Raduza - V Hore 2005

Some people have argued that in an ideal world, there would be no language barriers because everyone would speak the same language, but a monolingual world would be a boring place -- incredibly, sadly boring. Would we really want to live in a world in which Edith Piaf never sang in French, Antonio Carlos Jobim used no Portuguese, and Celia Cruz never uttered a word of Spanish? Of course not. That said, many English speakers allow the language barrier to prevent them from enjoying singers whose lyrics they don't understand, which is regrettable because V Hore is an enriching album even if you don't understand Raduza's lyrics (which are mostly in Czech). For those who don't speak Czech, the thing that makes the female vocals on V Hore (Raduza's third album for Indies Records in the Czech Republic) a winner isn't what is being said but how it is being said. The vocals on this album are not only passionate; they are delivered with tremendous conviction. Combine all that conviction with an abundance of haunting, brooding melodies, and Raduza has a recipe for creative success. V Hore, like Raduza's previous Indies releases ...Pri Mne Stuj and Andelové Z Nebe, is best described as Czech folk-rock. Raduzaobviously gets a great deal of inspiration from traditional East European folk, but American and British rock (including punk) and French pop are certainly influences as well. V Hore has its quiet, gently reflective moments, but most of the time, Raduza provides folk-rock that is as insistent as it is melancholy-sounding. Those who enjoyed ...Pri Mne Stuj and Andelové Z Nebe won't find V Hore to be any less rewarding; Raduza's excellence doesn't decrease one iota on this 2005 release. AMG.

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