By Pritch (staff writer)
On International Womans Day (3/8/25), it seemed logical to go watch a woman, who has played the blues for over 20 years of her life, perform live at an intimate venue. Ana Popovic was on full display as she strutted about the Music Box Supper Club stage in red, glittering stilletos and a skin tight suit for 100 minutes of upbeat blues.
Coming from a musical family has helped to mold her into a very good blues guitarist. Her 5 piece band, complete with sax/trumpet horn section, accentuated but did not overwhelm her guitar work. She definitely is the focal point of the show.
Her 15 play set focused primarily on her most recent album, called Power, which was released in 2023. After a brief intro from the band, Ana launched into the first song on the album “Rise Up” with back-and-forth solos from her and her trumpet player, Jordan Carr. His ability to hit the high notes with impressive power was evident in this number as well as on the song “Strong Taste”.
Two covers filled the middle of the show, with an upbeat version of Tom Waits’ “New Coat of Paint”and Mandrill’s “Fencewalk”. The power finish of “New Coat of Paint”, prior to a 15’ show intermission, brought some of the somewhat older crowd to its feet.
The second half of the show continued its upbeat blues with a slight detour on the song “Slow Dance”, about a guy who has more on his mind then just a slow dance. This famous number highlighted an Ana solo with sax player Evan Knight.
A four-song medley closed the show with “Like it on Top” the highlight of the four banger. Ana commanded the stage with experienced skill and high-level guitar play. Solos from her bass player Buthel Burns and drummer Jeremy Thomas kept the energy flowing through the medley.
The 15’ intermission was a downer (venue driven) as it disrupted the flow of the show. However, it did give the older crowd time for necessities, the reviewer somewhat included. Another disappointment was no encore, but it certainly did not deter from a very good performance from a blues guitarist who continues to shine on a day to focus on women.
