Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar is either the most-recorded or the second most-recorded artist in history, depending on which account you read. And if she does fall into the second slot, that's only because her equally renowned sister, Asha Bhosle, has been in the same business for nearly as long as Mangeshkar. That business is Bollywood -- the prolific Indian film industry -- and the two women (both still alive albeit working on a more limited basis as of 2006) each cut an estimated 20,000 songs or more, in a number of languages, to feature in Indian movies beginning in the '40s. Mangeshkar and Bhosle are known as playback singers, and the music they perform is called filmi sangeet. In particular, their voices are recorded for use in the film soundtracks while actresses lip-sync to them, resulting in the strange phenomenon of some of the most familiar voices in the world emanating from the mouths of virtually every female actress of note in Indian film history, while the singers themselves remain out of the spotlight. Nonetheless, both sisters are major stars in India, and this two-CD sampling of Mangeshkar's work -- while obviously only scratching a tiny sliver of the surface -- is a wonderful introduction to her high-pitched, preternaturally chirpy voice. The set covers considerable ground, spanning the '40s to the '90s and focusing on Mangeshkar's solo recordings (sound quality naturally varies, the older recordings often being less than sharp). While the names of the films from which each song is taken are provided, they will mean little to all but connoisseurs of Indian film. But the music, all of it licensed from Saregama India Ltd., stands on its own, and Mangeshkar's remarkably adaptable voice is a consistent treat, even as she ages toward the end of the chronologically arranged set. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide