Pobarvanka

The hardheartedness and ruggedness of Slovene (industrial) town of Ruše, whither she was brought from a Maribor maternity hospital, was the cradle for Mia Žnidarič. It was her ghetto. Her childhood, her youth, her steeling. It was the ashes whence she rose from with music and because of it. She always knew music was her life. As early as when she breathed Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, or Dinah Washington for her classmates. Even before she started taking singing lessons, her first chance to spread to others the love swelling within her came 22, 23 years ago. It was at the festival Druga godba (A Different Music), with a band of diverse local musicians under the wing of David Jarh and Igor Leonardi. The promising voice filled with warmth and emotions, though perhaps inexperienced, attracted attention of the great Slovene composer and arranger, musical doyen Mojmir Sepe. The door was open. And the stairs leading upwards steep enough for Mia to zealously start climbing them. Pobarvanka (A Colouring Book) in inexchangable style of Feri Lainšček’s verses put into music and arranged by Steve, baring astonishingly (well-nigh) Slovene parts of his soul. Pobarvanka, promenading from blues-ness to naughtiness, yet remaining optimistic throughout … and, first and foremost, loving. Loving towards poetry, music, authors, towards everybody participating in the project, and, above all, towards the audiences, which covers the album with a canopy of excellence and gives it a patina of an invaluable contribution to the treasury of Slovene musical creativity – the one that hasn’t yet given way to consumption-driven hunger for “fastfood” music. The invaluableness of the achievement was attested not only by a Slovene music award Zlati petelin (Golden Rooster), but also (and foremost) by the extent the listeners were touched by it. No matter where the concert, the audiences still, no exception, demand Mia to sing songs like Včasih tu (Sometimes Here), Dan je drugačen (The Day is Different), Solze že snežinke so (Tears Became Snowflakes)… alongside obligatory Slovene versions of some jazz standards and Slovene folk songs like Zrelo je žito (The Crop is Ripe) and Kaj ti je, deklica (What is the Matter, Lass?).

Dan je drugačen
Nihče ne ve
Pobarvanka
Včasih tu
Počasi
Sposojam si
Danes bom svečo prižgala
Ko srečaš me
Solze ze snežinke so