Jeden za všechny - CD

Vladimír Veit’s Czech-language album Jeden za všechny takes its title, and the inspiration for one of its central songs, from the famous battle cry of Dumas’s musketeers. Just as d’Artagnan and his friends stood by one another, these songs express solidarity, human closeness and the wish that no one should be left alone in dark times. Veit is a distinctive figure in Czech singer-songwriter music who has followed his own path since the 1960s, outside the mainstream, while preserving his concentration, honesty and unmistakable voice. The album contains twenty-two songs, including twenty originals and two settings of poems by Fráňa Šrámek, all arranged intimately for voice and guitar. Veit sings of nights when time stands still and a candle dispels the darkness, of love that always returns, and of spring with its irresistible pull forward. His simply expressed lyrics carry the depth of everyday experience, from joy and longing to silence and outcry, solitude and togetherness. The musical settings of Jarní poutník and Splav recall how naturally Šrámek’s lyric poetry lends itself to song. Rather than being tightly focused on one theme, the album resembles a conversation between friends: free, honest and full of life. The track list is: Ouvertura, Jeden za všechny a všichni za jednoho, Je jedno místo, Láska, A někdo…, Na svatého Valentýna, Alchymista, Básník, Jaro, Kam? Kde? Co a čím?, Bože!, Lidová, Máj, Drazí kamarádi, Čáry, máry, fuk, Slova, Kolem kulatého stolu, Štěstí, Slova 2, Ozvěna, Jarní poutník and Splav.