Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Albums (63)
What The Critics Say
The recycling of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's work continues with Nami Danam, a 1987 recording originally released on JVC as Pakistan: Vocal Art of Sufis, Vol. 1. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, but it does tend to make a large and sometimes inconsistent discography even more difficult to negotiate. Alula has picked up a good one here, though. The recording is excellent, made at a time when Khan had become a major star on the Indian subcontinent, but well before his breakthrough in the West. This is generally an indication that you're getting qawwali in its purest form: vocals, harmonium, tabla, and handclapping. These are stirring performances, whether you're a Sufi or not, and Khan's soaring vocals are in excellent form. There's a great deal of qawwali music available nowadays, and Nami Danam is as good a starting point as any. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This 2002 release of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's songs by ARC Music (previously released by Navras Records) presents four songs recorded during a concert that took place in London in December 1989 at the Kufa Gallery. Listeners hear a singer in perfect mastery of his qawwali art, singing in different languages, such as Farsi, Punjabi, and old Hindi. Nobody can remain indifferent to these songs and this great singer, even though one may not understand the poetry. Each song is a prayer that is intimately shared with everyone listening to him. Simply magical. ~ Bruno Deschênes, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The art of the qawwali isn't just to transport himself to ecstasy with his music, but also those around him, and listeners. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan did it better than most, and there's no denying he was one of the great voices of the 20th century. Since his death, recordings have come out of the woodwork, many of them made just before his death. Body and Soul is another of them, taped in his native Lahore, and carefully restored at Real World studios. What's interesting about these tracks is while Khan himself is front and center, he acts more as director and inspiration than the one taking all the vocal solos -- when he does improvise, it tends to be in short bursts. There's a strong reliance on his "party," as his group is known, especially the backing vocalists, who carry much of the weight. And Khan's obviously been listening to the Asian Underground and bhangra music coming out of Britain -- "My Love Has Become a Stranger" bursts out of the gate with a strong groove, its introduction almost like a pop song, with the harmonium taking a strong role throughout, rather than the background it's often assigned in this music; it's music just begging for a remix (although it's debatable whether it truly needs one). "Waiting for Years" offers a shimmering beauty, like a lotus flower coming into blossom, and "Each and Every Rosary Bead" moves back into Western modes with another thick groove -- quite remarkable for handclaps and tabla. On the occasions when Khan really lets fly, it's easy to understand why he was revered as a master. But even when he's letting others take the spotlight, his presence is felt, and it's apparent that he molded his party into a formidable backup and very adventurous group. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
