Čarobnice

Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba

Artist: Kreslin, Vlado
Label: Kreslin, d.o.o.
Release: 2013
Running time: 204:16
Rating: 4.8/5

You can never have too much of a good thing, and despite the patina of accumulated years, certain songs and melodies, even after being heard and felt a thousand times, can still open up new dimensions of a magical musical world of endless beauty. More than ten years ago, the great Beltinci poet, thinker and, above all, incorrigible aesthete Vlado Kreslin poured a first handful of archival goodies into the ears of the masses, and the album Kreslinčice, a cherry-picked selection of his music, already delivered more than two hours of top-shelf quality back then. Forty years into his musical career, even more of those heart-piercing spells had piled up, and since Kreslin isn’t a man who recreates and strings things together the same old way every time, it was time for quality upgrades, expansions and fresh surprises. At the end of May 2013, the wizard with the hat and guitar added to his many albums a colorful brew he named Čarobnice. The triple album, with 50 little spells and a good three hours of music, is the sequel to the golden Kreslinčice (2002). The magic potion contains well-known, legendary songs, TV and live performances, plus a few brand-new tracks. Rich Prekmurje folk, sevdah, Gypsy melodies, blues and rock all flow into one another, which makes it a thoroughly authentic Kreslin invention, a kind of summary of his work so far.

The trigger for this new creation was the opening song on the first disc, Tisti bejli grm, which Vlado sings with his father Milan. It’s a nostalgic song with a touch of romance and a wonderful overture to the tender Zibaj me, enriched by the voice of Severa Gjurin. The two new tracks are joined by Okna na stežaj, introduced and sung together with Vlado by the OŠ Bežigrad children’s choir. It was written last year for the clean-up campaign Očistimo Slovenijo/Očistimo svet, and its logical successor is Ena pesem, whose message is kindness, an open heart and joy, and which takes us back to the start of the album Drevored – to the track Tam na koncu drevoreda. Then comes a medley of timeless songs from the albums Cesta, Generacija, Nekega jutra, ko se zdani, Drevored and Ptič. Besides the first track, where Vlado is joined by his 85-year-old father, Vlado Kreslin also recorded duets with Severa Gjurin (Abel in Kajn) and the Macedonian guitar virtuoso Vlatko Stefanovski (Odhaja dan).

The second disc kicks off with the new, spirited, danceable song Kdo si, dressed up in Latin rhythm, on which producer and exceptionally gifted musician Gal Gjurin plays no fewer than 12 different instruments. What follows is more classic Kreslin; the folk duets with Allan Taylor (Let the music flow) and Mary Coughlan (a cover of Dylan’s Don’t think twice it’s allright) calm the heartbeat and caress the ears. Meet me where they play the blues is a delicately sung piano gem that has an extra special charm thanks to the Irish singer Mary Coughlan. Kakor zvezdi na nebu is sung by two stars, Neisha and Vlado, the Međimurje traditional Ljubav se ne trži is sung with Vlado by the Croatian poet and singer Lidija Bajuk, the sevdalinka Voljelo se dvoje mladih (Žute dunje) features the band Vali, whose members are Bosnian refugees, Tam daleč stran is sung with deep feeling by Milan Kreslin, and S Mure na more Jadransko is a reworking of Z Goričkega v Piran, sung with Vlado by the Croatian singer-songwriter Neno Belan, who gives the song a Mediterranean touch. The dark opening of the gem Nocoj igramo za vas heralds a fiery duet between two magical singers, Vlado and Rade Šerbedžija. To ni političan song is the Croatian version of the song To ni političen song, performed with Kreslin by Parni valjak, while Texarcana is a surf rock take on the R.E.M. song, which Vlado and the Croatian rockers Bambi Molesters put together for the 2012 event Projekt R.E.M.: Čista energija glasbe. Rulet is a song where Kreslin sings with the Opatija band Šajeta, Grad is a live recording in Croatian, and the last track on the second disc is the mellow, magical guitar piece Nočni ptiči (The nightbirds) with Chris Eckman.

The third ingredient of the magic potion whisks us off into the world of television, starting with Kakšen dan, the song for the youth TV series Geniji ali genijalci, and continuing with the fairy-tale Pustite nam ta svet, which we sang as kids along with the TV series Čisto pravi gusar. Spet doma and S prsti mi greš skoz’ lase are the fruit of collaboration with Žan Zmazek, while Čuden si bil že kot otrok was made with Jure Hübsher, keyboardist of Kreslin’s former band Martin Krpan. Še je čas is a song from the Martin Krpan days, backed by the MPZ Krka choir. It’s followed by a string of live recordings from Cankarjev dom, some released for the first time: To pri nas ni možno, Dan neskočnih sanj (the song Vlado won the Slovenska popevka festival with in 1980), S tabo je izi, Daleč je moj rojstni kraj (where we hear Allan Taylor sing in Slovenian), Tista črna kitara, Namesto koga roža cveti (Rade Šerbedžija freshens up the evergreen and adds a warmth all his own), Gostilna Central (a recitation from the poetry collection Venci – Povest o Beltinški bandi), and Nede mi več rasla (a folk song performed by Beltinška banda). With Beltinška banda, Kreslin also reworks the traditional Daj mi Micka pejneze nazaj, into which verses from The Doors’ Love her madly sneak their way. Vlada Divljan, Serbian singer and frontman of the former band Idoli, sings Dok dobuje kiša at Kreslin’s side, Mary Coughlan takes on Slovenian in the live recording Dekle moje, and Severa Gjurin carries Od višine se zvrti up to the heights, among the stars, where the magic of singing ends with the lullaby Lahko noč sestrica.

But the magic doesn’t end there. Čarobnice is like a powerful spell that ensnares the listener for good, while stirring up a craving for more … More spells, more Kreslin potions, more incantations … It’s definitely proof of Kreslin’s rich musical history and baggage, and of his ability to fuse different genres, cultures and generations, and it also tells us that music is a language we all share; a language that unites people and sets the soul free. And this time, that liberation comes with a full three hours of familiar melodies in new outfits. Prekmurje serves up fresh shades of dreaminess, deep contemplation, emotion and perfect love – love of life, of the homeland, of one’s own roots and past – while its big-heartedness and genuine emotion keep fresh even what’s becoming part of our musical folklore and national consciousness. All thanks to the magic of Čarobnice.

Production

Gal Gjurin

Track List

CD1.:

1. Tisti bejli grm
2. Zibaj me
3. Okna na stežaj
4. Ena pesem
5. Tam na koncu drevoreda
6. Abel in Kajn
7. Odhaja dan
8. Začetku začetek
9. Z Goričkega v Piran
10. Letos bo huda jesen
11. Tisoč let
12. Cesta
13. Danes sem v molu
14. O, Vrba
15. Poj mi pesem
16. Vsak si želi

CD2:

1. Kdo si
2. Let the music flow
3. Don’t think twice it’s allright
4. Meet me where they play the blues
5. Kakor zvezdi na nebu
6. Ljubav se ne trži
7. Voljelo se dvoje mladih (Žute dunje)
8. Tam daleč stran
9. S Mure na more Jadransko
10. Nocoj igramo za vas
11. To ni političan song
12. Texarcana
13. Rulet
14. Grad
15. Nočni ptiči (The nightbirds)

CD3.:

1. Kakšen dan
2. Pustite nam ta svet
3. Spet doma
4. S prsti mi greš skoz’ lase
5. Čuden si bil že kot otrok
6. Še je čas
7. To pri nas ni možno
8. Dan neskončnih sanj
9. S tabo je izi
10. Daleč je moj rojstni kraj
11. Tista črna kitara
12. Namesto koga roža cveti
13. Gostilna Central
14. Nede mi več rasla
15. Daj mi Micka pejneze nazaj
16. Dok dobuje kiša
17. Dekle moje
18. Od višine se zvrti
19. Lahko noč sestrica