Customer Reviews

Kayah & Bregovic

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the chance to borrow this CD from my new housemate, and I have just ordered it myself. It's an excellent CD that deserves to be a best-seller outside Poland. It offers a good balance between very strong ballads (with a relatively important role for a cello (?)) and some very nice up-tempo songs, some of which sound more Mediterrenean than Polish (one song mentions Ofra Haza in the credits). The CD has a traditional and ethnic feel about it, but it sounds modern at the same time (without being over-produced like some remix projects). A definite must-have if you like World Music!

This CD is more than very good! Goran Bregovic is without a doubt the greatest rock and ethnic music composer that Balkan ever had! In this excellent CD,he blended the styles of Serbian, Polish, and Russian Gypsies with his old rock hits from his ex band Bijelo Dugme [the most popular rock band in Yugoslavia ever].Bregovic also picked the two very popular Serbian Gypsy songs and he arranged them in Polish-Serbian style, which only he could make.The sound of Serbian traditional brass band with oriental style of improvisations, makes this CD an incredible state of the art of Eastern-European ethnic and Gypsy music! His arrangements are excellent and one more time he showed his enormous talent for ethnic music from Balkan and Eastern Europe. The voice of Polish singress Kayah is very powerful and deeply emotional, but in songs of Bregovic, sounds even more deep and compassionate.His melodies are full of deep emotions and magic, wraped in truly Balkan traditional arrangements, most of the time the Gypsy style. I recommend this album to all people who like the traditional and ethnic music, especially from Balkan. And whatever Bregovic composes or rearranges, that will always be fascinating and interesting, without a doubt!! SMILJAN...

I encountered this recording in Poland this summer. I first heard it while riding on a bus, then heard the "hit single" Prawy do Lewego in a restaurant played by the house band. Then bought it in the Katowice train station! If you like Europop, if you like contemporary gypsy music, if you like Polish goralski music, you will like this. The last track is the song Erdelezi, which is on several other Bregovic recordings (from the movie "Time of the Gypsies.") Here Kayah, a Polish gypsy, sings it in Polish.

I am not surprised that many listeners find this music beautiful and haunting,it is.Its not without a reason that Goran Bregovic is the only composer coming from ex-Yugoslavia (Bosnia to be precise) who achieved international succes.But if you like this album,you should know this:Goran Bregovic was a leader of one the most popular rock group in the country (1970's and 1980's) called "The White Button",group that used folk motives instead trying to be second-rate western copy.As he left Sarajevo in the middle of the war (which his fellow citizen never forgott and never forgave),he find succes as a film composer,mostly cleverly using his old hits as a "new" film melodies.No doubt,his movie music is still excellent,as compilation "Ederlezi" shows,with a contributions from Iggy Pop,Cesaria Evoria and (perhaps the best of all) Ofra Haza.But its basically his old melodies recycled.This "new" album,which is best-seller in Poland,is again compilation of same material,the only difference being its sung by polish singer.Its very effective yes,but honestly we all heard this before - just listen to "Ederlezi" and you will find out that same songs were recorded before,used in films (not to mention in his earlier incarnation as a rock group leader).So ask yourself where is the point of using same material three times,as a hits,as a film music and now finally as a "polish" album? Fortunately, Bregovic is not universaly known as say,Mark Knopfler who could never use same music twice without being hugely criticised - so there is no way of stop him of using his music again and again and again... If this is your first introduction to work of this composer,nice enough,but be warned - these songs are all recycled material and its a fact that dont really warm me up to him.

I've been listening to the CD since ca. April'99. And I will for years to come. Beautiful music, haunting voice of Kayah and georgeous poetic lyrics (Prawy do lewego knocked me out, so funny and true). My favorites: To Nie Ptak, Ta-Bakiera, Trudno Kochac, Jesli Bog Istnieje, but the rest is also excellent. Get it, u will love it too. And by the way, Kayah's new album is to be released in Poland on April, 17th 2000. I cannot wait.

kaya actually turned what seemed to be another classic goran stunt (the same cd under a different name) into a classic cd (period).
never thought i would enjoy hearing polish songs so much.
a ture virtuoso of the balkan blues.

This CD is an amazing cd for anyone longing for Poland, but also, you get to hear the wonderful sounds of Bregovic, and his very interesting music.

I bought this CD because "Spij Kochanie, Spij" (Ask someone to translate...) was on it. A song that was broadcasted about every hour of the day when I was in Poland. It's even worth to buy this CD for that one song! But the rest of the disc is also better than OK.

This is a fine recording, but unless you're a hardcore Bregovic or Kayah fan, buy his Ederlezi CD instead and save your money -- it's almost all the same material, with slightly different arrangements. Bregovic has been shamelessly recycling the same batch of tunes for a while now, using a new singer from a different country each time to mask the sameness of it all -- now here's his Polish installment. Hey, Goran! Isn't it about time you wrote some new songs?

Give Kayah her due -- she's got a wonderfully dark, fluid voice. The treat on this recording is Jesli Bóg Istnieje, but it's not new, either -- most of the melody is just a reworking of Ako Ima Boga, a song he did years ago with Bijelo Dugme. If you're unfamiliar with these performers, this CD is a nice place to start, but if you've heard any of Bregovic's recent recordings, you'll find this one covering ground that's all too familiar.

From the first moment I heard the songs, I was captivated. The music is entrancing and hypnotic. One is lead through a myriad of melodies from middle eastern theme to tango to traditional Polish. I have played it many times over and find myself drawn into every time.

Here is an example of true creative energetic musical talent. Kayah's voice is superb and the instrumentation of Bregovic is enthusiastic and a true pleasure. I recommend this CD to those who are of true musical passion. It is for those who truly appreciate musical talent and creativity.