Netherlands-based crooner Ana Popovic can be best described not by genre or style label, but rather a single word – "smoky." The electric singer takes sex, pain, soul, and fury and blends them into a raucous offering on her new record Blind for Love, a hazy, slithering sort of album that channels equal parts Bette Midler and Joss Stone. Yet this is no hybrid or fusion effort that hopes to lay pop over a jazzy musical skeleton; Blind for Love is true to a pure kind of soul, opting for a solid punch rather than radio-friendly flourishes or other inane filler. In that regard, the release owes more to the sounds of funk rockers like the Black Crowes than the musings of a lounge diva, and is altogether a more refreshing album for it.
Blind for Love benefits from Popovic's own bristling voice, a mix of soulful yearning and wonderful snarl that sets her apart from the paint-by-numbers approach of other like singers. The unique vocals allow Popovic and her accompaniers to play around a bit with style, going from brassy and fun one moment to hard-edged funk the next. In other words, Popovic and company keep listeners on their toes, never settling for a formula to broadcast all of the songstress' lovelorn troubles. For the most part, Blind for Love has something new to say on every track, a notable feat considering the singular pitfalls of jazz-funk music.
Things start off fiery with "Nothing Personal," an up-tempo jazzy number chocked with high organs and Popovic's own breathy-but-powerful tales. Yet that introductory blast is soon cast off for "Wrong Woman," a rock-heavy track whose rapid punches and bullet refrains suit Popovic's invectives rather well. In fact, if Blind for Love ever suffers, it's for not going the distance with Popovic's unbarred voice. The raw, unfiltered stomp of "Steal Me Away" is a demonstration of the kind of power Popovic can flex behind the mic, while the rather flat, spineless "The Only Reason" chains her to an uninspired melody.
Thankfully, Popovic is freed from such drudgery on most of Blind for Love's offerings. The album ends on a high note with the rich "Blues for M," a track that manages to stand on its own apart from Popovic's heartrending role. The music is just barely able to contain her, though perhaps not for long - as Popovic settles into her own skin as a new funk diva, she'll find it more difficult to be held by the constraints of traditional lounge and other jazzy offshoot sounds. Blind for Love does a good job of changing things up to avoid falling by the wayside, but in another few years, a similar effort just won't be enough for Popovic's burgeoning talent.
August 9, 2009
