A very fine compilation of "Croatia records" that is focused entirely on composer Alfi Kabiljo songbook and his collaboration with singer Radojka Šverko.
Long ago,the giant between local recording companies "Jugoton" had changed name into "Croatia records" and today it looks like it's focused mainly on milking its rich archives, re-issuing countless compilations with music from decades ago. Contrasting with political climate that celebrates Croatia's independence this shift towards compilations shows that "bad old days" were in fact far interesting music-wise than what is happening at the moment - compilations overweight new issues by far, even casual visit to CD shop shows that numerous "Platinum" and "Gold" compilations are the one still worth buying.The first artists who got compilations were commercially prominent ones,than lesser-known singers and now composers got their turn,hence "songbooks" by different authors which is quite nice idea actually as it preserves historically important work - on one hand its a glimpse in not so distant past, music styles and fashions from not so long ago, on another hand it points at high professional standards back than and how far we have sunk since than.
Take Alfi Kabiljo - obviously an urban,educated and gifted man who could hold his own with any of his international colleagues. As a composer he had perhaps bad luck to have been born here instead of some prominent world centre where he would probably already write movie scores, collect "Oscars" and live in luxury - his destiny was to spend working life in than-Yugoslavia and do the best he could considering situation: he was a constant runner on pop festivals of 1960s,1970s and 1980s, worked with top singers and was often sent to international festivals to represent our county without a fear of embarrassing anyone. Look (listen?) between the lines and you can hear somebody who had a soft spot for french chanson and perhaps less commercial sound but when situation called for it,he could be bombastic as anybody.
Radojka Šverko was one of the best singers for Kabiljo - who worked with really the best - and they collaborated during staggering three decades on numerous local and international festivals. Gifted with voice and looks, she was perhaps too classy for her own good since she never managed to became star of the first order nationally - she has only handful of hard-to-find LP albums in four decades of career,while others collected the cream and wealth. Ignored at home,her work on international festivals is finally collected here - all those now forgotten awards from Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Malta, Palma De Mallorca and other places shows that we had a composer and singing star who were good enough to stand on the same stage as biggest names of the times. Naturally, as these songs date from decades ago they sound dated now but Šverko's dark,sensuous voice proves that she was in the same league as Shirley Bassey or italian goddess Mina - she was that good. A welcome if somewhat long overdue compilation.
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