Kohram: By Amanat Ali – Music Review

kohramDebut albums by music contest winners have almost always been a forgettable affair. However that hasn’t stymied more such artistes from joining the fray. The latest addition to that list is Kohram by Amanat Ali, the second runner up at Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2007. While this is Amanat’s debut private album, he has already made his debut in Bollywood, with his most famous song so far being Khabar Nahi from Dostana.

Kohram

The title song has a catchy groove to it and would have been an enjoyable track if not for the noisy instrumentation which turns you off right at the start. The song might still get some feet tapping at concerts et al but on the album front this song is definitely not something to start off a debut album with.

Teriyaan

After the cacophony of Kohram, this song comes as a refreshing experience. A Punjabi song minus all the heavy beats, this song is brilliantly delivered by Amanat, once again proving why he is rated highly by various experts. A good listen on the whole.

Rab Janay

Another fast song, this time with a lot of electronic and techno backgrounds. The song sounds more like a DJ’s work, engaging at the start but slowly losing its way owing to its monotony.

Raha Jaye Na

The first line of this song reminds one of the Shantanu Moitra-Shubha Mudgal classic Seekho Naa. While the similarity ends there, the song follows a similar mood and is equally delightful. Undoubtedly one of the picks of the album.

Thumri

This song stands as yet another testimony to Amanat’s musical flair. The sargam towards the end, however, sounds slightly forced.

Berung

True to its name, the song is rather “berang” except for the guitar. Watch out for the first interlude which features a brilliant but short solo. Barring that there is nothing much to the song.

Any More

A typical dhin-chak number tailor-made for parties. The guitar makes yet another short but delectable reappearance in the first interlude. I totally fail to understand the need for an English verse bang at the start of such a song, that too in a rather annoying voice.

Halka Halka

A romantic song set on a primarily soft rock template, Halka Halka sees some quality improvisation from Amanat towards the end of the song. Another must listen from the soundtrack.

Roye Teri Yaad Mein

Amanat sounds like he is trying to do a Sonu in this melancholic song. His superior rendition notwithstanding, the song sounds flat and fails to impress.

Wari Wari Jawaan

Another techno song adds to the list, and this one is better than Rab Janay. The Wari Wari Jawaan loop is especially catchy. But like most electronic songs this one also starts getting boring after a bit.

Tum Se He (Maa)

By this time the sheer number of songs must have started to wear you down. Nevertheless this song is an enjoyable one, again thanks to some classy singing by Amanat and a pleasant tune to go with that. May be not as mellow as the Maa in TZP but touching all the same.

Tujhse Naraaz Nahi

The only non-original work of the album, this 1983 Panchamda classic has been touted by many as Amanat’s best rendered song on SRGMP. Even in the album version Amanat has done an equally commendable job, bringing in his own improvisations while preserving the beauty of the song. The instrumentation is also kept at just the right level thus doing justice to the original.

While Kohram definitely rates as a better debut than many others of Amanat’s league, it doesn’t quite come up to what is expected from an artiste with Amanat’s calibre. One reason for this might be the attempt to include a variety of genres, which was really not required. And I don’t know whether it is an attempt to woo the Indian audience that the album has a predominantly Bollywood flavour as compared to the normal Pakistani albums. That also could have been avoided, as Pakistani albums have always found a great following among Indian listeners. Of course there are some really good songs but on the whole the album fails to make a great impression. It would only be a matter of days before Kohram gets lost in the deluge of upcoming albums. Whatever be the fate of the album, hope that a great future awaits this immensely talented singer. Easy as that might sound, if you were to look at the current Bollywood music scene you will see that not many such music contest winners from the recent past are quite in the reckoning. So I do really wish Amanat Ali the best of luck.

Kohram

Thumri

Wari Wari

Teriyaan

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Vijay says:

Amanat Ali is definitely has come a long way from sa re ga ma pa periods of 2017 at Mumbai.
Definetly he has good voice and can sing any type of song like classical/semi classical/pop/rock/sad/ western classic etc etc……

I really wish him best of luck throughout his life in his Music /Acting career !!!!!!!

I don’t know where is this boy right now???? can anybody tell???
His talent should not go waste…….

dated 12/01/2013

mahnaz says:

salam to all

I like Amanat Ali he is very handsom boy I like his voice Allah give him all his blessing
he is like my younger brother…..

God bless you Amanat hamisha acha gatey raho & zingdi may kamijab hotey raho AMEEN