Artist: Sharique Roomi
Album: Yakeen**

Sharique Roomi's Yakeen should have ideally been titled: "Sharique Roomi and Kashan Admani". For one thing, Kashan Admani (Mizmaar guitarist/producer) has played guitars and bass on almost every song except 'Sab Darwaze'.

Come to the album inlay and it is as disappointing as it gets.

Every song has the same combination of guitars, bass and drums thrown in together. The mélange of instruments that made Coke Studio stand out, the range of eclectic sounds disposed  by Rushk for that matter  (who managed to create melancholically mournful layers of sounds and weave them into meloldies) - are all but missing here completely.

The similarity in songs is a turn-off. They wander directionless, hopelessly into musical terrain that is neither inviting nor intriguing enough to evoke a second glance. The examples are spread throughout this record.

'Pyar Hai' is catchy with some fantastic guitars (that do not go overboard and gel well with the rock-heavy melody) but 'Teere Peeche' takes the musical buzz away almost instantly. The riff sounds like a cut out of an Audioslave record. One wouldn't call it a rip-off but a sense of déjà vu does arrive with this tune. Lyrically it's a little funny as Sharique sings, 'Tere Peeche Ayon Ga Ma/Seedhay Seedhay Tu Meray Saath Chal Ray/Warna Chilaoonga Mein' - but the singing is monotone without conviction and the song is unable to redeem itself.

'Khali Kaali Raat' is electric rock and just might be a raging hit at concerts. But does it have the same soul as Noori's new 'Kedaar - Coke Studio mix' or the fiery 'Dil Ke Baaton Ko' that Aaroh debuted on their debut Sawal? No. 'Dil Ke Baaton Ko' was in-your-face with tough plastered all over it and Farooq's vocals had the same aggression as those volatile riffs, and the two melted in perfect symphony. These are just some examples. 'Khali Kaali Raat' has neither of those qualities.

'Thoda Sa' goes on about having fun in life amidst the doom and gloom that surrounds us. The message maybe right, especially for an entertainment-starved youth but the constant riffs, and the dull vocals are no help.

After Strings's Koi Aanay Wala Hai and Ali Azmat's Klashinfolk - the game for rock music just got a lot more textured. It is hard to compete as the tides fly towards stars like Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar and as Noori return with (in the coming weeks…) what sounds like their most mature effort yet -   the genre of rock music just expanded into a whole new dimension and it has to be tackled with more than the ability to play or sing. Playing fabulous guitars and singing love songs is just fine but it isn't enough to cut a memorable record.

Verdict: Yakeen might sit well with Roomi fans but a record with vision and consistency is what Sharique Roomi needs to walk the fine line between edgy rawness of rock and the haunting blues and ballads. Yakeen manages it but only in small patches.

Artist: Schaz
Album: Jalan*1/2
"Each and every track of this album contains a piece of me!" says Schaz in her album credits. And it's clear that every piece of Schaz is lovelorn, celebrating and crying, dreading and dreaming and going through all the motions and emotions. The problem, however, is that neither the sound nor the vocals are sharp enough to grab the listener. Why would we sync it on iPods or request it on the radio when much better songs are out there?

It isn't that this record is awful. No, it is promising… but in places. All the songs are written and composed by Schaz except one. It's an important step as a young artist to attempt songwriting.  Music is always more exciting when it's personal and has heart behind it.
There is no doubt that Schaz's debut single 'Jalan' worked. It was and still is this wonderfully enigmatic tune. Questioning, contemporary and bluesy, it was an impressive debut. But Schaz disappeared and has now returned with her solo album.

There is no buzz around the record and it remains unclear what the genre really is except for plain old pop and rock. And that is the one genre that Pakistani music industry produces in abundance and only few remain memorable.

Jalan has few entertaining tunes and is mostly just dull. Take for instance 'Mere He Raho' which works on the shoulders of some lacking sonic efforts and sees Schaz take another swipe at waiting for someone but the song evokes little emotion.

On 'Meray Yar', she sings 'Kehtay Hai Dost Mujhse/Hogaya Hai Tujh Ko Mujhe Se Pyar/Par Ye Mein Mano Kaisay' - the lyrics are as pedestrian as most Bollywood lyrical jargon.
'Mastana' with its crushing guitars does manage to create an ambivalent mood but the melody is too weak to give it a second hear as Schaz sings, 'Tu Hai Mera Ho/Nikaley Jarahi Hai Meri Jaan/Yeh Pyar Bara Mastana/Yeh Pyar Bara Deewana' - it sounds like a bad Indian film song.

'Teri Ratein' is monotonous and sounds almost whiny. 

The mood of this album shifts from lyrical dullness to recycled riffs and clichéd sounds. Its idealistic romanticism but without any solid layer. The production is consistent but the content is conflicting.

Hadiqa Kiani's latest, Aasmaan, with all its hooks and beats, essentially works because the melodies are beautiful. The sonic efforts behind the record are secondary. Jalan's biggest flaw is its inconsistency in sound.

There is no harm in attempting a lovelorn album but there is always a chance of entrapping oneself in clichés. And that fact follows Schaz's Jalan like a plague.

Verdict: Jalan is an average record. Though Schaz is promising as a singer, she needs to step away from the painfully dull lyrics and weak melodies to leave a lasting impression.

Artist: Zeb Alam
Album: Sapney**

Dj Ali Mustafa is at it again. Working with new artists has become his forte and 23-year-old Zeb Alam is the latest artist to join the ranks. Zeb's solo album appeared out of thin air in markets without any buzz around it and it seems that it will go down in the same vein.
And that is because there is nothing interesting about this record. It's one love ditty after another with some electric riffs thrown in here and there. They meander on endlessly and it's quite annoying.

The opening track, 'Khoya Raha' with its sharp riffs and 'Teray Meray Darmiyan/Aaye Kyun Faasle' is a clue to the endless maze that is Sapney. If dreams are haunted by love, as the lyrics reflect, the conviction in vocals that wrenches the heart isn't there. Why does Atif Aslam work? It isn't just because of his growth as a musician but that voice that made him stand out in 2004 with 'Aadat'. The carrying of emotions is important for a singer for the listener to fall into the world of music.

'Sapney' - the title track - has some character. The soft piano and the weeping violin with Zeb singing, 'To Kya Huwa/Phir Bhi Jeena Hai/Aansoo Hai Tau Ansoo Peena Hai/Na Kuch Kisi Se Kehna Hai' - the song slowly builds towards a crescendo and Javed Iqbal's violin and Ali Mustafa's instrumentation is just bang on.

From 'Sapney' we cross 'Tum', (the song that is eerily similar to Roxen's 'Toa Phira Aao (remixed version)', 'Aao Na', the rock song that has one foot in progressive rock, another in Junoon's old raw Talaash days and one in the world of pop love and it all flies right through the head without registering.

'Mahiya' (yet another one...) sounds like a song right out of a Pakistani or perhaps an Indian film, with its up-tempo frenzy of sticky sounds and the only imagery that comes to mind is of lush green locales with film stars running around. It is rather amusing. If that's your cup of tea, give it a listen. Otherwise skip it.

There are hints of hope in songs such as 'Pehla Pyar', but they too are all about love. It's quite boringly done. One doesn't expects gems like Ali Azmat's 'Na Re Na', Zeb and Haniya's 'Rona Chor Diya', Strings's 'Humsafar' or 'Titliyan' or Atif Aslam's all-new 'Wasta Pyar Da' but there has to be some ingredients that make one give Zeb Alam another listen.
The effort behind Sapney is not by Zeb Alam alone.

The lyricists range from Arafat Ali (who wrote the major chunk of the words) to Bilal Saeed. It seems (from the album credits) that the only thing Zeb Alam has done is sing on this record. And if that is his forte, he falters time and again. The emotions don't reflect the true mood of the song because the vocals fall flat. Its shaky ground for a new artist. And these vocals may be struck by studio effects which can go awry at times. He's young and has a long way ahead but with Sapney as a debut, Zeb needs to work more on connecting with the words via his voice that has an uncanny resemblance (at times) to Roxen's Mustafa Zahid!

Verdict: Zeb Alam needs to figure out the kind of artist he wants to be and run with it. His vocals are his biggest assest and they need more conviction to pull off complex emotions that make an album worthwhile. 

*****Get it NOW!
****Just get it
***Maybe maybe not
**Just download the best song
*Forget that this was made