Five cover songs of 2013 that blew us away

KARACHI: This year, Pakistani artistes and aspiring musicians took on songs from all over the world and gave music enthusiasts more good covers to listen to than ever before.

From Farhan Saaed’s cover of Halka Halka Suroor, to Asfandyar Wahid’s cover of Dil Hai Chota Sa, there was something for a wide variety of listeners to lend their ears to. There were a lot of interesting efforts and promising aspiring musicians that emerged on the scene, but the following five covers truly stood out because of both their experimentation and the overall quality of the final track.

Check out our top picks for best cover songs of 2013 by Pakistani artists.



                                                               THE BEST COVER SONGS of 2013 

                                                                           [in descending order]



5. Lath Lag Gayi : Gohar Anwar



Listen to the original



Listen to Gohar’s cover



No one would have thought that we’d get to hear a ghazal cover of an item song, and one that was interesting to listen to at that. Well Gohar Anwar certainly knew how to do it. The sultry Jacqueline Fernandez might not come to mind after listening to this version of the massive hit song from Race 2, but Gohar has definitely made the audio more palatable and the lyrics don’t sound quite so ridiculous in his version. It was refreshing for a contemporary hit to go the classical route for once, instead of the other way around.



4. Pani Ka Bulbula- Sahir Ali Bhagga Ft Abrar ul Haque



Listen to the original



Listen to Abrarul Haque’s cover



Pani Ka Bulbula is easily the most memorable Punjabi song to break into popular culture; and for that the original singer Yaqoob Atif Bulbula deserves all the credit. Sahir Ali Bhagga and Abrarul Haque’s version of the song is upbeat, and the improvised English lyrics in the end lend hilarity to the track, yet at the same time maintain its soul.



3. Fraudiye- Nescafe Basement



Listen to the original



Listen to the Nescafe basement cover



Fraudiye, originally by the ’90s pop band Awaz, is perhaps the one song that the most of our generation can sing along to. Nescafe Basement enhances the original jazz/blues feel of the song and ends it with a heavy rock departure, making it one of those rare covers that not only stand out for its reinterpretation, but preserves what made the original so unforgettable.



2. Moheet: Mera Pyar 



Listen to the original



Listen to Moheet’s cover



Moheet’s take on Aamir Zaki’s claim to fame Mera Pyar is the best cover of the song to date, and let’s just say there have been a lot of them. Most of the artistes that have attempted to cove this iconic track have given us versions that sound like weak imitations of Zaki’s genius, whereas Moheet altered the tempo of the song and made effective use of his raw vocals to infuse a soulful vibe into the track. This homage to the guitar virtuoso deserves a video, and soon!



1. Moroo : Gharoli



Listen to the original



Listen to Moroo’s cover



It’s not easy to pick up a timeless classic by Abida Parveen, rearrange it completely, and end up with a track that makes the original sound more vibrant. Moroo pulled off this impressive feat in style, which is why this upbeat version of the classic tops our list. He not only manages to revamp the track into a funky hip-hop number without being dishonest to the brilliant kalaam, he also makes it fresh with his effective use of beat boxing.



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