Reviews (page 4 of 6)
I enjoy the vibes. It has quite a lot of variety even with me being very unfamiliar with the style.
Not available on Apple Music. May try to find on YouTube.
Glad I can find stuff like this. Was nice to listen to it once
I dont listen to music like this enough to give it a proper rating
Pleasant enough, not really my thing but glad Ive listened too, just doubt I ever will again
Really hope I listened to the correct album because that was quite difficult to find. The Youtube visualization of clouds to go along with the music was a great touch. The music itself was very soothing and found myself bopping along to the different instruments that i would not normally hear. My favorite part was some of those noises he made with that tongue of his
Very cool world music, love the guitar and rhythms
Our first Pakistani artist? Not sure, but really good album, always a welcome change of pace to get something beyond US/UK. Really great grooves and energy all over this thing, love the acoustic guitars that give it a Mediterranean feel. Favorite tracks: Woh Hata Rahe, Yaadan Vichhre, Haq Ali Ali Haq. Album art: Nothing too special, it's got that "museum exhibit" vibe. Cool colors though. 3.5/5
Hmm. I mean it's not terrible. I don't feel too strongly about it one way or the other. It's good music. Just not exactly my taste. Kind of long and repetitive too.
3/5
3.5/5. Pretty good, I did not mind listening to this.
Onironisch echt wel leuk, duurt wel ziek lang. Denk alleen niet dat het leuk moet zijn, maarja
(I know it’s been pointed out by others, but the album shown is actually a double album, consisting of both Devotional Songs, as well as another album called Love Songs. On Spotify, only the second disc is mentioned in the actual book. This can help spare you from spending 90 minutes on one album.) I had zero idea what I was getting into with this one. I have never heard of Nusrat before and I had no idea knowing whatever the hell Qawwali even was. Apparently, Nusrat was immensely talented and was highly regarded even to this day. And I’ll confess that I can see that through this album, as I surprisingly kind of enjoyed it. The songs are long and a tad repetitive for my tastes, but the rhythms in the tracks are enticing. They’re really infectious and Nusrat gives every track his all. Devotional is certainly the word for it. I can’t say this album blew me away, but it was good through and through. It’s a 3 from me, but it feels more like a 3.5. I wish we could do half stars. Favorite track: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka Other Hits: Allah Hoo Allah Hoo, Ali Maula Ali Maula Ali Dam Dam, Ni Main Jogi De Naal
Yeah I mean, it's cool.
I know nothing about this style of music, so I can't really judge it against its peers. I will say I enjoyed it as work background music quite a bit.
You could have played the first five seconds of most of these and expected a banger 1964 protest song to come out.
Above and beyond all else, Khan has a voice that made me sit up and pay attention. The power, timbre and rather athletic leaps he is able to make, impress. The music, too, whilst feeling less 'anchored' than much of what I'm familiar with, throbs and pulses with inexorable insistence. Whilst I didn't step away desperate to hear more, this trip outside of my comfort (and knowledge) zone was welcome. Much to admire here.
Here's an album that's obviously very tied to the culture from which it comes. The songs are almost hymn-like in nature, with consistent repetition and chanting, each at roughly 7+ minutes apiece. As a common westerner, there's a tough barrier of entry, even if the songs are technically proficient and vocally dynamic. It was pretty tough to keep invested in this one, but I feel it's a bit unfair to rate it low just because of that. As with most World albums, I just don't think I'm qualified to rate this fairly.
A meditative, trance-like listening experience awaits all those willing to try on a different perspective.
I don't know why it's on the list. I'm not fully into that kind of music. Religious mantras are not my favorite, but it gets the pass, since it's made with thoughts and passion. Way better than some albums on this list.
- Man sieht ja häufig aufgeblähte Diskografien von Künstler*innen bei Spotify. Aber ich habe noch nie so ein Kilometer langes Monument gesehen wie dieses - Ich bin ehrlich: Ich hab den Scheiß bei Youtube gesucht und nicht länger als 10 Minuten gehört. - Ähnlich wie bei unserem Freund der indischen Folklore. Sehr authentisch und stimmungsvoll und Nachts auf einem Dach in Marrakesh würde mir bei Nusrats Mukke das Herz aufblühen. - Außerhalb dieses Kontexts ist leider nicht mehr als ein interessanter Blick durch ein weltmusikalisches Fenster 2,75/5
I liked it as a novelty but it didn't really hit me.
Hm, another musical tourism album (for me). I remember hearing water drums at some point as a teenager and loving how exotic they sounded, but I'll admit I never really delved into South Asian music much. So, I enjoyed hearing the water drums. :) Other than that, it's pretty hard to gauge what makes this album and artist particularly noteworthy, although Wikipedia helpfully tells me that he was one of the greatest Qawwali singers of all time; I'm not an aficionado of Sufi devotional music, but I'll take their word on it. And I learned from the project's 2005 book edition that this album was his biggest (Peter Gabriel owned) Real World label release, and after getting showcased at a 1983 WOMAD concert. And after reading a bit about the Sufi devotional music tradition, I realized why I was vaguely reminded of this incredible whirling dervish museum in Konya, Turkey (Mevlana Museum), as the museum had Sufi devotional music playing in ceiling speakers throughout the museum's exhibits, and while the museum's music selection sounded quite different than this album's music, the ecstatic purpose was similar.
I don't think I understand the nature of this music to review this though I did enjoy it playing in the background as I worked.
Some great vibes. Some of the tracks got me moving. Tracks 5 and 6 not so much. Might re visit some of the songs.
didn't expect to like it as much as i did tbhhh
Middle Eastern/Indian singing, made me want to be eating Indian food
No idea what happened so I’ll give it an average of. 3/5
Different African music that I wouldn’t normally be exposed to
I'm probably not the best demographic to rate this. I'm sure it was important, but in general it just put me into a state of focus. It really helped me focus on doing other things. I did find it interesting how it seems somewhat traditional, but borrowed a few sounds from western pop music of the time, especially on the production side. Best Songs: Allah Hoo Allah Hoo, Ali Maula... Worst Songs: Ni main Jogi De Naal
gostei em
Siis sinällänsä taas ihan siisti eksoottinen kokemus, mutta puolitoista tuntia on aika pitkä kun ei sillein osaa erottaa yksityiskohtia kappaleista. Arabialaista kansanmusiikkia. Kitara ja laulu vahvimpana. Paras Ali Maula Ali Maula Ali Dam Dam
I’m definitely not in a position to critically evaluate this album. But general feeling - I didn’t feel an overwhelming need to turn it off, but also wasn’t looking forward to the next song at any point.
Good background music
Interesting!
Cool! Lively singing and pretty diverse instrumentation
Most strange sensations, my dude. Really positive start, but about 40 minutes in I began to feel kinda disoriented. Never experienced that before. Must have been the demons exiting my brain. 40 minutes later it went back to an amazing close though.
I appreciate this for what it is in the genre/world realm. For my taste, I can appreciate and enjoy in small doses in a few settings, a very few. 2.5/5
I found this quite enjoyable and oddly hypnotic. This dude only lived to the age of 48 but recorded 125+ albums. Pretty amazing. And more props to Peter Gabriel for the release of this album on his Realworld label. I can appreciate its inclusion in this list given it’s out of the norm world music.
For what this was, I definitely enjoyed it. This guy must be the GOAT of this genre, given his inclusion here and the fact that he has roughly 3,000 albums
I didn't have access to much of this album. But the couple minutes I heard sounded pretty ok. 3/5
Man, what a breeze of fresh air from hearing so much rock on this list. I don’t know if it was actually good, or I was just starved of something different, but I really enjoyed listening to this. Strong 3!
Not a music style I have a lot of experience or interest in but it was decent. Couldn't tell what made this album special but it was very different from all the other stuff on this list so there is that. A nice vibe to have on while doing something else.
OK, but a bit monotonous after a while
Mister book author filled the quota. Good for him. Good for everyone. Mister book author wrote that the artist... did not live to see 9/11? Uhhhhh, not sure why that was important but okay Nice to hear something new for a change. I have no desire to listen to it again, but it was fun, and not just because it's exotic.
6 songs?? Shortest album yet. They're longer songs at least. Oh wow this is definitely different than other albums on this list. Honestly it sounds exactly like the style of Indian/South Asian music but I can't tell if it's good or not.
Hyvä albumi
I had a productive afternoon of drafting plans while listening to this which is *not* its intended purpose. Sounded great and I enjoyed it despite the language/culture barrier.
This was a pretty cool sound to start the day with! I enjoyed it and it was great background music, although I probably wouldn't listen again. I would have never been exposed to the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan if it hadn't been for this project, and I am glad that I have now heard it.
Another album of music I am glad to learn exists, although I didn't enjoy it as much as Cheb Khaled. It seems female vocalists are rare in Sufi devotional music but I'll be curious to check into that more.
An enjoyable listen but sounded all similar to me
Nice change of pace from what I’ve had so far on the list. Pretty easy listen. No strong opinions either way but overall enjoyable.
Dudes an insanely good singer, the full 1 and a half hour album was pre long and repetitive tho.
A pretty interesting look into a genre that I had never heard of in qawwali music. I was somewhat familiar with Sufism, so it wasn’t completely out of sorts for me, but still interesting. I did find the runtime a little long and it seems that maybe the generator doesn’t send you to the right album, but it was good for a taste of this genre.
I enjoyed it, but it was difficult for me to single out Nusrat. I know his vocals from the few songs he had done for other artists that I know ("Signal To Noise" by Peter Gabriel). Still, the songs had slightly different tempos and moods so you could tell the difference between them. I did not like how the last song ended. It seemed like they lost the idea, and it just... petered out. I think I need a second listen to it, but I just felt like there are better examples of his stuff.
This was good. Strong vocals from Kahn and good beats. I don't know how unique it was compared to other Qawwali or world music albums but I could listen to it again, or on repeat in the background. I may not reach for it when I really need a music pick me up but I wouldn't be disappointed if it was played.
I can't even begin to describe this. Fascinating, yet unmemorable.
Definitely something new for me and an interesting experience. For sure a good singer. That said, it wasn't entirely my style and I didn't enjoy it all that much. But definitely fine to play in the background to set a certain mood or to evoke a culture about which I know much less than it deserves.
This is a LOT But I enjoyed it for a while
This is the random weird shit I love on this list. I've never heard of it before and while I didn't enjoy it all that much, I appreciated something different.
great performances of music that I would not likely listen to outside of this list. I do think it feels very lively for a recording.
Worth listening to, though I wouldn't again. High musicality.
The idea of this excites me more than the reality I’m afraid. I generally really enjoy non English language music but this is a bit too relentless for me. I’ll add a star for not being in English, but this isn’t something I want to come back to really
I have listened to a lot of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, he has collaborated a lot with Peter Gabriel on tracks such as Signal to Noise - https://open.spotify.com/track/2CnucOZJUTMviGIADnNFRY?si=bf7dd4ab95c54dd3 and Taboo https://open.spotify.com/track/4q9auAqHLCeJpXa4XoEidI?si=cdf0066d26b045cf Do yourself a favour and listen to how amazing this dude is!
I quite liked bits of this album - probably not something I would have heard of without the 1001 challenge. I found myself tapping along to a fair few of the tracks, but some were a bit repetitive. Great to hear some more music from outside the usual UK and USA!
Nusrat was Jeff Buckley's Elvis.
Well done, well produced. Unique. Not my style.
Not really my style (Pakistani) but seems really good for this style!
Crumbs - that’s a lot of music. Only managed to listen to the first couple of songs while driving Tilly to school. It was ok. 3* for being a somewhat left field contribution to the challenge.
Surprisingly not heard before but he doesn't do short songs. I can imagine getting into this in the right environment and may revisit should the need arise. Quite hypnotic.
Nusrat is apparently a legendary Pakistani singer whom I've never heard of. This album, as the title indicates, is a collection of devotional songs sung in the style of Qawwali. Firstly, the instrumentation on here is super solid. The tabla (I think that's one of the instruments they're playing) is such a dope sounding instrument. Nusrat's voice is very powerful. Combined with the call-and-response lyrical style, this recording gives off a pretty intense vibe. The songs go on for 7+ minutes and have a hypnotic value to them. Pretty cool listen.
I have a recording of his that I like better; I think it's more traditional Qawwali, a lot of call and response, but I'm no expert. Enjoyed much of this too tho, more diverse.
Not familiar with this genre, but what I heard was pretty cool. I like the passionate microtonal singing and the rhythm.
(April 12 2024) 2nd album in a row I can't listen to with Apple Music; I see there are about 9000 other albums of his there, so I will share a Wikipedia quote from Chris Nickson, of Global Rhythm: \"trying to make order of Khan's entire discography would be a nightmare.\" I'll get to Devotional Songs soon, but for now today's substitution is obviously Vampire Weekend (2008), followed by TV on the Radio’s Nine Types of Light (2011). Never really got around to hearing them, but I've often heard it said that Vampire Weekend is the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of New York indie rock :p (April 16 2024) It was there the whole time! Bundled in a release called Love and Devotion, and mistakenly dated 1988. Wot Ok, those were definitely some songs of devotion. I think my favourite ones were tracks 2 & 4. I might put on the “Love” half later, but no guarantees. I don’t have my copy of the book right now; curious why this is Khan’s entry into the book out of all his other 9000 releases
I dig it. There's a pulse to this throughout, I love all of the percussion and some of the vocal variations throughout. Just has a powerful rhythmic presence.
Good background music but not going to keep me actively engaged for an hour 30
Strangely likeable. My favourite song of his is still The Long Road with Pearl Jam.
Very different, but I can see how it is uplifting and joyful. Kind of tribal...
Not bad, got a bit repetitive for me and maybe not something I would necessarily go back to but respect it for what it is and thought the overall sound was pretty good
The tracks blended into one another a bit, but I loved the fullness of the sound. Not an everyday listen for me, but I dug it.
This was new to me. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface with both Khan's output and Qawwali, but I liked this (though I wouldn't seek it out). Let's say a 3.
tajusin kyllä pointin ensimmäisen biisin jälkeen. vielä oli yli tunti albumia jäljellä sen jälkeen.. tää ois hullu opiaatti luolassa.. mutta ei olle huume hörhöjä täällä, joten mitä varten albumi... hyvin strukturoitua, biisit eivät erotu länsipaskaiseen korvaan..vähän progressiota olisi kiva, aina joku vitun bängeri intro ja sitten menee samaan huilutukseen... pakistan, strong, but why onli india listen?? because pakistanno spotify.. rich man magic spotify.. laulu on hyvåää. I applaud the attempt to break away from the western anglicized norm (though I have had French and German music tossed my way already) HHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAAHAH sanson ki mala pey
On saluera la dévotion de ce monsieur même si on aurait aimé qu'elle dure moins longtemps, disons une heure et quart de moins. Je souhaitais à cette occasion vous informer que je suis ouvert à toute opportunité de casting dans l'industrie cinématographique de Bollywood. N'hésitez pas à m'envoyer vos synopsis à l'adresse robertestleperedemikeladd@gmx.com
Ce novueau recueil de baragouinage m'a hautement convaincu, le baragouinage pop reste l'un des genres les plus appréciés du générateur. Et vous, préférez vous le brazilian baragouinage pop, ou son pendant indien ? Faites le nous savoir à l'adresse mail robertestleperedemikeladd@gmx.com
World music might be the least represented genre on this list. And I’m not necessarily complaining about that. It’s not a genre I ever find myself putting on because it’s what I feel like listening to in the moment. I feel the same about traditional orchestral music. I’m never really in the mood to throw on some Ludwig van Beethoven. That doesn’t mean this album is terrible though. I try to be as open to hearing new things as possible. And even if I didn’t love this. I still found things to take out of it, and it still stands as a unique experience. But truthfully I am in no place to really critique this, considering how little knowledge I have of the genre or culture this is from. Nusrat delivers some powerful vocal performances, and I can appreciate the complexity of some of the instrumentals. I can best describe this as like a combination of Pakistani jazz and classical music. Unfortunately that’s kind of where my observations end. This music is hard for me to attach myself to, and really get into, because there just isn’t much. It quickly becomes background noise that I have a hard time focusing on. I can’t think of a situation where I would recommend this to someone that I know. But it exists for a reason, because at least one person likes it. Rating: 5/10
3.0 Yeh Jo Halka Saroor Hae was a Jam. Dude can sing. Kinda interesting reading up on Qawwali music
Very interesting & beautiful
Interesting to finally get some different cultural music that is not British or American or Brazilian. Not my thing, but interesting.
Lovely music. Not being able to understand the lyrics is secondary. 3.5/5 Might listen again
Pas mal!
woh hata rahe hain pardah- im probably not gonna talk a lot for these songs because theyre so long so im probably just gonna lock in on mahjong or slaughter horse. its better than radiohead
ну интересный вайб но рабочий
Религиозно, мантрово, необычно. Но вряд ли я буду гонять на постоянке))
Jolly
its beyond me
Imma keep it 100 with yall I didn’t listen fully and I prob never will. All love and it was good but like I can’t listen to 1.5 hours of this.
Don't see myself listening to it on the fly but it's a nice sound
Devoted
Nice. Would never have found this without the 1001 albums list, glad I did. Liked it, haven't a clue what it was going on about though...
Definitely a change up from the typical stuff on this list. Beautiful, if not slightly too long, songs in a wildly different style than I'm used to. I'd listen to music from him again, but not this much at once. 3.5
Cool drum beats. Never heard Pakistani music before except for maybe in movies. I know it’s not true but it sounds like Native American music with what sounds like chanting.
I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would -- six very different, enjoyable tracks.
Had to find on YouTube. I liked it.
Had a hard time finding this album because apparently he recorded over 100 albums and is in the Guinness book of world records. Hard to comprehend recording that much music.
I wish the list had included an album that didn’t have to be cobbled together on YT, but that’s nobody’s fault. Overall, I didn’t hate it. I won’t listen to it again, I’m sure, but I will forever know what it sounds like if it’s referenced. I guess that’s a win.
This is an album where more context on the songs, or the genre as a whole, would help appreciate why it’s on the list. Good beat and intriguing melodies, that was a plus. But the album felt repetitive, and wasn’t a big fan of the singer’s voice, so not sure where to land on it. But glad to see some multicultural additions rather than another LCD Soundsystem snoozer. Was it the middle eastern Aqualung? Maybe that would’ve helped . . .
Definitely different from what I'm used to and definitely not something I'd always be in the mood for. Still, the passion and talent at work here are pretty clear. Great driving rhythms and sometimes mesmerizing vocals. Worth hearing.
Engaging, like the different rhythm structures, kind of repetitive
What I find interesting about music from non-western cultures, is that its ritual function is so much more apparent than others. Sure, you have straight pop music from these cultures. But you also have this, where the music serves a function. It is useful. Given certain views on culture and artistic craft in the west, I think it makes it obvious that we have lost something that connects us. This music isn't just for putting on in the background at a dinner party. It is clearly a musical tradition that serves to connect people in praise. Might not be something I listen to more than once, but I am extremely intrigued and very keen on checking out more albums like this.
I feel like this had an impact on Wes Anderson, and that bothers me more than it should. Maybe it just reminds me of that movie he made called The Darjeeling Limited, which was him at his most pretentious. But if Wes Anderson never made a pretentious movie with Talia Shire's kid and the Wilson brother with a fucked up nose, I'd probably enjoy this more.
Did this guy record an album every week of his life? There is so much of his stuff out there and he died at age 48! Anyway, the music was not bad to listen to, just not a genre I'd put on casually. There is so much worse music on this list.
Well that was at least novel to hear. Dude had a really cool voice and this was certainly unique although honestly I'm not sure I really needed an hour and a half of it. Did get a wee bit repetitive after about the first disc. Again what is the deal with this site and giving double albums nobody likes them. Overall all a rather enjoyable and interesting experience although I haven't the foggiest idea what was actually being sung. I actually rather liked that to be honest cause it meant I didn't have to pay a lick of attention to the lyrics which is normally something I try to focus on.
Not my thing, but it may be if you’re into religious music from other cultures.
Uhh dude certainly has energy.
His voice is so powerful and the instrumental music is lively. The album is lengthy, but I found it wasn't distracting. I'm glad this album was included among the western music that makes up most of this list.
nice
Interesting nice to listen to but won't again
It's really difficult to judge this as it's pretty much out there in it's own genre. It's pretty good to listen to from an outsiders point of view and well sung, played and produced. If this is fair game for the 1001 why can't there be Mozart or Beethoven albums on here?
This is an album of Sufi (Muslim sect) spiritual music, so instrumentation, vocals, etc. are quite unfamiliar. The music is fun, exciting, varied - I could dance to it. 90 minutes is a bit much, though.
Listened to "love and devotion" on Spotify. I find it a little overwhelming, so much sounds in my ears and the melodies pulling me along
Surprisingly I found it rather good. It had interesting rythums and although I didn't understand the language the lyrics were pleasing to listen to.
Me gusta Nusrat desde que lo pusieron de moda con la banda sonora de Dead Man Walking. Y pasado el tiempo me sigue gustando, desconectado de ese sentimiento lo mismo es difícil disfrutarlo. Comprendo que esto tenga malas puntuaciones (no lo he mirado) y que su éxito se deba al arrastre de esos años 90, pero al menos como algo importante para una parte del mundo no puede obviarse algo de música de la India como algo a oír alguna vez en la vida.
I’m gonna be real, this fucks. Way too long. But it’s gorgeous and I like the call and response format. Reminds me of early southern gospel. The main guy is a killer singer. Probably won’t make it into my every day music but I’m glad I listened to it.
Quite nice. Not something I would just casually listen to, but I did enjoy it overall.
This is so far outside my cultural sphere that it's very difficult to critically appraise. However, I had a nice time listening to it and found it far more enjoyable than CofE hymns or Christian rock. Islam 1-0 Christianity. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka Date listened: 17/12/23
Litt for mye indisk for min smak, kanskje jeg hadde likt albumet bedre om jeg forsto hva de sang
Not my COT, but I've probably enjoyed this mixed/ sampled into lounge/ chill / EDM
Comment il s'agit de chansons de culte, c'est basé sur la répétition comme vecteur de transe, avec des variations de type improvisation vocale (un peu comme les mawwal arabes). La mise en évidence de la voix rend difficile de se concentrer sur les instruments. Je réécouterais.
Better than expected. 90+ minutes is a lot though.
Happy to know about this. It took me a couple listens, but I got drawn into the hypnotizing rhythms. Interesting to see videos of the band live too, there is a lot of trading off the vocals between the several performers.
I like a lot of what's going on here rhythmically, but if I'm being honest, it's not something I'd come back to on my own. I listened a few times in a row, and it didn't necessarily grow on me.
It’s fine rhythmically but that’s about all I get from it.
C+ Allah Hoo Allah Hoo 3 Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka 3 Haq Ali Ali Haq 3 Ali Maula Ali Maula Ali Dam Dam 3 Mast Nazroon Se Allah Bachchae 2 Ni Main Jogi De Naal 3 Sandeep Gingipalli said this was sh**. He was wrong. He has an inherent anti-Pakistan bias though...
3.5 - amazing musician, just was a bit too much for a whole album
Really hard to rate this one. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I can't say I would seek it out. Was very interesting to listen to but since I don't really listen to this kind of music I can't compare it to anything to know how much better or worse it is. 3.5 stars
I listened to love and devotion, which I think is probably close enough. maybe Devotional songs is a five star, but yahoo music didn't have it. what's a guy to do?
Ali Khan's voice makes you want to listen for hours, as does the music; but in the end, it does just become background noise. Excellent noise for all that.
3 - dont have too strong feelings about this one
I love music like this. "Devotional Songs" is a perfect title for this, because it is so apparent that there is a lot of spirituality behind this music. I was not really able to discern why this album specifically was included on this project, but simply looking at it through the lens of an "Eastern music inclusion" is enough; what you get here is a very passionate and very strong example of the cultural music of the Indian and Pakistani regions. The chanting alone is ethereal. Looking at the score for this album, I feel like people have been generally unfair, and maybe this type of music just isn't enjoyed by most, but I would certainly recommend this album to people who have the capacity for enjoying Eastern spiritual music like this.
I went into this very cautiously but actually left feeling pretty okay about the album overall. The lyrics and instrumentals are pretty basic but as you get into the album if you start listening with keeping the genre in mind you can get more of a feel for it. While of course not understanding him I can hear the passion in his voice and actually think he's a really good singer who just isn't using his talents to the full potential on this album. 5/10
I don't know how to rate this.
Good to have something non-western here for a change. I rather enjoyed this - I can see why he's such a celebrated singer. A strong 3 from me, close to 4.
Koste meg egentlig litt med detta albumet
Interesting sound but the opening of each song is usually the strongest part, when you don't know what to expect, after it, it feels like it goes for too long with the same sound, without many changes and it becomes a bit repetitive and tiresome
I’ve listened to Indian music regularly for years but can’t say I’ve explored any Pakistani. I really like some of the eastern song structures, scales, and rhythms. I can tell Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was very earnest and energetic about his performance but a 1.5 hr was a bit of a marathon. Not a huge fan of his vocal style and range, but did enjoy this album. Probably better if interspersed with other vocalists or styles for variety. Three stars
I couldn't find the exact album but listened to Nusrat's most popular on spotify. Alright!
Refreshing but not great
Well I'm just as ignorant as any other white boy doing this challenge so of course my only reference point will be Ravi Shankar.
Interesting, but this sounds very dated.
I like to listen to hindustani music sometimes, because of its very unconventional sounds and ways of composing and singing compared to the north american/european music I'm used to.
Surprisingly quite an okay album, even though it is culturally so foreign style for me. Khan just makes some lively and catchy music, which apparently can be enjoyed by people from the other side of the globe. It's not a record I will come back to, but at least it's much better than many other records on this list.
Zoned out to this album, in a pleasant way. One song blended into the next. I'm sure that upon further listening I can come to appreciate the nuance of each individual song. Good for yoga and art.
I really enjoyed the intros. It's too bad the focus was taken off the lovely guitarwork after they started singing, because that was my favourite part.
Was kinda dreading this as it's world music and knew I wouldn't massively get along. Can see the appeal though. it's obviously not something i'd normally listen to but it has more good points than bad.
Initial Thoughts: Oh we international now. Final Thoughts: I appreciate albums like this, because it shows how different cultures will approach music. I studied music for a while and I remember an entire period where we studied music from South East Asia/India because of how unique their approach to music is. It was nice to listen to a "modern" iteration of this music instead of the classical pieces I studied in school.
Indifferent.
I generally like this stuff, but prefer the more guitar-based work of Ali Farka Toure. This is good, but a bit samey.
This got my mind and my spirit right today.
More enjoyable than expected but not something I'd regularly listen to.
I can appreciate this. It would probably be more enjoyable, playing along with it then listening to it. Kind of like I love to play baseball but don’t really care to watch it.
Pretty monotonous but I see the value of it. I respect Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for exposing the world to this type of music and his voice is incredible. Not really sure what to make of it though I think I need to listen to this with some mushroom pizza.
I don't have a ton to say about this, but it was lovely to listen to. Nice mix of the chill and contemplative, with progressive songs that gradually build in intensity and speed. Khan & Party's joy and passion transcend the language barrier, which is really the great thing about music, isn't it? Fave Songs: Haq Ali Ali Haq, Ali Maula Ali Maula Ali Dam Dam, Allah Hoo Allah Hoo
Mehhhh its just not my sound
Ok but not my thing I don't hate it but can't see why I'd choose to listen to this
Dit was eens speciaal om te horen. Doet ook wat aan de Indische muziek denken, maar ik vond deze toch precies wat langdradig
Must admit, I only got about half way through. Enjoyable listening, but not something I would necessarily return to regularly. Or at least not in album form - maybe choosing to pick out individual tracks.
I enter into some kind of flow state listening to this whilst working one evening. Magical stuff. Haven’t listening to much qawwali… a time and place to enjoy it, but it’s good stuff to help centre the soul.
Obviously unlike other albums because it’s in a language I have no idea about I had a couple of intros to songs where I thought it was for a different song, so it’s clearly close enough to “western” music at times Impressive vocals and I was low key vibing
Enjoyed this because I would never have listened to it without this website.
Cool sound! Reminds me of when I went to India. I think some songs sounded quite similar (my untrained ear) so will give it a 3!
Enjoyed it but I prefer the one he did with Michael Brook.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Felt like if I went to an eastern worship concert? Islamic church music? Nice sound to it
I have never listened to this type of music before and was unsure of what to expect going in. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and sheer conviction with which the songs were sung. Not something I'd throw on to listen to for fun, but would happily listen to again in the right setting.
Kinda fun. 5/10
Good album. I like this style of traditional Indian folk music and Khan's voice is so great and distinctive. I don't know how often I would come back to this honestly, but very much enjoyed this play through.
I'm not used to this 'qawwali' sound; it's fascinating and compelling (e.g., Ali Maula Ali Maula Ali Dam Dam) although the intense vocals do get on the nerves after some time.
Ah bah pour le coup ça change vraiment beaucoup. Aucun élément de comparaison pour ce type de musique, mais ça va, c'est cool, ça se laisse écouter.
Would I have listened to this on my own? No. Did I enjoy listening to Sufi devotional music? Yes. Would I listen to it again? Probably not, but never say never.
Definitely a first listen for me, a little long for my taste but enjoyed trying something new to me.
Totally new to me never even heard the Peter Gabriel produced more celebrated in the west collaboraton with Michael Brook. However despite my newbie status to this artist, I quite enjoyed this album. Found my self tapping my foot along with the music. Also found myself in awe of the vocal performance which is at times sunning. Ultimately it proved rather too long to digest in one sitting, a better choice might have been the more easily digestable Mustt Mustt still a nice discovery. 3.5 stars
Mukavan erilaista!
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/love-and-devotion/1653513320 For those who use Apple Music - it’s the second half of this album. I bet this was an experience to see live. Loses a bit in translation listening while doing data validation tbh.
Cool blend of south Asia music style with some western influence thrown in. The music fan in me appreciates the talent displayed in this album; his vocal abilities are very, very impressive, as is his passion. Overall, though, it didn't move me as much as it probably should have.
This was alright. It kind of all sounded the same, but it sounded decent, so I'm okay with it. Just glad it wasn't longer. My favourite song was maybe Haq ali ali haq? I had a lot of trouble keeping track of which song was which.
Interesting but quite long
A lot of this has soundscapes that I find to be inspired. Layer upon layer of wonderful tonality is placed with a tremendous voice. Even if I can’t understand the lyrics I am grabbed by the singers sentiment. A beautiful piece.
This was pretty good. It's something I could see myself putting on in the background as light listening. Not my traditional style of music but I can see how it was influential.
For what it is, it is well done, there is a radio channel here that plays this kind of thing a lot, this is better than most of what they play. Thankfully I couldn't understand the lyrics, otherwise they would probs do my head in by being all goddy.
Best Song: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka. Don't ask me why. Worst Song: Mast Nazroon Se Allah Bachchae. Don't ask me why. Overall: Lively, joyous music that I can definitely imagine returning to. Being unable to understand the lyrics leads me to appreciate the rhythm of the language. Otherwise, I feel like I completely lack the vocabulary to properly evaluate/appreciate this music.
One of those things that I suppose I feel sort of unqualified to rate? If this kind of music isn’t part of your culture / socialization, I think it might be pretty hard to get into. It is good background music for reading? Yeah, why not. Do I understand the impact or influence of this at all? Absolutely not. Are the songs way too long and repetitive? Definitely. Uhh, I guess we’ll go with 3 stars then?
Good music. Not my typical listen, but I enjoyed the album for it's soul singing.
songs are way to long and repeititive. Quite a few enjoyable parts though.
It's fine but an hour and a half is a bit much
You can see why songwriters such as George Harrison and Jimmy Page were attracted to Near Eastern and Far Eastern music - a wealth of material from which to create music of their own.
I'm not an expert in this genre of music, but over the years I've been exposed to similar sounds and though it has meaning and purpose, I can't say I'm interested in hearing more. I have no idea what's going on and it seemed to go on far too long which really tests my patience and tolerance. Musically, it's skilled, world beat, folk, very ethnic with vocals that are used as another instrumental sound, so it's okay background music.
Different yet familiar, and I enjoyed it. Nice to listen to while I worked this morning. At times, the lead vocalist seemed to be yelling a bit but I get that was the intention.
Love that some non western music is on here. A bit long, especially for my european ears, but it's good.
A delightful album with a very unique sound. Enjoyed this one thoroughly. I am uncertain about what distinguishes it within its genre, but only because of lack of experience and knowledge on my part.
I was first introduced to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by Pearl Jam, actually. Khan partnered with Eddie Vedder for two songs on the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack, including the amazing “Long Road.” That song was originally on Pearl Jam’s two-song EP “Merkin Ball” alongside “I Got Id” that came out of their work with Neil Young on “Mirror Ball.” That’s a fantastic and overlooked pair of songs that are among PJ’s best, but it’s also pretty cool the way they connect Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Un dels noms més reverenciats de la world music. Aquest és un dels treballs que va editar pel segell Real World de Peter Gabriel, i dels més reconeguts a occident. Música qawwali tradicional amb un component religiós força present. Si et trobes en el mood adequat, és gairebé màgic. La millor porta d'entrada a la música qawwali
Pretty good, ended up liking it more than I thought I would
Didn't understand a word so can't comment on the lyrics but there is an energy, a liveliness, to the vocals and music that I enjoyed. Good beat, easy to dance to.
Too long and don’t quite like the voice. Well produced but that’s about it for me. I’d be curious how it does with other audiences
This was a nice change of pace. The rich, full sounds matched the intensity of Khan nicely. It could be a bit repetitive at times but also somewhat meditative. I may have given this a higher rating if it wasn't so long. Although I will probably never listen to this album again, I am glad I listened to it today.
I might enjoy this if I was in the right mood, but I wasn't really in the right mood today. 3 stars.
I had no idea what was going on, but I could feel the intent of the songs and power of his singing.
This is really good. I can only compare it to Bollywood music, and I know it’s a little different, but I need something to orient myself to as I listened to this. I’m pretty sure when I saw AR Rahman in concert he performed some Sufi songs, probably some of these. That’s all I can say about it besides saying I liked it. Energetic, always driving forward. As long as music has a momentum, I can get behind it.
I was very devotional during this time
Good background music but I simply lack the cultural exposure to appreciate it in what it fully is.
World music standard rating
I actually enjoy these little detours from music that was popular in the UK in 1982. I thought the book was going to have more of it - I didn't realise it was 99% known "classics", thought there would be lots of deeper cuts. This album overstayed its welcome but I really enjoyed the first song. Dude can really sing. It only had 1 speed and it got a bit old by the end. tbh I had always assumed Islam has some kind of stuffy ancient law against this sort of thing. (update: it does - this comes from India/Pakistan, while the purists in the middle east forbid musical instruments lol). Anyway, 3/5.
So why this album - of the possibly over 200 that Khan released? It's on a 'pukka' Western label, Real World, and has a western art director in charge of the sleeve. So I guess that. And that it's one of only four or so you can link to on wikipedia. My point being, and I enjoyed this album, is that is it better or worse than the other 200? I have no idea. And bluntly I'm not sure the compiler of this list really does too. Maybe he has a quawwali expert he can run this one past. But I've got no reason to believe it's not representative, and its a good listen, even if it's cultural value entirely goes above my head. let's finish with an anecdote: I attended an early WOMAD Festival in Essex in the mid-eighties and Nusrat was on the bill. We listened for an hour or so, then decamped to the main field to listen to New Order, who were great, then we came back and the man was still going strong. Respect.
Cool to get something so different. I probably won’t revisit it, but it was a pleasant listen
I found this very interesting to read about and I think what is great about this challenge is to be exposed to popular music from different cultures, which is a completely different music style: in structure, language, chord structures, timbres, everything! So for my music education this was great. Was it my bag and would I listen again? Probably not. And no disrespect to Nusrat as he was a really big deal! He brought the Sufi style of music to the main stage internationally And literally he played at WOMAD and everyone loved it and it shot him and the style into notoriety. 1hr 30 mins felt like a lot but apparently that's was one of his talents - absolute stamina to keep going.
Interesting stuff here, was quite the jam.
This went on for way too long
I nearly stopped this album after the first seconds. While I was always interested in music from middle and eastern Asia it's certainly something just for certain moments with our western ears. After a while it clicked. There is something uplifting in it that I can't put my finger to it. While this won't turn me to Islam I see the general appeal.
Rating: 6/10
I enjoyed this way more than expected.
I enjoyed some of this album, it was just way too long
Well I guess I did need to listen to this before I die as there was no chance I would have listened to this if it wasn’t for the list so props for that.
It's clear from reading the reviews on this site that a lot of people don't understand that "Devotional Songs" is Side B of what is now a double album. I can see how doubling the time you spend with this genre might wear on you, but as it is, it's an enjoyable enough experience. Best track: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka
3/5. Quite good music, great rhythm and overall vibe. Don’t think I’d listen to it in my free time but it definitely was not bad.
As far as religious songs are concerned, this was not too bad. This may be partially influenced that since I do not speak the language of the singing, I could just vibe with the music and ignore any proseletyzing.
Enjoyed this very much, especially the percussion. 3/5.
I'm having trouble rating this one as well because I'm just not very familiar with the genre. I was also having some trouble finding it on Apple Music (managed to find a playlist on YouTube but I'm not 100% sure it was the whole album). I definitely liked the sounds, especially the drums in a few of the songs. I'm giving it a 3/5 based on personal enjoyment but he seems like a very influential musician and I should probably do more research, lol.
Yeah, I don't know how to approach this at all. This is so far outside my wheelhouse, I'm thinking about things and musically things sound very good, I especially like the sound of that really deep drum / percussion throughout. The vocals have a great rhythm, and they flow in and out of the music really well. No idea what's going on, though. An hour and a half is a long time. 3 / 5 stars.
Beautiful music but i don't think it's for me
I don't understand it but it is very pretty. Essentially it's like Islamic prayer I think, in which case they're miles ahead of Christianity's bland hymns!
Mjög áhugaverð plata. Kröftug og heillandi. Dýrka raddbeitinguna sem er í gangi þarna!
(2/7) it's a pretty heavy dose of a style of music in which many of the tracks sound indistinguishable to my admittedly untrained ears
Clearly not a sound that resonates for me. Cool to listened to a better album that comes in this category of music. But the album does not stand out in comparison to his other works in his discography.
What can I even say... Not for me
2.5
I don't like it but the system and theory the music is made with is different than western music
Overall: 3/10 The singing was nice, but I'm pretty anti-religious and these songs all sounded the same to me. Fav Song: couldn't even choose
Not really my thing but I can see that it's well put together.
If it ain't on Apple Music, I take that as a sign I've dodged a bullet
Maybe I’m just close minded but I have no interest in this album at all
It may deserve a place somewhere, but not with me.
I've never really been into Qawwali despite occasionally hearing them growing up. I can't deny that NFAK has a one of a kind voice, and I love the drumming, but this will never be my favourite style of music. If this album was your first experience of it and you liked it though, I'd recommend going to an event where you can hear some live - the people who are into it get really, really into it, and the drums sound incredible when you're in the room with them and the vibrations are filling the space
I appreciate the artistry but don't love it
Couldn't do it, just couldn't do it today
They really need to sort out this fella's Spotify, it's a mess. So hard to find the album and half of the discography is silly posthumous compilation things that always annoy me. Anyhow I found the album, it wasn't awful to listen to, but gave no real impression
Känner inte att jag kan sätta bottenbetyg bara på grund av min brist av intresse av det här, men det här var verkligen inget som jag annars hade lyssnat på.
pas fan
전통적인 느낌이 듬뿍 느껴지는 노래였다. 노래는 내 스타일은 아니었다. It was a song with a strong traditional feel. It wasn't really my style, though.
Just not for me
This is so repetitive. This was not. my favourite.
There's obvious talent behind this, so giving it one star would be wrong. Still, the music did not resonate with me in the slightest, it dragged on for way too long.
Mietityttää kun jollain levyn biisillä on 45 miljoonaa kuuntelua ja toisella 200000, mutta kaikki on ihan samanlaista hoilausta. Huomaako ne edes että biisi vaihtuu. Noh tätä jäämme pohtimaan.
On kyl helvetin eksoottista tavaraa. Vähän jäi avoimeks mikä levy nyt ois ees pitänyt kuunnella kun spotifyn linkin takana olevat setit ol mitä ol. Toisaalta noinkohan mikään ois muuttunutkaan vaikka ois vähän sivuosumaa tullut. Mut joo, annetaan vaikka kakkonen tasasesta joikaamisesta.
This was different and in a good way. Very peaceful to listen to.
A slog
wasnt devoted to this
weird
I couldn’t find this album streaming anywhere but I did listen to a different one by the Pakistani Scatman
I can't speak much on this as I cannot understand it, however, I found it rather boring for me and rather long and samey.
Okay.
I guess it’s fine, but this album made me fucking hungry. Normally if I’m hearing this sort of music there’s gonna be some lamb or falafel heading my direction soon 🐑🥙 2.5⭐️
It's not unlistenable...and it sounds like they're having a good time (I hope). I would spin this again before Roni Size...or Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.....can't really give it a 1.
There may be beauty here, but not to my ear.
It’s, fine?
rhythmic, indian, sitar like sound. 'wailing' vocals
Nice to have on the list, but I won’t be revisiting.
I don't really feel equipped to review this in a meaningful way. One of the greatest voices of all time according to Wikipedia, but to my ears it sounds like much devotional/call to prayer music in SE Asia.
Too long, and not for me.
Eine andere Art von Musik. Mal interessant zu hören, die Energie ist spürbar. Ist trotzdem nicht mein Genre. Trotzdem schön, das Album mal gehört zu haben. 2/5
very different from what i usually listen to. I like the world themed instruments but all the songs soundes very similar
Interesting album, reminds me of the one I got from, I think it was Egypt, but I am not sure any more. Anyway this is quite enjoyable however very repetitive and stretches for quite a while. So no more than 3 stars, but I appreciate opportunity to listen outside my comfort zone.
Could be great, not my idea of a good sound, couldn't get into it.
Devotional Songs seems to be available on streaming services as a double album with Love Songs... I imagine I'd get more from this album if I understood the words, but I'm a monoglot anglophone so it all becomes acoustic background.
Tja.. Har hørt et annet av han før som jeg likte mer (Mustt Mustt)..
Yeesh Fave track: Yeh Jo Halka Saroor Hae
Not for me habibi. 2/5
Proof that western music is just better
I don’t want to listen to devotional music for any faith. But if I must, I do prefer that I can’t understand the language.
I'm going to assume that the YouTube playlist I listened to was this album... It sounds like this guy was known as a pretty iconic qawwali singer. I can hear that, although I don't really have many other similar performers to compare to in this case. The content on this album didn't really do any favors however, as things got repetitive pretty quickly.
Not exactly my cup of tea, would love to know what was being said. Songs were quite long, listened whilst coding and was actually productive, probably won't revisit but interesting listen.
not for me
What? Huh? Music from a part of the world that isn't near where I live??? I hate experiencing other cultures noooo. While I jest, I do find that popular music rarely transcends cultural boundaries, at least for me. Not counting indigenous music or "scenes" of genres I’m familiar with; the stuff that hits the charts in far flung locales is usually as perturbing to me as the schlock that appears on the charts on this accursed continent. I find it very strange that there are so few inclusions on this list from Asia, and yet we throw in a token record from certified power hoss (google the guy) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It almost would have made more sense to just not have this record? It seems like an extremely random inclusion. I'm not going to skewer this because I know absolutely nothing about it. I really enjoyed the intensity of the vocals here. Dude was a beast. I personally thought most of the melodies were extremely sunny and boring but the insane nutso shrieking warmed my heart. The worst part about this record is my review. 2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: The Islamabad Unit Shifter
I... well... give me some hallucinagenic cactus juice and I'd probably buy into this. It's not a great album as a non-religious English woman driving to and from work, but I could listen to this at a festival, round the fire, high as shit and get into my not-spiritual-spiritual-chillzone. Aaaaaaalllaaaaaahhhhhhoooooooo🖖☮️
Трохи дивний тут вибір "незахідної музики". Я не можу сказати, що мені сподобалося, але й якогось негативу теж немає. Другий раз я б не увімкнув.
Not my cup of chai
Meh
I respect it just isn’t for me 4.3/10
The music was interesting, but I had a hard time with the singing
Better than Mariah Carey’s bullshit.
A cool addition to the list for expanding the pallet. That being said, while I'm coming around on Indian music, this one didn't really scratch that itch for me. Just felt tedious.
Too much of a cultural gap for me to really have a feel for it. It didn't really do much for me, but I can respect that it is likely good at what it is trying to do
I appreciate the musicianship and vibes, but it’s just not for me. I could never find the groove.
It's just not my thing especially as a Saturday morning listen. I'm across who he is, he did a Womad once a thousand years ago. I remember he garnered a lot of attention (might have been the final night headline act), partly due to to the melting pot of Islamic and Punjabi cultural influences he'd appropriated to create what was seen within this genre as a unique sound. So I get all that, and I do like the fact that outside of the Western appropriation discourse it similarly happened in the diverse mix of Islamic cultural contexts. Who'd have thunk it eh? A curio for me and very hard to assess in terms of needing to hear it before I die. Would I listen to it again, no.
Nice to have some none English music on the list but I must admit this did nothing for me. Not offensive, just not my thing 1.5
Just a bit much for me.
Not for me. For something devotional I found it quite harsh and jarring. And it’s very samey
Jeetje, 1,5 uur dit. Is me niet gelukt
Like Colton, I am an uncultured swine.
I struggle with a lot of world music. I slimmed this listen down to the original six songs on the “Devotional Songs” album. And, while I don’t anticipate ever listening to any of these songs again, I found moments of enjoyment. And yes, I’m an uncultured swine. 4/10 Acceptable
IDK man I can't really get into this.
It was okay!