Artist: Lisac, Josipa
Label: Croatia Records
Release: 2009
Rating: 3.8/5
I don’t think there’s a single person in the former Yugoslavia (at least among the older generation) who doesn’t know Josipa Lisac. With her voice and her presence, she’s left a big, one-of-a-kind mark on this particular corner of the music world, one way or another. It all started back in 1973 with her debut album Dnevnik jedne ljubavi, where all the music was written by Karlo Metikoš, who was her composer through most of Josipa’s career and a whole lot more than that.
Sadly, Karlo Metikoš is no longer with us, but Josipa isn’t giving up. She’s surrounded herself with new faces who could maybe give her music a bit of a refresh, though she’s never really needed one, since she’s always known how to adapt. If anyone was expecting a radical change of style, they were sorely mistaken. Once again Josipa sticks to her standard formula, which I’d personally call jazz pop. And why would she do anything drastically different when she’s this good at it? There are no big surprises on the album. A few tracks are bouncier, a few are more melancholic, and that’s where I think Josipa shows off all her charm. I’ve always felt she’s at her best in the quiet, emotional moments. Let’s be honest, the songs themselves aren’t earth-shattering, but it’s her voice that “makes” them, and without her contribution these compositions would be worth at least half as much. Josipa always sings from the heart, and you can feel it constantly, even after all these years.
Josipa is always joined by a crew of outstanding musical talents. This time her main creative mastermind is Elvis Stanić, who also plays most of the instruments. You could kind of say he’s the new Karlo Metikoš, even though Karlo can’t be replaced. Still, Elvis plays a somewhat similar role in her musical life. A few other well-known names chipped in with their songwriting skills and lyrics too: Jani Hace (Siddharta), Meri Cetinić (More) and Alka Vujica. And even though Josipa once again wasn’t part of the creative process itself, her interpretation is so heartfelt that it carries the songs to a whole other level.
With this record, Josipa doesn’t really show anything radically different from what we’ve already heard from her, but there’s so much sincerity in her voice, and she sings everything with incredible feeling. It’s amazing how well she can get into other people’s lyrics. Živim po svome is proof that Josipa is still with us and still a top-notch interpreter, even if she admittedly releases albums rather rarely.
Lineup
Josipa Lisac – vocals
Elvis Stanić – guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Andrea Vicary – piano
David Gazarov – piano
Primož Fleischman – saxophone
Josip Grah – trumpet
Bošlo Petrović – vibraphone
Dorian Locklett – double bass
Branimir Gazdik – drums
Marina Mayerle, Olja Dešić – backing vocals
Production
Elvis Stanić
Tracklist
1. 1000 razloga 4:55
2. Živim po svome 5:14
3. Naivni 5:49
4. Zvira voda 6:12
5. Svijet oko nas 4:25
6. Još se zvijezde sjaje 4:12
7. Istina 4:25
8. Helena lijepa i ja u kiši 6:15
