KARACHI: Strings had the opportunity of creating history but they missed it by a whisker or maybe a lot more than that. Rohail Hyatt’s ambitious yet disappointing rendition of Coke Studio season 6 had given Strings enough vacuum to fill in but they only managed to create a few sparks but no fire.
Energetic Ahad Nayani and experienced Khalid Khan did manage to give the redundant Coke Studio sound a more 80s pop feel (something expected of Strings) but Rohail’s farsightedness and holistic approach ended up being replaced by Strings’ myopia.
They played it safe; so safe that there were no cross-genre collaborations. Sajjad Ali sung alongside Fariha Pervez, Abbas Ali Khan sang a duet with Humaira Channa and same goes for Rahma Ali and Jimmy Khan.
However, the most shocking collaboration was between Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen, a production which was average at best, when compared to Coke Studio’s own standards and one that ended up not doing justice to any of the two maestros.
In a nutshell, Strings didn’t come out of their comfort zone, they seemed scared to experiment at large but whenever it did, like in the case of Usman Riaz’s Bone Shaker, it did pay off. All in all, confusion dominated fusion and comfort dominated risk in Coke Studio 7, a season that was supposed to celebrate the ‘Sound of the Nation’ ended up sacrificing the soul of Balochi folk, for the love of Komal Rizvi and confusion.
Highs
Amir Zaki’s overdue induction into the show was reaffirmation of the fact that Coke Studio had been missing out on something truly special. If anything, it was the maestro’s guitar solo in Zoheb Hassan’s Chehra which proved to be the saving face of a largely disappointing song.
Despite the shortcomings, one thing that has constantly been improving every passing season has been the video production quality. Credit must be given to Abbas Ali Khan who produced the visual effects used on the set along with the colour and themes that complimented the mood and genre of the song being played.
Lows
As producers, Strings were clearly spoilt for choice as the season boasted of probably the most star-studded roster since the groundbreaking season 2 of Coke Studio.
But despite this, Strings were unable to effectively utilise the talents of several legendary musicians such as Sajjad Ali, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Humera Channa and Aamir Zaki.
With Abida Parveen and Sajjad Ali, they might have pushed the envelope a little too much and over-utilised them, which inadvertently resulted in a more monotonous sound for the season.
On the other hand, a guitarist of Amir Zaki’s stature deserved more than a guitar solo. A musician with a portfolio as diverse as that of Zaki merited a solo song.
Emerging Star
It turned out to be a three-way race between Asrar, Usman Riaz and Jimmy Khan. All three musicians deserved to be on the show and credit must be given to Strings for giving them the freedom to better express themselves through their own distinct styles. Riaz has quickly established himself as one of the more celebrated and unique musicians in the current Pakistani music scene since his appearance on Uth Records with his well-crafted music videos and soundtrack for Seedlings.
But Asrar and Jimmy Khan have literally shot to prominence with their appearance on the show with the former arguably delivering the best song of the season in Sub Aakho Ali Ali.
A notable mention in this category would also be Sara Haider, who made her debut on backing vocals for the season. Her chemistry with Rachel Viccaji was one of the few highlights of the season.
Fading Star
For a person who is considered as the pioneer of pop music in Pakistan, Zoheb Hassan’s appearance in this season has dented his legacy quite badly. The musician seems to give the impression of an aging athlete coming out of retirement in an attempt to relive the glory days.
Unlike most musicians, Zoheb Hassan would’ve been better served doing original songs rather than revisiting some of his classics as it is very difficult to replicate the success and quality of those songs for him, especially, in this day and age.
Even as a vocalist, Hasan looked under-cooked and off-color as he was outshined by his collaborators on two occasions, Amir Zaki in Chehra and Zoe Viccaji in Jaana.
COMMENTS (21)
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Completely DISAGREE TO "ET" i Think they have done a pretty excellent job in their first attempt, Coke studio season 7 season is one of the best season in terms of new production and new experiences, there are more than few songs which are hit and will going to be listen years and years, Criticism is good but is the writer of this column know much about the music !!
i completely dis-agree with the author. This was the best season after season 2 Abida , Humaira , Sajjad , Abbas Ali , Asrar songs were amazing , i didnt think String had it in them , but every episode had a song that i will listen for a complete next year.
R.I.P. Coke Studio
No doubt some songs of this seasons were more than expectations. But, Coke Studio is more about classical touch than pop. And Rohail Hayat was good at. Rohail hayat pick some local band singers and produce a stuff you never heard before. If Rohail Hayat bring Usman Riaz then he not just set a stage where Usman Riaz (A well talented guy) is playing a guitar. He fuses his guitar with some songs and that will be next level.
Coke Studio is a very good amalgam of music. Carry on Coke Studio only make it a bit more livelier. Salams
Strings are self obsessed so was their music
Extremely disappointing chapter. Nothing new or creative came out of it. Rohail was the man!
It still was good, enjoyable music like always.Hope Coke Studio keeps pushing the limits and boundaries.Awesome work.
Cheers!
Completely disagree.. a couple of reviews here and there and the authors think they are pros now.. that too in music!... here is a suggestion... why dont you actually take a listen and then re-write the review.. surely express tribune can give you that in consolation...
Wow what a pathetic review, Zohaib sounded too good. I was not much of his fan when he was young, but found lot better now. Actually I found your reviews amateur at the best, so hopefully you will also bloom some day.
Let alone cross-genre collaborations, to me it even lacked fusion. Majority of the songs sounded like something any band would produce for its music album and not Coke Studio.
This time coke studio was one of its kind. I think people did listen to this season unlike last season which honestly made no sense at all where we saw a guy playing some old, unknown instrument in the valleys of Germany and the other guys are singing in Pakistani studios. It was a good thing it was managed by strings. Especially the last episode's Pushtou Song was something out of the box, completely PERFECT!
I don't why the author even had any expectations from Strings
Frankly I was happy that Rohail left Coke Studio because his sound was getting monotonous and all the music sounded the same....except for the one off great hits like Alif Allah by Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi. Today the songs are great the arrangements are brilliant and each one is different from the other..........so I disagree with you.
You have got to be KIDDING me. This was the best coke studio season of all the seven seasons. Did you even listen to Mitti Da Pehlwan, Sab Akho Ali, Shakkar Wandan, Nadiya, Pehla Pyar, Abida Perveen, Lai Beqadra, Rahat Fateh Ali, Bone Shaker. There is so much to choose from
The only person who can revive Coke Studio from slumber is Mekaal Hassan. Arguably the best producer in the country. In fact his new album "Andholan" alone eclipses the whole coke studio season in terms of quality songs and masterful production
From views and FB shares, this has been the biggest hit for the past several years.
Spielberg famously said words to the effect: "my movie can either be loved by millions of people or it can appease the critics and win an oscar. I choose the former."
I loved the Komal rizvi song. She sung it like she was enjoying herself!
A great write up! Spot on with the highs and lows. Sadly Coke studio isnt what it used to be.
This season produced some pretty great songs!! Niazi brothers were a hit! Abida's song with Rahat was also very good, gave the song a different touch to the usual one! Jimmy khan and Rahma Ali's Nadiya was a great song too. All in all, it was a pretty good season I would say. Strings of course had a lot of prove and if not 100% they managed to produce good stuff close to 100%! It was their first season and I am sure they will have a lot of lessons to learn from it. Next season should be even better!
By all means this season was a dud! Although i am a fan of strings but it seems like after watching this season unfold 'production' is not their cup of tea. I must say Rohail Hayatt did an excellent job of bringing music from all corners of the country, blended it with the most modern twist, the raags and qawalis from previous seasons are legendary. I have watched coke studio from all different markets- i.e south east asia to middle east and i found pakistani edition to be the BEST of all! The decision makers at coke studio pakistan need to bring back rohail hayatt to salvage a stellar franchise at hand else like the rest of the country this will go down the drain as well.