Here is presented a duo of nephews to the great mountain of a man
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in their attempt to continue the outstanding line of qawwali after the death of
Nusrat. As it happens,
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (another nephew, featured herein on lead harmonium) would appear to be the one who has since taken the throne. Still, these brothers have all of the energy
Nusrat gave his audiences. Their power is certainly good and the energy is outstanding, with tempos raised even beyond where
Nusrat would generally tread in a frenzy. Unfortunately, energy isn't the only necessary aspect for the perfect qawwali. These two need a bit more development in the vocal ranges (though truthfully only a bit), which will presumably come with a few more years of performance. On this specific album, they present a song to Allah, one to Mohammed, one to Baba Farid Shakar Gunj, and a nice ghazal. Each one is presented in the same manner: straightforward in attack formation. This is outstanding qawwali by any measure, though other members of the family should still be the starting point for any intrepid listener. ~ Adam Greenberg