Bez kontrole (transl. Out of Control) is the debut studio album by Serbian singer Sara Jo. It was released digitally on 21 June 2023 through Bassivity Digital. The album was preceded by two singles: "Divlja" (2021) and "Zar ne" (2022). Bez kontrole features guest vocals from rapper Mimi Mercedez on the track "Sandra Meljničenko".[1][2] The production on the album was mainly handled by Luka Jovanović Luxonee, Nikola Kirćanski Kei and Slobodan Veljković Coby.
| Bez kontrole | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 21 June 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 27:11 |
| Language | |
| Label | Bassivity Digital |
| Producer |
|
| Singles from Bez kontrole | |
| |
Background and promotion
editBez kontrole was released over a decade since Sara Jo had begun her career on the second season of Prvi glas Srbije in 2012.[3] The album's lead single, "Divlja", was released on 23 October 2021.[4] It was followed by "Zar ne", which was presented at the Skale Festival in Herceg Novi in June 2022.[5][6] The following year, during the 2023 Music Awards Ceremony, held in the Belgrade Arena on January 25, Sara Jo performed "Divlja" and teased "U glavi" and "Zlo".[7] After media speculations, the album, titled Bez kontrole after the first verse from "Divlja", was officially announced on 19 June 2023.[8] The music video for "U glavi" was released a day after the album's release.[9]
On December 3, Jovanović released the music video for "Tako hodam", sponsored by the Serbian fashion house Mona.[10]
Music and lyrics
editMusically, Bez kontrole is generally pop-oriented, whilst including dance-pop, contemporary R&B and hip hop sound. The album features influences from slow jam on the tracks like "Glas" (The Voice), "Zar ne" (Right[?]) and "Sudar" (Crash).[11] "Glas" was also recorded a capella, featuring only Jovanoic's vocals and beatboxing in the background.[12][11] "Tako hodam" (I Walk Like That) was influenced by voguing and the ballroom scene.[11] Lyrically, the album overall explores themes of love and sexual liberation. The lyrics of "Sandra Meljničenko" refer to Aleksandra Melnichenko, former member of the 90s girl group Models and wife of billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko, as the symbol of power and confidence.[13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Muzika.hr |    [14] |
In a review entitled "Slightly forced pop", Kristina Kolar from Muzika.hr described Bez kontrole as a "rushed, uninspired pop project". The critic further wrote, "despite its name, the album is not so much Out of Control". The review was unfavorable of the lack of ingenuity and the use of clichés in lyrics. On the other hand, Kolar highlighted the album's production as "immaculate" and the potential in its "retro R&B colors", which she compared to Erykah Badu and Destiny's Child.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Zlo" |
|
| 2:03 |
| 2. | "Privatni manijak" |
| Coby | 3:01 |
| 3. | "U glavi" |
|
| 2:30 |
| 4. | "Želim" |
|
| 3:05 |
| 5. | "Divlja" |
|
| 2:44 |
| 6. | "Glas" |
|
| 2:50 |
| 7. | "Sandra Meljničenko" (feat. Mimi Mercedez) |
| Luxonee | 2:28 |
| 8. | "Zar ne" |
|
| 2:59 |
| 9. | "Tako hodam" |
|
| 2:20 |
| 10. | "Sudar" |
| Luxonee | 3:08 |
| Total length: | 27:11 | |||
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 21 June 2023 |
|
References
edit- ^ Šumanović, A. (21 June 2023). "Sara Jo objavila svoj prvi album "Bez kontrole"". Muzika.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Vranić, S. (22 July 2023). "Sara Jo izbacila novi album pod nazivom "Bez kontrole"". Marie Claire. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Cakić, D. (24 June 2023). "BEZ KONTROLE: Sara Jo ostvarila svoj najveći san". Novosti.rs. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Jovović, P. (19 April 2022). "Ekskluzivno: Intervju Sare Jo za Nova.rs iz lokve krvi". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Otvoren festival Skale: Posle sedam godina obnovljena tradicija - Herceg Novi sija u punom sjaju". Novosti.rs (in Serbian). 26 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Sara Jo objavila novi spot za pesmu "Zar ne": Ko je Sara kada se ugase reflektori?". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 1 August 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Krkeljić, B. (13 January 2023). "Sara Jo na MAC-u predstavlja dve nove pesme". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Jovović, P. (17 June 2023). "Sara Jo konačno objavljuje debi album – sada je divlja, bez kontrole i spremna da opravda titulu srpske Britni Spirs". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Vautrey, J. (25 June 2023). "New music this week (part 2): Songs from Helena Paparizou, Sara Jo, Rosa Linn and more". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Jovović, P. "Nova.rs iza kulisa snimanja novog spota Sare Jo: Pričali smo s pevačicom o njenom fatalnom stilu". Nova.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Sara Jo o muzici, imidžu, mrežama i stilu". Blic.rs. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Sara Jo: "Bez kontrole" trošim novac na spotove". Nova.rs. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ Mijatović, M. (25 July 2023). ""Ona je simbol moći" Mimi Mercedes i Sara Jo otkrile da li su se čule sa Sandrom Meljničenko nakon pesme o njoj". 24sedam.rs. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ a b Kolar, K. (3 August 2023). "Sara Jo "Bez kontrole": blago prisiljen pop". Muzika.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 August 2023.