O Ljubavi

Halka are a newish Bosnian sevdah band and this is their second album, recorded in the Pavarotti Music Centre in Mostar. The line-up features Božo Vrećo on vocals plus an instrumental quartet on guitar, accordion and piano, bass and percussion. From listening, you’d think Vrećo was a female singer, softly intoning a dozen of these melancholy love songs. But looking at the online videos, Vrećo reveals himself as an intriguingly androgynous man. He's written two of the songs too.

Given the line-up, there's a distinctly jazzy flavour to the sound, but the band works well with Vrećo's vocals and gives him the support he needs. ‘Negdje u Daljine’ (Somewhere in the Distance) is a haunting song with an intriguing video that's worth tracking down, suggesting strange mystical goings on with monk-like characters. Certainly a band to watch.