Customer Reviews

Azadi

5 star:		(8)
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Junoon: Azadi is the only CD by a Pakistani band which I have ever purchased. After hearing a friend playing it I just HAD to have it. The words and the music absorb you into a world of sound which makes you feel lighter and more content with life in general. The name 'Azadi' meaning freedom does the album justice.

It is my definate reccomendation to anybody who enjoys music with some style and meaning.

A must buy on my list!

Don't get me wrong, I liked Junoon's sound from the start, even when they were churning out semi-commercial pop-rock. But with the release of Azadi, they finally established themselves as serious, politically- and spiritually-aware musicians (and I no longer feel that tinge of embarassment when stating my admiration for them!).

Azadi marks the perfection of an eclectic blend of music that has become Junoon's trademark. Junoon goes for a sound that is more acoustic than their previous works, but still wonderfully rich and full. Their rythm section relies more heavily on the tabla now, balancing the Western rock sounds of their guitars with a driving, Eastern beat. True to its name, Sufi-rock is one innovation Junoon can be very proud of.

The lyrics in this album are just as important as the music, if not more. Among the playlist - Iqbal's opus, "Khudi", set to music (for those familiar with Urdu poetry, you know how wonderful that must be), a controversial rock rendition of a Quranic verse ("Wahda Hoo La Shareeka La Hoo"), the double-metaphorical Sufi-style "Mahiwal", and the politically charged "Kis Ney Sunna".

Of course, this album has a lot to offer those who cannot understand the language. I've got quite a few "non-desi" friends who are addicted to their sound, without understanding a word they say!

I have all of the Junoon's albums and this one ranks among the top. This album titled "Azadi", meaning freedom in urdu, came out on the 50th aniversary of Pakistan's independance(1947). I went to see their concert in San Jose in 97 during their Azadi US tour. All I have to say is that they are just brilliant. There were many non urdu speaking fans at the concert but they were enjoying as they understood every word of it, i.e. you do not have know the language in order to enjoy this music.
I do not want to repeat what has already been mentioned below, but I highly recommend that you give this album a try. I can assure you that you will not only love this album but buy their other albums too!

Don't get me wrong, I liked Junoon's sound even when they were churning out semi-commercial pop-rock. But with Azadi, Junoon emerges with a mature, spiritually- and politically-aware outlook towards their music. (I no longer have to feel that tinge of embarassment when admitting my admiration for them!)

The release of this album not only marks their growth, but also the perfection of an eclectic blend of music styles that has become Junoon's trademark. In this particular album, they opt for a largely acoustic sound, which is, nonetheless, incredibly rich and full. There are, of course, the occasional reversions to electric distortion to satisfy hard-core rockers! Their rythm section relies more heavily on the tabla than before, balancing Salman Ahmad's Western rock guitar sounds with a driving Eastern beat.

The lyrics are as important a part of this album as anything else. Among the playlist - Allama Iqbal's opus "Khudi" set to Junoon's typical Eastern rock background (those familiar with Urdu poetry will know how great that must be), a controversial rendition of Quranic verse ("Wahda Hoo La Shareeka La Hoo"), the double-metaphorical Sufi-style "Mahiwal", and the politically charged "Kis Ney Sunna".

Of course, this album has a lot to offer those who aren't familiar with the language... I have quite a few "non-desi" friends who have become avid "Junoonis" without understanding a word they say! I can quite honestly call this a perfect album in every way - certainly the most frequently played CD among my collection!

The music and rhythm is obviously very good as the other reviewers have mentioned but I also liked the fact that they had used traditional poems by well known poets and combined them with their unique music. Wonderful rendition...

Oh its a definite asset in your music library
The vocals and the guitar are amazingly rhythmatic

I first listened to this album in 1998 when the concept of 'music albums' was still relatively new in India. Sayonee and Yar bina dil mera were being played over and over again on channel V and MTV and people were wondering about the band and marveling at how good their music sounded. I loved the two songs so much, I got a cassette and I was hooked. Apart from the two songs I mentioned, I found the other songs to be quite excellent as well. Each song has its own style and Junoon does a good job of keeping things quite authentic. This album has a character of its own and must be listened to in its entirety. Not a single song in this album is sub-par. The lyrics are great and the album is uplifting to say the least. At the time in the late 90s, the sound of this album was quite different from what bollywood was putting out and that was its biggest allure and selling point. Traditional sounds of dholak and tabla is fused impressively with electric guitar riffs and that too quite musically. East meets west beautifully and rhythmically in this album. This album manages to be modern, traditional and musical all at the same time. I can't say enough, just awesome, a must listen for any music lover.

I grew up listening to this album at the time when POP music was breaking ground at the Indian Music Scene.
Wish they came out with more albums