Blind For Love

It is taking me longer to absorb this CD, but each time I listen to it, and hear more subtle detail, it gets better. Her earlier work was more straight-forward, obvious blues or jazz or rock, and thus easier to appreciate.

The songs she has written here show more maturity and a fresh ability to look inside herself for deeper feeling. To my ears the 'funky' tracks ten and eleven are the weakest, but they are the only ones not written by her.

My favourite tracks are the softly melodic 'More Real', 'Blind for Love', more passionate 'Blues for M' and the gently swinging 'The Only Reason', and 'Part of Me (Lullaby for Luuk)' is just sublime.

I keep thinking of Maria Mulduar and 'Midnight at the Oasis' when listening to the 'Blind for Love' track, but when I compared them directly the difference is vast. It is just the warm mood and feeling of comfort that is the same.

The band is tight and professional, the sound is reasonably well balanced with the trademark smooth bass and superb guitar work, and all the arrangements are subtle and intelligent. Ana has produced an album in her own unique style, and yet different again from her earlier work, and I look forward to continuing to enjoy it as much as her others.

Only four stars because I think there are a couple of weak tracks (10 and 11) not up to her usual high standards. They might have been slipped in for commercial reasons. Others may well like them a lot - they might grow on me too, what do I know?

I notice Amazon quote a long delivery time, but the first UK marketplace vendor supplied it next day, and cheaper.

Addendum.
Having listened to it a few more times while on the bus and tube, and compared it with her previous CDs, I've worked out why I'm not so keen on this one. The balance of the mix is not quite right; the drums are too prominent and the beautiful bass is too subdued. I want to listen to Ana and her guitar and the rest of the band, not the boring snare drum trampling all over everything.

Time for a re-mix.

Compare her earlier work; Hush!, Comfort to the Soul, and Still Making History.

First I have to say that where music is concerned I'm a 'tweaker'. Ninety nine times out of a hundred I hear a song and think "I like that but if only..." A lyric seems clumsy or a guitar solo in the wrong place. Very few CD's in my life completely pass the tweak test: 'Born to Run', 'Jailbreak', 'Continuum'... This CD isn't perfect but it's within spitting distance for me.

1: Nothing Personal
Ana hits the ground running with this horn powered Pop/Rock number. Is there still a Pop Singles Chart? If there is, this should be in it - at the top

2: Wrong Woman
The lead vocal is rough and tough. I think Ana has noticed that a lot of her audience is men with their tongues hanging out. This will be a timely reminder to them when she's onstage to remember the woman they came into the hall with. The best moment on 'BFL' is right here on this track and it's actually a moment of silence - the silent beat in the middle of the line as Ana warns: "I wouldn't let it get too far - if I were you!" Glorious sense of timing.
Did I mention it has a hard rock riff that kicks like prime Thin Lizzy?

3: Steal Me Away
Now this reminds me of my favourite track from the latest Aynsley Lister disc, "Crazy". Great foot-tapping, steel guitar driven song that will be a treasure to hear live and proof that Ana can still play and sing the blues. The background vocalists do a nice job to inject a bit of the Mississippi here too.

4: Blind For Love
The best evidence of Ana's musical progress is right here. I loved 'Calenders' on SMH and this is like 'Son of Calenders'. You know a song is great when everything you hear seems like it belongs where it is and that's the case with this track.

5: More Real
Atmospheric. About a couple being in love. And I'm in love too - with the glorious slidework here.

6: Putting out an APB
This one was surely written for the Road. The drum Pumping it along steadily and with a refrain that everyone can sing along to. I dare anyone in the concert hall not to shout out "Putting Out An APB" when the time comes. I would guess that Thomas and Ronald from Ana's regular Band had a great time recording this one and will have a similarly great time playing it onstage - along with Ana of course!

7: Get Back Home To You
They're all going to love this live too - and so will we I'm sure.
One of my all time favourite Ana songs already
Irresistably funky, great riff. This could go on forever and be too short.

8: The Only Reason
Ana's vocals also provide the rythm for tthis quirky tune with rather poetic lyrics and a nice solo that could happily be longer.

9: Part of Me (Lullaby for Luuk)
If my Mother could have played guitar and written a song for me I would have been very proud if it had come out like this. "I've been loving you before I knew You" sings Ana. Only a Mother would come up with such a poignant lyric for her son.

10: Lives That Don't Exist
How do you deal with fame?
Is Ana saying that the celebrity lives portrayed by the press are not the real people they portray? I'm not quite sure of the message here. Not sure either what she means by "Rocks are only fair/Up and close, cribs & rides"
The lyrics make my brain hurt but again there's a super funky Rock rhythm to enjoy.

11: Need Your Love
Pushes her out of her vocal comfort zone and shows how well her voice is developing along with a super slide solo that is too short to enjoy on the CD. Hope it's longer onstage.

12: Blues for M
It could very well be a Tour de Force at future live shows. The great Rock Ballad a la Lizzy's 'Still in Love With You' or UFO's 'Love to Love You. A sure fire hit for turning things down at sweaty concerts and maybe the place for Ana to really play guitar with feeling onstage.

Conclusion:
Ana Popovic has certainly continued evolving on all levels: as a songwriter, as a vocalist and as a musician (recognizing when in soloing less is more). Have no fear of Ana losing the Blues in her music, it's in her veins and always was. But there is every sign here that Ana is on course to pass my `tweaker Test' very soon and put herself in the big league.
This CD isn't just for Blues fans - it's for everyone who loves good contemporary music.
A very talented lady who sounds even better than she looks!

I think it's fair to say Ana seems perfect. Great artist, singer, guitar player, possessed with the blues ... and endowed with all the attributes valued by superficial men ;-)) (paraphrasing Seinfeld). I discovered her via Utube and am getting all her albums for the moment. Honestly I was wondering how a girl from Serbia living in the NL could really have the blues ... but it is obviously a universal thing to have the blues (or not), and my cliches are wrong (by definition). Can't wait to see her live, she is announced close to my home next year.
If you love Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bonamassa, Aynsley Lister ... and of course the Collins/Cray/King etc style, this is a MUST.