As I think of all of the music I’ve listened to and forgotten over the years, I think of one singer/songwriter whose music I still listen to today. TANITA TIKARAM. That’s the name of the amazingly talented artist whose exotic voice, lyrical poetry, and music are most unforgettable and inspirational to me. I enjoy her music now, as much as I’ve enjoyed it any time in the past. Yes! I remember back in 1988, very clearly, when I first heard Tanita singing “Good Tradition.” I went out that day and purchased her debut CD, Ancient Heart. That was back when CDs were packaged in a long, rectangular box, to elevate them higher in the bins–bins made for the waning, but still popular, vinyl LPs. I remember finding the single CD left in the store, and being happy I got the last one. No. I didn’t even have a CD player yet, but I didn’t care. Because of Tanita’s music, I went out the next day and purchased the best CD player I could find, along with a new sound system. I had been waiting for something special, and Ancient Heart was it. I knew immediately that this was music I wanted to hear in the best way possible, with the best quality sound. “Twist in My Sobriety,” “World Outside Your Window,” as well as the ever-ethereal “Cathedral Song” (also on Ancient Heart), made this CD and the new audio equipment more than worth the money.
Tanita Tikaram in 1988–as talented as she is beautiful, always!
Two years later, January 30, 1990, “We Almost Got It Together,” and “Thursday’s Child,” with “Little Sister Leaving Town” were released on Tanita’s second CD, The Sweet Keeper. Of course, that was a purchase I made immediately, without hesitation. Tanita’s trademark style returned for an encore performance, albeit a bit more upbeat, and I loved it just as much again. With two in row, and so many favorites, Tanita was solidly a top-ten artist for me, from 1990 onward. And all these years later, nothing has changed about that. All these years later, I still have the copy of Ancient Heart I purchased in 1988, the copy of The Sweet Keeper I purchased in 1990, along with all of the copies of every CD Tanita has made since. And, of course, I still listen to them all regularly. I’m listening to one now.
Tikaram, of Malaysian and Indo-Fijian ancenstry, was born in Germany but has, since her early teens, been based in the UK (where she resides now). According to the host of the Diamond Award Festival in 1988 (where Tanita won a Diamond Spotlight Award for being “a new artist with a unique style”), Tanita decided she wanted to be a famous playwright, when she was just 14 years old. Influenced by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Van Morrison, she started writing her own songs when she was 16 years old. In March of 1988, she signed her first record contract, and at the age of 19, she released her first hit singe–“Good Tradition” (from Ancient Heart). From there, Tanita’s discography has gone on to include nearly a dozen albums, and she is still producing equally-awesome music today (most recently, To Drink The Rainbow: An Athology 1988-2019). Thankfully, for the music world, she decided not be a playwright. Not that she couldn’t have done that as well, but, selfishly (I guess), I love her music too much.
“No one else sounds like her. And when it comes to direct, emotionally-disarming melodies, she’s one of my all-time favorites.” ~ Pete Paphides
As an anecdote, in The History of Tanita Tikaram’s Hit “Twist in My Sobriety” by Christian Scharning, Tanita talks about the difficulty she had finding the all-important last word in the title of her hit song “Twist in My Sobriety.” She explains how, when she was younger, she believed that “if you didn’t write very quickly, it wasn’t really inspired.” She says (while laughing) that she had the “naive, artistic” idea that writing had to be done in ten minutes, and that “you have to capture it, and then it’s in the jar, and it’s finished.” She adds that “the whole song was written, except the phrase “Twist in My Sobriety.” She tried “Twist in My Gravity” and anything that had the rhythmic “ty” ending to fit in the song. Finally, she thought of “Sobriety,” and, as we all know now, it all worked perfectly. Yes! As I listen to it now, flowing tones of an oboe amplify and intensify emotions in the song, ever accentuated by Tikaram’s low, sultry, utterly-captivating voice. Perfect, again!
I would be remiss as a writer, inspired so much by Tanita’s work, if I didn’t write and publish this tribute to her as an undisputed favorite singer/songwriter. With her, so often, as a muse for my writing, I would be more than neglectful. It would be like not giving a co-writer credit for their part of the work. As I write this, I am, appropriately, listening to another of my many Tikaram favorites–“It All Came Back Today” (from The Sweet Keeper)–as her music does, indeed, make memories come back, and make writing all the easier. Many of my reviews, articles, interviews, etc. for Space Jockey Reviews were written against the backdrop and ambiance of Tanita’s songs–and what memories they’ve made! From melancholic hopefulness of “Twist in My Sobriety” to the jubilant confidence in “We Almost Got It Together,” there is something in Tanita’s music for everyone.
Tanita on the cover of Record Mirror, August 20, 1988
Tanita’s many music videos are, of course, available on Youtube, and I have included a number of my favorites below (although narrowing down her work to only a few favorites is impossible). In “Sunday Song – World Outside Your Window (Lockdown Version, 2020),” Tanita talks about how the song was taken into outer space and played for the universe by Helen Sharman–a chemist who became the first British astronaut as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station in May 1991. Out-of-this-world awesome for sure at SJR! As Tanita says, even the “space aliens” are able to listen to her music now. Indeed they are, and indeed they should. What a perfect example of human creativity her music is to represent us all at our best. If ever there was an intergalactic ambassador of musical achievement for the cosmos, it is certainly Tanita Tikaram!
For those who missed them earlier (or for those not around in the beginnings), Tanita’s songs below might be an exciting discovery, with new favorites for you as well. For me, they are as exciting and inspirational today as they ever were yesterday. As a bonus, subscribe to Tanita’s Youtube Channel, and get her super-special “Sunday Songs,” sung in her home, with a personal touch–definitely something you can’t at a concert. Enjoy!
Most sincerely,
Chris Rennirt – Editor in Chief at Space Jockey Reviews
Follow and “Like” Tanita Tikaram on Facebook at @tanitatikaramofficial!
Follow Tanita Tikaram on Twitter at twitter.com/tanita_tikaram (@tanita_tikaram)!
Check out Tanita’s out-of-this world playlist on Spotify!
Keep up with all the latest on Tanita’s official website, at www.tanita-tikaram.com!
Rocket Rating – 10
Chris Rennirt is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor-in-chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews and in Effective Magazine. His mission statement (describing his goals as a movie critic and philosophy for review writing) can be found on the “Mission” page, here at SJR. For more information about Chris Rennirt (including contact details, photos, and more), click here.
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