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Fly with Parvaaz
Oct 17, 2000
Parvaaz CD cover
Remember Sayonee? If you do, then mix that up with thumping bass lines, rhythms
of the Tabla, Dholak and drums (this time) and wrap all that up with the strings
of the guitars. What do you get? Junoon's latest album PARVAAZ.
That's right. The trio, Ali Azmat (lead vocals), Salman Ahmad (guitars, backing
vocals), and Brian O'Connell (bass guitar), have come back with a brand new
blend of Sufi, Sindhi, and Punjabi folk style music and western chords. In
addition to the rhythms of the Dholak and the Tabla on their Previous album
AZAADI (1997), they have now added the drums which they had always worked with
prior to AZAADI.
Parvaaz has 10 powerful tracks plus an extra bonus track on the CD version. "Bulleya,"
the first track on the album, starts off the journey with a fast pace. The
powerful drums stand out with a touch of the Dholak in between rythmic patterns.
Salman Ahmad uses his guitars in such a way that the audience is left to wonder
how the non-guitar like sounds are produced with the guitar. Brian O'Connell's
fingers create magic with the bass. Ali Azmat sings his heart out raising his
voice to the ceiling of his pitch. The three combine to create a fantastic
track.
"Mitti" is another track which is capable of producing goosebumps among music
buffs. Fantastic "bassing" on this one. Bass notes seem to creep out from
speakers as if they were alive! This track contains probably the best guitar
solo of the album. "Ghoom" can take you on a high. The guitars almost sound like
the sitar on this one (to a certain extent). The composition is brilliant! It's
one of those Sufi tunes that can carry you away from the world and into the
realm of euphoria. Once again, the bass is "speaker vibrating" and the guitar is
excellent.
Finally, "Sajna" is a catchy tune. Vocal chords have been stretched to the
limits on this one. Ali has peformed beautifully on this track. As far as I'm
concerned, all songs are exceptional on this album. Those who like rock music
and also prefer desi style music then this album is a must. Parvaaz was released
internationally in October 1999. It should still be in stores. If not, the album
can be purchased from www.junoon.com.
This is a good piece of work from across the border. Even though rifts remain in
the hearts and minds, music transcends all boundaries.
Afsheen
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