Pakistani Music and Songs

Yashraj Music actually gets their first private album by a singer from Pakistan, Ali Zafar. Yes, Ali's third album, Jhoom is out on none other than our very own YRM. Yashraj Music was launched with a movie which had Indo-Pak ties in its background, Veer Zaara. But now, a bit surprisingly, Yashraj Music actually gets their first private album by a singer from Pakistan, Ali Zafar. Yes, Ali's third album, Jhoom is out on none other than our very own YRM.

Well, after the small surprise on the cover, I was in for another surprise as I heard the first song, dil jhoom jhoom chale soneya, or simply Jhoom. The song is a Sufi style one, quite different from the songs Ali is known for. And while the song relies less on Western instruments and more on Tabla etc, Ali's heavy voice (remember teri yaad aayi and jugnuon se bhar le aanchal) makes the song a bit heavy, but good nonetheless. One expects the song to be liked in time as one listens to it.

The second song ‘Tu jaanay na‘ is a lighter one, which Ali sings in that easy going style he has been most popular for. The way instruments in the background are not kept limited to background only, it reminds one of older songs of the industry. Easy on ears, and quite lovable.

The next, ‘Jab say dekha tujhko‘ clears from the very start that besides singing, Ali Zafar is here to show off his versatility, as he starts singing in that slightly intoxicated voice and goes on to sing high like Atif. In fact after listening to the song a few times I was wondering if I have heard anyone other than Sonu Nigam trying such versatile things in recent past. Maybe I have, but he is good for sure.

Jee dhoondhta hai phir wahi, fursat ke raat din. Well, Ali comes up with a new version of the popular Mausam song, but as the song started, somehow neither the settings nor his singing suited my ears. No big deal if I'm biased about this song, though. Still, the way he started the antaras, I liked them. So at the end, it's just the way he sings the words of Mukhda that I don't like. Besides, I think only the mukhda has the original words.

Koi Ummeed bar nahi aati, koi soorat nazar nahi aati. It seems that the King of pop, quite understandably, has a huge effect of the '70s and before that on his tastes. While he seems to have a touch of Kishore Kumar here, his way of singing ghazals is lovely too. I've not heard this particular ghazal of Ghalib earlier but somehow I feel that Ali has done justice to the words of the ghazal. At the same time, the background is not too old to repel youngsters, and not too hip to reduce the effect of the words. Complete like.

In Jaan-e-man, while Ali still sings well, the song almost without a background music sounds kinda sleepy while Ali isn't singing. Listen to this one only if you are into words and can bear with slow music.

The next song on the list is a well known Nahi ray Nahi, the song he has been so popular for at Coke Studio. For the uninitiated, the song is something like a slower version of certain parts of Sun ri sajaniya, with some better words and better singing too.

With the next song, Ali goes on to sing another song he did at Coke Studio, folk number yaar daadhi ishq aatish. While I still think I'd prefer the original version (the one by Juman Khan) anyday, this one is definitely not bad. And I guess that sums it up for the song.

The next, Daastan-e-ishq, another pick from Coke Studio, is well mixed but in many places the music seems to suppress the vocals, which makes the things not so good. Else, the song is definitely one to dance on here too.

The last song, Allah hu, is definitely something to listen to. The song starts usually, but as it moves ahead, a building up takes place and at some point the song and the listener almost reach a trance stage. A beautiful piece of jamming it is. And I think this trance that the jamming creates here is the main purpose of the song. Well done.

The last two tracks are remixes and the first among them is an R&B version of Jhoom, which was a Sufi song as the first track. Now while the R&B starts beautifully and the dil jhoom jhoom chale part goes just perfectly, some of the parts seem a bit too Sufi styled to make them R&B. Still, overall a likable arrangement and song.

The final song of the album Dastan-e-ishq (Dhol Version), sung by Aftab Khan with Ali, isn't too great, but this one has open vocals that go hand-in-hand with the music. So this version has its own advantages.

Overall, Jhoom is a huge album which is difficult to rate in one sentence, so I'll divide my verdict into two parts for ease. The first half of the album has some new, wonderful songs, and some good variety poured in by the singer. At the same time, the second half is not everyone's cup of tea. While most songs in second half are well established, heard and respected over the years, not everyone may like them in their present style. Still, I expect that most people in the present generation would like them. And if you still have doubts, just go to Youtube and check a few of Ali Zafar's Coke Studio videos. You'll know whether it's for you or not.