Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia
Date: Friday, 05.06.2015
With her latest visit to Slovenian stages, Ana Popović has finally played in the middle of the Slovenian capital too. For the slender queen of the blues, this makes five visits to Slovenia in total: she’d already played Postojna twice, then Laško at the Pivo in cvetje festival, and last year Nova Gorica. And that’s not all! This year she’ll play Slovenia for the sixth time, at Maribor’s Lent festival.
Ana is a highly respected musician in blues circles worldwide, a multiple nominee and winner of the most prestigious awards for her contributions to blues music. This year she released a joint studio album with her father Milutin Popović, titled “Blue Room”. The album came out two weeks before Ana’s Ljubljana show.
About twenty minutes past eight, the young Slovenian blues rock hopefuls Prismojeni profesorji bluesa jumped onto the stage. They couldn’t have picked a better moment. The turnout was a dream for them, even though most of the crowd (funny, but true) was sitting on the steps in the hall. It was a much bigger crowd than on 30.01.2015, when the band played the same venue as part of the “Za kombi” charity festival. Prismojeni profesorji bluesa are a sought-after name on the club scene. They put on fantastic shows, and anyone who comes into contact with them quickly gets hooked. The quartet remains as punchy as they come. Their original blend of old-school heavy rock blues, where the Erič brothers casually trade guitar and harmonica solos, backed by a solid and furious rhythm section, got an extra boost this time from a guest saxophonist. A sax always brings sex appeal to the music. Three singers take turns on the songs, but it’s the drummer, with his almost black-soul voice, who really impresses. In a rush of adrenaline and surplus testosterone, he knocked his drum kit over onto the floor at the end of the set and drove the young stallions’ performance to a crescendo. This is a band on the rise, and they prove it from gig to gig. An excellent choice of opener and a chance the guys made the most of. A big crowd saw them and will remember them well.
Ana Popović is, unlike the crazy boys, a lady. And she arrived on stage in that style. High heels, a tight, form-fitting mini dress with a plunging neckline, and jewelry, of course, goes without saying. Ana, who is naturally one of the taller girls, looked almost two meters tall on stage in her heels. The band opened the show with a flirty “shuffle” rhythmic charge (Ana’s Shuffle), and Ana mostly presented songs from the album “Can You Stand the Heat” (2013). She also played Somebody from the newest “Blue Room” (2015), and among others, the walls of CUK Kino Šiška that evening also rang with Object of Obsession, Let Me Love You Baby, How’d You Learn To Shake it Like That, Unconditional, Count Me In, Summer Rain, Your Love Ain’t Real, plus covers of Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me (Albert King), Every Kind of People (Robert Palmer), Navajo Moon (Stevie Ray Vaughan), Rain Fall Down (The Rolling Stones) and Can You See Me (Jimi Hendrix).
Ana is a master of rational playing. She doesn’t squander notes, but takes care, with a refined feel, to place them just right. Her solos are beautifully shaped and hold plenty of musical appeal, and in certain passages she proves why she’s one of the sharpest and most esteemed blues guitarists in the world. She’s got that real “grip” that sweeps you away and takes over. The original, funk-based Object of Obsession sounded great, with the rhythm section standing out in filigree precision and showing off its “smooth” virtues in the pairing of Carlton Armstrong (who also handled backing vocals) and French drummer Stephane Avellaneda. Italian keyboardist Michele Papadia also got plenty of room to season the intros and outros, as well as to weave solid tapestries with the guitar phrases.
Devilish blues! No two ways about it. Under Ana’s feather-light direction. Through it all, the guitar playing takes the dominant stance in full measure, ahead of her vocal interpretation. That doesn’t mean Ana lacks authority as a singer, but you shouldn’t expect or demand vocals of the Mahalia Jackson or Aretha Franklin type from her. Ana does it all with her outstanding guitar playing. She’s incredibly accurate and precise, yet vivid and passionate. The girl has true Slavic fire whenever she’s passionately wielding her Fender Stratocaster toy! This time was no different. Another great experience. If you happened to miss her in Ljubljana, you’ve got a shot at a retake. You just have to make the trip to this year’s Lent festival in Maribor.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
