The Way I AM
Osama Com Laude has decided to take music very seriously. After dropping the multi-rappers and multi-language electrifying single, ‘Pindi Aye’, OCL has shown true grit in his new song, ‘paKING’. Released this month, the single opens with a monologue in Urdu. This is my deft translation. It starts something like this: “I am not afraid of death, hurricane or failure; I am afraid of my God; To bow before oppression is not who I am/I am not the song of a coward/ They laughed and they said that you will not be able to do it/I ask now who will stop me now? I am the fire that when intensifies will burn everything…”
The monologue, narrated by OCL’s father, is followed by a gritty rap song where OCL raps in Urdu about investing years and learning everything… It’s a fierce title track and with production by Abdur and MRKLE, the sound is essentially complementary to the song, giving gritty ambience as the soundscape. This is OCL at his bloody best. With a plan to release one single every week with four tracks in total, paKING looks like it will be his most superior work to date. Watch this space for a review once all four songs on the EP are out.
Under the Shadows
The brother of Ali Zafar, an established pop icon, the young Danyal Zafar has followed the opposite of his brother by releasing some experimental songs. His first effort, ‘Blue Butterfly’ tanked but his second effort, ‘So Long, Goodbye’ was mercifully a step in the right direction and was an improvement on ‘Blue Butterfly’ that received some serious criticism online.
Those days may be behind Danyal, colloquially known as Danny Zee, as he unveils the rest of the album. Released by Lightingale Records earlier this week, on multiple digital platforms, the album is 30 minutes and 56 seconds long and contains a total of eight songs.
Among them are collaborations with rising names like Anna Salman on a song called ‘Rumble Tumble’ and ‘Your Love is an Addiction’ featuring Maria Unera.
However, ‘It’s 6 AM’, which also features music producer MRKLE where the single begins by riding on subtle beats before transitioning into a pop-ambient song that is the album’s biggest gem. Danyal sounds pretty good akin to Ed Sheeran, and that’s a pretty difficult thing to achieve. As he sings about fame, it’s obvious that this is no Huqa Pani and while his first two tracks didn’t cut it, I certainly hope that Danyal figures out his sound and follows the slick trick he’s pulled on ‘It’s 6 Am’. Danyal Zafar has played all the instruments on the record in isolation and combined it to create the record. Watch this space for a review.
