Coke Studio is one of the best things that happened to me last year. This whole concept of bringing musicians from different bands together and making them collaborate and reinterpret their music was simply superb. Coke Studio also introduced me to lots of Pakistani musicians like Noori, Javed Bashir, Arief Lohar to name a few. But the ones that impressed me the most was the duo Zeb and Haniya.

Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins from Islamabad. Zeb is the singer and she is a classically trained one. Haniya is the guitarist and songwriter. What makes Zeb and Haniya stand is not just the fact that they are a two-women band from Pakistan but the sheer quality of their music. They are in fact making a statement simply by existing and performing at this level. Even Coke Studio for that matter while beaming thse beautiful songs out of Pakistan is doing something what hours of diplomacy fails to do.

Coming back to Zeb and Haniya, their first album Chup was produced by Mekaal Hasan and figured the who’s who of Pakistani Rock scene as session musicians. The song Aah is beautifully rendered by Zeb, the fusion of her Hindustani classical-based vocals and the blues arrangement of the orchestra is surreal. Kabhi na Kabhi starts off like a jazz number in Urdu but progresses into a rock interlude only to slip back into its initial Jazz groove. The singer is ably complimented by the trumpeter in this track. Daam is a track in the traditions of smooth jazz, the usage of flute as the instrument of choice has paid off and the instrument gels well into the mood of the song. If I am right, Haniya joins Zeb in singing in this track.
The song which I have repeatedly listened, the one which I have kept on singing for days is Chal Diyay. This is one killer of a song. It has that ability to haunt and make you listen to it again and again. I first heard the Coke Studio version wherein Javed Bashir jams with Zeb and Haniya. Coke Studio version is more rooted in Hindustani tradition, while the Chup version is much more westernized with fusion realized only the form of Zeb’s singing and she has delievered it with aplomb. The song scores for its simplicity and it is this quality which makes it listenable in a loop.

Paimona Bitte is a song attributed to Omar Khayyam the Persian poet, it is written in Dari. Dari is also known as Afghani Persian and is one of the two official languages in Afghanistan. The Coke Studio version has a rubab intro which takes the song back to its place of origin. The Chup album version has a flute intro and is an easy listening track. Again Zeb’s voice does wonders here. I have a feeling that Jazz songs sounds the best when sung by women singers. Jazz fusion is not new in the sub-continent, Bollywood composers right from O.P. Nayyar to A. R. Rahman have composed tunes inspired by Jazz. Shankar Jaikishan even came out with a Jazz-Raga fusion album, as early as 1968. Susheela Raman’s carnatic-jazz fusion works will probably make a good comparative study. But what makes the Zeb and Haniya unique is the choice of elements of fusion. At one end you have smooth jazz, swing and funk and the other the Sufi folk traditions. Out of the whole gamut of Jazz, these styles are the most captivating to a beginner, jazz standards by masters can leave a new listener completely baffled by their time signatures and other intricacies. And Sufi folk music, need I say anything more? Folk music is music of the people, it is the music which is etched into our DNA eventhough we are totally unaware of it. These tunes have been reverberating in the atmosphere for centuries, that is probably why you develop an instant liking to it, the moment you listen. As if you are remembering something from your past life. What Zeb and Haniya has done is to mix milk and honey and what we have is “Chup”. Go give it a listen on their fb page and be enamoured.

On recent developments, Zeb and Haniya have recorded some new songs for the latest Coke Studio Season. You can read our reviews of Coke Studio Season 3 here – Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4.

(To view each song, click on song title.)

Noori opened Episode 4 (Form) with a family affair, so to say. The song, Hor Vi Neevan Ho, featured the duo’s mother Noor Zehra playing the Sagar Veena, an instrument developed by her father. The instrument kind of reminded me of the Chitra Veena with its equal-sized gourds, the slider etc, except that Sagar Veena sounds lighter. Coming back to the song however, another gem from the band, a mellow semiclassical-folk song. Karavan followed next with Kaisay Mumkin Hai, a performance way better than their act in Episode 1. Of course, the melancholy was still there and so was the rock flavour, but the violin made all the difference! The tune was also more engaging this time.
Zeb and Haniya, quite unsurprisingly, entered with another entertaining tune. This time they chose a Turkish song, Nazaar Eyle, and the highlight of the song is its beat structure. And the vocals, both Zeb’s western tinge in rendition and the choral harmonies. AND the duel between the instrumentals and the vocals for the last 1.5 minutes! Two outstanding singers were up next, Amanat Ali and Sanam Marvi, with another sufi song called Haq Maujood. From the initial alaap the raag seemed to be Ahir Bhairav. And it is the singers’ brilliance that is the standout factor, the trance-like progression bound to get you hooked. The episode ended with Arif Lohar’s rendition of Mirza Saahibaan. While Lohar’s delivery was energetic enough, in this composition he had the entire orchestra following in at a frenzied pace. But the song sort of went crazy towards the end, the electronic elements a bit of an overkill.
With four more super tracks from Episode 4 to its tally, Coke Studio’s fantastic run in Season 3 continues unabated. Noori and Zeb & Haniya..absolutely out of words!
Music Aloud Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Hor Vi Neevan Ho, Nazaar Eyle, Haq Maujood

The title song starts on a pretty promising note, sinister-sounding Middle Eastern bits that open the track and the rock template that then kicks in. Ronit Sarkar’s singing is also quite in place. But somewhere as it progresses the song loses its edge and there the interest span also pretty much comes to an end. The song does have its high points though, courtesy Anandh’s clever arrangement. Nevertheless, won’t rate among the best title songs I have heard to date, even counting just the rock-based ones. Things improve considerably come Mann Lafanga, a well-arranged melody with a leading country feel to it lent by the acoustic guitar, and sung well indeed by the current melody king Mohit Chauhan. Not so attractive is the club mix, spoiling the arrangement to a fair extent. A rock-based dance track follows next, Dhatad Tatad sung by Shail Hada and Anushka Manchanda. But I frankly didn’t find it very impressive despite the lively vocals. The arrangement is just about average, made up of cliche-ridden beats.
It is in Nain Parindey that Anandh really rises to his elements though, crafting a sedate melody with some subtle arrangement. Shilpa Rao’s vocals have been utilized brilliantly in the song. Equally entertaining is the groovy rock-ish Rang Daalein, sung by Suraj Jagan. Anandh adds enough spunk in the arrangement to have you hooked. Especially loved the Celt elements that are introduced in the latter part of the song. The instumental track called Born To Fly closes the soundtrack, and is made up of three parts. Starting with a sad orchestral piece dominated by the piano and the strings, the song then moves into a guitar-led sequence before taking up a violent orchestral turn, the strings section literally going wild. The last part also features a brief orchestral version of the base tune of Dhatad Tatad and the tune sounds pretty interesting here unlike its original.
Three stand-out songs among six original tunes. Anandh returns after his rather long exile from Bollywood with a decent soundtrack, though given his past exploits (Agosh, Zor, the latest Limca jingles etc for the uninitiated) he could have done much better. You can listen to the songs here.
Music Aloud Rating: 7.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Nain Parindey, Mann Lafanga, Rang Daalein

With its simple rustic tune and arrangement, Chola Maati Ke Ram has an old-worldly charm about it, complete with singer-composer Nageen Tanvir’s (Habib Tanvir’s daughter) earthy voice. And provides the perfect start to the soundtrack, setting the tone. There aren’t many people adept at incorporating folksy elements in their music as Indian Ocean are. So it is that they enter with a re-rendition of one of their best tracks in the said genre, Des Mera from Jhini. While it is as always a pleasure listening to this one too, it also painfully reminds one of the absence of Asheem. It is the rework of the same track though, Des Mera II, that completely stumps you, with its brilliant instrumental sequences.
Indian Ocean deliver a sinister rock-flavoured track in Zindagi Se Darte Ho, another quintessentially Indian Ocean track characterized by strong vocals and the acoustic guitar cameos in between all the rock. After that brief respite, Mehngai Dayain is back to the village all over again, Ram Sampath doing the composing this time. And he gets the feel absolutely right having Raghuvir Yadav lamenting about price rise with a very crude-sounding chorus behind him. You could as well be sitting at a village gathering as you listen to this one, the feel is so real! In the remix Ram presents a totally different form of the song though the base tune remains the same. An entertaining remix this.
While I am not very hopeful of the music making waves at the box office, the composers have wonderfully conveyed the flavour of the movie through their music, which is job well done for a movie like Peepli Live.

This review comes from a dear friend, Anusha. So any brickbats, you know whom to direct them at!

Dochey: Lady Kash n Krissy, Shreya Ghoshal

Lady Kash n Krissy..  ARR surely has a way of choosing some of the most exotic singers!! The initial rap effect is splendid. Shreya then joins in on a sensuous note, in style of what she has done for ARR in Ah Aah, SoK etc. Look out for the beats between 2:49 – 3:01. Reminds me a bit of Style from Sivaji, but still too good with a bit of accordion at the back. This one will definitely have all music lovers humming ‘Make the bad guys cry!!’

Maham Maye: Javed Ali, Suchitra, Mili Nair

Singer Suchitra finally bags her first song with ARR and does a neat job, accompanying the ever-dependable Javed Ali. Though the starting beats sound slightly staid, its in the interlude that ARR displays his brilliance with an orchestral string sequence.

Namakame: Chitra, Madhushree, Harini

Three ladies sing a very beautiful hymn rather a lullaby for the God. As the song proceeds further, a mild mridangam is heard in the background which gives a good rhythm to the otherwise slow song. The instrumentation of the song and also the feel of the song entirely reminds one of ‘Oh Palanhare’ from Lagaan. The song seems to be in Raga Anandabhairavi, at least the part where Chitra’s beautiful humming happens (3:50).

Power Star: Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash

Good start!! But unfortunately Telugu people might not be able to understand what Tanvi is singing. People with no knowledge about the language would definitely enjoy the song for its engaging Punjabi-tinged arrangement characterised by the grand beats. Was that Blue the chorus was singing in between?? Vijay is going places these days with the different genres he is experimenting with. Kudos to him!!

Amma Thale: Naresh Iyer, Swetha Mohan

The starting reminded of good old days of ARR like Roja and Gentleman. And then entered Swetha (Singer Sujatha’s daughter – remember the child voice in Kuchi Kuchi Rakma) with her tongue-twister lyrics followed by Naresh with a slightly westernized rendition of ‘Amma Thale’ such that one cannot identify that it is actually him singing. The tempo of the song reminded me of ARR’s Padakali from the Malayalam movie Yodha and also Thickuruvi. As a signature, ARR has changed the pitch of the song in the end and Naresh joins the twister train of Swetha’s, before ending with a classical version of that which he started off on a westernized note.

Maaralante: ARR, KMMC choir conducted by Kavita Baliga

Though in the promo Maaralante didn’t sound great, in its entirety it totally blows you away. The KMMC orchestra has been conducted by Kavita Baliga, the lady who sang the mesmerizing aria in Rahman’s score for Shekhar Kapur’s short film called Passage. A fine orchestration by all the students of KM Music Conservatory with their guru singing in the lead. And they have backed him up so beautifully its hard to say who is better! KMMC shows every sign of going on to make ARR proud.

A mixed bag of sorts from ARR, which is more than what director SJ Surya(aaarrghhh!) deserves for the atrocious on-screen treatment he gave to ARR’s music in New and more importantly, Anbe Aaruyire! You can listen to the songs here.
Rating: 8/10
Recommended tracks: Maaralante [for KMMC's brilliance!!], Dochey, Amma Thale

In its light-heartedness and youthfulness Suno Aisha falls right in the league of JTYJN, Dostana and the likes but it is in the orchestration that Amit Trivedi makes his individuality felt. Starting from the clockwork sort of background which opens the track, the various layers that then add on make the song ultra-addictive. Ash King sounds quite like Rashid Ali singing this, with a good backing from the composer and Nakash Aziz. Tochi Raina enters next with Gal Mitthi Mitthi, a Punjabi track which is interesting in parts thanks to Amit’s clever tweakings. Liked the classical bit inserted at the start (Bhimpalasi raag I believe) but the shehnai sound seemed synth-generated. Nevertheless this song wouldn’t rate as high as the Punjabi-styled tracks Amit has done for Dev D. The remix by DJ Lloyd and Discreet sounds almost as good as the original. The unplugged melody called Sham is evocative of such classics as Raindrops Keep Fallin’ in its sedate arrangement and has pretty much similar effects on you as you listen. The second interlude is a sort of surprise though! And the way Neuman Pinto and Amit Trivedi have delivered the song is simply brilliant, the harmonic choral elements being provided in the right areas.
Its catchy Spanish elements dominated by the guitar and the accordion make Behke Behke an instant winner. Being right down her lane, Anushka Manchanda does a fab job on the vocals, as do Raman Mahadevan and Samrat Kaushal on the chorus. Lehrein is all about the poignant violin and Anusha Mani’s husky voice. Add to that a rock-based template from Amit Trivedi and the result is sheer brilliance! Anusha Mani is a singer who badly needed a big break in Bollywood, and I get a feeling this could be that song. DJ Lloyd and Discreet do a fair job on the remix as well, going for mellowed down version instead of an electronic overdose. The soundtrack ends the way it started, with another hep track. The similarity also extends to the pitch change towards the end. But unlike Suno Aisha, By The Way is a rock-based track, rendered to perfection by Anushka Manchanda and Neuman Pinto. The initial guitar riff reminded me of M.I.A’s Paper Planes but the similarity ends in that short riff after which the track moves on to party mode.
Just a week since Udaan hit the shelves, Amit Trivedi continues to amaze with his consistency as he churns out another unputdownable (for the want of a better word! ) soundtrack for Aisha. Respect. You can listen to the soundtrack here.

Music Aloud Rating: 8.75/10

Recommended Tracks: Suno Aisha, Lehrein, Sham

In the Behind-The-Scenes video an artist described singer Sanam Marvi as possessing a true and honest voice coming straight from the mitti of the Pakistani land. And the song Pritam with which Sanam Marvi opened Episode 3 (Conception) in every way justified this description. A Rajasthani style folk tune belonging to the league of such songs as Yaara Sili Sili, Sanam Marvi delivered Pritam in a manner that would make it hard for you to stop listening to it! Especially brilliant was the 2 minute long alaap ending in a soaring crescendo! And with a simple yet effective arrangement Rohail Hyatt provides excellent background. Meesha Shafi, who accompanied Arif Lohar in Episode 1, did her solo next with Wey Main Chori Chori, another Rajasthani folk tune and the original of Yaara Sili Sili, actually rendered by legendary folk singer Reshma. Meesha has got a good voice, but rendition-wise she didn’t quite match up with Reshma. But it still makes for a good listen for its beautiful orchestration, the mellowed-down trance-ish effect working wonders.
Tina Sani entered with a semiclassical track titled Mori Araj Suno (Raag Desh I believe). Towards the end of the song she was joined by Arieb Azhar with a recitation like he did to open this season. While I loved Tina Sani’s singing, traversing the classical nuances with practised ease, I didn’t find the song on the whole that engaging. The song seemed to be lacking something somewhere. After Karavan and Entity Paradigm, the staple rock band lineup for Episode 3 was the amusingly named Aunty Disco Project. Fortunately they didn’t go their predessors’ way, instead producing a pretty engaging track in the form of Sultanat. Especially liked the Arabic flavoured guitar solo in the second interlude. That said, I did get reminded of Euphoria’s Dhoom on hearing the starting lines of Sultanat! Abida Parveen made her second appearance this season to close the third episode, with Nigaah-e-Darwaishaan which featured lines by poets like Bulleh Shah, Sachal Sarmast and Baba Farid. The song is close to 10 minute long, but even if it were much more than that you would hardly notice as you let the magic of Abida Parveen’s singing wash over you. Whatte voice!
Two songs not quite upto the mark, but the remaining three are enough to make your day. You can download the audio/video here.
Music Aloud Rating: 8/10
Recommended Tracks: Pritam, Nigaah-e-Darwaishaan, Sultanat

Kahaani Aankhon Ke is simply mesmerizing, starting on an alluring acoustic guitar-dominated arrangement, steadily building up to a rock mode, and then mellowing down to the way it started. And justifying their choice, Neuman Pinto and Joi Barua do an awesome job on the vocals. Rock elements dominate the orchestration of Geet Mein as well, where the singing is taken up by Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya. Though not as captivating as Kahaani, Amit Trivedi’s arrangement is good enough to get you hooked. Rock seems to be the dominant theme of the soundtrack, as Nadi Mein which follows next is also built on that template. Though the arrangement of this one bears unmistakable traces of Ek Hulchul Si from Dev D, Nadi.. would rate better in my list. Full credit to the vocalists, Amit, Joi and Neuman, who once again pull off a fine job.
With its interspersed folk-rock elements in orchestration, philosophical sort of lyrics and Mohan’s earthy rendition, Naav Chadhti could very well pass off as an Agnee song! Yet another winner this one from Amit! Motumaster has Anurag Kashyap penning the funny lyrics. The song sees a big lineup of singers including Raman Mahadevan, Amitabh, Bonnie Chakraborthy, Kshitij Tarey, Amit’s ex-bandmate Sriram Iyer, Tochi, the MD and the lyricist. But the song turns out slightly disappointing in comparison with the songs heard so far. You can have a laugh at Anurag’s wittiness in places, but that is probably about it. But after that brief dip Amit Trivedi gets back in form come Aazaadiyaan. Starting off on a breezy ambient sort of orchestration, the song suddenly shifts to rock in the middle. While Amit Trivedi, Neuman Pinto and Amitabh Bhattacharya are once again brilliant behind the microphone, I loved the cameos by the harmonica and the sitar. For some strange reason the harmonica portion sounded to me like the refrain of Lux Aeterna from Requiem for a Dream! Things come to a close with a simple and poignant instrumental theme. Though it has been beautifully done, its functional nature might put it a step below the other tracks of the film.
Udaan is yet another near-perfect score from Amit Trivedi. Every composition that Amit does seems to be yet another step he takes towards greatness! Something that so reminds me of one Mr. A R Rahman! You can listen to Udaan here
MusicAloud Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Kahaani Aankhon Ke, Naav Chadhti, Aazaadiyaan

Pee Loon is delightful. Mohit Chauhan’s rendition has a magical quality and lingers on. The chorus is very effective; Kailash Kher rendering with restraint works well and so do the harmonium phrases. The interplay of various styles in the arrangement is great and the transitions all through the song are seamless.  This song is being hummed all around, already!! The remix version has a different interlude with a new chorus phrase. However, it lacks the charm of the original. The other song promoted is Tum Jo Aaye. The track starts interestingly with earthy sounds; the chorus kicking in with prominent bass, promisingly. However, Pritam gets it wrong with the vocalist!! Tulsi Kumar’s singing lacks the expressiveness the tune demands. Tum jo aaye Reprise paints another story altogether. The interplay of instruments is brilliant once again. The tabla and guitars are noteworthy in the sound scape. Both the interludes are also done well; the alaap layered with the chorus; the harmonium solo; and whats probably santoor in the second interlude. Raahat singing the whole track this time around makes a lot of difference. I am in love is another gratifying track.A strong tune with KK in the lead. The track uses harmonies through out the song effectively. The sound track has another version with excellent vocals by Karthik; the voice texture just perfect. The backing vocals shadowing the lead vocalist in the second verse is more effective in this version. The arrangement with minor modifications is more crisp in this version and complements the vocals beautifully. Too bad that we dont get to hear Karthik very often in Hindi!! Babu Rao Mast hai seems out of place in this album and is ordinary. The track with lots of electronic sounds, lacks in cohesion; The vocals dont add any value either. Parda, probably intended as a tribute to Pancham Da’s “Duniya mein” has Sunidhi in the lead. I would personally pick the original any day!!

The album has been worth the wait, for just Pee Loon, Tum Jo Aaye Reprise and I am in Love(2 versions); These in themselves provide a wholesome musical experience! You can listen to the soundtrack here.

Rating: 8/10 rating just the above four tracks..

Coming from SEL and sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Ali Zafar, Ullu Da Patta is a fun-ride all the way, for its flippant lyrics and equally flippant arrangement, which does bear traces of Move Your Body. Loved the “He’s a good looking Ullu Da Pattha” refrain! The remix also has innovative elements of its own to catch the ear. The trio’s only other score for the soundtrack, I Love Amreeka, though a tad mediocre by SEL standards, is still entertaining for its frivolous folk elements, and the singing by Shankar Mahadevan, Ali Zafar, Akriti Kakar and Anusha Mani. The reprise version has everything just the same, except that Shankar Mahadevan is missing in the ensemble, leaving Ali Zafar to take charge. Zafar may be a good vocalist but he surely isn’t as good as Shankar Mahadevan! There is also a third shorter and even less attractive version called Welcome to Amreeka which has Ali Zafar doing a solo.
Dhruv Dhalla may have given a spunky score for Khosla Ka Ghosla but his composition here with DJ Abhijit Vaghani, Shor Sharaba, doesn’t come anywhere close. The track delivered by Jaspreet Singh and Suraj Jagan sounds more like a remix than an original track. Dhruv however improves matters in Kukduk, a song which while having your feet tapping all along, also bears testimony to the limitations of Dhruv Dhalla as a composer with its strong resemblance to Chak De Phatte. Master Saleem does a good job on the vocals as well. The last song is completely Ali Zafar’s own. He does the vocals, composing, lyrics. And Bus Ek Soch does sound the usual Ali Zafar material too, a very nostalgic charm all about it.
Multiple composers. Comedy movie. Ideal ingredients for a disaster soundtrack. But Tere Bin Laden fortunately is not that bad, with at least a couple of tracks that will have a consistent audience for some time. You can listen to the soundtrack here.
MusicAloud rating: 7/10
Recommended Tracks: Ullu Da Pattha, Bus Ek Soch, Kukduk