Tanita Tikaram Album: “Lovers in the City”

After an incredibly great and hugely successful debut album, Ancient Heart, it was my feeling that Tanita Tikaram's music was slowly detoriating over the subsequent three albums. That's why she faded from my view after her fourth, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness. Only just recently did I buy this, her fifth album. And boy, am I surprised.

Quiet it is, and melancholic. But that was to be expected. What I didn't expect was the degree of musicality and, yes, in places even groove. It's nowhere near dance music, but I caught myself snapping my fingers to the beat more than once. The singing is also much better than on previous albums, which in places sounded as if the lady was drugged or drunk.

And then along comes The Yodelling Song, whose title doesn't promise too much and which is positively funny. That alone was worth the album's price, in my opinion.

So, if you don't own Ancient Heart already, get that instead. But if you do, and like it, then consider this one as a second. Recommended.

Tanita Tikaram's voice reaches new heights of entrancement as her voice rises above the angelic choir at the beginning of her CD. Each track melds into the next, creating a journey into your own mind that is not complete until the faint strains of the final song have finally drifted away. With a deep alto voice that could be favorably compared to the 15-minutes-ago Marc Anthony or the more popular Rufus Wainwright set to gentle drum loops, and an intense trip through several genres that will astound even those with no musical knowledge, this album is a vital addition to any collection, and especially for a quiet afternoon / evening at home. Tikaram manages to be deeply inrtospective without becoming depressing or pretentious, a rare trend in music of the last fifteen years, when depression seems to sell.

Man, what a brilliant album. If you like this one, check out her earlier ones, which may be harder to find these days. Ancient Heart is one of my favourite albums (& I have well over a 1000); every song is just flawless. I used to tell people she was the female Dylan, & I meant it. Many songs need several listens before you start to 'get' what she is saying. And when you don't get it yet, that makes it equally amazing, just in a different way altogether.

Give this a go, & then go to the earlier ones (Ancient Heart, The Sweet Keeper, Eleven Kinds Of Lonliness, Everybody's Angel).

I fell in love with Tanita's poetry and music back in high school. In 1995, I was wandering around Mainz, Germany and came across this CD unexpectedly. The music touched me in a monumental way back then. This CD has been in my top 5 since then. Tanita isn't for every one. A lot of my friends find her depressing, but I have the opposite reaction to her music. It's quite cathartic at times and does often illicit strong emotion, but I don't find it depressing at all. Lovers in the City was a departure from her previous music. She incorporated electronic music and I found it sublime. Lovers in the City is a gorgeous CD.