That's the gloomy future of Russian pop-music: authentic Russian folk-tunes, optimistic English vocal and Hungarian production. Baba-yaga is a character from Russian tales, a very old and ugly woman who is fond of eating small children. Fortunately, she is always too unskillful to fulfill her task properly, and small children regularly escape from her lonely place lost in the deep, deep forest. More than that, those small bastards usually kill the poor old lady before their retreat. Russian tales are full of light and joy, you know, just like "Baba-yaga" band.

No, really, this secret English-Russian-Hungarian combination is shining with optimism. Even "Black raven", song of anguish and sorrow, seems to sound cheerful when performed by "Baba-yaga": "Ty ne vejsya, chernyj voron, this is not my day to die". But the most remarkable song on this album is famous Lennon-McCartney "Back in USSR" (sung a cappella, with Russian back vocal, something like "la-la-la": "Ti-tiram-tiram"...) After such a gig Bobby McFerrin can quit.

The best thing about "Baba-yaga", this old lady, who has become so young and joyful, is that the band is foreign enough to gain the Russian pop-scene and Russian enough to get into the modern pop-pattern. Russian folk-music with pop-arrangements is en vogue today - at least in Russia. Ti-tiram-tiram...