Josip LONCARIC

Pop/Zabavna

12. HRVATSKI RADIJSKI FESTIVAL 2008

Various Artists (Zabavni)

Hit Records

The daddy of zabavna music compilations

If it's value for money, variety and catchy music that tickles your fancy, look no further than the ''zabavna'' version of this year's Croatian Radio Festival song competition (HRF). A whopping 40 songs that are bound to feature no fewer than 20 favourites, this is the ultimate purchase for music fans.

Sinisa Vuco, Mate Bulic, Drazen Zecic, Miroslav Skoro, Danijela and Jole are just some of the big names to feature on this double disc album.

These major draw cards are occasionally outshone by lesser known artists, but on a whole, the standard is pretty good.

Jasmin Stavros is one of those artists who manages to churn out catchy, upbeat tracks on a regular basis and his song ''Sto bi ja s tobom'' is no exception. A funky dance beat, easy to follow lyrics and his well-loved booming voice all helps to keep the eternally youthful 'Staki' amongst the front runners.

His good friend, Drazen Zecic, is also an amazingly popular performer on this festival, and once again his hit ''Idi'' provides more of the tried and trusted Zecic brand of music. For something slightly different, look no further than 'Kruska' and Latino's ''To sto vidis to sam ja'', which fits in nicely with the group's previous body of upbeat music.

Miroslav Skoro opts for a more serious approach with his latest song ''Srce jako je'', as does Danijela with ''Ko ce te zaminit'', which sounds very similar to her previous work with the band Magazin in the mid 1990's.

Alen Nizetic is in a rocker-mood with his song ''Zivim za tebe'', which is another hit for the underrated singer, whilst Sinisa Vuco and Dado provide some good folk music with ''Zapjevaj''.

Sticking with folk, Mate Bulic and ''Kad pijem'' and Slavonske Lole and ''Ostavila me'' showcase the sound of Hercegovina and Slavonija respectively.

As for the ladies, Minea returns from a year in the wilderness with the likeable ''Jos si moj'', whilst Maja Suput is again hyperactive with ''Raj i pakao''. Controversial folk singer Neda Ukraden, who was born in Imotski but later defected to Belgrade, also makes a surprise appearance at the festival, although her song ''Stvarno se isplatilo'' really doesn't pay off at all.

Recovering alcoholic, Mladen Grdovic, again pulls on people heart strings with ''Reci mi, reci zivote'', as does Zdravko Skender, who has a sleeper hit in ''Poleti srce''.

Basically, if these artists and this style of music appeals to you, the purchase of this regular top selling album is a no-brainer. Enjoy.