Devla: Blown Away to Dancefloor Heaven

Boban Markovic and his band with son Marko Markovic now an integral part, are one of the great Serbian brass groups, and quite remarkably, they keep getting better and better, not only laying down the gauntlet to Balkan challengers, but also taking great chunks out of musical boundaries, as with "Kazo Baba," which sees the group mixing their sound with flamenco. And that native sound is scarily good, stopping and turning on a dime, with complex rhythms and superb playing from everyone concerned, not only in the brass, but also in the accordion. It's certainly a landmark for this ensemble, seeing them try out plenty of new things, such as hip-hop ("Benim Gecem") and even some scat singing from Marko on the title cut. Vocals come courtesy of a number of splendid guests, ranging from celebrated veterans like Rade Krstic to relative unknowns such as Sofi Marinova. But the true secret weapon is the soul power under it all, the sheer danceability of the music. Superbly performed and utterly compelling, this is Balkan music for the whole world.