Tiwayo – The Gypsy Soul Of Tiwayo

Tiwayo

The Gypsy Soul Of Tiwayo

(Wrasse Records)

Tiwayo looks lean and hungry on the album cover…presumably hungry for career success. The mixture of influences drawn upon here includes reggae, folk, blues, soul and gospel. Mark Neill helms the production along with Tiwayo.

A Place To Call My Own kicks off the set with a Crazy Horse style intro. Tiwayo’s voice is in the Maroon 5/Train range, so very easy for females to sing along to. Which could be quite a commercial plus. The song is haunting in a Suzanne Vega mood with a fine slide guitar break.

Wild has an eerie lilting tempo and a pinch of The Afghan Whigs about it, the vocal slightly huskier here. It’s insistent and catchy, the production somewhat misty/low fi and mysterious. Next up Love Me Like You Say stumbles softly, electric guitar on a tremelo setting and cooing Hammond, another insidious vocal delivery plus female backing vocals. Quite a well-formed song with confident drums pattering away. Vocal tone apart, this has a Dr John Noo Awlins vibe and a bit more of that liquid guitar.

Winter Shades is truly midnight music, the singing winsome and wearied, a solemn vibe over reflective words. That medium-high rasp does begin to get to you. Something in his phrasing evokes Rita Coolidge at times. On to Bed Of Stone which goes very 60s Motown with an irresistible beat and sense of direction. Bet he likes Laura Nyro! Child Of The Ghetto is laid back and sombre with a sweet melody worthy of Sam Cooke. Gypsy Soul is about right, I venture.

Rise Up And Shine is the inevitable stabbing reggae effort, unfortunately not too much to commend it. Night Train is a groovier effort with a touch more edge about it, but it’s crying out for horns. Full Moon is a slinky soul ballad, taken at a slow pace and marinated in anguish. Waiting For The Morning Lights brings doomy keyboards on a languid slouch of a song. Too Young has a bit more life and is my favourite in this programme, much rockier with fine bass and guitar motifs. The crisp drumming is dead right, surely this is a live favourite. The set ends with Reach Heaven with slow strummed acoustic guitar and an almost Paul Simon cadence.

A bit too laid back overall for this listener, but an album with a romantic core that might well melt a few hearts.

Pete Sargeant