Divanhana – Radio Sevdah (CPL-Music, 2025)
When Radio Sevdah begins, it feels like stepping into a warmly lit kitchen filled with familiar voices. The static of an old broadcast flickers to life, and suddenly, you are tuned into a living memory of Sarajevo, a city where love, loss, and laughter have always found their voice through sevdah. Divanhana’s timelessly crafted sixth studio album is elegant and flexible. It is both a tribute and a reinvention, echoing the golden age of Radio Sarajevo while speaking directly to the present.
The concept is beautifully simple. Like a radio program, the album moves between jingles, commentaries, and songs that bridge generations. Bandleader Neven Tunjić and his ensemble have crafted an album that feels personal and communal at once, reflecting the spirit of Sevdah itself, a tradition steeped in melancholy yet always reaching toward joy. Each track feels like a broadcast from a parallel time, where the boundaries between past and present dissolve into melody.
A key figure now is Selma Droce, the band’s lovely, emotive and adaptable new singer. Her voice carries both tenderness and authority, shifting seamlessly between the heartbreak of “Biglišu slavuji” and the radiant optimism of the frenzied “Rijekama.”
Selma sings as a storyteller who inhabits each lyric. On “Domovina,” her delivery feels like a quiet hymn to belonging, while “Sa Igmana pogledat je lijepo” shows Divanhana’s daring spirit, fusing archival voices, Balkan folk and pop, and jazz harmonies into a single, living conversation between eras.
The accordion provides nostalgia and fiery solos, while the piano and double bass draw gentle lines between Bosnian folk melodies and jazz improvisation.
Humor, too, finds its place amid the longing. “Primitivo” pokes fun at turbofolk’s exaggerated glamour, revealing Divanhana’s playful side and social awareness. Meanwhile, “Palo kamlipe,” the band’s first original Romani composition, feels like a poignant act of solidarity. It honors a marginalized community often overlooked in mainstream Balkan culture, doing so with exuberant, defiant energy.
Divanhana remind us that Sevdah is a living art form, capable of evolving while holding its roots intact.
“We have always drawn inspiration from these recordings. That’s why we conceived Radio Sevdah like a small radio broadcast and dedicated the album to this unique institution,” shared bandleader Neven Tunjić.
Buy Radio Sevdah.
Upcoming Tour dates:
17 Nov AUT- Innsbruck / Treibhaus
18 Nov AUT- Graz / Dom im Berg
19 Nov DE- Tübingen / Sudhaus
20 Nov DE- Aachen / Musikbunker
21 Nov L- Luxemburg / TRIFOLION
22 Nov LI- Liechtenstein / TAK Theater
23 Nov DE- Dresden / Staatsschauspiel (Kleines Haus)
24 Nov DE- Hannover / Musikzentrum
26 Nov DE -Berlin / Kesselhaus
Author: Madison Quinn
