22.10.16

"Zorica Kondža Zlatna Kolekcija" (2004)


Croatian singer Zorica Kondža arrived on a music scene as a lead vocalist of rock band "Stijene" - the band was fine but we all had our eyes and ears focused on the girl singer who was sensational, soaring to the skies with powerful voice of the kind we never encountered before. If in previous decade Josipa Lisac was our rock goddess, well this new girl was actually her worthy successor. She had delivery like a flamethrower, fierce, passionate and apparently there was no limit of what she could do. 

Kondža stayed with the band for duration of exactly two albums and just when things started happening, she went solo. Solo being very relative word as from now on, she sang material composed by her husband Joško Banov and although there was never anything wrong with it, we started to accept that the gradual change obviously took place - Kondža slowly transformed from young, angry rocker into mother and wife who feels comfortable in Split festival and such easy listening programs. Year in and out Kondža would sing on festivals, always nice little songs and voice was permanently above any competition but we regretted that she never fulfilled that promise from the start when it seemed that she will be our biggest female rock singer. This compilation brings majority of her solo work and its pleasant but hardly worthy of that magnificent voice that once kept us spellbound - it is no accident that two of the strongest songs on this CD were recorded when she was still member of "Stijene" ("Ima jedan svijet" and "Singing that Rock and Roll") so basically this makes you run for original old albums when she was still in the band. This might be a perfect example of singer who mellowed (or perhaps got wiser?) with age - considering that the voice is still in excellent shape, it makes you wonder would Kondža perhaps fare any better with bigger variety of collaborators. Decent duet partners and it is nice to find Tedi Spalato in here.

Mediocre material but voice is one of a kind. 

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