Blind for Love

Personnel: Ana Popovic (vocals, guitar); Joe Sublett (saxophone); Darrell Leonard (trumpet); Tony Braunagel (drums, percussion, background vocals); Lenny Castro (percussion); Kennard Ramsey, Julie Delgado (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Mark Dearnley. Recording information: Castle Oaks Studios, Calabasas, CA (03/2009-04/2009). Arranger: Ana Popovic. Guitarist/vocalist Ana Popovic is at heart a rocker, her leather-tough image draped over an innocent, sweet face. Though she tours regularly on the blues bar or festival circuit, and previous recordings also reflect this edge, it is even more rooted and based in that hardened rock & roll attitude on this CD. The difference in her, apart from other female rockers, is that Popovic's lyrics are very dense, complex in nature, and move along swiftly from idea to idea, rather than hammering across one specific word or point. She's also developing into a fine guitarist, especially with a slide bar, as she plays all of the amplified strings -- overdubbed or not -- during these original tunes of hers. Her rapid-fire lyrics on "Wrong Woman" are a warning sign to those ladies' men who dare tempt her, while "Lives That Don't Exist" is a reality check with a little wah-wah pedal tossed in. On occasion, Popovic prefers an unplugged approach or uses a small horn section here and there and, in only one instance, goes for a purist vibe in the slow "Blues for M," or in the case of "The Only Reason," uses a jazz-swing foundation. Veteran keyboardist Mike Finnigan and percussionist Lenny Castro are the heavyweight helpmates, urging Popovic to higher intensity levels, while the shuffle "Putting Out the APB" shows how serious she is. As she is a young artist, the sky's the limit for Ana Popovic. Blind for Love could easily be an adult contemporary hit. ~ Michael G. Nastos