Ana Popovic is the perfect example of that "where in the hell did this artist come from?" phenomenon that confounds me on a routine basis these days. I have practically eaten blues-rock guitar music for breakfast everyday since Stevie Ray first unleashed his Texas Flood back in 1983, yet I had not even heard of this Serbian blues-rock guitar goddess until her new DVD arrived in the mail from my friends at MVD Entertainment Group.
Popovic was born in 1976 in the town of Belgrade, former Yugoslavia (now Serbia), and after listening to her father's nightly jam sessions from a young age, she eventually picked up his guitar at the age of 15 and dove headfirst into the blues. In 1995 she formed her first band, Hush, who quickly became a major success in their home country, even before releasing their debut album, Hometown, in 1998. The following year, Popovic relocated to The Netherlands and signed a record deal with Germany's Ruf Records that same year, and has gone on to open for such American blues icons as Junior Wells and BB King.
An Evening At Trasimeno Lake was recorded at the Trasimeno Blues Festival, on July 25th, 2009, during Ana Popovic's Blind For Love tour. The festival stage is located within the walls of a13th century, medieval castle, Rocca Medievale, and these amazing surroundings provide for a truly unique atmosphere for the 5000-plus attendees who were lucky enough to witness the Ana Popovic Band's impressive performance.
If Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan had ever had a baby girl together, she would have been Ana Popovic. She is easily one of the best female blues-rock guitarist I have ever seen, and the fact that she also possesses the perfect blues-rock voice makes her a real force in this genre. But as this performance so wonderfully attests, Popovic is by no means just a blues purist. Songs like "Doubt Everyone But Me" really shows off her jazz chops, as well as the fact that she is equally adept on the acoustic guitar, as she is on the electric. Look no further than the title track to her latest album, Blind For Love, or the two solo acoustic bonus tracks to see what I mean.
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