Review: Coke Studio Season 4 Episode 1: Akhtar Chanal Zahri & Komal Rizvi, Daanah Pah Daanah
Well, here’s a track that a lot of my friends were interested in, as it is an older tune, but I had no idea existed. Another song review without preconceived notions on how it should be :P and no prior knowledge of the artists, NOW we’re getting into unbiased territory! Heheh, anywho, from the setup it seemed the Coke Studio team was looking to extend the success they achieved from the electric chemistry of Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi from Season 3. It’s hard not to make that parallel on the surface, but as the song starts, I realize I am mistaken.
The speaking monologue at the start really pulled me out of whatever frame of mind I was in and dropped me on a dirt road in rural Pakistan. Akhtar Chanal Zahri actually reminds me of the work Saieen Zahoor did. Not sure how similar they actually are when you drill down to the details, but it felt like they have some common threads. Komal Rizvi enters with confidence, nails the chorus with an energetic delivery. I have heard her name in the past, but can’t recall hearing anything by her yet. Her voice supports Zahri’s quite well, the overall sound is quite pleasing and makes for a great chill track. I like the rhythm of the song as well; both singers did a great job in enhancing by bringing their characters into the performance. Really enjoyed Komal’s dynamic style, especially at the 3 minute mark when she says “Jeeeee-o” and steps away from the mic. Made me smile at how much she and Akhtar Chanal Zahri were enjoying the performance :)
The second part of the song steps back to the tried and tested ‘laal meri patt’, or whatever its official title is. Here, Komal gets a chance to put her talent on display, as Zahri slides into the supporting role. She belts out the lyrics with emotion, and the house band is completely enthralled in the classic track. The beat switches to funk quite abruptly, which kind of caught me off-guard. Little time is given to dwell on it however, as Zoe and Rachel Viccaji put the finishing touches on the contemporary soundscape, for Zahri to bring it home. If you heard the first 30 seconds of this track and the last 30 seconds, you would never guess they were from the same song. Somewhere in between, Coke Studio managed to sew a folksy tune that traveled the country side, met a classic along the way, and ended up in the city.
By the end of the track, I kind of feel happy that they added this ending, as it really completed the fusion CS tries to achieve with its songs. Akhtar Chanal Zahri’s voice fits right in with the Superstition-ish groove, and completes the fusion experiment. As Coke Studio seems to feature completely new artists each episode this time around, we may not get to see these two singers work together again, so perhaps it was best to throw it all in one track. Overall, a great track that may not have been anticipated as highly as some of the other performances, but perhaps used that to its advantage. Full of life, experimentation, and talent. Great work Coke Studio!
