Soulful strains

The third episode of Coke Studio, aired on television channels this Sunday, may have been the best so far.

If there was ever a debate between old school vs new school musicians, Coke Studio’s third episode may have put a rest to it since this episode saw them tie.

Abida Parveen delivered the hauntingly beautiful “Nigah-e-Darwaishaan”, a song that in the true Sufi tradition  transcends the usual concepts of love and devotion and proves why Parveen is one of the most iconic singers of our time.

A combination of three kalams, the song’s lyrics are incredibly relevant, describing how the search for divinity is not always found in the usual places.

On the other hand, Tina Sani, who says her experience at Coke Studio was “fabulous”, also engaged in a conversation with God in a soulful performance of “Mori Araj Suno”, accompanied by Arieb Azhar, whose powerful recitations alone are worth tuning into Coke Studio for.

The two younger voices - Sanam Marvi and Meesha Shafi - are both popular in their own circles, particularly Marvi.

But it is Coke Studio that will give these two a platform to become known nationally. Shafi did not disappoint with her cover of Reshma’s “Chori Chori”, and the slower, restrained version of the song was a good idea to keep the identity of the songs separate and ensure that Shafi’s version will be judged on its own merits.

Aunty Disco Project performed a rollicking version of its popular hit, “Sultanat”, making far better use of the house band than some of the other acts, such as Karavan and EP, did.

However, the song’s inclusion in an episode charged with powerful vocals and lyrics was a bit of a damper. While on its own, the song is stellar and a crowd-pleaser, it did not gel well with the rest of the acts, a fate that also befell Karavan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2010.