/> For those who've been wondering why the indomitable Nightingale has been lying low here's news to make the heart waltz.

Come May, and Lataji's hordes of fans have much reason to rejoice. She's ready to release her first Ghazal of album in 17 years.

The last time she went into that ornate territory it was for and with Jagjit Singh in Sajda.

Her new Ghazal album will have numbers composed by a young promising Lata bhakht Mayuresh Pai.

"Mayuresh earlier composed an album of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poetry which I sang. I was very impressed by his ability to put music into the toughest verses of Atalji," says the Nightingale.

The Ghazal album took almost two years to complete. Her frail health and her determination to make the intricate sound of the Ghazal sound characteristically flawless forced a slow pace of recording. But now the album is almost ready, and to be released on the T Series label.

Lataji returns to the T Series label after many years. "But there never was any fight. In fact I sang for Adnan Sami in the film Lucky and that was on T Series. I've also done a Bhajan album for T Series many years ago."

As for the Ghazal it has always been a special challenge. "Singing the Ghazals of Madan Mohan in the films in the past was always very challenging and finally satisfying. My most challenging non-film album by far was the Ghazals of Mirza Ghalib that my brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar had composed for me. Of late Ghazals haven't been heard much. The trends has been towards fast numbers and mainly re-mix albums."

Lataji loved going back to the Ghazal form and that too with a composer who is just starting out. "I love working with new talent. In recent times I've sung the first compositions of Vishal Bhardwaj, Rahul Sharma and now Mayuresh," she says shyly.

Interestingly Javed Akhtar who dotes on the Nightingale was invited to write one Ghazal for the album. He offered to do a bunch of the lyrics.

Says Javed, "There's no singer in this universe who can intonate words the way Lataji can. From the time she sang my first film lyric in Silsila to this new Ghazal album, it's always an honour to have her sing my words. Even if you don't know the meaning of a word you know by her expression what she means. That's what a lyricist craves for."