Teško meni sa tobom, a još teže bez tebe

On an entirely "album, front to back" basis, Dino Merlin never exceeded the beauty of "Teško meni sa tobom, a još teže bez tebe". Though entirely confined in the pop-rock template, it entwines itself between the pillars of poetic lyrics with authentic Bosnian slang and the melodies of traditional Balkan folk music to create an album well deserving of a spot on those best albums of ex-Yugoslavia lists. From radio hits such as the title track, Nek' padaju ćuskije, and Cijela Juga Jedna Avlija, sadder ballads employing some cheese that gets drowned out by the atmospheric beauty that evokes the imagery of wintertime Sarajevan alleys like Uspavanka za Gorana B, Sibirska, and Lažu me, it never fails to meet expectations, on whatever listen I'm at. Big props to Dino for creating an album that's good for any occasion.