LSAs give music a night to remember

It was a night when music was the winner at large. It was a night when Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar performed LIVE, a first for the LSAs. That night marked Naheed Akhtar’s revival as she brought her biggest hits back to life. That night, fashion’s runways were rocked by the most popular acts of 2007 like Abbas Ali Khan, Mekaal Hassan Band and Overload. The 6th annual Lux Style Awards were dominated by music and the show belonged to pop icons Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar.

By Maheen Sabeeh

It was the mega finale that followed the grand finale. Naheed Akhter and Meera had already created magic but when Atif Aslam stepped up to perform live for the very first time at the Lux Style Awards, it was historical. The magic of live music, the riffs from an electric guitar, that thumping bass and that high voltage drumming… with Atif Aslam crooning his first mega hit ‘Aadat’, it was one of the most unforgettable moments LSA can boast of.
Atif Aslam brought the house down with his live energy and that signature raw charisma . He followed ‘Aadat’ with ‘Mahi Vey’ ending with the phenomenal hit ‘Tere Bin’. He would finish one song and then shout out “More?” and the girls in the gallery would go wild in anticipation. He would hold up his arms and they would scream at the top of their lungs and when he ran up the auditorium, they held out their arms hoping for contact. Atif showed off his skills superbly… not just as a singer but also as a performer. Atif was the star that night and by recreating music’s magical moments of 2006, the LSAs truly arrived like never before.
The hidden talent of dancing… If you think Atif is a great singer, wait till you see him dance. He created electric chemistry with the stunning Aaminah Haq after he flew down from a flying carpet onto the stage like a fairytale Prince reincarnated rockstar. From the slow ‘Kuch Iss Tarah’ where Atif flirted his way around with dancers to the plethora of remixes that came one after the other from ‘Tere Bin’ to ‘Doorie’, Atif moved comfortably and most importantly naturally. His confidence level was palpable in the way he and Aaminah moved together, in sync penetrating into the hundreds of eyes on them. There wasn’t a single glitch.
And here it must be said that Aaminah Haq was really phenomenal. She matched Atif’s star power with equal grace… oozing oomph as she went along. What a stellar performance!There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Atif would pick up the Best Music Album award for Doorie, which is tsill selling across Pakistan. Where Atif does lose marks out on originality, one has to give him his due for attempting something that no other musician has done before – make a full-fledged remix album with pumping beats. And when the country is dancing to it, dare we complain? If Atif created rock magic, Ali Zafar strummed out acoustic charm. As Ali walked onto the stage with his guitar, stood before the mike and belted out ‘Sajania’ in those unfathomable vocals, that impish smile and boyish charisma that only he holds, Ali Zafar proved why he is the other pop prince this nation loves and cherishes. When Ali launched into ‘Sun Re Sajania/Tere Sung Dunya’, claps resonated and people sang along and Ali gave them his version of raw live magic. Between Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam, the bigger crowd puller was undoubtedly Atif. That said, if there was any other musician who came close to matching his performance, it was Ali.And as far as dancing goes, Ali moved in Masty. Throughout his career as a musician, he has charmed the ladies and even the men because of his ability to create stage drama. That night, he came out of a huge guitar, rode a bicycle with Reema, one of his co-stars from his new video, ‘Dekha’ and took the Lollywood diva in his arms, held her close and danced. If he showed off style in ‘Sajania’, he enacted a romantic tiff with Reema on ‘Dekha’ and with ‘Masty’, Ali Zafar was all live wire energy. In that black ganji (vest), Ali Zafar looked like a true star, flanked by dancers all around. Even though, his performance was not as spectacular as Atif’s but it was enjoyable and entertaining nonetheless. He is the youth icon… Ali Zafar may not have won Best Music Album for his album Masty, but he did pick up the newly introduced Youth Icon award. One wonders whether the Lux Awards Office looks for nominees for various categories or develops categories to suit certain people. Last year Wasim Akram was given the Most Stylish Sportsman Award probably for being the face of Rexona and the same seems to apply to Ali Zafar who is the new face of Lux. He hasn’t really done anything else to merit this award. ‘Youth Icon’ is a title that sinks deeper than album sales and with musicians like Abrar ul Haq and Shahzad Roy handling massive philanthropic concerns, they set better examples for the youth than Ali. Most Stylish Sportsman was a one night stand that wasn’t repeated this year and one wonders if there will be another Youth Icon to rejoice next year too. Did this award ensure Ali’s presence and performance? After all, it’s no secret that many stars refuse to attend shows unless promised an award.

Ocean’s Thirteen***1/2

*ing: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Matt Damon, Ellen Barker, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Shaobo Qin, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould
Directed by Steven Soderbergh 

Ocean’s Eleven was a perfect heist film. Its sequel fell short despite the beautiful locations and lovely, glamorous women like Julia Roberts and Catherine-Zeta Jones. With Ocean’s Thirteen, Steven Soderbergh has made definite amends and it is visible throughout the coherent script, hilarious moments and slick action all over again. The result is a very cool and entertaining film. With the last film, one was sure that the boys will not possibly return to steal again. But this time, it is out of friendship. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and gang reunite to take revenge for their old ‘stealing’ buddy Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould). Rueben goes and forms a partnership with a vicious, slimy and nasty casino tycoon Willie Bank (Al Pacino). Willie conveniently dumps Rueben out of the partnership of the Hotel and the Ocean gang can’t stand that.
On the opening night, they want everything to go wrong and that means, stealing big and stealing fast, rigging tables and joining hands with their old time enemy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Thus begins another round of heist… The good news is that this is nothing like Ocean’s Twelve. It’s smart, it’s quick and it is not confusing. One reason why the film works is because of its humour. It is not slapstick comedy but sarcastic, dry humour that Clooney and Pitt are just so good at. In one scene as Rusty (Brad Pitt) walks into Danny’s room, he finds him sniffling and he asks with a look of disbelief and subtle mockery, “Are you watching Oprah?” Watching Oprah and crying isn’t something a cool dude like Danny would admit to but when caught he looks confused and it makes for a hilarious moment. Such scenes provide comin relief throughout the film. The film works not just because of its coherent script but its huge cast that has collectively delivered stellar performances. George Clooney and Brad Pitt lead the way here and they both are just such smooth operators. No matter what happens, these guys never lose their cool. They would be able to give James Bond a run for his money. They move in mysterious ways and really, these two are the stars of the show. Matt Damon as Linus has gained more confidence since the first two films. From an insecure, somewhat goofy follower, he has developed a personality of his own here and it works superbly. Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Shaobo Qin, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan and Carl Reiner continue their magic as the grand robbers and prove to be highly effective and entertaining in their supportive role. As for the two new additions, they bring a refreshing change of pace in the film. Al Pacino as nasty Willie Bank is brilliant. He is, as always, at the top of his game. The godfather hardly ever disappoints. In this film he rocks. As for Ellen Barker, as his right-hand woman she is fantastic. Shrewd, calculative and manipulative, she delivers an ace performance. On the flipside, the no-reference to Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt respectively does leave one wondering where they are and why the women who were the premise in the first two films have been left out. One thing is for sure: Ocean’s Thirteen is a boys-out film and they work lethally in this combination. This year is sequel year for Hollywood and Ocean’s Thirteen is the latest addition. Within its first week, the film has raked in 37.1 million dollars and is going strong against Fantastic Four: Rise of the Sliver Surfer and Evan Almighty. While the film isn’t as refreshing as the first one, it is still enjoyable… with popcorn of course. So grab a copy now! –Maheen Sabeeh *YUCK **WHATEVER ***GOOD ****SUPER *****AWESOME

The second coming of Maroon 5

Eclectic, retro and rocky, Maroon 5 return after five years with a fantastic new album, and prove that this album was worth the wait.

By Maheen Sabeeh

Artist: Maroon 5 Album: It Won’t Be Soon Before Long**** With time comes maturity. It couldn’t be truer in Maroon 5’s case. After five years, Maroon 5 have grown up and it is written all over their new album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. Their spanking new video, ‘Makes Me Wonder’ with its discotheque feeling and Adam Levine’s confident and sexy demeanour is just a small glimpse of what lies inside this new record. Adam Levine, the main songwriter on this album and the face of this band has moved on from desperate love and heartbreak that played a dominant theme on their debut album, Songs About Jane. Exuding a new sense of confidence, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is an album that is filled with sexual innuendos but it is not crude ala Justin Timberlake, but rather sophisticated.
From the beaty-meaty ‘Little Of Your Time’ where Adam sings ferociously, “Oh my, I don’t mind/Being the other guy/Nice try, for these games/I do not have the time/If you want me, call me/Come and take a risk,” to the morbidly beautiful ‘Won’t Go Home Without You’ where a fatigued Adam croons, “Every night you cry yourself to sleep/Thinking: Why does this happen to me? /Why does every moment have to be so hard? /Hard to believe that,” the sophistication is present. Interestingly enough, the opening bass line of ‘Won’t Go Home Without You’ inadvertently reminds one of Sting’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ but within the first 15 seconds, the bass line gets replaced with heart wrenching guitars, leaving one to wonder how much scope music has for experimentation. For those who miss the ballad-like feel of ‘She Will Be Loved’, ‘Won’t Go Home Without You’ is the perfect anecdote.
Even though Maroon 5 are still very much grounded in their soulful rock roots, they have experimented extensively on this album. The result is a predominantly retro feel, reminding one of Phil Collins and Michael Jackson in their heydays. Songs like Phil’s ‘Jesus, He Knows Me’ and ‘I Can’t Dance’ and Wacko Jacko’s ‘Thriller’, ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Remember the Time’ come to mind.That said, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long works because it has a blazing pounding pulse to it and it’s the kind of album that makes one want to groove. This is not a hard rock, guitar slash fest… at all that American music has coming out in abundance. Keyboard nuances are beating at the heart of the album and funk-indie feel is dominant on most songs
Some of the best tracks on the album include the melancholic ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ where Adam is at the top of his vocal games as he sings, “It is so easy to see/Dysfunction between you and me/We must free up these tired souls/Before the sadness kills us both,” the unapologetically blue, ‘Goodnight Goodnight’ where the wordplay goes, “You left me hanging from a thread we once swung from together/I’ve lick my wounds but I can’t ever see them getting better/Something’s gotta change/Things cannot stay the same.” The retro feel continues with ‘Falling Apart’ with its urban electronic musical structure and bass dancing where Adam flirtatiously sings, “Danced all night, slept all day/Careless with my heart again/Fearless when it comes to playing games/You don’t cry, you don’t care/Afraid to have a love affair/Is that your ghost or are you really there?” and the grungy and upbeat, ‘Kiwi’ that goes, “You’re such a flirt, I know you hurt/And so do I/ I empathize/I see you out, you never cared/A conversation that we never shared.” ‘Kiwi’ has hit written all over it and could become the next ‘Sexy Back’ minus the hip-hop feel that Justin acquired from having ace producer Timbaland behind him. The best part about Maroon 5’s comeback is that they haven’t been a disappointment. Musically, they have moved on from the soulful rock sound and It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is laced with eclectic texture, like groovy bass lines, flirtatious guitars and keyboard wizardry that really has made a lot of difference here. Where Songs About Jane was about ‘Jane’ and the various phases of a relationship with her, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is a 360-degree turn. It is about women and what Adam would like to do with them! In Pakistan, Maroon 5 enjoy tremendous popularity alongside bands like Linkin Park, soloists like Justin Timberlake and the reinvented Nelly Furtado (courtesy Timbaland). And this has been the year of these three musical acts. From 63 number at Billboard Charts, Maroon 5 jumped to number one and right now, it slid down but is fighting hard at the number two spot. In one of his television interviews, Adam stated that It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is slightly more upbeat because the band wanted numbers that could make thousands dance. While the effort is deliberate, it has surprisingly added an element of zing that makes this album such a delight. Top this off with the fact that unlike many sophomore albums where bands struggle, Maroon 5 have delivered bang on target! This album proves that well thought out experimentation can be quite charming and addictive. It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is out in the local market and is doing very well. If you haven’t already bought your copy, grab it now. It is worth the money. The affectionate rocker Adam Levine is narcissistic on the album and it works superbly! *****Get the CD NOW! ****Just get it ***Maybe maybe not **Just download the best song