However, Arieb Azhar, who has a tremendous singing voice, was a bit underused. Though the kalam that he chose in Na Raindi Hai was profound, it would have been better had he been allowed (perhaps it was his own decision) to sing instead of resorting to tahtul lafz.
Again, Karavan's inclusion in the lineup is a bit of a mystery, for their song Yaadein (well-sung, mind you) was un-CS-like. If they'd gone for a fusion kind of a thingy it may have made the very vital difference.
Zeb & Haniya never disappoint. Period. So their rendition of Bibi Sanam Janam was a funky delight. Again, you don't know whether artistes discuss their song choice with the producer beforehand, because you felt the first episode was a bit linear in its musical progression, and there wasn't much of the hip experimentation that you're accustomed to get from the Studio.
But what really made up for all the (negligible) shortcomings was Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi's groovy rendition of Alif Allah Chambe Di Boo. It was a pleasant surprise listening to Meesha in particular. Man, does that girl have an unusually attractive voice or what. A bit raspy, somewhat throaty. Special mention must also be made of the bass guitarist. His riffs brilliantly complimented the number's catchy rhythm patterns.
