Shahen-Shah

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 7, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B000000HO0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,713 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > World Music > India & Pakistan > Pakistan

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
It's difficult to escape the tight, almost rushed feeling characteristic of some of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's studio recordings. Unlike the Qawwali: The Vocal Art of the Sufis series, where the party takes its luxurious time in immersing itself in praising Allah, studio-recorded Nusrat can often feel rushed, as if the party was singing qawwali for the sake of the recording rather than for the sake of religious praise. Thankfully, 1989's Shahen-Shah is different. With Nusrat's voice in fine form and the recording providing the right touch of reverb, this CD leads listeners through an outstanding sample of qawwali. Nusrat's improvisational vocal work on "Kehna Ghalat Ghalat To Chhupana Sahi Sahi" is mind-boggling, and the ensemble is outstanding for the wall of beautiful melody it creates. Rich with spirit and grace. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotic, otherworldly., July 21, 2004

By	spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I mean those words almost literally - at its most powerful, Nusrat's extraordinary voice really did seem to transcend our world and reach out to the stars. Its setting of qawwali (Pakistani devotional music) is based around smooth repetitions of simple chants, building a hypnotic trance with steadily building intensity, until the experience moves beyond the notes and words and reaches to touch something intangible. If you're looking for a more fusion-y blending of traditional and modern, there are synth/guitar-backed offerings like Mustt Mustt or Night Song to start with. Shahen-Shah (meaning 'Brightest Star') is pure traditional qawwali at its ecstatic peak.

It probably won't literally transport the average listener to some state of personal satori (I'm generally as unenlightened as you can get, really), but that doesn't mean these performances aren't mesmerizing. Pulsing tabla beats and handclaps form the backing rhythm, a sinuous melody is provided by the harmonium (a kind of squeeze-box that you'd swear sounds just like an accordion), and the lead and backing voices communicate above them. Sometimes it's a call-and-answer between the repetitions of the lyrics, sometimes it's an improvised scatting that's almost jazzlike. Nusrat uses his voice like an actor, conveying an entire spectrum of emotions across this disc.. there's hope, longing, joy, sadness, passion and ecstatic rapture, immediate and almost tangible even when you can't understand a word.

If the idea of so much steady repetitive chanting and droning hasn't scared you away, you'll probably be very pleased with this disc. Don't worry if it doesn't draw you in right away; the more you're willing to drift along with this heavenly trance, the less time seems to matter at all. At the very least it's a prime example of how amazing this man's voice truly was.. and that is something every serious music fan should experience regardless. Believe all the raves.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Voice Won't Die, May 7, 1998

By A Customer

Though Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is now dead, his incredibly rich, powerful voice lives on in this and other recordings. Shahen-Shah is particularly well-recorded, balancing his energetic vocal performance with his backing singers and instrumentalists admirably - he didn't need production tricks to dominate any performance.

Singing Qawwali (Sufi devotional music), Ali Khan soars over the rhythm, showing us the way to his God. Even if we can't speak his language, we can certainly be moved by his faith.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous..., March 30, 2002

By A Customer

More in a pure Qawwali style, this disc truly demonstrates the beauty of NFAK's voice. The recording quality is excellent...one of the better discs available if you are looking for more traditional qawwali.