GHAZAL EXTRAORDINAIRE: ABIDA PARVEEN:
Raqs-E-Bismil ("Dance of the Wounded") holds a special significance in Parveen's career. Firstly, a release through the major record label from India confirmed wider reach in the Indian subcontinent as opposed to earlier, haphazardly released albums. Secondly, rather than dedicating an album to one particular poet; as Parveen had done quite frequently earlier; Raqs-E-Bismil witnesses Parveen singing to the poetry of various poets. With three songs on the word by Hazarat Shah Niaz and one each by poets Asghar Gondvi ("Zaahid Ne"), Maulana Hasrat Mohani ("Roshan Jamal-E-Yaar"), Hazrat Zaheen Shah Taaji ("Ji Chahe"), and Jigar Moradbadi ("Jalwa Ba Qadra"), Parveen makes sure to pick her favorite poetry for this album. More importantly, due to the seemingly important stature of this release, she sticks to the Kafi genre of singing without straying to other extremes and thus brings out an album that displays her at her very best.
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