Knoflky lsky – 2 LP

This double-vinyl compilation presents Iveta Bartoovs most famous and beautiful songs. It would be much more cheerful to celebrate what would have been her 60th birthday in April with new recordings, but fate decided otherwise. Around 8 April, the often painful turns of her artistic and personal life will probably be widely discussed in the media; this anniversary release instead brings together some of the finest music she left behind. The 24 songs were selected by Pavel Vaculk, one of the people who discovered her and the author of several hits, including the title song. Her exceptional talent was recognised by many of the finest composers of Czech popular music, including Karel Svoboda, Ladislav taidl, Pavel Kreja and Ondej Soukup. The compilation captures her many stylistic changes, from a gentle eighteen-year-old girl from the Beskydy mountains through a confident interpreter of powerful melodies, an attentive follower of dance trends and a shining pop princess, to a convincing guardian of folk influences, a successful reviver of older film themes, a capable musical-theatre performer and a discreet singer with chanson qualities. Her unique voice, natural musicality, appealing appearance and often excellent repertoire gave her a special gift: men liked her as a charmingly elegant woman, while their non-jealous wives saw her almost as a possible daughter. Her tragic death in 2014 came far too soon, but her musical legacy remains strong. The accompanying text by M. Skalka and recollections from people who knew her explore this story, while the most important part can be discovered by listening to the selection itself, symbolically ranging from Knoflky lsky to Noc je krlovstv. The tracklist includes ervenm, To m nenapad, Medov dny, Hej, pane diskokej, Lto, Tich pse, Mlo m zn, V, lsko, to lskou, Dej mi ruku, Dva roky przdnin, Jen j vm, kdy ena ple (When a Man Loves a Woman), ekm svj den, Me lht, Ti oky, Vm, e jsi se mnou, Nekonen, Lska m je zkon, Bl kmen, Z pekla tst, Rozvjej se pouptko, Znm jednu starou zahradu and the remaining title songs.