Customer Reviews

Ancient Heart

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before the onslaught of young women singers in the mid-90's there was Tanita Tikaram in 1988. This beautiful debut showcases all of her strengths. Eleven tracks and each one is well done. I would say that this is probably her best cd, most consistent and cohesive. Her other five cds are all very good, but I think Ancient Heart is her best. She was 19 when she recorded this cd and it still holds up strong today. Tikaram isn't an angst singer, so her music is more mature and less preachy than say, Fiona Apple (though I like Fiona too). This is a must have for any rock collector.

Although I heard, over the space of six or so weeks when I was in high school, the song "Twist in My Sobriety" played on a local rock and roll station, it was merely included in the rotation as equality fodder, sandwiched between Melissa Etheridge and the latest sappy love song by Heart. Years have passed and I find Tanita Tikaram albums dumped in clearance bins and I wonder why.

Every once in a while a musician simply happens: "Ancient Heart," Tanita Tikaram's debut Lp, on Reprise Records, redefined my expectations of popular culture. Here was a largely folk album with massive pop appeal that nobody listened to. I actually entertained myself with the notion that the music was too good for other people to get: on the internet, fans have often refused to pick a favorite album or a favorite song.

Indeed, on "Ancient Heart" there is no single track which stands out as "better" than any other, though the surprise is that no song stands out as a weak link. The eleven tracks that make up this album are polished, deliberate, individual entities which complement each other in the most subtle ways. Tikaram's vague lyrics prevent the kind of sappy nostalgia that dates music: there is no "Teen Angel" or "Don't Dream It's Over" to stamp this as a Decade of Shallow release.

It has been a decade since I first heard this album. (Wow!) There is not a song on it that is old or tired. There is not a track that I skip through. There is not a reason in the world to not put this album on "repeat" and play it all day. Best song? Pick one.

" I've discovered yoga " declared Tikaram in an interview back in 1998 in her effort to explain the uplifting character of her then just-released new record " The Cappuccino Songs " . That was probably the last thing we've heard from her .

Almost ten years earlier the strikingly beautiful singer with the exotic name managed to gain everyone's attention with " Ancient Heart " , a debut full of elegant pop which , among else , included an instant classic , the haunting " Twist In My Sobriety " . That song remains until today the highlight of her career , not that the album's good moments end here . The dark " Preyed Upon " , " Valentine Song " , the jazzy " He Likes The Sun ' and especially " I Love You " ( " ... the reasons why are not to be said " ) are other great tracks for the listener to cherish . The album sold an amazing 4 million copies not because of some aggressive advertise campaign but only thanks to Tikaram's virtues as an artist . She is blessed with a deep , distinctive voice and her songwritting revealed wisdom and sensitivities beyond her years .

Despite all that though it's difficult to say whether Tikaram is as criminally underappreciated as some claim . Unlike Suzanne Vega or Tracy Chapman who also appeared during the late 80's yet continued to release compelling work after their debuts , Tanita followed her starling first album with less sharp and interesting recordings . Scared gospel efforts ( " Deliver Me " ) and moody daydreaming ( " You Make The Whole World Cry " ) suggested she hadn't deceided towards which direction she wanted to go to . Still , her fifth offering "Lovers In The City " was a killer and even on her sixth one , the uneven " Cappuccino Songs " there where moments where she offered stunning love ballads ( " Amore Si " , " Stop Listening " ) which deserved to get her to the top 5 once again . Who knows ? Maybe for her next album she has an ever bigger suprise for all of us ...

I say this record is amazing for several reasons. First, its a highly unique, personal and original piece of work. More like a piece of art, actually.
Twist In My Sobriety is fantastic and oh the almost tortured sound in Tanita's voice. Good Tradition is incredible as well. Tanita's music is so good lyrically and musically, you can't help but to get taken away by it. The music paints clear pictures, almost fantasies. The Beatles would be proud of this music, ala Sgt. Peppers or their Rubber Soul days.

Secondly, did you KNOW Tanita was, like 18 or 19 when she wrote and recorded these songs. The maturity and talent she had at that age is truly remarkable. Compare her to Britney Spears and the other teeny boppers out there. Its nice to know that it is possible to still have truly great artists who are capable of playing music, and not cheap commercial fodder for the pitiful masses, most of us have become.

Doing what I do best, that is, killing time by bargain CD hunting, I came across an album called "The Sweet Keeper" by Tanita Tikaram. I confess this isn't the first time I've bought a heavily discounted album just because of the cover picture. I like the gamble. I've discovered gold and I've found bombs. The first thing that captured my eye was her exotic features. The shallow male in me wanted to hear the voice behind the woman on the sofa staring back at me. Tanita has a richly natural, earthy, no make-up needed look. I also found "Ancient Heart" in another pile and decided, especially for the price, that I was just curious enough to see how this fascinating looking woman sounds. I really wasn't prepared for the voice I heard.

At first, her voice grabs you by the ears and makes you listen. It's very difficult to describe. There is a haunting, melancholy flavor to it, and I could sense the personal vibe that connects her to her lyrics. I could have been doing other things around the house while it played, but I was held there, listening to each track on both albums.

Comparisons? No one. It shouldn't be necessary to compare an artist to someone else. Tanita Tikaram is too original. Okay, you twisted my arm! From what I have seen and learned about her since then, I could see parallels to Tracy Chapman in some ways. The writing style that makes "World Outside Your Window" and "Twist In My Sobriety" stand out, hints at similarities to Chapman's style, in my humble opinion. On "Sweet Keeper", I really liked "Once And Not Speak". Even more so, the Tikaram/Chapman similarity is evident when looking at how Tikaram has been underappreciated by the pundits that seem to prefer their female artists softer around the edges. Ironic that I was smitten by this same look when I first saw the CDs The same superficial criteria that I was guilty of judging her on before I heard the music is what seems to cloud the vision of potential new fans. He! re's an example:

I had found a videotape of a concert that she gave after the release of "The Sweet Keeper". As I recall, it was an outdoor event at a stage nestled in a grotto, somewhere in the Netherlands, I think. It was filmed as these things usually are, with songs interlaced with interviews of the artist. The calm, understated elegance of Ms. Tikaram spoke volumes! The shots stayed close in on her face frequently, and her beautiful features bathed in the mix of stage and natural lighting. I was enchanted, fixed to the screen, happy to see a performance of the songs I had heard so often. I played the video again at a gathering of friends, none of whom knew her music, hoping to further enlighten what I thought was fairly diverse, open musical tastes. Some comments: "...she doesn't move much, does she?.." and "..the black attire isn't very flattering.." One Einstein even went so far as to wonder out loud about sexual orientation. Even the people you think you know can be total dolts sometimes. If you haven't heard her yet, I think Tanita Tikaram's music is well worth a listen. Also, check the Web;Tanita has an expanding base of loyal fans. You just may find, like I did, a talented artist that is still due more attention and respect than she's been getting.

I bought this as tape in 1990 and as a cd when it came out because I fell in love with "Twist of My Sobriety" especially the way that oboe toots then weaves and waffles in and out around the melody. It sends shivers all over. Oboes are not used that much in popular music. When combined with the song writing artistry heard here and the throaty voice of Ms. Tikaram, that oboe riff is outstanding.Also I can listen to "The World Outside Your Window" all day it has such a clean, bouncy sound. I don't understand why Tanita Tikaram doesn't get the accolades she deserves. I hope that changes.

They don't make albums like this anymore. Truly an original and gifted musician, and this album is near perfect. There might be a few songs that are not my style normally, but she just makes each song sound good with her unusual voice. I hope she makes another good album like this one again, if not we have this one to listen to. If you possess a mind with original thoughts and ideas towards music, get this one. Sort of reminds me of Joan Armatrading. Twist in My Sobriety is definetely the best song with beautiful oboe improvising with her voice. I also enjoyed the use of instruments like the flugelhorn on the track, for all these years. Take my advice-get this album; especially if you are sick of today's saturation of pure, hyped up crap that sounds very UNORIGinal!!!
The 80's were not so bad after all. WWWWWoWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Save for "Eleven Kinds of Loneliness," her first four albums were high songcraft. Lyric, delivery and melody in symmetry. "Ancient Heart" has the benefit of having her most recognizable song: "Twist in my sobriety," but other than that, any of her first three albums (Ancient Heart, The Sweet Keeper, Everybody's Angel) and find the same three elements executed consistently. These albums remind me of Van Morrison's "Poetic Champions Compose." A terrific album but not particularly differentiable from the records that came just before and after. Further, it's hard to identify a single song that speaks for the album. In other words, there is no hit single. Over time, Tikaram will be appreciated for the accumulated body of her work rather than any single song or album. I'm shocked to see several of her albums unavailable here in the US. A sad state of affairs that I hope will be fixed by numerous future releases of the quality of her previous ones.

I got this album years ago on the strength of the remarkably depressing "Twist in My Sobriety," a great song that got a tiny bit of airplay. I still listen to the CD today, but only selected tracks - most of which, sadly, aren't the tracks that Amazon chose to feature audio samples of (with the exception of the bitter "I Love You"). A lot of the tracks on the first half of the album are somewhat bland folk-pop. But let me alert you to the jazzy tornado of "For All These Years" (trumpet by the great Mark Isham), the bluesy epic "He Likes the Sun" and what has got to be one of THE most wildly romantic ballads I have ever heard, "Valentine Heart." Those, with "I Love You" and "Twist in My Sobriety," are wonderful, wonderful songs, and make the album worthy of buying.

Tanita Tikaram really sounds good on this Debut Disc.it caught me off Guard with it's Sound&Honesty.You Feel Something in Her Work.the Quality of Words&Music are here.Worth Checking into.