Back in the spotlight with its first episode, Coke Studio 9 has started off on an immensely promising note. Mixing traditional voices with contemporary names, the first episode featured four distinct music directors and offered plenty to music fans.
Singer-songwriter Zeb Bangash lends her voice to Noori’s ‘Aja Re Moray Saiyaan’ in episode one of Coke Studio season 9.
SoundBYTES
Coke Studio 9 begins on a diverse note. Instep lends an ear.
Back in the spotlight with its first episode, Coke Studio 9 has started off on an immensely promising note. Mixing traditional voices with contemporary names, the first episode featured four distinct music directors and offered plenty to music fans.
Our story begins with Noori, spearheaded by Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, who, having appeared on the show in season 2 and season 3, have staged a brilliant return to this platform as music directors.
Teaming up with singer-songwriter Zeb Bangash, Noori have produced an original song called ‘Aja Re Moray Saiyaan’ which may sound like a folk ditty but is really just a sign that Noori can conquer any challenge before them. Penned by Zehra Nigah, the song is both celebratory and romantic; it changes and continues to rise and fall in a way that is hardly predictable. Majestic and sweet, it’s got a sing-along chorus that’ll have you humming it as soon as you hear it. If you had to pick one song from episode one, this would be it. Zeb Bangash owns the song beautifully and the addition of Noor and Hamza’s vocals alongside the expansive instrumentation only adds more variety to this song. Easily one of the best Coke Studio tracks to come out in recent years, it’s a remarkable feat for all the artists involved.
Ali Khan’s vocals reminds one of the glorious lost days of pop while Umair Jaswal shows no diversity, yet again.
Outside of Noori, the second person worth discussing in this space is singer Ali Khan whose lost glory is redeemed by his surprisingly solid appearance on the show. With Coke Studio’s longtime house band member Jaffer Zaidi taking on the mantle of music direction and Ali Khan bringing his emotive style to the show, the result is miles away from ordinary. The sound is lush, it flourishes and retreats and in many ways, reminds one of the glorious lost days of pop.
Ali Khan, known for the tune ‘Saathiya’ may have found the vehicle through which he can and should resurrect his career. In the end, you don’t have to be an Ali Khan fan to appreciate the musicianship on display here, which is a feat in itself.
For those who enjoy the show for its devotional undertones, the song ‘Aaqa’ will be a moving, almost haunting experience. With Shuja Haider making his debut as music producer, the song is a collaboration between the legendary Abida Parveen and the rising star of music, Ali Sethi and we have to say, they are absorbing together. The soundscape created by the house-band under the guidance of Haider is also strikingly different than other songs on this episode. It’s the kind of song that’ll give you goose-bumps if you allow it to to take effect. One listen isn’t enough.
In an episode containing four songs, at least three are magnetic which is great news. But if there was one weak link in the episode, it had to be Umair Jaswal and Naseebo Lal’s ‘Sasu Mangay’. With Shiraz Uppal serving as music director, one had high hopes given his track record with film music recently and before that, his own records. Unfortunately, the song just doesn’t come together. And though Naseebo Lal sounds good, Umair Jaswal is doing the same thing with his vocals and sounds monotonous.
A bit garish, this is a forgettable song made worse by one Jaswal who really needs to expand his vocal dexterity and up his game. Despite the efforts of this incredibly talented house-ban, ‘Sasu Mangay’ won’t stay with you for too long. That said, with several episodes coming in the next couple of weeks, Jaswal just might deliver a worthy tune. Time will tell.
