Customer Reviews

Cappuccino Songs

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's an all too common situation in the music business. Why are monumental bores like Celine Dion and Linkin Park flooding the charts when talented artists wallow in obscurity? Tanita is one of those obscure artists, and if the world were a fair place she'd be a household name. "The Cappuccino Songs" is her most recent release, available only as an import on these shores, but well worth the extra money.

Tanita started releaseing albums in the late eighties. The first couple were of a folky, Suzanne Vega-like sound, but by the time of 1993's "Lovers in the City," she transformed her sound to a more cosmopolitan one. That album (hard to find, but grab it if you see it!) was a stirring mix of soul, folk, and eccentric orchestrations. This latest release is in the same vein, but a little simpler.

Think Bjork meets Van Morrison. I know, it's a strange combination, but there's really nothing conventional about this extremely talented woman.

She sings a lot about relationships, often with a sprinkle of euro-funk, tempered with acoustic guitars and piano. It's a unique mix and as you can tell by this review, rather difficult to describe. You have to hear it for yourself.

For the budding musician, the enclosed lyric sheet even includes the song's chords. How cool is that?

And if you like what you hear, check out her "Best of."

I'm not sure why the other reviewers characterize this work as "somber," since I found it to be soaringly happy! The overall tone is realistically optimistic, like you're listening to a good friend who's been around the block a few times but still hopes for the best -- A good friend with an amazing, earthy voice, and a wonderful way with words. This is great music to listen to if you're a single woman, maybe you're in your early thirties, you've been burned a few times but you're still out there looking for every kind of happiness. The world may not be all hearts and flowers, but it's pretty good after all. That's the mood that this music will put you into, and it's a pretty nice place to be.

Tanita's first album was a big smash, and eventhough she continued to record, she wasn't on "spotlight". I admit that half the times I can't make out her lyrics. But with the addition of her music and husky voice, she does create a special mood. This disc was a pleasant surprise, optimistic more than usual eventhough the darkness of her lyrics. My favorite tracks are the first and last: stop listening (great, great, great)& I dont want to lose (the same). Worth a listen.

Since earlier in the year, I have been searching out everything I can find on cd that Tanita recorded. This being the last one I found (and her newest), I was so surprised after listening to it over and over just how much I love this whole CD. This should have made her a star again here in the states and I can't understand why its an import. There is so much growth as a singer and a writer and her partner/collaborator on this recording is a genius as well. These songs speak to you and if you have an aching bone in your body from the damage a bad breakup or romance can do, both good and bad, this cd will speak to you and what a voice, so sensual and playful with the words and always professional and wordy at times "Back in your arms" should have been on the charts here in the states. The more you listen to this the more you will flesh the little things out of this cd. Can't wait for her next one. ps- "lovers in the city" (1995) was also a wonderful listening experience to the ear! Too bad these cds are so rare and hard to find here in the states.

Tikaram's last (released) effort still continues to bewilder me, each time I listen to thses Cappuccino jewels. Not only this artist has developed a coherent career with the release of records any other singer-songwriter would be just happy to have written and composed, but after five majer CDs she at the tilme came back with what seems her ultimate masterpiece, that the critic vastly underrated or simply ignored. What seemed to be aimed as Tikaram's great "retour en force" has degenerated into a polite welcome back at best, fierce and unfair criticism sometimes, indifference mostly. This is not only unfair, this is a failure from the critics, and a mistake from the audience. It's still time to mend it, get this record and whether you're a Tikaram addict or not, I guarantee you'll ove every minute of it. Listen as priority to "Light up my world" and "I like this", two particularly brillant and moving gems among all the other pearls tha this album counts. You'll see, no wondr that if you"like this", this will certainly "light up your world" just as much as it did light mine

Not a week passes without me listening to this c.d from beginning to end.
This is a wonderful addition to any collection.Once you start listening to this artist, you become hooked and you buy her whole body of work...

Just as was the case in her last album, "Lovers in the City," Tanita's latest offering marks a significant departure from her previous work. "Cappuccino Songs" is perhaps Tanita's lightest album, and it is a pleasure to see how her work continues to progress. This album has much to offer the listener, being a pleasing mix of tracks in sombre and light moods. These range from the opening (and beautiful) track, "Stop Listening," to the stunningly sombre "Amore Si." There are also various lighter and poppier tracks, such as "If I Ever." I wholeheartedly recommend this album; it is a fine addition to any music collection.

There are good things and bad things to be said about this release.First good point is definetely the photos.Tanita has never looked so sexy before.She always had that exotic beautiness but for some reason she prefered to hide it under dark clothes and man-like haircuts.As for the tracklist,for it's biggest part it's great, full of initiation moments of love and sorrow.Pay special attention to the gentle melodrama of "Stop Listening",the haunting bitterness of "Amore Si" and especially to that version of Abba's "The Day Before You Came".On the bad points now,I have to say that i strongly believe that God didn't give that voice to that woman to sing happy songs.So,o.k "Light up the world" and "If i ever" are fine but she almost sounds like she is being forced to sing those la la la's on "I knew You".Equally uncomfortable she seems to feel on "The Cappuccino Song" and on "I don't want to lose at love",a track in which she sings about er,the other woman.Themes like that simply don't fit to Tikaram's deep vocals not to mention to her profile.The most important thing of all though is that ten years after "Ancient heart" she can still make a decent record which would satisfy not only her fans but the rest of the pop-lovers in this world as well.

It took some time to get used to the songs because they rather different and otherwise but afterwhile you just can't stop listening. It really is a very good c.d. that I love to listen to whenever I have the chance. It's highly recommendable.

I've been a fan of Tanita Tikaram ever since her first CD, which, like many, I heard initially in a music store and had to buy it. And like other reviewers, I was not always impressed by some of her later work, which was uneven at best. "Cappuccino Songs," however, is a whole new Tikaram. It's unlike anything she's done before and, in my opinion, her best work. Listening to this CD makes me wonder why it is it so hard to find this excellent album. "Amore, Si," "The day before you came," and "I Knew You" stand out, but every track on this CD is a wonder and wholly unexpected. One finds traces of Latin and jazz and damn good song writing. And her voice seems to age like the finest red wine. Keep in mind that she was little more than a teenager when her first album was released to such acclaim; and imagine the pressure on her to come up with something that would top and out-sell "Ancient Heart," which still sounds great more than 15 years later. Even now, most still associate Tanita Tikaram with her first hit, "Twist in My Sobriety" and, perhaps, "Good Tradition" and "Cathedral Song." This CD, "Cappuccino Songs," takes a giant step beyond anything she's done before. Why is this not available?