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Is
Rameez imitating Shafqat?" or "He is good!" or "No,
he isn't". Instead of debating, let's take a look at the full-fledged
journey of Fuzon and then decide…
The best song
on the album is without a doubt, 'Neend Na Aaye'. The music is lovely,
no long painful solos here. Rameez's vocals shine through like magic.
He is impressive and without a doubt, a talent that is very good
for Fuzon.
Emmu's tryst with keyboards is, as always, soulful and forms a rich
sound while Shallum's The Edge-like (U2) guitar playing is sharp
yet not too ambitious as is the case with most guitarists in Pakistan.
Unlike Saagar, there are not too many ballads. Most of the songs
dabble in the pop-rock genre that is more on the faster side.
'Abhi Hum Kahan Hain' is one example. Simply put, it is infectious,
split amidst gloom and subtle hope. Halfway into the song, Rameez
hits some serious notes and suddenly the melody slows down, and
then Emu and Shallum run the show, passively and aggressively respectively.
It works.
'Choo Le' kicks some serious butt. The opening riff strikes an uncanny
resemblance to Junoon's 'Yeh Mazaa Zindagi Ka' and for the first
time maybe, Shallum pulls a Salman Ahmed on a song and it's really
interesting. It's the kind of riff that is instantly addictive and
Shallum stretches it into varied directions without making the song
about the riff alone. Rameez moves with the pace and the rhythm.
A thumping song.
'Paree' is another. A fun-filled number, Shallum's flirting with
guitars is charming while Rameez, it seems enjoys the image of 'Paree'
who comes into his dreams. This tune should be a hit at gigs for
the band and with Shallum's ability to improvise, it'll be one hell
of a song to see live.
'Tu Kahan' is actually even better. As Rameez sings, "Roshni
Kahan Gum Gayo/Abhi Tau Yaha Jala Tha Dia/Kho Gaye/ Kahan Kho Gaye/Abhi
Tau Yeh Dil Laga Hee Nahi Tha" - it sounds hurtful, which is
exactly how it should be.
Come to ballads and the one that is most effective is 'Suna Suna'.
Shallum's very subtle with guitars, stringing soft notes while Emu
providing ample support vis-à-vis keyboards. The real charmer,
however, is Rameez. He is emotive and he sings freely and goes on,
"Teri Yaadon Mein Jiya Yeh Khona Laga/Suna Suna Yeh Sama Karkey
Na Ja Balma/Aakey Na Ja Balma" - a throbbing tune.
'Jo Dil Ne Kahan' is a moody tune. Slightly trippy, beautiful and
sharp. Instruments here vary and form an incredible soundboard.
Rameez is delightful, full of conviction and appealing all the way.
There are some flaws. 'Atish O Aab' begins with a hypnotic thumping
sound and launches into tipsy flute and powerful guitar. But the
melody is extremely weak and doesn't fit in anywhere in the album.
Skip it.
Another is 'Teri Yaadaan'. It's loud, chaotic and shows the limits
to Rameez's vocals. Same problem plagues 'Dholna' where vocals fall
extremely short.
A
little rewind…
When 'Aankon Kay Saagar' came out, it catapulted Fuzon to instant
fame. It wasn't the video that did the trick. This was a simple
video that was a platform for the band to perform, courtesy Sohail
Javed.
Rather Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, the 7th member of the famous Patiala
gharana with his beautiful voice, and musicians Shallum and Emu
as a lethal trio that caught attention.
One year later, 2002, Fuzon released their phenomenal debut, the
mighty, nay, mightiest Saagar, and for the first time fusion was
created in a way that was musically fresh, crisp and accessible
that is a problem with fusion records here.
Alas! A band came that was catering to mature audiences as well
as the youth and wasn't trying to become the next big pop act. They
stayed true to their name and made fusion. It was understandable
why they became a band that rose high.
Music critic Nadeem Farooq Paracha termed 'Saagar' among the ten
best albums of all times!
Why was Saagar so good? There are three reasons. (A) Shafqat Amanat
Ali Khan (b) true fusion that was musically fresh, lyrically simple
and cohesive and (c) the coming together of Emu and Shallum who
didn't hurt the beauty of the album by being ambitious with riffs,
throwing in long solos. They gave it a structure that was contemporary.
Songs like 'Khamaaj' make your heart skip a beat every single time.
This was music that was long-lasting and would continue to play
with your heart and mind for a long time to come. And hey, it still
does.
It is simply unrealistic to expect a band that doesn't even have
the same vocalist to beat Saagar. It is like expecting Salman Ahmed
to make something as incredible as Parvaaz without the powerful
Ali Azmat.
It is our history
Bands breaking up in Pakistan are a norm. It happened with some
of the best. Vital Signs took a break and never came back. Rohail
Hyatt and Shahi Hasan became producers par excellence while Junaid
Jamshed continued as a soloist and a great one at that until 'religion'
came calling.
With ten albums to their credit, Junoon was the groundbreaking rock
act that the subcontinent ever produced. Ali Azmat went solo with
Social Circus and proved his mettle as a musician while Salman Ahmed
turned a vocalist and made an album, Infinity, and is doing well
for himself in the United States.
One-album old Aaroh broke up with Farooq Ahmed and Khalid Khan sticking
together and creating a new album while Nabeel disappeared into
oblivion.
Jal too broke up after one single. Atif Aslam became a superstar
as a solo act and Gohar Mumtaz continued as Jal with Farhan and
Shazi and they too are doing well.
Two albums later Noori is AWOL. Gumby left and so did Mohammed Ali
Jafri while brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza are still united although
we don't know if and when an album will come out.
I could go on about Karavan and Raeth but it would be futile.
The bottom line here is this: separating doesn't mean the end. It
never has and it never will. But it does mean that some of the magic
does disappear. Take the greatest musical act of all times, The
Beatles for example. John Lennon and Paul McCartney when together
were awesome. As soloists, they raked in the moolah and made some
seriously good music. But did they surpass Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band?
No, because as drummer Gumby once said, "A band is a unit.
Everyone has a role to play and it is when everyone plays a part,
something incredible happens."
Fuzon's biggest asset was Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. His voice is
like magic, unbeatable, inimitable and tugs at the heart, whether
it is in the form of Bollywood ditty, 'Mitwa' or in the joyful 'Deewanay'.
He came with knowledge that has been passed on to him as legacy.
It is heritage. Songs like 'Khamaaj' are not just beautiful because
the piano solo or the guitars are lovely but also because it was
a raag that was made contemporary and on that front, Shafqat was
the expect.
How can then we expect the new Fuzon to retain and recreate the
same magic?
Perhaps the only one who can is Shafqat. I say perhaps because Fuzon
was a band and Shallum and Emmu did play a role and produced the
album.
The mistake Fuzon made, they kept the name. They shouldn't have.
As long as we keep calling them Fuzon, we will continue to think
of the old Fuzon and this isn't the same band.
All said and done, Journey is a good album. It is patchy in places
but over all, it is a decent effort for a debut act and that is
exactly what they are. This is the first time Emmu and Shallum are
working with Rameez and that makes it a first.
Fuzon has a long way to go and chances are that they will survive.
The industry is small and there is room for them as well as Shafqat.
*AWFUL
***AVERAGE
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****CLASSIC |
