list of favorite next big things with a mention of a song or two that I particularly enjoyed.

If there is such a thing as the voice next door, it has to belong to Kunal Ganjawala. Ganjawala is highly underrated as a singer. He gets a ton of work from Himesh Reshammiya and being in this camp probably hurts him a bit. But so amiable and earnest is his voice that it is hard not to break out into your own song when he is singing. His ordinariness - whether organic or cleverly disguised - makes him special. And nowhere is this more evident than in Madhubala's lusty "Apsara Ab Zara".

Zubin Garg doesn't have tremendous voice quality. But he has a freshness that is hard to deny. Often a soft, cool breeze appears to be carrying his voice. He broke into the circle with "Ya Ali" from Gangster but it was his rendition of "Subah Subah" from the excellent I See You soundtrack that made me sit up and take notice.

Mahalaxmi Iyer has been on the fringes of breaking through for a while now - but her work on Jhoom Barabar Jhoom established her in my mind as a force to reckon with. And she did this by dropping her voice an octave or two - ditching the shrill soprano that passes for tender innocence in the minds of traditionalists. She is much better at abhinay now - and that makes her a pleasure to listen to.

Kailash Kher came to my notice via his rather successful album Kailasa. But his work in Bollywood films has been just as noteworthy. Kher has a unique voice that allows him to own every composition he lends his voice to. He gets used a lot to sing songs with a sufi or rustic touch, as in Salaam-E-Ishq's soulful "Ya Rabba" - but I await some producer with enough of an imagination to unlock the outer reaches of Kher's voice.

Chances are when you heard "Javeda Zindagi - Tose Naina Lage" from Anwar, you stopped whatever you were doing to listen carefully. Shilpa Rao is one of the few female singers confident enough to show control at lower octaves. And on "Javeda..." she brings such stillness to the song that it makes you want to hear more from her.

When I heard Babul Supriyo sing a number of things struck me: he sounds a lot like Kumar Sanu, only better; he has a superb voice and excellent control; boy, does he sound sad all the time! Supriyo can tinge even the happiest song with a melancholy (try listening to "Chanda chamke" from Fanaa). This can be a good thing in the right hands - his work on Gunaah is still the highlight of his career in my mind.

Although Daler Mehndi has sold zillions of records, he is not a hugely popular Bollywood singer primarily because his voice is considered too marginal for the mainstream. This is a shame because if you listen closely Daler can out sing a ton of playback singers in Bollywood. Want proof? Go back and listen to "Nachle" from Lakeer or "Tutiya Ve" from Shaadi Se Pehle.

Why is my list short on women? I'll come out and say it - I don't enjoy the Bollywood playback system that forces women to sing in little girl high tones.

Case in point: Gayatri Ganjawala (Iyer) who never lets her producer down when given a chance (check out her tour-de-force singing on the title track from Kasak or "Chenna Ve" from Raqeeb), but do they really have to make her sound like the first string on the guitar?

Recently Asha Bhonsle as the judge on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa knocked down every woman who dared to sing in a husky voice - no matter how good she was. Call it the Lata Mangeshkar syndrome - whatever it is, it's the reason why I stick with the men when it comes to Indian playback singers.