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

Coke Studio Season 8 Review - Part 2 (Umran Langiyaan & Ae Dil)

At the outset, thanks to all readers for the great response to my previous blog. It was a dream come true for Nabeel bhai himself to share it on his official fan page! Served as a shot in the arm for me to write more and often!

Umran Langiyaan

So as promised, I am continuing to discuss a few more of my top picks from CS - Season 8. Let me begin with the other song featuring Nabeel - Umran Langiyaan. Now this one is a beautiful fusion of two very old Punjabi folk songs. One goes by the name of the title itself - Umran Langiyaan. Written in the 1970s by Mazhar Tirmazi and rendered by Asad Amanat Ali (brother of Shafqat Amanat Ali) with poise and command (definitely recommend you to listen to this version). The second one too is an old Punjabi folk rendered by Allah Ditta Lonaywala (link here). While Nabeel has been brilliant with the rendition of the second folk song, it's Ali Sethi who owns this performance from the beginning. Talking of Ali, he is indeed a personal inspiration for me for having done so much in so little time. For starters, he is a Harvard graduate and professionally a writer and columnist. While interested in music since childhood, Ali grew up listening to greats like Nusrat sahib and Abida Parveen.  However the unbelievable fact is that he forayed into classical music only in 2008 when he begun his training under Ustad Naseeruddin Saami! And within such a short span, performing compositions completely on a classical base with such eloquence, is no joke by any means! And hence I say he is a real inspiration for rookie singers like me! (You are invited to read more about him here and watch one of his interview to Tehelka here)

Coming to the composition, the beautiful thing that I noticed is that the folk element is always felt in the entire composition. And seems like Ali had a great role to play in that for insisting on using harmonium and dholak for most of the song! (Watch the behind-the-scenes to know more!). The first song is about separation and yearning of the lover. And Ali's voice perfectly reflects that pain and longing. Without sounding sad, he beautifully brings out the concern yet optimism that the lyrics is wanting to convey. While the intro line and the alap sets the mood of the song, the mukhda at 1.24 brings the harmonium and the dholak into the fore setting the foundation of the song. Modern music elements are heard more in the first antara with bass and drums being more conspicuous owing to the absence of the dholak. The use of Rubab instrument at places specially the interludes by Tanveer bhai is intelligently done. And Ali's virtuosity is apparent all through the song as he hits all the notes perfectly and the subtle harkats are crisply and eloquently executed.

The interlude between the two folk songs is for me the best part of the rendition musically! While the root raag in my opinion is the same (Bilawal That, C major scale), the mood however shifts from separation/concern of the lover to happiness/hope metaphorically represented by the tinkling of bangles of the lady lover in the lyrics. And the heavenly flute piece by Sajid Ali does the transition perfectly exceeding everyone's imaginations. And in comes Nabeel with his soulfulness equally matched by Sajid's flute as he begins the second folk song. Nabeel's voice is much softer and melodious reflecting the happy mood. Post the brief piece, the two stalwarts get together for the final showdown as they literally fuse the two mukhdas at the end in a way that would keep you yearning for more.

I would definitely recommend multiple hearings of this slow-poison for it to hit you and keep you addicted for atleast a few weeks!

Ae Dil

My number 3 pick of this season is Ae Dil and boy what a performance this is from the duo - Ali Zafar and Sara Haider! Now like the other songs, this too is a recreation of an old classic sung by Saleem Raza. This song while can still be argued as a pop number, has many elements of jazz/blues throughout such as the use of melodica, minor chord usage at many places, the vocal style and generous use of vibrato (the on-purpose wavering of vocals by Ali). The arrangement also boasts of a brilliant lead guitar interlude in between by Omran 'Momo' Shafique (Have been following this guitarist since the early seasons and he is too good!).

The song begins with a brief english section which kinda sets the contemporary feel before the main mukhda begins. The melodica throughout the song is a welcome addition and goes with the romantic mood beautifully! The song's foundation is the rhythm set by the chords played on the piano and acoustic guitar. The drum work is just brilliant and really helps in changing the momentum in the interludes and places where there is a transition from one vocalist to the other. My 'aha' moment is the lead guitar section from Momo after Ali Zafar asks him to 'take-it-away'. And he literally does so with his magical fingers and joyful expressions, taking the song to it's zenith and handing over the baton back to the vocalists.

The vocals is a beautiful banter between the boy and girl which Ali and Sara bring out perfectly with their on-screen chemistry. Sara has been the real revelation of this composition. Who knew that the quiet backstage vocalist could deliver such a power packed performance! Sara comes with a sort of 'sophisticated' accent which goes with the contemporary, jazzy feel and she has a beautiful throw in her voice which gives a sense of command at portions where the girl responds to the boy (like at 2.56 when she sings 'Tune kiya tha pyaar kyun'). Also for lack of a better english word, the 'ada' with which she sings - like how she extends 'Ae dil kisi ki yaad main... at 3.06, adds the icing on the cake! Coming to Ali, I believe this is one of his finest performances till date! Perhaps he has exhibited all skills that a contemporary vocalist has in his book, in a single song. His husky voice texture was perfect for this genre and his vocal range was unimaginably sky-rocketing! The stand-out features for me were the vibratos and falsettos! He used the vibrato so beautifully in the English section. And I haven't seen anyone controlling falsettos at that high pitch so perfectly.

The best part of the rendition was the chemistry between the two! Perhaps the probable reason why this song has more than 2.5 million views while Bewajah is still trying to chase the 2 million mark. The expressions, smiles, hand gestures and overall exuberance added to the joyful experience of the performance and also reflected in the vocal feel. Do listen to this and listen again and again, I am sure this will keep you hooked for a while!

Had intended to discuss three songs in this blog, but I thought this level of detailing is required to do justice to these amazing compositions! So in interest of the length, let me leave you hopefully submerged in the awesomeness of these two compositions. Hope I did strike the right chord with you atleast with one of them. Look forward to your thoughts, suggestions and comments! So until my next post, keep listening and sharing. :)

- Prabhu

musicdilseblog@gmail.com