At last. Review on Aadat - JAL

Aadat-An album that after a long time in the history of pakistans music industry thats worth listening to.Now first things first.Honestly,i didnt like the album when I first listened to it.But then the 2nd time I just loved it. The album kicks off with the song Rangon mein,a song which more or less wants you to listen to the next song.

Ok,In Pakistan people have been desperately waiting for Jal's album to come out ever since the instant hit 'Aadat' was released on the Internet in early 2003. Mid of 2004, news of the band's breakup really put one into doubts whether there WAS an album to wait for. But Atif Aslam and Goher (former line-up of JAL) decided to pursue their music career, despite the breakup, and went their own ways. After the release of Atif Aslam's album Jalpari, the wait for Goher's version to come out was even greater than before. And... FINALLY! Out came 'Aadat'; an album by Jal consisting of three members, Goher Mumtaz (composer, songwriter, lead guitarist and vocalist),Farhan Saeed(lead vocalist)and Shazi(Bass Guitarist).

Full review.

The album kicks off with 'Rangon Main', the song that first introduced Farhan as Jal's vocalist. And Farhan does not fail to impress one at all. Awesome music to compliment the upbeat melody. The next track, 'Woh Lamhey', has been airing quite frequently on local music channels lately. The song is a medium-beat song, where the vocals keep switching from Farhan's to Goher's and then Farhan again. But the voices seem to gel together perfectly and add a significant touch to the song.

The following two tracks, Ik Din Aye Ga (vocals by Farhan) and Panchi (vocals by Farhan and Goher), are just completely mesmerizing; the lyrics, the compositions, the music, the vocals... it's all worth appreciating! 'Ik Din Aye Ga' is about having faith in one's self when the world around you, everything you have ever known, is falling apart. 'Panchi' is about pursuing one’s ambitions, struggling to achieve one's goals, going against all odds.

Half way through the album, we have 'Bikhra Hoon Main', a whole new version of the 'Aadat' we have been listening to for so long. The song is so different from the original one that I am not sure whether it really passes off as a 'version' of Aadat. Completely different lyrics and way different music... it IS in fact a whole new song. Thumbs up to Goher Mumtaz who created an amazing composition out of an already existing song. Since most people associated the song 'Aadat' with Atif Aslam (since he was the vocalist when the song was first released), 'Bikhra Hoon Main' was written to signify Farhan's existence. It was written to express Goher's feelings in words and to confirm Farhan as the vocalist... thus, promising the existence of the new line-up of JAL!

'Dil Haray' and 'Aadat', sung by Goher and Farhan respectively, have been available on the internet months before the release of the album. Thus, many Jal fans had already gotten over their craze. The songs have a stale feel to them by now. But nevertheless, they are worth listening to. Goher's vocals in Dil Haray are worth appreciating. Listening to the earlier tracks of the album, I was heading to the conclusion that maybe Farhan cannot pull off higher pitches that well, but Aadat proves me wrong. He can go onto higher pitches and sound perfect. But yet, the vocals in Aadat sound a bit flat at times.

Next, we have 'Teri Yaad', a slow romantic track. Flutes by Ahsan (Pappu) are the main attraction of the song. Farhan's vocals are par excellence. Its my fav on this album.

'Manchala' is one of the few fast tracks on the album. Since I'm running out of synonyms for great, awesome, outstanding... I think I'll just let you find your word for it.

‘Har Jagga Hai Jal’… a perfect end to a perfect album! I would have said it’s very pompous of the band to include this particular song in their ‘debut’ album, but then… it IS very pertinent. Other than these ten songs, the album contains two instrumental tracks, which fail to gain one’s attention. Many fans would have preferred a couple of unplugged versions of the songs as album-fillers, rather than instrumentals. Jal, as a band, have in fact achieved a transcendent significance with their debut album ‘Aadat’.

The band has proved its worth. The much-criticized vocals of Farhan Saeed are praiseworthy. Goher’s lyrics and compositions express their originality