One of the very few remaining rock bands, and there aren't many that can give themselves that title, is Karavan. Often compared to Junoon, despite certain disparities such as Karavan having a better guitarist but a weaker vocalist, there are some similarities to the now defunct band. Certain solos and rhythms, from their previous record Gardish and now Saara Jahan may remind listeners of "pre-sufi" Junoon. If that doesn't get Karavan fans (Karavanis?) excited about the new album then factor in an eight year absence between the two releases, and you have a highly anticipated album.

Even though we have seen plenty of Asad Ahmed over the last two years at Coke Studio, during which time he has proven he is one of the better guitarists in Pakistan, it is with his crew at Karavan that fans can evaluate his true worth. In a foursome that includes Tanseer Daar as vocalist, Allan Smith on drums and Sameer Ahmed on bass; it is Asad Ahmed, and his often wailing guitar, that stand out.

Natural progression is evident in Saara Jahan. Working alongside Pakistan's top artists has naturally improved Asad's skills on his guitar, while Sameer still provides bass lines to support the group. A refreshing surprise is Allan Smith whose propensity to use more of his drum kit is now more audible. And even though he lacks the natural talent to be a vocalist (there seem to be only a handful in Pakistan who do) Tanseer continues to work hard with his vocals.

In the process of making an album, engineering, mixing and mastering the tracks are immensely important stages that often get over-looked. However, with Shahi Hasan's perfectionism to make every track sound crisp, clear and in-sync, plaudits must go to him, along with Faisal Rafi, both of whom were behind the scenes on this album.

All these elements combine well in the opening track of the album. The bass and drums support Asad's heavy-ish riffs and his solo, while the vocals are decent as they blend in well with the breaks and bridges of the songs. As it is the title track, there seems to have been some good work done on it, with special kudos the mixing.

The title track is followed up by a more somber minimal track in 'Deewana'. The vocals sound a tad weaker on this track, perhaps the reason for layering, or doubling them up. However, a Spanish style guitar lead complements the song well, perhaps the sole high-point of the track.

It might have been ingenious to squeeze 'Deewana' between the title track and 'Kaisay Mumkin Hai', the video of which announced the return of Karavan after the hiatus, as it is one of the forgettable tracks on the album. While this song may become a favorite of many fans, the riff that Asad uses sounds all too familiar, almost like Jimmy Page's riff in 'Kashmir', which might irk some Led Zeppelin fans.

The following track may make up for that however as 'Pyar Main' has an attractive riff and some sultry leads really spike up the track. Sameer's bass licks and Allan's drums really consolidate this track very well. The vocals seem to have yet more production done on them, which sits well with the rest of the track and doesn't take attention away from Asad's mini solo midway through. This is the track that proves that Karavan have a tendency to lean more towards rock than pop. 

It seems the band might have been trying to go for the EKG (graph that monitors heart activity) effect through the album. Mellow tracks are thrown in between heavy numbers to play around with the tempo of Saara Jahan. This is epitomized by 'Tu', the mellowest track on the album. The tabla and acoustic blend in nicely on a simple track. Tanseer's natural vocals seem to be more evident in 'Tu', confirming earlier concerns.

As the trend continues the next two tracks are 'Choolein Gaey' and 'Yaadein', an upbeat track followed by a more somber one. As much as 'Choolein Gaey' is a pop-ish track, one which is present on most rock albums these days, 'Yaadein' is a slow rock ballad. Despite an average riff, accompanied with a decent solo by Asad, the former of the two tracks is another weak point in the album. However, the latter more than makes up for it as its mixing is brilliant, particularly of the violin seamlessly blending in with the other instruments.

One of the heavier tracks on the album, 'Raaz' sets off from the start with a heavy riff. Asad's distorted riffs and solos are propped up with solid drumming from Allan and Sameer's bass licks. Tanseer even tries hard with this track, trying hard to expand his vocal range. Definitely another track that announces Karavan as one of the few bands willing to experiment with harder rock, rather than going for the commercial pop-rock.

Karavan utilize three live tracks, recorded at Al Nasr Arena, Dubai, to wrap up the album. They are crowd pleasers, evident from the loud cheers, especially when Asad comes out with his leads and solos. 'Rakh Aas', 'Sajni' and the title track from their previous album Gardish comprise of the three live tracks. It should be noted that Karavan live have an eerily similar sound to Junoon live (minus Ali Azmat), especially 4:55 onwards on Gardish.

Throughout this album Asad clearly justifies his presence on Coke Studio (most significantly in the live tracks) just as much as Tanseer exemplifies that sometimes effort can make up for any shortfall in talent. Overall Saara Jahan has a good vibe and is a decent effort for a band that had taken a mini sabbatical from Karavan.   

*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME