Music Album Review: Fuzon - Journey

Music Album Review: Fuzon - Journey

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The second coming of Fuzon

After 2002's phenomenal Saagar, Fuzon is back with a new album and a new vocalist. The big question: does it work? Instep finds out…

By Maheen Sabeeh

Artist: Fuzon

How has the journey been?

It's been long a while since Saagar. A lot has happened. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan has gone solo while Rameez Mukhtar has been brought in… in his place. In between guys like Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam have come and are beating in the hearts of the people.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's protégé, his nephew has taken his legacy forward and has come out with an album that is easily one of the best ever made in Pakistan.

There is a lot of competition out there. But Fuzon still took a plunge and that took courage. Since their first single 'Neend Na Aaye' has released, there is a debate happening.

Is Rameez imitating Shafqat?" or "He is good!" or "No, he isn't". Instead of debating, let's take a look at the full-fledged journey of Fuzon and then decide…

The best song on the album is without a doubt, 'Neend Na Aaye'. The music is lovely, no long painful solos here. Rameez's vocals shine through like magic. He is impressive and without a doubt, a talent that is very good for Fuzon.

Emmu's tryst with keyboards is, as always, soulful and forms a rich sound while Shallum's The Edge-like (U2) guitar playing is sharp yet not too ambitious as is the case with most guitarists in Pakistan.

Unlike Saagar, there are not too many ballads. Most of the songs dabble in the pop-rock genre that is more on the faster side.

'Abhi Hum Kahan Hain' is one example. Simply put, it is infectious, split amidst gloom and subtle hope. Halfway into the song, Rameez hits some serious notes and suddenly the melody slows down, and then Emu and Shallum run the show, passively and aggressively respectively. It works.

'Choo Le' kicks some serious butt. The opening riff strikes an uncanny resemblance to Junoon's 'Yeh Mazaa Zindagi Ka' and for the first time maybe, Shallum pulls a Salman Ahmed on a song and it's really interesting. It's the kind of riff that is instantly addictive and Shallum stretches it into varied directions without making the song about the riff alone. Rameez moves with the pace and the rhythm. A thumping song.

'Paree' is another. A fun-filled number, Shallum's flirting with guitars is charming while Rameez, it seems enjoys the image of 'Paree' who comes into his dreams. This tune should be a hit at gigs for the band and with Shallum's ability to improvise, it'll be one hell of a song to see live.
'Tu Kahan' is actually even better. As Rameez sings, "Roshni Kahan Gum Gayo/Abhi Tau Yaha Jala Tha Dia/Kho Gaye/ Kahan Kho Gaye/Abhi Tau Yeh Dil Laga Hee Nahi Tha" - it sounds hurtful, which is exactly how it should be.

Come to ballads and the one that is most effective is 'Suna Suna'. Shallum's very subtle with guitars, stringing soft notes while Emu providing ample support vis-à-vis keyboards. The real charmer, however, is Rameez. He is emotive and he sings freely and goes on, "Teri Yaadon Mein Jiya Yeh Khona Laga/Suna Suna Yeh Sama Karkey Na Ja Balma/Aakey Na Ja Balma" - a throbbing tune.

'Jo Dil Ne Kahan' is a moody tune. Slightly trippy, beautiful and sharp. Instruments here vary and form an incredible soundboard. Rameez is delightful, full of conviction and appealing all the way.

There are some flaws. 'Atish O Aab' begins with a hypnotic thumping sound and launches into tipsy flute and powerful guitar. But the melody is extremely weak and doesn't fit in anywhere in the album. Skip it.
Another is 'Teri Yaadaan'. It's loud, chaotic and shows the limits to Rameez's vocals. Same problem plagues 'Dholna' where vocals fall extremely short.

A little rewind…

When 'Aankon Kay Saagar' came out, it catapulted Fuzon to instant fame. It wasn't the video that did the trick. This was a simple video that was a platform for the band to perform, courtesy Sohail Javed.

Rather Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, the 7th member of the famous Patiala gharana with his beautiful voice, and musicians Shallum and Emu as a lethal trio that caught attention.

One year later, 2002, Fuzon released their phenomenal debut, the mighty, nay, mightiest Saagar, and for the first time fusion was created in a way that was musically fresh, crisp and accessible that is a problem with fusion records here.

Alas! A band came that was catering to mature audiences as well as the youth and wasn't trying to become the next big pop act. They stayed true to their name and made fusion. It was understandable why they became a band that rose high.

Music critic Nadeem Farooq Paracha termed 'Saagar' among the ten best albums of all times!

Why was Saagar so good? There are three reasons. (A) Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan (b) true fusion that was musically fresh, lyrically simple and cohesive and (c) the coming together of Emu and Shallum who didn't hurt the beauty of the album by being ambitious with riffs, throwing in long solos. They gave it a structure that was contemporary.

Songs like 'Khamaaj' make your heart skip a beat every single time. This was music that was long-lasting and would continue to play with your heart and mind for a long time to come. And hey, it still does.

It is simply unrealistic to expect a band that doesn't even have the same vocalist to beat Saagar. It is like expecting Salman Ahmed to make something as incredible as Parvaaz without the powerful Ali Azmat.

It is our history

Bands breaking up in Pakistan are a norm. It happened with some of the best. Vital Signs took a break and never came back. Rohail Hyatt and Shahi Hasan became producers par excellence while Junaid Jamshed continued as a soloist and a great one at that until 'religion' came calling.

With ten albums to their credit, Junoon was the groundbreaking rock act that the subcontinent ever produced. Ali Azmat went solo with Social Circus and proved his mettle as a musician while Salman Ahmed turned a vocalist and made an album, Infinity, and is doing well for himself in the United States.

One-album old Aaroh broke up with Farooq Ahmed and Khalid Khan sticking together and creating a new album while Nabeel disappeared into oblivion.

Jal too broke up after one single. Atif Aslam became a superstar as a solo act and Gohar Mumtaz continued as Jal with Farhan and Shazi and they too are doing well.

Two albums later Noori is AWOL. Gumby left and so did Mohammed Ali Jafri while brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza are still united although we don't know if and when an album will come out.

I could go on about Karavan and Raeth but it would be futile.

The bottom line here is this: separating doesn't mean the end. It never has and it never will. But it does mean that some of the magic does disappear. Take the greatest musical act of all times, The Beatles for example. John Lennon and Paul McCartney when together were awesome. As soloists, they raked in the moolah and made some seriously good music. But did they surpass Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?

No, because as drummer Gumby once said, "A band is a unit. Everyone has a role to play and it is when everyone plays a part, something incredible happens."

Fuzon's biggest asset was Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. His voice is like magic, unbeatable, inimitable and tugs at the heart, whether it is in the form of Bollywood ditty, 'Mitwa' or in the joyful 'Deewanay'.

He came with knowledge that has been passed on to him as legacy. It is heritage. Songs like 'Khamaaj' are not just beautiful because the piano solo or the guitars are lovely but also because it was a raag that was made contemporary and on that front, Shafqat was the expect.

How can then we expect the new Fuzon to retain and recreate the same magic?

Perhaps the only one who can is Shafqat. I say perhaps because Fuzon was a band and Shallum and Emmu did play a role and produced the album.

The mistake Fuzon made, they kept the name. They shouldn't have. As long as we keep calling them Fuzon, we will continue to think of the old Fuzon and this isn't the same band.

All said and done, Journey is a good album. It is patchy in places but over all, it is a decent effort for a debut act and that is exactly what they are. This is the first time Emmu and Shallum are working with Rameez and that makes it a first.

Fuzon has a long way to go and chances are that they will survive. The industry is small and there is room for them as well as Shafqat.