View source for Template:Shahzad Hameed/Album Preview:Songs from the Nowhere Land

[[Image:DSC shahzadhameed5136.JPG|left]]There’s a perk to the whole CD reviewing thing, not only do you get rare,limited edition,unreleased discs,but once in a while you also get to hear some good music; like the new Shahzad Hameed venture titled “Songs from the Nowhere Land.” In an era where other rock bands are gleefully releasing only just “adequate” music, we still stubbornly continue to greet each new rock album with an unreasonably heightened sense of anticipation."Songs from the Nowhere Land" was no different;I was hoping to be surprised.

"Nowhere to run,nowhere to hide!" growls Shahzad Hameed on [http://www.shahzadhameed.com/aps.htm Fish out of Water], track one. A groovy experimental track, here’s his debut song with a very unconventional video(no chicks in this one).I guess he’s gotten over his mid career anxiety about whether he’s cool enough. Now, he just hands it to the edge and lets it rip.

Whatever your opinion of Shahzad Hameed’s first single is, we're dealing with something that's potentially at least a small cultural phenomenon of its own.Even though “Songs from the Nowhere Land” has been officially released in only selective stores in the market, several music links on the internet exclusively feature some of its songs.The album boasts lavish production values and is probably some strain on Shahzad's personal finances . As none of the songs are in Urdu, mass success will probably elude him (As if he cares “Selling out is just like treason” he growls in No Compromise). But he might become a cult phenomenon for all the songs on “Songs from the Nowhere Land” are strong ones. 

Shahzad’s strong vocals are out front. The tracks are experimental and have classic rock influences.The well crafted arrangements make the album interesting and involving.His songs exhibit a retreat from the convention(on lookers for love songs:skip this album please), and perhaps what is most surprising are his strong lyrics: critical,anti authority, anti establishment and anti materialism.They say the best way to spot a good writer is by how many one liners compete for quotation in review summaries;and for most songs in this album it was usually at least a few.Lets hope he is able to influence a whole pretentious literacy of contemporary rock poets who continue to churn out love melodies one after the other.

The best track on the album has to be “[http://www.j4jumpy.net/MusicLibrary/index.php?q=f&f=%2FMainstream-Music%2FShahzad+Hameed New Religion]”. A very unforgettable opening riff: it takes you to The Old American West. If a video ever comes out of this particular song look out for cow boys and drunkards in a bar challenging each other to a shootout!

The album contains two covers.The first of these is [http://www.mp3.tv/emerging/display_band.php?id=496 Purple Haze] and it has the same spark,punch,oomph and a sense of wide eyed exhilaration as the original. His random talking and not singing in between songs leaves you smiling:”Cant go home” “Oh God” “I cant go on like this”. He is cheeky: in a very cool way.The [[LedZepplin.com|Led Zepplin]] cover (Rock N roll) is just as impressive.

"Way we live today, some call it civilized.

I call it two faced-two faced lies"(Growls)

"I refuse to understand

refuse to relate

to the wicked world we have today"(More growling)

“Fear” and “No Compromise” are both good tracks.Both songs skip from genre to genre in their arrangement.His voice has got that general musician's rasp but the arrangement of the songs  are repetitive.Most songs start off slow, have an upbeat hard rock  phase, mellow down and come back to old school rock again.”No compromise” is retro and draws influence from the likes of Black Sabbath and Lynnard Skynnard. “Vicious Cycle” is a rather upbeat song and has a lot of funk and soul factor in it (which stand in sharp irony to its lyrics).“Journey” leans strongly towards psychedelia and this nine minute long epic leaves you bored after a while.Two instrumentals follow. But skip them. Have a rerun of “New Religion” instead.

“Songs from the Nowhere Land” is a good album.Like all other classic rock albums the songs sound the same when heard for the first time.But do give it a second hear.The album grows on you and you cant help but appreciating this very confident effort from this rebel with a six string.And as he chants  "Its been a lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time" on Rock' n' Roll one cant help but nodding and head banging.Indeed,an album such as this has been a long time coming.

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