Coke Studio Season 7’s first episode is all ready to be aired on all the major broadcast networks of the country.
The first episode will be featuring “Sab Aakho Ali Ali” by Asrar, “Tum Naraaz Ho” by Sajjad Ali, “Lai Beqadaran Naal Yaari” by The Niazi Brothers and “Mein Sufi Hoon” by Ustad Raees Khan & Abida Parveen.
Sab Aakho Ali Ali by Asrar
Lead Guitarist – Amir Zaki
Guitar – Adeel Ali
Asrar makes his debut on Coke Studio in the first episode with “Sab Aakho Ali Ali”. The song’s composition rooted in folk when brought onto the Western style of music takes on a bluesy groove. The song overall comes out being effortlessly vintage cool positioned in a time capsule for what the blues steeped genre of rock n roll used to be.
Lyrically inspired by the verse “aaj nai te kal sub Ali Ali kehn ge” from the qawwali Dam Mast Qalnadar.
The legendary Aamir Zaki is on the guitars for this song, playing alternates between moods and textures in spellbinding solos that add tenderness to Asrar’s unique and raw voice.
Tum Naraaz Ho by Sajjad Ali
Lead Guitar – Faraz Anwar
Flute – Sajid
Sajjad makes his return to Coke Studio’s platform with “Tum Naraaz Ho” from his album entitled ‘Love Letters’.
The Coke Studio composition has transformed Sajjad Ali’s soft pop ballad into a candlelit rock ballad with monochromatic piano lines. Sajjad through his vocal delivery and heartwarming lyrics has painted the ballad in soft, more mature shadings the effect of which is both beautiful and comforting.
Lyrically the song is more oriented to clear narratives and realistic images that capture the intense yearning of a lover. The eastern influence of the flute and dhol brings the underlying melancholy to the song, evoking a sense of nostalgia.
Faraz Anwar being the lead guitarist for the song adds his dramatic rock oomph to the mellow and warm song.
Lai Beqadaran Naal Yaari by Niazi Brothers
Lead Guitarist – Faraz Anwar
Flute – Sajid
Mandolin – Tanveer Tafu
Coke Studio’s “Lai Beqadaran Naal Yaari” also marks Niazi Brothers debut on the show. The platform pays tribute to the song as the first ever song to be aired on PTV in 1964.
Revered as a quintessentially Punjabi number in terms of melodic arrangement, the Coke Studio composition translates the song as a melting pot of musical ideas bringing to the mix Desert Blues and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
The song manifests itself into a high power experience, full of life and movement bursting with gradual shifting textures.
Tanveer Tafu’s earthy tones on the mandolin, deliver the depth of the composition whilst the eastern instrumentation keeps intact the folk richness.
The song reflects on the lovers cost of giving his heart to a sneering beloved. It represents, that true love cannot be sustained if there is no respect for the love or the individual. The lyrics warn of staying away from such people, who flippantly discard love.
Mein Sufi Hoon by Abida Parveen & Ustad Raees
Background Music – Complete Houseband
For the very first time the legendary Abida Parveen will be seen side by side Ustad Raees Khan performing a traditional sufi hit “Mein Sufi Hoon”.
Amongst the thematic elements, the song talks about the search for knowledge and letting go of worldly pleasures in the pursuit of enlightenment. It represents an awakening when the ‘Divine Beloved’ is found alongside the contrasting shades of the trappings of the world.
