Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Bučar, Rudi
Label: Celinka
Release: 2015
Length: 67:26
Rating: 4/5
Rudi Bučar is that Slovenian musician, composer, singer-songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who, in the vivid mosaic of Slovenian music, stands out as the bridge between Istrian traditional music and his own songwriting vision. That’s why he’s definitely one of the true originals when it comes to music in Slovenia. And this time is no different.
Rudi is back on the scene and spoiling his audience big time. With a double album, no less. The first disc of the new release »Konǝc « is actually the new studio album of eight songs, followed by versions of some of Rudi’s tried-and-true crowd favorites from the live set, played with his backing band Istrabend. On the second disc we find ten songs sung a cappella, which, apart from two originals, are all spins on traditional Istrian folk tunes. The songs on the second disc already came out in 2014 on the album »Kantajmo«, performed by Kvartet 7 Plus.
If we take »Konǝc« in the narrow sense, meaning the first disc, it’s not hard to see that Bučar stays true to the musical vision he’s been serving up all along. The man has gathered around himself an instrumental backing built by a crew of excellent players. It blasts you straight into the wide-open spaces of the Karst bora wind, strong contrasts of color, and the smell and taste that only the Mediterranean can create. Above all, Bučar makes sure of that with the Istrian dialect in his verses, as well as by harmonizing his vocals with choral chants. The opening of the album is already like that. Strictly Istrian. On the new record Bučar actually seems even more doggedly fixed on the roots of his ancestors and his native soil. The opener Sen znala jes flags that right away. If I may caricature it on purpose, in a bizarre way, Bučar manages to fuse traditional folk melos with the singer-songwriter appeal of a personal, confessional note, still with a unique charm, and in everything he does he remains a true »Istrian nightingale«.
The album is nicely balanced from track to track, alternating between moments when the traditional side of Istrian folk melos is the dominant focal point of the statement, and moments when it ducks into the background and makes room for other genre figures. Bučar sings these moments without the dialect, too. One of them is the song Ti, where Bučar shines in genuine, intimate, confessional emotion, and the song is superbly crossed, in sharp contrast, with elements of blues and gospel. The electric guitar doesn’t miss the chance to wail resolutely in the middle instrumental passage either, adding a special spice to the song. This is one of the strongest points of the personal, confessional kind, and with its powerful musical form it could easily get heavy rotation on radio stations. The jump between verse and chorus is a masterclass in building up and spilling over into hungry moods. The cherry on top comes from the orchestral arrangements (strings) in this song. Ti is joined, with a kindred confessional pulse, by Dam ti jutra later on. The song Drugačna is a cleverly cut stitch of lighter, organic-sounding pastels, with a breeze of country music drifting in, too.
Bučar shows incredible nerve when he brings back to the album the sentiment of coastal Mediterranean tradition, with the accordion sounding once again, as he takes on a cover of the notorious Bandiera Rossa. In these strange, dark times you’ve got to be pretty brave to sing »long live socialism«. But let’s be honest. The lyrics of this song are more relevant today than ever. The lucid version even includes a cosmetic detour into a traditional Russian motif. The song Izola flirts with the roots of Italian cabaret chanson and is dedicated to the football club from Izola. The song Šaltinka is a really special point of the album. In fact, this one song alone embodies everything written above. Everything is brought together in one single place. Pretty much the entire musical dossier of Rudi Bučar as an artist. The song has infectious musical value all over and even trades in Balkan rhythms alongside the usual Istrian sympathies and cabaret. Šaltinka delivers the album’s exceptionally energetic seasoning and presents Bučar in the best possible way, as an artist who has developed his own formula for combining the values of traditional Istrian folk melos with generally accessible music (recognizable in genre terms), so it’s no surprise that Bučar also presented himself with this song at this year’s EMI. With it, he made it all the way to the final of the contest.
Rudi Bučar remains, with the album »Konǝc«, an absolute one-of-a-kind in the Slovenian music scene, someone who never stops impressing with the sharpness of the way he channels traditional melos into his very own singer-songwriter dossier. Add the fact that in recent years he has won first place at all the most important Slovenian pop music festivals, and it’s clear we’re dealing with a songwriter who manages to make real contact with listeners. The interplay of extraordinary passions and emotions paints a vivid story of a virgin landscape of sea and sun and its inhabitants, far, far beyond a world of nothing, one that lost its faith and form long ago. This world lives and bubbles away, honest as can be, in the heart of this artist, which is why the album »Konǝc« is a one-of-a-kind ticket into a unique world, one that with its genuine, confessional quality effectively awakens, bit by bit, the listener’s soul and casts an irreversible spell on it.
Lineup
Rudi Bučar – vocals, guitar, piano
Janez Dovč – accordion
Goran Krmac – tuba
Mitja Bobič – trumpet, percussion, backing vocals
David Morgan – drums, percussion
Boštjan Grabnar – keyboards, accordion, backing vocals
Robert Pikl – guitar, charango, backing vocals
Anže Langus Petrovič – bass guitar, bouzouki, backing vocals
Jure Rozman – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Frfačele – vocals
Vicinke – backing vocals
Zdenko Cotič – guitar
Marcel Marinšek – accordion
Klemen Krajnc – double bass
Tomi Purič – drums
Giovanni Toffoloni – bass guitar
Aleš Uranjek – drums
Marino Legovič – piano, Hammond organ
Ivana Čebraja – backing vocals
Jadranka Krištof – backing vocals
Goran Farkaš – Istrian bagpipes
Lean Kozlar Luigi – backing vocals
Tomaž Boškin – backing vocals
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra
Production
Gaber Radojevič
Tracklist
CD1.:
1. Sen znala jes
2. Drugačna
3. Ti
4. Bandiera rossa
5. Dam ti jutra
6. Ištrijanski maraton
7. Izola
8. Šaltinka
Rudi Bučar & Istrabend (live)
9. 3×7
10. Bella istriana mia
11. Mama Piero me toca
12. Dajte, dajte
13. Mammamia dammi cento lire
CD2.:
1. Oljki
2. 3×7
3. In mezzo al mare
4. Medežija
5. Sulla riva del mare
6. Trajnaninanena
7. Mula jole
8. Kemu si dala rožice
9. Noi volemo
10. Zmeron moja
