Coke Studio Season 8 – Taking the country by Storm

For the past decade, Coke Studio has developed to be pakistan’s most sought after music show. the show is currently airing it’s eighth season and has people gone Gaga over the impeccable music productions and old melodies brought back to life with new music. While there has been much debate on whether Strings have maintained the legacy of Rohail Hayatt or not, one thing’s for sure, the public is definitely receiving the tracks well, if not all, there have been a few clear winners in the three episodes aired so far.

Here are our top 5 favorites from the 3 episodes aired so far

Tajdar e Haram – Atif Aslam

A newer rendition of the soulful Qawwali by late Ghulam Farid Sabri, Tajdar e Haram resonates with the audience for two basic reasons, one being Atif Aslam on the vocals and the other being it’s soulful lyrical content that moves hearts. While strings could have done a lot to the impeccable qawwali and a lot of traditional qawwali enthusiasts believe the modern music has only killed the soul of the original, Atif Aslam’s rendition of Tajdar e Haram continues to top the charts and is heard in public places and cars and in households wherever you go.

Umraan Langiyan – Ali Sethi & Nabeel Shaukat Ali

While the visual direction of this one might not be Coke Studio at its best, the classic Amanat Ali song chosen by Ali Sethi and fused with Nabeel’s version of the Punjabi folk track Chan Chan Chanka is very well improvised and it won’t be an over statement to say Ali Sethi has managed to steal the limelight of the song. For those criticizing Ali for not reaching up the level of Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan in with his attempts, the sole effort of attempting  the classical raag and not spoiling it is beautiful and that is what made the song  a favorite!

Sammi Meri Waar – Umair Jaswal & QB

Just like an Atif Aslam number, this song was bound to reverberate with the audience not just because the choice of song was good but because the vocalists are ones that have given coke studio some of it’s finest moments. The classic Punjabi folk track blended with modern instruments has been a treat to the ears of the Coke Studio fans.

Rockstar – Ali Zafar

This might be the song that you may not like at first but it has the capacity to grow on you. The witty lyrics, the jazz feel and the perfection with which ali managed to sing in falsetto  makes Rockstar one of Coke Studio’s finest productions. But there’s one thing for sure, you can’t miss the uncanny resemblance of Ali Zafar’s track to Let’s Rock from a Karan Johar Movie.

Man Aamadeh Am – Gul Panrra & Atif Aslam

While I still believe, Gul Panrra should have done Man Aamadeh Am independently, and Atif Aslam’s vocal contribution didn’t do justice to the song, the song was well received on 2 grounds alone; Gul Panrra’s impeccable looks and the stardom that comes with Atif Aslam. A sweet melody of Farsi track blended with Atif Aslam’s raspy vocals Man Aamadeh Am would have been better if Atif’s crisp was saved for another track leaving this as a sole delight from Gul Panrra.