"Riječi Čarobne" by Massimo Savić (1988)

Second in a trilogy of polished pop albums Massimo Savić recorded with composer and producer Zrinko Tutić. In later years, Savić metamorphosed and moved on, so chances are he probably don't like to be reminded on material here but actually its great fun and truth to be told, I play some of these lightweight songs ("Moja Ljubica", "La Lu La Le") rather than what came later. Unlikely collaboration between the singer who came from completely different, new-wave background and producer famous for his blockbuster radio hits is not really as bad as it sounds - for all his commercial ambitions, Tutić seems to genuinely enjoy working with somebody gifted as this young singer and he surrounds him with all than-current studio wizardry available at the time. Expanding a music formula a bit from their debut, guys add some more flavours to the mix so this time we get country duet with Bebi Dol, "Malagueña Salerosa" and obligatory cover of old Italian chestnut "Una Lacrima Sul Viso" with Croatian lyrics - covers were always Massimo's forte and no wonder later he will turn to all-cover albums.

This guy's voice was always sensational from the start - he might not have been obvious pop idol, but in capable hands of star-making Tutić this is closest he came to be actually accepted by mainstream and these songs were played on the radio a lot. So in a way, Tutić helped him a lot to stay visible on the market after disastrous demise of his earlier band and from here he will go on to stay relevant for decades. Personally I didn't care much for other artists this producer was working but his albums with Massimo are still enjoyable and they are produced with knowledge, understanding and just a bit of calculation what might be appealing to wide audiences. For example, "Pusti Me Da Spavam" (one of less played songs here) is a perfect pop-soul example of Massimo doing what he does best, basically he is a first-rate blue-eyed soul singer. Backing vocals of Bebi Dol are excellent and its a pity they didn't collaborate some more because they seem to have been kindred spirits and their voices work very well together - judging from the results here, they could have been our first couple of pop, both gifted with very idiosyncratic, recognisable sounds and strong artistic vision.