Bosa Maria

Twenty five years on from their debut, the finest and best-known exponents of Bosnian sevdah are still in a class of their own. They are rightly famed for their skill in transforming and updating the often pained and passionate music of their homeland by fusing the ‘Balkan blues’ with unexpected influences from around the world, and here is further proof that experimentation enhances the power of the songs. Antonija Batinić anchors the band with her powerful and emotional vocals, switching from love songs to laments and dance tunes. Guitars, piano, violin and percussion (with the occasional addition of accordion and trumpet) provide the classy, inventive backing, switching from slinky balladry to a traditional folk dance that suddenly veers towards ragtime and jazz, with echoes of rock and R&B. Spanish gypsy singer Pedro el Granaíno joins in for a rousing, flamenco-edged treatment of Esma Redžepova’s Romani classic ‘Chaje Shukarije’ (Beautiful Girl) and Muntu Valdo from Cameroon sings and plays guitar on his Latin-edged ‘E Titi Lambo’. Magnificent.