FAMILIAR MAGIC

SHAKILA KHURASANI

(News Paper Dawn Pakistan)

This album season in Pakistan and the latest entry into this wacky arena is Shakila (not to be mixed up with Colombian songstress Shakria) with pop spell, the sophomore effort from this sugary voiced pop sprite. A fairly average confluence of mainstream pop influences, with supporting roles played by the A-list of local sideman including Jawad Hyder, Sabir Zafar and Amir Zaki, the record will prove to be an easy listening menagerie for fans of the genre.

CHORI CHORI, the album opener is complete with voice stutter resembling Daft Punk/Cher’s recent work, along with decent guitar and turntable effects to boot. Great backing vocals make this one a winner. NERE NERE Aa takes us to the lush green pastures of the Punjabi, with tabla, dholak and all the usual trappings. There’s even a HOY, HOY chorus, instead of the BALLAY BALLAY.

Sehra starts off with a male voice garbling something, despite the title, the instruments on this one are anything but spares and barren. Wait, were those castanets? That garbled voice clears up, and this reviewer is not privy to the language being spoken. The free bird takes flight with UNCHI URAN, a stab at feminism. The change in lyrical subject matter is welcome but one wonders that if women are capable of all that and more, then why the entire male hired help on this

tune? Just a thought. It’s still a catchy song. TONIGHT follows with some more digital effects and a very Ziyad Gulzar – like guitar. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Side two is opened by ROGI, a slower ballad with a lazy pace and sinister sounding backing vocals. There’s even a weeping violin somewhere. Is that an accordion in WALLAH WALLAH? The siren’s sunshine vocals add an element of sparkle to this spell of sorts. DIL KI AWAZ is absolute happiness is overdrive. The track has a very early 90’s Erasure flavor to it. If one is not mistaken, AAO NA PYAR was also the name of track on Shakila’s previous album. Momory fails to confirm if it is indeed the same number. It bears a faint resemblance, instrumentally, to old school Vital Signs and makes one misty-eyed for the good old days. But this is a different age and the song, anchored by Zaki’s trademark riffs and Shakila’s diet cola voice is a great piece of work in its own right.

The highlights of this album are great backing vocals and harmonies, as well as the absence of a corporate logo from the cover. There are only a few tunes one would like to skip and the album is surprisingly light on soapy ballads. Shakila has done well second time around, but as has been said ad nauseum, lets see more of your own work ladies and gents, and less dependence on musical mercenaries!

(By Qasim Abdullah Moini)

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