Chandan Dass

Simple, soulful and melodious, Chandan Dass epitomizes the modern style of ghazal singing to the core. Purists may find his compositions too simple to their liking but he is one of the very special ghazal singers(though unfortunately underrated). His compositions though simple, may not necessarily be easy to sing. His voice has a signature smoothness. Some of his best compositions are:

1. Woh khwaab tha bichhad gaya

2. Raaton mein gar na ashq

3. Yeh chiraag benazar hain

4. Khelne ke waste

5. Jab meri haqeeqat

Anup Jalota

The Bhajan Samrat is a competent Ghazal singer too. His rendition is well balanced in terms of use of classical techniques as well as importance of poetry. Most of his compositions are based on faster tempo with lot of emphasis on rhythm. His temperament matches a lot with Great Ghulam Ali, in the sense that he expresses sadness in the poetry in a lighter vein. Sargams are very much part of his rendition. Some of my favorites are:

1. Chaand angdayeeyan

2. Chaman se kaun chala

3. Dil lagana dil jalana

4. Bhool jana tha

5. Dil se tumhari yaad

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Ahmed Hussain & Mohd Hussain

It is quite unique to see two males singing ghazals together(unlike a couple, who can add a romantic dimension to ghazals). But these two brothers has taken ghazal rendition to a new level by their sheer brilliance over classical music. Also they have brought a feel of harmony in ghazal singing. They use so much of improvisation in their rendition that listeners keep guessing what's coming next. It's a pity their concerts are rare, they have a temperament which is suited for concerts and I am sure their concerts are treat to watch. My personal favorites are as mentioned below:

1. Haal-e-gham unko sunate jaiye
2. Pyaar ka jazbaa
3. Kitni bhi yeh raat hassen ho
4. Rah-e-ulfat mein aap saath nehi
5. Do jawaan dilon ka gham

Pankaj Udhas

The much maligned singer for bringing down ghazal to common people by ivory tower ghazal connoisseurs. His forte is simplicity be it his choice of shers or his compositions. But he can sometimes touch your soul with soft melody in his velvet voice. It's sad that he could not reproduce his 80's work in recent past. Some of my favorites from Pankaj Udhas is

1. Dil mein naa ho jurrat
2. Tum aye zindegi mein to
3. Dard sinet se utha
4. Garmi-e-hasrat-e-naqaam se jal jate hain
5. Deewaron se milkar rona

Talat Aziz

The most handsome ghazal singer :). One of the leading ghazal singer from the early 80's lot. Talat Aziz has a soft soothing voice complimented by control over raagdaari. He has worked under Mehdi Hassan, and maestro's singing style is also evident in his rendition. Unfortunately he has been quite inconsistent as far as his presence in terns of new releases is concerned. His foray into acting also effected his career as a ghazal singer. His compositions also range from excellent to ordinary. However, overall Talat Aziz remain one of the leading ghazal singers in India.

My personal favorites are:

1. Mere to ek baat ka
2. Tum naghma-emaa ho
3. Kais sukoon paoon
4. Maine ek asiyanaa jalaya tha
5. Aisa lagta hain zindegi tum ho

Farida Khanum

One of the best ghazal singers. She has a voice which is sensuous, expressive yet subtle. She has a unique rendition technique where she uses expression as a perfect foil to her mastery over classical music. She uses lay which is quite difficult to follow(this becomes evident when you try to sing her compositions with your friend accompanying in tabla ;)). Her voice is so sweet that it blends with sarangee like suger in milk. My personal favorites are:

1. Aaj jaane ki zid na karo.
2. Mere ham nafas
3. Afat ki shaukian
4. Mohabbot karnewale
5. Uzr aane me bhi hain

Do dil do rahen- Tribute to Mehdi Hassan

This album is a tribute to Mehdi Hassan. Some of the leading ghazal singers from India & Pakistan sang in it. Here is my assessment for them(Strictly based on this album. I like them all otherwise):

Jagjit Singh: Same compositions; disappointing(the compositions are his signature style melodious but same. I was expecting him to render Mehdi Saabs compositions like others did.).

Ghulam Ali: Even more disappointing. Again probably his own composition. Same style. Lot of techniques very little soul. Even his voice seems to have lost its trademark sweetness. How one wish Ghulam Ali singing a Mehdi Hassan composition.

Abida Parveen: Great rendition. Mehdi Hassans compositions in her own gayaki. Great selection of Ghazals."Khuli jo aankh" is truly out of this world.

Hariharan: The best. Great selection, superb rendition. No unnecessary classical showoffs.

Suresh Wadkar: Nice rendition. "Dekhna unka" was great. His soft voice does complete justice to the song.

Jaspinder Nirula: Surprise package. "Jab ghata koi" is beautifully rendered.

Anup Jalota: Very nice rendition in "Khwab juda".

Pankaj Udhas: Complete wastage of disk space(sorry PU fans!).

Humaira Channa: Very nice. She stuck to the original compositions.

Kamraan Hassan: Good in "Tanhaa tanhaa". But little bit of dramaabazi is there in the song.

Overall: This is a must buy album. According to me Hariharan is the best with Abida Parveen a close second.