Lema Lema

Eva Salina, an American singer, fell in love with Balkan gypsy music, hung out with the Serbian diaspora in NYC and studied in Serbia. This CD is a tribute album to the the renowned Roma songwriter Shaban Bajramovich; Salina has a powerful voice and great musicians backing her; tragic stories of the songs make this like the country music of the Balkans; brass band accompaniment infused with rock; lots of noise!

No FCC's; Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8

*1- Akaja rat – 4:26 – “Tonight is the Roma's Night” – happy and fast w/brass band background to vocals (also rooster sounds)

*2- Boza limunada – 5:09 – “I'm looking for a young wife who will give me nine children,” 9/8 time, a popular dance rhythm; synth plus accordion really wail at the end

*3 – Djelo djelo – 5:05 – disappearance of someone taken away by three soldiers; great accordion plus tuba; passionarely sung

4- Hovavni romni – 3:55 – complaint of a man whose wife cuckolding him; lively; male chorus comes in with call and response

5-- Jek jek deshujek – 5:45 – an absent father cries for his daughter at her wedding; Persian feel to this song and arrangement; electronic effects toward latter part of song

*6 – Lema lema – 4:56 – heavy duty world rock at its best; lots of drum work but lots of brass too

7- Koj si gola Roma –3:56-- light-hearted ditty about having your wife stolen by a different group of Roma; cool rhythm; a little talking at end

*8 – O zvonija marena – 4:23 – great accordion intro; lament for dead sister

9 – Pijanica – 3:43 – song from the POV of a drunken complainer; punchy accompaniment

10 – I barval pudela 5:38 – another rock infused song – funeral procession for Šaban