“Kao da se vrime zaplelo u švere” by Tedi Spalato (2001)

Of all the singers who came out of Oliver Dragojević’s rib, Tedi Spalato might be the most sincere one - by following the older colleagues example and spirit more than slavishly just copying the sound, Spalato managed to create his own style which is close to his idol but nevertheless original on his own. What Dragojević and his truly unforgettable Songbook left behind trough decades is weary, melancholic and reflective music that identify Dalmatian coast of Croatia, its people and tradition. That even in spite of local dialect, this music came to be embraced far beyond its place of birth just shows how much it appeals to listeners everywhere - we might not always understand the local jargon but we get the message trough emotions that our hearts all have in common.

Ted Spalato have of course been in music business forever - he has with older colleague in common not just geographic background but they were both at different times members of legendary band “More” that served as kind of incubator for several talents who later became hugely successful solo artists. Who knows why it was so, but while other people realized their careers much faster, Spalato took his time to blossom and when he finally did, we all celebrated because he didn’t go with predictable commercial route but kept creating music close to his heart and results was this timeless album that might even be his best and most inspired work. It helped that some of the best homegrown songwriters (Gibonni, Marijan Ban, Tomislav Mrduljaš and great, late Ljubo Stipišić) this time served him with brilliant songs - Spalato himself is represented with three of titles (“Moje izgubljeno blago”, “Đardin” and beautiful “Još Te nima”) that absolutely match his collaborators - so it seems that when this late bloomer eventually recorded this career-making album, everything fell into place and he was ready. Its a collection of melancholic, heartfelt ballads - none of them quick grabbing hit but more of slow burning embers that glow in the dark, timeless music that we listen alone, feeling like artist speaks exactly to us although he actually sings about himself. The title of album is actually first verse of song “Sve ću preživit” which turned into huge hit and hopefully turned listeners to check out the whole album that is actually in the same league with this song - in reality, this hit is just one of the many great other titles so I can’t say why exactly this was biggest hit and not something else - personally I was always floored with “Testament” that combines anthemic music with the unrepentant lyrics about its stoic character who understand his place in the world, he is prepared to live and die without complain, following his heart and he will die with his boots on, with no material goods to leave behind him in his testament. Lyrics were written by Ljubo Stipišić but they perfectly encapsulate Spalato and by God, the message is so powerful that every time I hear this, I am ready to die with my boots on even though I don’t understand half of the lyrics.