Gibonni is music artist who is immensely and probably deservedly popular in Croatia but I managed to stay away from him for good 30 years, partly because I dislike anything that has a big advertisements and media push, partly because I travelled around the world and kind of had different focus. Sure I was aware of him but rather as songwriter for other people, songs I accidentally heard on the radio never properly caught my attention although I noted his lyrics have particular, recognisable way of expressions and occasional turn of the phrase sounded fresh when compared with competition. Finally I got my hands on his discography and decided to give it a proper listening in order to actually make up my mind about this guy.
"Sa mnom ili bez mene" (1991)
I couldn't care less for his previous Hard Rock band "Osmi Putnik" and their three albums with juvenile chest-beating and macho posturing that actually seem pretty embarrassing today but this, his first solo album is actually surprisingly fun. Part of the appeal is that Gibonni is rocker at heart and playfully toys with hard rock stereotypes (one of the songs is tribute to porn star Ciccolina) and as long as he is having fun, this is solid gold - its when he sinks into sentimental ballads that I perceive tunnel vision and limitations of genre, as they all tend to sound alike, big refrains followed by guitar solo and weeping lyrics - we heard it all before and it is not very different from hundred of other hard rock ballads sung by other performers. Not everything is first-rate and quite of lot of this is filler, but it is still a welcome step into solo career and promising if still shaky voice that demands to be heard. Its probably more fun now, listening in hindsight as Gibonni later became huge superstar and on this album he was still just an eager, young rocker (that he is so dead serious about it just makes him seems so darn likable). Upbeat songs are brilliant, generic ballads perhaps less so but his passion is sincere and step into solo career makes a perfect sense.
"Noina Arka" (1993)
This seems to have been released right in the middle of the civil war and honestly it comes as a surprise because I was there and don't remember anything entertaining or show-biz about those gloomy times, the only music we were aware of were rousing national anthems constantly played on the radio waves during air raids - we came to dread those anthems because they became associated with fear, danger and hiding in the basements. In the middle of it all, Gibonni seems to have new album and its huge improvement on its clumsy (though charming) predecessor: for one thing, the album starts with the bang and probably one of his best songs "Nek' se dijete zove kao ja" which to this day is a audience pleaser and concert favorite. The rest of the album leans perhaps too much towards generic rock ballads ("Dobri judi", "Noina arka", "Zlatne godine", "Tebe nisam bio vrijedan") that all have big, snarling guitars and somewhat whining lyrics - even at this early stage, I notice certain recognizable trait in Gibonni's signature, he either goes for excellent upbeat rock or self-pitying ballads.
"Kruna od perja" (1995)
Ballad "Lipa moja" was a a huge hit and propelled Gibonni into stadium rock stratosphere - for the first time we started to actually listen his lyrics, which are quite idiosyncratic, in his own earnest way, he is actually quite endearing, almost like schoolboy pouring his heart out into poetry. It is huge leap forward from those embarrassing hard rock albums he recorded while in "Osmi Putnik" and even though the whole thing is really generic, there are several solid highlights, like opener "Nije Vrime Od Nedije U Polje Poći", "Dvije Duše", "Ljudi, Drž'te Lopova" or "Život Me Umorio" . Though Gibonni is honest and musicianship is fine, its his lyrics that get the most attention. This has been played to death everywhere but its in fact surprisingly strong album. The runaway bride song ("Pjesma Za Bijelu Vranu") is actually still darn good song, starting like a haunting ballad and metamorphosing into real rock later.
"Ruža Vjetrova" (1996)
Everything written by Gibonni - who is surprisingly capable as lyricist, possessing original way with phrases and colloquial expressions - except one cover ("Loše vino") but its a homage to great Arsen Dedić and it was already consecrated as rock ballad some two decades ago in version by unforgettable rock band "Bijelo dugme". Elsewhere singer/songwriter is on a roll and seemingly invincible no matter is it upbeat rock or a ballad - he can do both and is actually excellent. Perhaps I would be tempted to prefer his uptempo numbers but than, on this album he introduces such a lovely ballad as "Ispod moga pramca" (better known as "Tempera") which must be one of his most beloved songs. It is a distant cousin of "More Than Words" by Extreme with similar feeling to it and Gibonni does magic with what is basically small but heartfelt voice. It was later covered by Vanna who is by far superior vocally though there is a honesty and truth in original. My God what a beautiful song. Almost overbalances the whole album.
"Judi, Zviri i Beštimje' (1999)
Much better production and everything is wrapped in a glossy cellophane, but under the surface it is still unmistakably Gibonni and my impression is suddenly that he wanted to expand as lyricist outside of box - "Miss Croatia" is a sharp, biting social comment about macho society that uses beauty contests as slave market. It is a slippery territory because once artist moves into other subjects, he might lose compass but Gibonni does it with a style. Still firmly planted with both feet in rock iconography, he describes women as either fairies or whores, its a black & white world with no clearly defined borders and it makes one wonder where this bitterness comes from. I wouldn't go so far to call him misogynist but there is definitely some prejudice involved here. There is a duet with Vanna (probably best female Croatian singer nowadays) and a funny disco song where Gibonni claims he can't dance, the production is excellent overall.
"Mirakul" (2001)
Generally considered to be Gibonni's masterpiece, this album expands on acoustic gentleness of his prettiest, earlier song "Tempera" and tops it off with first class production.
It is actually quite masterful song collection that contrasts sharply with his clumsy beginnings, because at this point singer completely leaves behind those earlier hard rock macho posturing and moves into adult oriented rock, with thoughtful lyrics, memorable music and wistfulness that was so far always just been suggested but this time takes centre stage.
Almost every sing is mid-tempo and singer pours his heart in that small but effective voice that cracks with emotions. Fans of his earlier work might find this too subdued but personally I find this maturity far more appealing and its a joy to witness that artist such as this changes and matures with times. Like writing some of the best songs in his career is not enough, Gibonni tops it all of with spectacular production - it is a smorgasbord of all sorts of influences and touches, from gospel chorus, a Capella vocal group, African chants and cameo guests from all over the world. It does not sound forced but merely frames songs like a nice touch, which is quite a surprise because in different hands it could have been disaster - with every listening we discover more and more of these little ornamentations and the whole album stands as proud artistic statement. Excellent.
No comments:
Post a Comment