Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Jal Pari (Coke Studio Version) – Atif Aslam– Review and Video

Song: Jal Pari (Coke Studio version)
Artist: Atif Aslam



Review:


Coke Studio no less than changed my life.  To hear what I have always wanted the South Asian music scene to create was so promising.  Of course, I’m only speaking of Coke Studio Pakistan – the Indian version is ridiculous and a frightening reflection of India’s lack of inspiration – or maybe even worse, India’s belief that consumerism is greater than creativity.  Maybe that’s why the Indian industry that churns out so much music is so far behind (in terms of % of good songs) than its neighbor to the West that concentrates on ingenuity and quality.

I digress – this is about “Jal Pari”.  There are moments of the song that I don’t love – Atif’s control over his voice in “Kaun Tha” proves that when he’s not doing his “goat-voice”, he’s the best singer Pakistan has.  He can’t do much about that – the market wants him to do those crazy runs that he’s known for.

The good thing is that he doesn’t go on too many crazy runs here, and they’re controlled when he does.  During most of the song, especially the intro, he opens up his voice and really makes some nice sounding music with the Coke Studio team.  More importantly, he pays serious tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with his rendition of “Tu Mera Dil, Tu Meri Jaan” – amazing.

Overall, it’s Atif’s best live performance ever – and I play this song all the time.  My Pakistani buddy that I introduced the track to has it on repeat.

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