Lux Style Awards 2008 Nominations List

The Lux Style Awards music nominations for 2008 are out! This year Atif Aslam is back with another nomination and will go up against Jal. It is the year when Josh and Mauj have walked away with their first nominations and a new category has been introduced. Instep takes an inside look...

Best Music Album

Easily the most prestigious category in the music segment, year after year, the Best Music Album is getting edgier and competitive with time as more artistes enter the fray and music labels get stronger.

Last year, the battle was between Atif Aslam's Doorie and Ali Zafar's Masty. This year again, Atif Aslam is back with his third record, Meri Kahani and the real battle is between Atif's Meri Kahani and Jal's sophomore effort, Boondh. These records are commercially superhits and have taken Atif and Jal to new heights. This will be the battle to watch this year, because this is the first time Jal and Atif are going head to head against each other with different songs and a different sound.

Another interesting nomination this year is of Rozen-e-Deewar by Roxen. The band escalated to fame after their stint with the Indian film, Awarapan that featured two of their numbers, namely 'Tera Mera Rishta' and 'To Phir Aao'.

Fighting hard against these commercially acclaimed musical entities are two veterans who made a solid comeback last year. There is bhangra king Abrar-ul Haq's Naara Sada Ishq Aye and is without a doubt, Abrar's most solid effort in years, a return to the tongue-in-cheek lyrical quality that made him a star when he first began more than a decade before. And then there is Ali Haider with Jaanay Do that is his most mature album in years.

Atif Aslam for Meri Kahani

Doorie was a super-hit. Meri Kahani is also going on the same path. However, unlike Doorie, which was composed by Indian songwriters, here one sees Atif Aslam teaming up with his brother-manager Shabaz Aslam on writing credits as well as Overload men Farhad Humayoun, Mahmood Rahman, Shiraz Siddique on music credits.

Atif is a roaring hit and his maturity is reflected in socio-politically aware songs like 'Hungami Halaat' as well as Sufi tune like 'Rabba'. While patchy in places, it is an album that is praiseworthy because it sees Atif Aslam back in the studios on his own, making an effort to be a lot more edgier, bringing in rock elements and staying true to his sound that we all first fell in love with back when he arrived with the mighty Jalpari. Meri Kahani does have a character and for that Atif Aslam deserves applause.

Atif must be commended with coming out with two albums consecutively for two years. He's kept himself very alive in the public imagination and his popularity has a lot to do with the fact that just when fans have gotten tired of listening to one album, wham bam, he's out with another.

Boondh by Jal

This is their most notable effort as a unit. Gohar Mumtaz is a decent songwriter and Boondh is proof of his talent. He has written lyrics on the album, is the backbone of musical compositions and has sung some tunes too. And he delivers on all three fronts.

The album sees this young trio keeping their signature intact even as they experiment slightly with musical arrangements, tipping towards rock. Farhan Butt has received flak for his vocals in the past. This album silences all those critics because on Boondh he has arrived as a vocalist. And even though the mood of this album is mostly of love, the structure of the songs is mature and never clumsy. As a sequel to Aadat, Boondh is definitely impressive, with many music lovers agreeing that Jal have more depth than Atif Aslam.


Rozen-e-Deewar by Rozen

While Rozen-e-Deewar looses marks on production value, it delivers on every other front. From the sharp and swinging 'Sapnay' to super-duper hit tunes like 'Tera Mera Rishta' and 'Toa Phir Aao', Rozen-e-Deewar as a debut is exciting.It works because of its slashing riffs, Mustafa Zahid's harsh but never-out-of-tune vocals and the clear-cut lyrics. This is a moody record but one that works because it remains cohesive to the genre that is rock.

Jaanay Do by Ali Haider

Ali Haider has been around for over a decade with more than ten studio albums to his credit. Jaanay Do is easily one of his best. Ali Haider has not only produced this album but has also written melodies and a big chunk of the lyrics and for an aging popstar, it is a startling achievement. With mixing credits to Rohail Hyatt, the sound is sharp, crisp and clean. It is a moody record that is melancholic, mature and outstanding in all departments. From the new versions of tracks like 'Agar Pyar' and 'Purani Jeans' to new and beautiful melodies like the title track, 'Jaanay Do' and 'Hamesha, one is genuinely surprised by the way Ali has made a comeback to the genre that has been his forte for years. Jaanay Do is mature pop that has a strong foundation. The album is neither stepping into too many genres but does manage to touch various styles and fuses them together in one neat package.

Naara Sada Ishq Aye by Abrar-ul-Haq

Abrar-ul-Haq's forte has been his wit and the ability to fuse it with some bhangra numbers. But somewhere down the line, Abrar lost that wit. This album sees that wit returning on a massive level and whether it is bhangra or mellow tunes, it is an album that proves his growth as an artist.

Best Live Act

It is one thing when an artist manages to create an album within the walls of a studio. Everything can sound perfect. But when those same tunes have to be performed live, it is something completely different. The ability to make the crowd swing, the sound decent and sing well and only when all this takes place together is when a live act is born. For us, the good news is that the music industry has quite a few great live acts.

Mauj

Just like their name, the band is just that onstage: Mauj. The only other band after Noori who've managed to create such hype around themselves even without an album release, Mauj is like fire onstage. They are, without a doubt, the next big thing!

Sikander Mufti on drums, Sameer Ahmed on bass, Hamza Jafri on rhythm guitars and the most talented guy to hit the music scene in years, Omran Shafique on vocals and lead guitars, this foursome is simply awesome. Whether it is a rocked-up cover of Zoheb Hassan's 'Pyar Ka Jadu' or the funky tune that is 'Paheliyan', Mauj know how to move the crowd and their music is always top-notch. Omran Shafique onstage is charismatic and reminds one of the days when Ali Azmat first began, he has that same fire. Anyone whose seen them live wants to see them again and again.

Finally with a record deal in their hands, Mauj are hell-bent on making it big in the mainstream and believe us, with that energy, it is only a matter of time before they do.

Strings

No artist is as consistent as Strings. Even without an album release in years, they continue to make waves. Their shows in Pakistan are few and far between nowadays because Strings aim for perfection, but whenever they do perform, they impress with just how in sync they are. There is a lot to be said for subtlety and the Strings say it all. Bilal Maqsood's crunching guitars paired with Faisal Kapadia's haunting voice and his friendly demeanour onstage is a lethal combination. Add to that the fact that they stick to the same session players and you have a music machine that has carved a unique niche for itself in Pakistan's expanding music arena.

Josh

'Josh Naal Pao Bhangra' is what defines this duo out from Canada. Calling themselves a desi band, Qurram Hussain (Q) and Rupinder Magon (Rup) may be based in Canada but Pakistan is a strong market for them. Having released their last album Mausam here, the band took a conscious effort to perform live in Pakistan. Their music is unlike the sound of Pakistani music. It is more upbeat, less rock and more rhythm, and that makes for funky concert sound. Q is the heartbeat of the show and is the mighty vocalist and Rup provides ample support as a co-vocalist. The music is often pre-recorded but the vocals are live. With lack of facilities, Josh continues to please Pakistan's youth and for that, we applaud them.

Mekaal Hasan Band

Technically speaking, they are unbeatable. The music is fusion, traditional poetry paired with electric guitars, bass, drums and beautiful flute. MHB always delivers on the live music front and they just get better. That's because head honcho Mekaal has built up an a great line up of musicians. Be it Gumby on drums, Sameer Ahmed on bass, Pappu on the bansuri, Salman Albert on rhythm guitars, the line up of MHB keeps changing but the effect they have on the audience remains the same.

Overload

Tripped-out dhols, hypnotic sounds, these are the men who can cast a trance over anyone with their beefy sound. Farhad Humayun's brainwave resulted in a groundbreaking relationship with legendary dhol player Pappu Saeen and Overload have never looked back even after Pappu departed. Now with a female vocalist, Misha Paracha and former Atif Aslam guitarist Mahmood Rahman on guitars, Overload just got a whole lot more loaded!

[Barbie Doll Jiya]

thanxxxxxxxxx 4 info........................

[Pukhtana_4_Lyfe]

thanks for sharing with us. but why did you post this in the lyrics section ?