ANA POPOVIC "STILL MAKING HISTORY" Source: Bluescat.ch Date: 06/2007 Writer: David Fraternali

With "Still Making History" Ana Popovic creates a surprise, and this for several reasons.

Musically speaking, "Still Making History" is not the 110% Blues/Rock bomb one could have awaited. And let us say it immediately, it is perhaps the only criticism which one can make to this album: the fans of pure Blues/Rock will perhaps not find what they’re looking for. This album is indeed a singular interbreeding of several styles going from the Blues to the Jazz, while passing by the R&B, Reggae and World Music.

An essential observation can be made from the start : the emphasis it put on the singing of Ana, in spite of her guitaristic qualities, always so sharpened though. The use of horns as well as various keyboards (Hammond B3, Wurlitzer) and piano is definitely more marked than on her preceding albums, giving to ”Still Making History“ a cordial and coloured sound.
In spite of the many musical styles contained in the album, the whole is very homogeneous, and sounds more "American" that her preceding albums.
It should be said that one finds there a lot of talented musicians (Jon Cleary, Mike Finnigan, Tony Braunagel, Lenny Castro, Joe Sublett, Darelle Leonard, Steve Potts, Scott Thompson) as well as a ”legend“ on the mastering of the album: Doug Sax! All these people worked with the greatest names of Rock, West Coast Music, Blues and Jazz.

But what are the reasons of these changes ?
The crossing of the Atlantic and the signing of a new contract with the American label Delta Groove is certainly an explanation. The production of John Porter (Los Lonely Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo', Buddy Guy) and David Z (Buddy Guy, Etta James) is another.

But the main reason, which quickly appears as essential when listening to the album is that Ana Popovic arrived at an important stage of her life and her career and, for once, preferred to express herself with her texts rather than with her guitar.
For this reason, "Still Making History" can be perceived as a milestone in her life as much as a thought and a testimony on the difficulties and the injustices of this world, may they be of her own personal experiment in Serbia after the implosion of Yugoslavia (Hold One, Shadow After Dark), or as a witness of the difficulties of a large part of the humanity (African people for example with Between Our Worlds).
Her texts are realistic, while never being stripped of the hope that any individual, through his personal history and while trying to dialogue with and understand the others, contributes to the history with a capital H.

This album also widely speaks about love: its hopes, its ideals, its disillusions. And especially about the "great love" that Ana seems to have found and who sings it with "U complete me", a love song written for ”him“ (happy man, I’m a bit jealous of him!), and My Favorite Night.

In conclusion "Still Making History" is a kind of chameleon album. Having had consequent means musically speaking, it is paradoxically the most  intimate and personal album of Ana Popovic. It is an album which reflects the metamorphosis of Ana Popovic as woman and as artist.
And while one listens to "Still Making History" as if Ana entrusted personally to us, and this without never losing the energy that one knows to her, one is already dreaming to the next album, to try to guess which surprise Ana will bring to us.

An very ”woman“ and actual album, to enjoy in a cosy and intimate environment, as well as on live during the Blues Nights of Gossau on July 7th !