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Chords and notes

TABEER

Music Today, Rs. 199

Once in a while you get an album where the oft-repeated phrase ‘music knows no boundaries’ sounds true. This is one of those rare ones. Here Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan makes his solo debut in style. We were aware of his livewire voice but in this nine-track number he has surpassed Mitwa and Fuzon phases.

As a composer he has fiddled with the classical, mixed the earthy with the refined, without ever losing touch with the essence.

To start with he has borrowed the opening line of Khairheyan De Naal from the folk song sung by Tufail Nazli and has given it a treatment that could turns it into the premier track of the year. In Naina he has translated a Punjabi number into Urdu to suit the times and to an extent his voice. Then Shafqat has given a jazzy feel to Rang Le, a quawwali by Amir Khusrau. The experiment works and comes as a revelation because the softer, romantic tone brings out the intimacy of the kalam.

Another recommended number is Darbari, where he has tuned an asthai sung by his father Ustad Amanat Ali Khan into a complete song. Rest of the stuff is not bad either.

Go for it, it has got the shelf life.

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