Season 9 of Coke Studio by Strings was largely a middle-of-the-road affair. I did follow it week after week, but many episodes were completely bereft of anything memorable. So, instead...
Continue reading...Non-Indian
Muhammad: The Messenger of God (Music review), OST – A R Rahman
Nikitha Gandhi’s almost ethereal voice carries the Prologue till Rahman unleashes a dramatic crescendo! In Signs of The Last Prophet, the same prelude by Nikitha is connected to a stunning...
Continue reading...Moor (Music review), Pakistani – Strings
Javed Bashir’s powerful voice leads Jogiya and Talabgaar hoon; the latter makes a punchy impact with its harmonious Baloch-style qawali. Pusthu star Rahim Shah is at his best in the...
Continue reading...Bin Roye (Music review), Pakistani – Shiraz Uppal, Shani Arshad, Sahir Ali Bagga & Waqar Ali
Shiraz Uppal significantly amps up the earthy, folksy Ballay ballay, led by Harshdeep! Shiraz’s title song, sung by himself, is a competent, soulful pop ditty. In Sahir Ali Bagga’s Teray...
Continue reading...The Hundred-Foot Journey (Music review) – A R Rahman
Ghatam and strings… and then a single violin peeks in to give the ghatam some South Indian company in Hassan Learns French Cooking. It all ends in a mellow flute...
Continue reading...Million Dollar Arm (Music review), A R Rahman
Rang De Basanti’s left-over Makhna and let-us-obviously-fuse-Punjabi-and-rap Million Dollar Dream are intermittently engaging, thanks to the vocalists – Sukhwinder and Iggy Azalea, respectively. KT Tunstall and Rahman’s We Could Be...
Continue reading...Kaala Safaid (Music review), Pakistani Rock – Irtaash
There’s a sense of relief as Irtaash’s debut album finally arrives. It’s a good blend of some of their already popular tracks like Kaali raatein, Musafir and the very tuneful...
Continue reading...Music review: Gunkali (Pakistani Pop – Kaavish)
Jaffer Zaidi’s thick’ish voice hangs like a heavy cloud waiting to pour – like Raghu Dixit’s, minus the panache. But the tunes make all the difference! Jaffer’s mother, the incredibly...
Continue reading...Music review: Saptak (Pakistani Pop – Mekaal Hasan Band)
The opener, Chal Bulleya fuses lyrics from Bulleh Shah and Bhagat Kabir in a pleasant and accessible package, while Bandeya and Ranjha‘s free jamming-style unravel their effervescent tunes quite remarkably....
Continue reading...Music review: Pichal Pairee (Pakistani Pop – Overload)
After 3 years since their eponymous debut album, Overload’s intriguingly titled, Pichal Pairee, is indeed a fitting follow-up. It’s predominantly instrumental again – a drastic departure from the average Pakistani...
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