Meant To Be
Fragment
(2003)

Velvet Music  (BU 0007-2-331

www.fragmentband.com

Songs:  If You Break My Heart; Last Goodbye Today; Glogo  & Gligo; Home In The Mountains; The Way that Love Was Meant To Be; I Think I'll Leave; Angel Band; Black Mountain Rag; Too Far From The Mountains; Gonna Paint The Town; Some Morning Soon.

Personnel:   Jana Dolakova – bass, lead vocals; Henrich Novak – resonator guitar, harmony vocals; Milan Marek – mandolin, lead vocal on Home In The Mountains , harmony vocals; Tomas Jurena – guitar; Richard Cifersky – banjo, harmony vocal on Angel Band. 

By Rob Shotwell

Little known in the U.S. until their first foray into IBMA in 1995, Fragment has  steadily increased their following with performances and recordings that are consistently top-notch.  'Meant To Be', Fragment's seventh release since 1994, is their best one yet.  They hail from the Czech and Slovak  Republics where there has been a fairly hot bluegrass scene for the past two decades. 

During the recent IBMA World of Bluegrass event in Louisville, Kentucky, Fragment performed on the main showcase stage, and CBA had  the privilege of hosting them in our showcase/hospitality suites.  They played wonderfully in both venues and were very well received.  It was kind of fun to listen to the crowd's warm reaction when Jana, in her  pronounced Czech-accented English, would welcome the crowd and thank them for being there, introduce the band members and songs, and then slyly articulate how much they "look forward to the next time we see 'y'all'" in her  best affectation of a Southern drawl.  Eastern European they are, but they know they are a devoted bluegrass band.  Their exemplary picking and singing and Jana's endearing vocal manner translate well to this CD. 

Songwriter-fiddler Becky Buller, currently playing for Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, shared a demo of her songs with the band last year, and Fragment included two in this project.  If You Break My Heart is reminiscent of Alison Krauss' earlier recordings, and Jana Dolakova's lead vocals are no less crystal clear.  The up-tempo I Think I'll Leave reflects a positive course of action following a broken heart, and band puts together a nice arrangement here.  

Glogo & Gligo is a well put-together instrumental, and the first indication on the CD of guitar player Tomas Jurena's brilliance.  The band members acquit themselves terrifically throughout the recording, with each clearly proficient on their respective instruments.  But Jurena's evident mastery of flatpicking is world-class, and he brings in a stunning version of Black Mountain Rag, ranking with any of the best recorded versions of this number.  He and the band move effortlessly back and forth among the key changes, and you can just about imagine Doc Watson smiling and nodding  his head in approval at this wonderful performance.  If not already, young Tomas may soon be in the Bryan Sutton category of pickers. 

Milan Mirek's own Home In The Mountains might well have been penned by a traditional bluegrass artist, but he proves his dedication to the original sound of bluegrass in this one.  He has a great bluegrass voice, and it's kind of fun to hear just a tinge of the Czech accent coming through on the verses.  Henrich Novak plays as expressive a resonator guitar as you would want to find in any bluegrass group, and Dolakova's Fender Precision bass is full and tempo-solid.  Speaking of precision, Richard Cifersky's banjo is clean and even on his intros, breaks and back-up, neither being too flashy nor dull and playing in good taste.  A good example is Carter Stanley's Gonna Paint This Town.

Last Goodbye Today, and The Way That Love Was Meant To Be have a bit of that bluegrass ballad-pop sensibility to them, and that's not a bad thing.  To hear their version of the traditional Angel Band is a nostalgic reaffirmation and an aural joy to hear the passion in the arrangement. 

If you have all the blessings in your life that you could wish for, then don't buy this CD.  But if you could use one more  bluegrass blessing, you will be glad to pick this one up.  Look for their interview in an upcoming Bluegrass Breakdown, and visit their website at www.fragmentband.com.