Chaiyya Chaiyya

This fourth outing by the Bollywood Brass Band – a British, multicultural celebration of the Bollywood sound – sees two notable additions. The most obvious is the arrival of a prestigious voice, that of Sufi classical and playback singer Rafaqat Ali Khan. The collaboration does wonders for the band. There are still two instrumental numbers here, but Khan's vocals on some classic Bollywood numbers really lift the album. The second addition is the Oslo Bollywood Strings – a quartet of violinists that add a swelling backdrop. Having re-recorded certain live favourites from their previous albums, BBB could be in danger of making more of a live recording for fans than a new album, but in each case the addition of vocals or new arrangements makes the case for their inclusion.

The choices span the decades, from the aching 1968 Noor Jehan Lollywood classic ‘Kehnde Ne Naina’ and Kalyanji & Anandji's 1960 ‘Dum Dum Diga Diga’ to the 1984 Punjabi bhangra hit ‘Gurh Nalon Iskh Mitha’ and the massive AR Rahman smash ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ from 1998's Dil Se. The opening number, ‘Maula Maula’, is a 12th century Sufi song written by Baba Farid and arranged and sung by Khan for the 2007 film Awarapan. It is a joyous way to get things underway. Equally rapturous is the band's instrumental rearrangement of their big crowd pleaser ‘Dum Maro Dum’, which still puts a smile on your face no matter how many times you hear it.