Music Review Coke Studio S9 Episode 5: A Mixed Bag of Surprises!

I would put down episode 5 as a mixed bag of surprises. I must confess that it did take some time for me to sink in some of these compositions, but gradually I have developed a liking for most of the tracks now. I would call this an 'overdose syndrome'! With so much overdose of good music, one is in a mental dilemma on hearing more of such compositions whether to like it to the same degree or not! Perhaps if I had listened to some of these compositions independently I would have developed an instant liking. But with superlative precedents such as Afreen in case of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Man Kunto Maula in case of Javed Bashir, one is reluctant and cautious to cede any more superlative adulations! However the more you listen and dissolve into these compositions, the more you appreciate the effort and the quality of outcome! So perhaps this post is for the ones sitting on the fence to delve a little more into these compositions and appreciate the creativity. In general most of the compositions in this episode have an interesting vocal melody! There is a good experimentation in terms of raag and fusion of contrasting vocal textures.

Jhalliya

Composed by Faakhir Mehmood, Sung by Javed Bashir Masooma Anwar & Shahzad Nawaz

Link to lyrics here

One can be rest assured of some high quality melody rendition when a classical virtuoso like Javed Bashir has his stamp on it. Same is true of Jhalliya! Javed Bashir again comes up with a masterly vocal performance displaying his range, singing style, soulfulness and effortless variations all packaged in a single performance.

While a superlative performance from Javed is not really unexpected, what did come as a pleasant surprise is Masooma Anwar's vocals! Open and bold sounding with a sufiana touch, she managed to give Javed good competition in terms of listeners attention span! Also loved the poetry recitation part. Somehow this concept goes quite well with songs of this genre( remember Mori Araj Suno by Tina Saini?). And Shahzad Nawaz's heavy, bass-filled voice goes so well with the music!

Coming to the arrangement, this composition has a soft rock-sufi feel to it with good fusion of instruments. Faakhir Mehmood has done a great job in putting together this arrangement. The base foundation of the arrangement is on the creative bass line and electric guitars giving the rock-ish feel, while the dholak all throughout and banjo at places bring the classical feel. The Banjo interlude at 04:31 is an interesting addition in between the vocals. Strings section add a beautiful dimension at places especially at the latter half of the composition. (For example the beautiful filler at 02:31 that carries forward the melody from where Javed left). The backing vocalists too do a wonderful job overall. At places they accompany the main vocalist and at another instance they sing in an off-scale harmonising with the main melody subtly.

The composition climaxes beautifully with Masuma and the backing vocalists singing the chorus while Javed does the flawless sargam to end on a high. Overall a very pleasant composition inviting you to listen repeatedly and cherish the various layers Faakhir has very creatively put together!

Shamaan Pai Gayaan/ Kee Dam Da

Composed by Shiraz Uppal, Sung by Kashif Ali & Rachel Viccaji

Link to lyrics here

One thing Coke Studio quite easily manages to do is to bring together vocalists who contrast and complement each other very well. Be it Ali Azmat-Javed Bashir, Rahat-Momina, Ahmed Jahanzeb-Umair Jaswal and the list goes on! Same is true of this composition too! Kashif Ali brings soulfulness while Rachel Viccaji brings power. And Shiraz Uppal with his beautiful arrangement is able to stitch together a musical delight!

Kashif actually reminds me of Mulaazim from last season who too had a husky texture and conveyed emotions (especially the pain) of the composition beautifully thorough his vocals. On the other hand Rachel, the relatively shorter one among the backing vocalist trio, stands tall here with her power packed performance! Her amazing stability and texture at lower notes and energetic throw at the higher pitch sections is indeed a goosebumps-inducing performance!  She also brings in a naughty feel with her western style falsetto vocals at places.

The composition clearly has two distinct arrangements - one for the soulful Kashif's part and the other for rock-ish Rachel's part which alternates beautifully in this wonderfully concocted fusion. Kashif's part is primarily on keys and acoustic guitar which sets the chord structure. Flute interludes every now and then creating a beautiful feel, while the strings and choral section fill the air beautifully. Rachel's part is completely driven my the electric guitars and the bass line aided by the drums and shifts the genre to a rock number. There are many instrumental improvisations in the whole track - the bass-hammering by  at 04:40, the electric guitar intro riff before Rachel's part at 03:25 and the beautiful buildup in end where all instruments come together - flute, strings, guitars and drums.

The melody is incredibly beautiful. Co-incidentally both the tracks have been previously sung by Naseebo Lal. There is slight convergence in the melodic patterns between the two compositions which the composer used to stitch the two pieces cleverly! The first part is primarily on the major scale, but has used 'komal dha' and 'komal ni' beautifully at the end of chorus parts giving a totally different feel which coincides with the second song thus enabling the fusion. Second song uses the komal dha and ni notes beautifully making me guess that it's on raag Charukesi (Would love to know your thoughts on this).

Overall this one is a smart fusion at various levels - melody, genre, instrumentation, vocalist style and energy levels! Rachel is a pleasant revelation in this one and Kashif, a great introduction to this platform. Hope that we see more of them in the coming times. Would definitely advise you to take multiple hearings to digest this fusion!

Sadaa

Composed by Shani Arshad, Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Link to lyrics here

Sadaa is a delight to classical aficionados and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan makes sure he displays all the text-book classical nuances in a single performance! Be it sargams, taans, a tarana, subtle harkats, alaaps and a beautiful jugal-bandi with the dhol throughout as he synchs to its beat!

The arrangement is quite contemporary with the use of bass, guitars and drums throughout along with the dhol. Strings section show up during interludes and during the antara. There is also a brief sitar portion towards the end. So overall a diverse arrangement which needs to be appreciated carefully underneath Rahat's powerful rendition!

Melodically the composition (originally created by Rahat himself) has beautifully used 'komal ga' and 'komal ni' throughout making me guess that it's from Kaafi thaat in terms of the raag. What is also noteworthy in the arrangement is the creative use of of percussions and nice experimentation with beat time-signatures (Shani Arshad, the composer also mentions this in the BTS video).

Maybe not the kind of song that I can listen on loop anytime of the day, but this will definitely go into my classical-fusion playlist for frequent hearings :-)

Main Raasta

Composed by Noori, Sung by Momina Mustehsan & Junaid Khan

Link to lyrics here

When variety, fusion and experimentation is more the rule than an exception, a one-off attempt to get through with a clichéd pop-rock composition perhaps doesn't seem enough for this platform! That seems to be the problem with Main Raasta. The composition is indeed quite catchy but not the kind you have not heard before. It's on your typical major-scale-four-chord combination. Use of bass-line is quite creative and something I loved instantly. There is also your customary lead guitar interlude which is brilliantly done! I think the brief cameo by Momina appearing to play the lead guitar was unnecessary! :) Personally I felt the composition got somewhat chaotic in the end with many voices making the chorus (reminded me of With or Without You at 04:12! Anyone else?). The starting guitar patch clearly reminded me of Michael Jackson's Black and White (which Ali Noor actually acknowledges in the BTS video). The scale transposition is quite interesting but I would rate the one in 'Jaane Na Tu' higher than this.

Overall a number that'll definitely grow on you if you like this genre. But definitely an average number in relative terms  compared to the other tracks in this episode.

So overall not a disappointing episode for sure and mind you, achieving that is no small feat given some of the masterpieces that have emerged this season! The musical dose should definitely last for a week I hope. Else you can always go back to Afreen or Paar Chanaa De! :)

- Prabhu

musicdilseblog@gmail.com

Music Review: Coke Studio Season 9 Episode 1 & 2 (Bold Beginnings with Multiple Producers!)

The much awaited season 9 boasting of an excellent artist line-up began last week. This season is also unique in the sense that this time Strings (the overall producers of the season) have invited other music collaborators to co-create productions which is unprecedented for the Coke Studio platform! So clearly there has been a gradual transition from the one-man-show days of Rohail Hyatt (until Season 6) to Strings coming over with a rather collaborative approach. This was subtly apparent in the previous seasons in the way Strings engaged with musicians (do check out behind the scenes videos of past seasons) while they jammed. However in this season this has gone a step further in terms of independent musicians producing tracks while Strings have taken a backseat acting as overall mentors. Well logically this makes sense I would say. Creative art forms need to have room for experimentation and new perspectives should always be welcome, otherwise saturation and monotony begins to creep in. On the flip-side too many ideas while ensuring freshness might also be a recipe for cacophony and that's where I hope Strings as overall mentors must ensure consistency and quality. With just two episodes gone by I don't want to pass a judgement just yet on this experiment. However I do hope that the too many cooks in this season do prove the old adage wrong!

Coming to specific compositions, it has been a mixed bag of sorts for me so far - some have clicked right away, while some taking time to sink in!

Talking of first episode what struck me right away was:

Jaane Na Tu

Composed by Jaffer Zaidi, Sung by Ali Khan

Link to Lyrics here

Perhaps this is not a number you would typically attribute with Coke Studio - there is no fusion, not much experimentation with arrangement. It sounds like your typical late 90s/early 2000s English pop number (Actually reminded of Westlife a lot!). Notwithstanding this fact, this breezy number will sure enthrall you if you have liking for this genre. First up Ali Khan is brilliant! Can't believe that he is back after a decade long sabbatical and boy what a comeback (Checkout his single - Saathiya)! This is a genre where you just need to hit straight notes and sustain it and he does it beautifully with a vocal range slightly shriller than average, which goes with the breezy feel and the overall arrangement. What is mention-worthy is also the feeling he brings in. Somehow the bad times he went through that he speaks about (watch the BTS) is reflecting in his voice and one can feel the pain of separation.

I had been keenly waiting for a Jaffer Zaidi production after Strings announced the new format this year. Jaffer is the same guy who used to be on the keys for most Coke Studio songs right from the beginning and who boasted of long hair which alas is history now! He also had given many compositions to this platform earlier as part of Kaavish (remember Neun La Leya?). Jaffer does a brilliant job in putting together the arrangement and does it very creatively while maintaining the simplicity. The first thing you notice is the brilliant use of Strings section and backing vocals all throughout to give the breezy feel, which complements Ali's vocals beautifully. The chord structure is laid out both by the keys and acoustic guitar. The bass-line is quite creative and Mannu bhai does his own improvisations at places. The arrangement also boasts of a brilliantly done lead guitar piece at 2:20. My moment of the composition is at 4:20 when the scale changes from A# major to C major and how smartly they devised it by bringing the melody to a note (G) common to both scales and continued from there with C major scale after a pause!

Overall a beautiful pop number and as long as the expectations are of just that I am sure this won't disappoint you! Enjoy!

Aaja Re Moray Saiyaan

Composed by Noori, Sung by Zeb Bangash

Link to lyrics here.

Seeing Noori on the list of producers had definitely got me excited as I really loved their past compositions on Coke Studio (remember Saari Raat and Jo Meray?). So I was hoping for compositions with some awesome Sitar solos and an animated Ali Noor (the bearded left-handed guitarist stud!) singing in insanely high pitch. And that was alas not to be! So that definitely was a let-down from an expectations point of view, perhaps the reason why I didn't 'love' this one in the first hearing! However a couple of iterations and this started to sink in wonderfully! So notwithstanding the fact that song hardly had elements I used to associate with a Noori composition, the melody of this composition is gripping and beautifully done!

Aaja Re Moray Saiyaan is a beautiful ballad describing the season of spring where love blossoms around as evident in the flowers of various colors, as the lover calls out to his partner to be one with him! The happy mood reflects in all elements of the composition. The choice of instruments give a folk/country feel all throughout. The use of mandolin in the beginning, harmonium in the interlude sections, the mouth percussion and dholak all throughout adds to the rustic feel. The backing vocalists too have done a great job supporting Zeb with their lively, spirited harmony.

Zeb Bangash delivers a pleasant performance that this song demanded. Not overly excited but just enough to give that subtle romantic feel. Ali Hamza chips in with his unique low pitched voice supported by the choral section. The melody does come with a twist in between with interesting raag shifts. Use of komal ni and teevra ma at places is beautiful. Esp. the megha barse part does sound Yaman-ish with use of teevra ma. But these distinct melody elements are seamlessly fused thanks to the beautiful arrangement!

Overall a wonderful happy song to make your day. Do give it a try more than one time and I am sure you'll explore all the beautiful things being described in the song and much more! :)

Aaqa

Composed by Shuja Haider, Sung by Abida Parveen & Ali Sethi

Link to lyrics here.

Aaqa is a soulful Sufi composition at its best! With Abida Parveen's vocals the divine feeling is a given, however the surprise package yet again (remember Umran Langiyaan?) for me was Ali Sethi! This Harvard grad, columnist, writer, poet and what not doesn't cease to surprise me! With a stellar debut in Umran Langiyaan, Ali chose to catapult himself to the next level with Aaqa alongside Abidaji. 

This composition is all about the vocalists and they own it beautifully with their magnificence! Abidaji is brilliant with her adaygi as usual. There is a beautiful laziness in her singing and yet she is always on beat (taal)! The way she delays and extends ending notes slipping in that extra harkat (like the 'sab' in 'yeh sab tumhara karam' at 2.20) is amazing. There is a definite command in her tone which again is an Abida trademark, yet at the same time it also reflects an unassuming voice longing for Almighty's blessings! Ali stepped upto this opportunity beautifully in delivering another crisp masterpiece. Singing out of his comfort scale and adapting to Abidaji's scale, Ali did a great job singing those high pitched introductory verses. Ali too brings in his own effortless improvisations at places matching that of Abidaji's.

Coming to the musical arrangement, Shuja Haider (the producer of this composition) did the right thing by keeping it at bay mostly, giving room for the vocalists to do their magic. He did bring in a few distinct elements to the fore occasionally. Use of Rubab is beautiful. Rubab along with harmonium brings in the devotional feeling. The Humnawas (Qawwals) also do a great job supplementing the main melody.

Overall a beautifully composed prayer which warrants multiple hearings! Just listen to this closing your eyes and you will sense the divine connection happening! :)

Man Kunto Maula

Composed by Jaffer Zaidi, Sung by Javed Bashir & Ali Azmat

Link to lyrics here.

Man Kunto Maula is a beautiful kalaam written by Hazrat Ameer Khusro and one would find umpteen renditions of this online! But this Rock-Qawwali version perhaps is one of its kind! Kudos to Jaffer Zaidi's imagination here for visualizing and writing this fusion arrangement. Choice of Javed Bashir was apt. But the choice that was interesting and worked wonderful for me was Ali Azmat. While Javed Bashir delivered an expected masterclass performance, Ali Azmat's rock prologue helped exaggerate Javed's performance! The point where Ali stops and Javed starts with 'Man Kunto Maula' gives you that 'aha' feeling. The instrumentation too is designed to go with this with a build up of rock music during Ali's part which transitions to dholak and harmonium to go with Javed's qawwali.

I also loved the ending when both Javed and Ali sing the tarana together as the music builds up in both amplitude and tempo. The taan that Javed takes is perfectly done and the intensity actually reminded me of carnatic vocalists! Overall a great experiment from Jaffer and for me it worked very well. Again there would be the purist lot who would loathe this, but then recreating the exact same arrangement with no 'apni cheez' is no fun right! :) As they say in Bengaluru - 'Enjoy maadi'!

Let me list the other compositions from the first 2 episodes which perhaps I liked to some extent but maybe not loved it! (Unfortunately life too works on relative grading! :-( )

Sasu Mangay by Naseebo Lal & Umair Jaswal: A Rajasthani folk number sung beautifully by Naseebo Lal fused with a Rock-Punjabi part performed by Umair Jaswal. It's quite a gripping number as the two parts come together for a grand crescendo.

Bholay Bhalay by Meesha Shafi: A techno song driven by bass and electric guitars. The starting riff brings the rocky feel which is coupled with solos from Sitar. Meesha brings a naughtiness in her vocals which goes with the lyrics. Again not for everyone but quite creative arrangement I must add!

Baliye (Laung Gawacha) by QB & Haroon Shahid: This one is a Punjabi fusion of an original part written by Haroon and the quintessential shaadi song - Laung Gawacha sung by QB. The arrangement is quite catchy for Haroon's part owing to the high tempo. Harmonium and strings section fills the air beautifully. QB's part starts much quieter and gives prominence to the vocals. Overall it's a breezy arrangement on strings and some choral section with dholak providing the structure. Both portions come together in the end nicely. If you are a QB fan you won't be disappointed! :)

And that's all from Episode 1 & 2! Is it? You must be wondering how come I forgot the most important track - Afreen! Well I liked it so much that I really want to write a full blog-post on that. So yes stay tuned for that as well as Episode 3. I am sure you have enough ammunition to sustain yourself until then.

Take care. Keep Listening. Keep Sharing! :)

- Prabhu

musicdilseblog@gmail.com