Ana Popovic

Ana Popovic - Nell’s Jazz & Blues - 28th November, 2018

I have missed every opportunity to see Ana Popovic until this wet and windy Wednesday night in West London. Not wishing to dampen what was an excellent night but I will never appreciate the need for a venue, when no stage times have ever been advised, to hold back the start of a performance by 90 minutes from doors opening, albeit to fuel the bar profits. Get the band on stage early, the band benefits and we can enjoy the full performance without the stress of contemplating catching the last train home.

Rant over, the band eventually presents itself on stage with an introductory instrumental in advance of Ana’s appearance - Michele Papadia on keys, Claudio Giovagnoli on sax and Davide Ghidoni on trumpet - all three Italian - with Americans Buthel Bass and Cedric Goodman forming a fine rhythm section, no reward for guessing who plays what. Ana joins them, Fender Strat slung over her shoulder wearing possibly the pettiest stilettos ever to hit a pedalboard and a “Give me a Kiss” Philipp Plein t-shirt. It is said that, characterised by the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Philipp Plein makes clothing for those that strive to be above standard - self defining in Ana’s case. She is certainly held in high regard and justifiably so on this showing. She can stand her ground with any guitarist out there, having refined her skills, particularly the jazz element of her playing at the Music Academy during her ten years in Amsterdam and she was the first female guitarist to get invited to join the Experience Hendrix tour in 2014.

Serbian born Ana who has now put her roots down in Los Angeles via Amsterdam and Memphis gave us a ninety minute blues rooted setlist with jazz and funk, touching on New Orleans influences. The availability of a set list is always helpful but suffice it to say Ana and her very impressive band glided through numbers featured on her nine studio album catalogue. Her latest release being “Like It On Top”, a concept album in which she explores ten different aspects of women’s empowerment on ten new songs.

It was evident throughout this performance that Ana Popovic was thankful to be surrounded by outstanding musicians and she brought the gig to a climatic end with a medley that included a version of “Crosstown Traffic” which took on a new life form with the addition of the brass section.

Unfortunately her current wide reaching European tour only included this one UK date but be sure to catch Ana next year when she returns.

Ana Popovic does not play shows in the U.K. that often so her appearance at the Robin2 attracted a healthy mid-week crowd to the venue.

Singer/songwriter Robbie Ransom warmed the audience up with a well received 30 minute set in which he showcased songs from his EP and his future album.

Having reportedly travelled for 15 hours from Serbia, the Ana Popovic Band hit the stage showing no signs of travel lag, or whatever you get after a journey like that. This was the first of 4 UK shows before returning to Europe and then the USA where she currently resides.

Fronted by Ana on guitar and vocals, the line-up consisted of bass, drums, keyboards and a 2 man horn section and gave the impression of a tight unit, albeit with plenty of room for the individuals to shine.

The set lasted just under 1 hour 45 minutes and was centred around her current triple CD release "Trilogy". The music spanned blues, blues/rock, soul and Jazz and provided a fair representation of the CD she is promoting.

She handled the different styles with ease and demonstrated a great turn on the slide guitar as well.

Highlights for me included "Navajo Moon" (recorded over 10 years ago but still sounding fresh), "She Was A Doorman", "Johnnie Ray", "New Coat of Paint" & "Show You How Strong You Are", but in truth there were no duds here.

No point in going off stage before returning for an encore - they just launched into a medley that included Don Nix's "Going Down" and Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic", along with band introductions before finishing up.

Ana Popovic was one of the earliest female blues guitar artists (sometimes referred to as the "girls with guitars") having been touring and releasing records for over 15 years now.

For anyone who follows the likes of Joanne Shaw Taylor, Samantha Fish, Erja Lyytinem, the Blues Caravan Tours et al, Ana is well worth checking out - she is a good singer and a great guitar player and when she is backed by this quality of a band it really shows!

Watching someone who is a complete master of their instrument is refreshing and emotional for me, and seeing Ana Popovic perform her blues guitar whilst singing some incredibly challenging vocals was simply mind blowing.

She opened the show with a track from the album Still Making History, and absolutely blew everyone in the crowd away with her complex solo. She was so comfortable on stage and her guitar appeared to be an extension of herself, the ease she was playing with. Seeing her live was the week that she’d been nominated for a Blues Music Award in the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year section, and she was incredibly thankful and humbled by the recognition.

She played through her album Can You Stand the Heat in its entirety, and rocked every track. She had a super talented band playing behind her, and they all interacted really well together, she even gave them the opportunity to perform live solos, which was awesome as of course they don’t appear on the recordings. In some of her tracks with catchy choruses she encouraged us to sing along in the audience, and it was so cool to be included in the show in this manner.

I hadn’t heard much of Popovic’s work before the gig

The band started, briefly, without their leader and already one could tell that this would be a tight and confident band, with a heavy rhythm form the Perspex panel enclosed drummer

Popovic soon appeared laying down all manner of blues rock riffs. This was the essential style of her music and it was brilliant. Her recent album Triplicty featured throughout. ‘We’re tired of playing the old stuff’ she told us.

Some tracks were funk infused, some soul and a little jazz but it was the blues rock that excited the audience most. She deserved a bigger crowd which I’m sure she’ll get next time

A 5 star gig in a five star venue - Under the Bridge

Do not miss this show! Ana Popovic and her band are so talented, fun and her guitar work is off the hook. One of the most complete musical experiences we have enjoyed. Non stop energy from a beautiful and talented musician. Blues, rock, and funk You will not stop talking about Ana Popovic and her ensemble of drums, keyboard, bass, and horns. They are so together, you will dance in your seat if there isn’t enough room to stand. I only wish I could see her again tonight.

this was far more than i expected for such a small venue. the energy over filled the room.the amount of talent on that stage was simply amazing! and after the show.... Ana and her band came out to greet the true fans that stayed and waited. i lost my wife last week in a accident. and i asked Ana if she ever wanted to write a song about the most beautiful person, name that song Natalie. she said she just might do that. peace my new friends!!
Bob

I had not seen her for 4 years so it was great to hear her new material. She featured tunes from Trilogy along with a couple old favorites. Ana was lively from the beginning and you just knew it was going to be a good night.The highlight for me is always when Ana tackles Hendrix as she did to end the show.Few can interpret Hendrix the way Ana does. Great playing and those smokey vocals of Ana's made for another great show.

This is the 3rd time I've seen Anna. Each time I'm amazed by how tight the band play's and how skilled Anna's guitar solos are. They played songs from the latest CD Trilogy. My highlight from those songs was Johnny Ray. They played with a new drummer. This was their 3 gig with him. He never missed a beat. This is a show so good I think I didn't pay enough for the ticket .My only regret is thiis is a one set show.

As a follower of blues for many years I have recently started turning my interest to talented women guitar players in a field long dominated by men. The list of women I now listen to and and follow is growing but Ana Popovic, in my opinion, leads the pack. Her show last night was evidence that she can play with the best and even better than some of her male peers. Great show!

I drove a long way to see Ana, but it was worth it.
Precise and explosive, her guitar playing might make you forget she can sing. Feverish, inventive six-chorus solos over the backing of an exuberant bass, drums, and keyboard combo, all propelling everything along with hard-charging gusto. Don't miss her!