Customer Reviews

Shafqat Ali Khan

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shafqat Ali Khan claims a Qawwali vocal heritage stemming from the 16th century and it shows. His vocal command and virtuosity is seamless. His voice flows effortlessly. Unlike some fusion albums. Shafqat Ali Khan is able to combine western elements curtsey of Douglas McKeenhan et al without submerging the authentic Qawwali sound. Even traditionalist will like this album. It is a successful interweaving of two distinct music styles. People who appreciated the music of the late Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan will love this album in spite of or because of its soulful resonance. It is actually perfect there are no dull songs so it makes good traveling music. Shafqat also deserve full credit for a fabulous front-cover from Corbis images.

On first listen, I thought not bad, great melodies and Shafqat Ali Khan has a beautifully trained voice that soars above the middle eastern, other worldly melodies. After listening to it a few times, I found that I quickly enjoyed the instumentation that accompanies the vocal arrangements. This is one CD that will not disappoint you. Also, the lyrics are provided in English so you know what he is singing about, but in the end, it does not matter because great music transcends language. If it sounds pleasing to the ear, that is all that matters and with this music you get just that! I highly recommend it! You will enjoy it!

I really like this. Every track has a groove that brings you into the music. It's complexity of tradional and ethnic instruments blend into a tapestry that supports Khan's vocals very well. If you like to step outside the box in your listening, I think you will really be pleased with this recording.

I stumbled onto this album looking for one by his more famous cousin, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I gave it a listen and was immediately taken by the tasteful blend of upbeat instrumentation with the ancient qawwalli soulful vocals. I am sure Shafqat and his main collaborator Douglas McKeehan did more than the average amount of pre-production and post mixing,to get this sound. The mix is truly great when you can take the upbeat rhythms of modern electric instruments,African percussion, a banjo even!, and place them to fit with Shafqat's heartfelt wail of anguish, as if this sort of music had been commonplace for years. It's not. In contrast, I was severely disappointed with the Swan Song lastlive concert of cousin Nusrat, which only just justified its purchase with the amazing opening rendition of Allah Hu.

Every note, every lick of Shafqat Ali Khan's debut album seems effortless in transporting the listener to a place which does not exist physically, but is yet as real if not more so, than the physical world. That's what music is supposed to do.

An interesting mix of rock instrumentation to traditional middle eastern vocals. Unfortunately, the two styles don't mix well when both are left in their unaltered style. Some very nice music here, broken by the swooping and shaking vocals. Just goes to show that some things just don't sound good to a techno beat.

As a Dance Instructor and the Director of the Oasis Dance Company, a great deal of my time is spent evaluating music selections for danceability and general audience appeal. This album is a definite must for any dancer's library. The song lengths are just right for a coherent dance presentation (whether solo or group performance). This album is true to the Spirit of the East, yet appealing to the Western Ear.