Koi Labda  – The talented Viccaji sisters start this song along with Symt. Like the previous song by Symt, it appears perfectly rehearsed and very sharp as he takes us via various by shades of love and the way he leaves on ‘Har kisi nu mukammal jahan nahi milta’, Only Sanam Marvi could have picked it up. I couldn’t help feel that the portion of Sanam Marvi was recorded separately but I might be wrong. (As per the CokeStudio website, Sanam was brought later. I apologize for this) Sanam sticks to her familiar territory and Symt takes it over splendidly. My vote to Symt for this one.

Mahi – Bang! And then it dies! Farhad then holds the microphone for us. The song has a very slow start and the magnificent shehnai holds the listener close and lets Farhad take us through as he sings about the search for his beloved. From 2:44 minutes, the song picks up the pace and then it dies down almost immediately as Farhad takes to the drums and shehnai makes a heroic comeback in the song. Like Charkha Nolakha, this one also doesn’t have a definite hook and has a lot of music to its credit.  The voice that Farhad has isn’t (in my view) suited for loud alaaps and that’s the only blip on this otherwise above average song.

Waah Waah Jhulaara – The Superb Chakwal group this time get a solo song and they sing a beautiful song about how time takes everything from us. The super talented Viccaji sisters have a special role to play in this song as well. The magnificent joint alaaps and long taans that chakwal group takes is the stuff legend (and folk music) is made of. The music is kept at a minimum dominated by Guitar, Dholak and drums. The simplicity of singing style (that reminds me the way Aarti is done in temples) will bowl you over because of sheer impact this group leaves on your mind. Easily, the find of this season and I do hope we get to hear more from this group (Cokestudio or un-cokestudio wise).

Seher – In one of the firsts, CokeStudio Pakistan recorded this track (without Farhan Rais khan) (source – cokestudio.com.pk) and Farhan Rais khan was invited later to play to the track.  It’s pure Sitar magic and with the bad habits infused in our minds (thanks to below average intellects of people calling anything as ‘fusion’ these days), this track takes ‘fusion’ to another level altogether. Never loud. Never ‘on display’. Quietly soothing and insanely beautiful. Did I forget to mention the backup vocals by Viccaji sisters in this as well? This is a ‘forever in the folder’ sort of a track. You just can’t delete this from your music library. Simple.

My picks – Wah Wah jhulara, Dasht e tanhai, Seher and Koi labda

With Season 5 coming to an end, Rohail Hyatt demonstrated (without featuring himself in any song, mind you) that good music is what it is all about and good music is all what it should be about.

More power to CokeStudio Pakistan!

As we here in India try our hands with multiple producers (and 250 odd musicians, aptly advertised!), It’s time we stop comparing Pakistan and Indian versions of CokeStudio because in my humble opinion, CokeStudio Pakistan is a ‘Go to’ case study. We can better it, we can ruin it but we can never match it’s sound.

We have got to find our own style and then we can compliment this excellent body of work by Rohail Hyatt which is available to us:

FREE. FOREVER. Yes.

Nindiya ke paar – Uzair Jaswal starts this song in a light fashion with a lot of ‘first love pangs’ in his voice. The minimalist music arrangement compliments the soft style of singing and before you know Uzair weaves the timeless ‘Tere bin nai lagda dil mera sonia’ in between and takes the song to it’s peak, not before coming back to the ‘Nindiya ke paar’ melodiously. Yet again Zoe and Rachel compliment the song wonderfully well. The song is consistently ‘mellow’ and is very easy on the ears. Instantly liked it.

Aaj Rung hai – Hadiqa Kiani – To me, the song didn’t start on a very confident note. May be you will differ. The music setting (in the beginning) is exactly like her Kamlee song from episode 1, but the similarity ends here. The age old kalaam by Amir khusro ‘ Aaj Rang hai’ has been treated quite differently by Rohail in this because the layers aren’t many and it’s a fairly light on the senses. If you are one of those who like very aggressive rendition of this kalaam you might not like it. Still the ‘echo management’ in the song is just splendid. The song raises the tempo in the last 3 odd minutes with Hadiqa looking very comfortable coupled with an extremely different (And fast paced) music setting. The back up singers- Zoe and Rachel get into the act quite well. Very good effort. May be I won’t play this on and on, but is worth a ‘listen’ for it’s sheer innovative treatment to this timeless Qawwali.

Neray Aah – Rachel Viccaji & Farhad Humayun – The brilliant starting of this song will instantly arrest you. Farhad leaves the drums and gets behind the microphone with the very lovely Rachel Viccaji to sing what’ the first ‘filmi’ song on CokeStudio. You can find the filmi version of this song here. Farhad has sung this earlier as well and you can find his version here. This version is all about raw energy in the studio. Rachel raises the bar high for Farhad to match up which he effortlessly does, giving us an extraordinary song in the process. Brass band, Electric Guitar and Dhols also feature in the song by the way. The song is sung (and arranged) with so much ‘finality’ that you feel surprised on the way one sung can be interpreted. Excellent Rohail Hyatt written all over the song!

This song should be a ‘go to’ guide for the lesser mortals on how to do a ‘filmi’ song if you want to.

School di Kitaab – Hello Bohemia! Rap remains more or less the same. The lyrics, very suggestive. It’s about Bohemia telling how he has  created an industry and how crazy his fans are. Hmmmm. They remember his songs like the way they read books in the school. While in the ‘song review’ section of cokestudio.com.pk they mention that Bohemia wanted kids to go back to books and not just learn his songs. Frankly I liked the song but this message was absent for me in the song. Not a great song, but I liked it!

Taaray – Bilal on his guitar starts the song and you can instantly find out that it’s a positive and confident song. Excellent guitar play and vocally backed as usual Zoe and Rachel, this song just completes the overall light feel of this episode. Motivational lyrics and simple composition will ensure this hits the right chords with those who prefer to keep it light and listen to simple songs.

Rohail Hyatt continues to innovate and the songs of this episode seem to be carefully picked to keep the ‘light’ feel in the mind. The expectations from Coke Studio Pakistan continue to rise and rise and rise! Since I prefer the songs that touch my soul and not ‘light’ songs I wanted more from this episode.

My picks – Neeray aah, Nindiya ke paar and Aaj Rung hai

Do visit – http://www.cokestudio.com.pk for more information, videos and to just check out the awesomeness of Coke Studio, the way it is meant to be!

Atif Aslam and Umair Jaswal.

Paisay Da Nasha by Bohemia: Award-winning Pakistani-Amerian rap artiste Bohemia’s Paisay Da Nasha carried his signature both lyrically and in terms of its flow. The Viccaji sisters (Racheal and Zoe) joined him on stage to return this season as backing vocalists.

“Behind every rap song and its poetry is a message,” said Bohemia in the behind-the-scenes clip. Unsurprisingly, he was talking about the intoxication that the pursuit of money brings. “I’m asking a question in the song, and perhaps I’m asking myself: did you get any real happiness from doing that?”

Coke Studio experimented with Bohemia’s song by infusing and bringing to the forefront a variety of instruments. It worked well except for one little thing—the music often pushed Bohemia’s singing into the background whereas he deserves to be front and centre all the way through.

Tum Kaho by Symt: “This song is for a very special person in my life,” said Haroon Shahid, lead singer and songwriter for Symt.
Guitarist Hassan Omar composed and arranged the music and played it for Haroon who penned the lyrics. Perhaps the most surprising revelation is that the guitarist’s inspiration when composing music comes from video games.

Tum Kaho is an expression of the one human emotion that can bring about both war and peace—love—in its most absolute form.
It is not a new song for ardent Symt fans as they have performed it numerous times. The CS version changes but doesn’t eliminate its funky nature and adds an almost jazzy element to it.

Kamlee by Hadiqa Kiyani: Kamlee is a kalam penned by the popular Punjabi Sufi poet, Baba Bulleh Shah. It has been covered by numerous artistes and deals with a recurring theme in his poetry: introspection that leads to a greater awareness of the self.

Hadiqa rendered Kamlee with such feeling that in the place of the singer who sang popular love ditties some 20-odd years ago emerged a mature woman who sang a kalam deeply rooted in the very fabric of society. She sang with an angst and a darkness never seen before. “Kamlee has my heart and soul in it,” said Hadiqa.

Larsha Pekhawar Ta by Humayoon Khan: A request made by a woman to her lover to bring her a black tunic and four flowers from Peshawar forms the base of this classic Pashto folk song. The origins of Larsha Pekhawar Ta are unknown but it is a song that is stamped deep into Pakhtun culture. Many artistes have covered it with an Urdu version, Tujh Ko Qasam Hai Meri, existing as well.

“Performing this song has been an enchanting experience,” said Humayoon Khan. “Larsha Pekhawar Ta has a very high value for us Pakhtuns. I’m proud to be the first such singer representing our music and culture on CS. Perhaps next time, I’ll present some of my original songs.”

Humayoon Khan teamed up with rabab player and CS regular, Sadiq Sameer, and sang the song to perfection—so much so that Sikandar Mufti, in the behind-the-scenes clip, gave into the song and could be seen dancing away.

Charkha Nolakha by Atif Aslam and Qayaas: At Qayaas band member Sarmad Ghafoor’s suggestion, who is also the guitarist for Atif Aslam’s backing band, Atif and Qayaas decided to collaborate. Atif’s intent was to help out some of the newer talent emerging in Pakistan’s music industry.

According to Atif, “We initially wanted to perform Sun Charkha Di Mithi Mithi by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (NFAK) so we shared our version of the song with Rohail Hyatt.” The producer, however, felt that Charkha Nolakha (also by NFAK) would be a better option.

According to the Qayaas’ lead singer, Umair Jaswal, “Working with Atif Aslam was a fantastic experience. He is a master of improvisation and has the ability to reproduce musical pieces that sound pleasing to the ears.”

With the idea of paying tribute to some of the biggest names in Sufi and rock music, the idea of fusing NFAK’s music with Led Zeppelin came into existence. “Initially I was supposed to sing the verses of Kashmir (Led Zeppelin) at the climax of the song but the idea was changed.” Instead, Umair sang the opening lines of a kalam by Bulleh Shah on the guitar riff of Kashmir.

East meets west in Charkha Nolakha in a symphony that is both raw and haunting. It presents itself like an intimate ballad and flows like a whispered conversation between two very powerful entities coming together with a common purpose. Umair Jaswal holds his ground in Charkha Nolakha as Atif Aslam’s contemporary—his equal—while as a seasoned performer, Atif instinctively knows how to steer the mood of the song in a way that suits it best. It was a befitting end to a fantastic start to the fifth season of Coke Studio.

The episode 1 premiered on YouTube 3 hours back and here are some first impressions of the same..

The House band remains more or less the same – Asad Ahmed on guitar, Babar Ali Khanna on dholak, Javed Iqbal on violin, Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar on bass, Omran ‘Momo’ Shafique on guitar, Sikander Mufti on multi-percussions and Rachel Viccaji and Zoe Viccaji on backing vocals. Joining the house band this season are two new talents: Farhad Humayun on drums and Mubashir Admani on keyboards. (No Louis ‘Gumby’ Pinto visible so far)

1. Paise da nasha –  Bohemia - The song kick starts. Yes. kick starts with a lot of attitude. The sort of attitude you associate with underbelly of cities wherein the mornings are dark and nights glow with blinding lights. The song talks about how people are obsessed with money and are in love with being intoxicated all the time. Brilliant music arrangement (and do I also mention the excellent camera movements, India – Please take a note). Superb back up vocals by Rachel and Zoe viccaji. Super like! It might sound like ‘too heavy an interpretation’ but just hear (And if you can see, then see!), when Bohemia raps it appears that the words are liberating him. Excellent touch. First rap song in a long…really long time that won’t leave me for a while. I was ready to tear this song apart. You know with all the ‘image’ of CokeStudio as being a ‘serious’ platform, what was Rohail thinking getting a ‘rapper’ there? Well, I have my answer now and I am convinced.

Good start Rohail!

2. Kamlee – Hadiqa Kiani The first thing that will catch your attention is the echo, excellent echo of Hadiqa’s words in the beginning of the song. For about 3 mins the minimalistic music arrangement and strong Vocals of Hadiqa build up just the right atmosphere, and then the song launches. Not loud (as the title would have you believe). Not in your face. Yes you might argue it sounds a little filmy. There is something about CokeStudio Pakistan which is exceptional! It brings out the best in people and this would arguably be one of the best by Hadiqa. So far. Lastly, since it is one of Baba bulleh shah’s ‘Qalaam’ the song ends with these ever so haunting lines (yet again complimented by a good echo effect).

Parh Parh Ilm Hazaar Kitabaan
Kadee Aprain Aap Noun Perhia Nahein….

3. Tum Kaho – Symt -  Guitars playing with the acoustics which is oh so typical ‘cokestudio Pakistan’ style introduce us to the singer who performs a near jazz style romantic number. 2 mins into the song and I wasn’t impressed. But just then a splendid dialogue between the backup vocal singers and the lead singer took this song to another level. Yes. Not just any other ballad. Funky, romantic and a little ‘filmy’. The surprise pack of this episode. Yes.

4. Charkha Nolakha – Atif and Qayaas start off gently. Mr. Khanna on ‘dholak’ makes his presence felt and accompanied by the guitars and drums, this would have easily been the most complex tune to compose of this episode. This will NOT grow instantly. Quite sure. The song has no ‘hook’ of which we are all so fond of. Watch the video, a little hysterical thanks to the qayaas (who sings alongside Atif), but there is a point the ENTIRE music band starts singing!. See that to know what a riot of melody is all about. BLOWN AWAY! There is palpable intensity with which the sound heads towards it’s end. You will have goosebumps. I repeat, see the video. Just once.

Every now and then a song comes and raises the bar. This song has just done that for Season 5 and we are just at the episode 1! Atif Aslam, Take a bow. Yes.

5. Larsha Pekhawar Ta – The song has a very ‘fused’ starting with guitars overtaking the ‘Rabab’ (that typically dominates a pashtu composition), Hamayoon khan steps forward to give us the happy and probably the ‘instantly likeable’ song of this episode. I know this is a repetition but the backup vocal singers are extremely good. Hear it. It’s ok if you don’t see the video, but if at it, then have a look! It is a happy song. Very Happy and it’s what a pashtu should sound like. Kaho kya khayal hai?

To Sum up

The season 5 of cokestudio has started with a lot of melody and no it hasn’t dimmed the expectations that you associate with CokeStudio, Pakistan. While I cannot wait for Episode 2 already, still I will probably go back to listen to all these songs again and again and again.

About the site – cokestudio.com.pk

There is a ‘song review’ button on cokestudio.com.pk with every song. Click it to know the story behind the songs (including the dark story of Bohemia’s song that explains the passion with which he has performed). Another superb initiative that they have done is to embed the Cokestudio middle east and CokeStudio India website links. Excellent!

No, I won’t mention anything about the ‘upcoming’ CokeStudio at MTV here.

This is the time to revel with melody of CokeStudio, Pakistan. Melody.

No hysterics, no self indulgence, Just melody.

Take note, ye lesser mortals – You know who you are.

Videos here

HOLGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I think.

hi. bye