Tiki Black has released her new Album, ‘The Sound of the Broken Wand’, and it is truly stunning. We’re actually listening to some pretty good writing and a wonderful arrangement. Furthermore, the album’s powerful vocal performances, which are deep and incredibly lovely throughout, add to the whole experience. The album is full of wonderful themes that will transport you emotionally towards another reality.
The album opens with the dramatic sounding piece ‘The Debt’, which has a thrilling progression. The entire structure has such wonderful dynamism that it truly transports you. Listening to the magnificent operatic vocal performances that genuinely bring out the meaning of the words stated is one of the crucial components. We also hear a melodic theme line performed on the violin, which is later played on the piano and serves to tie the piece together. The track’s ambiance is created by the deep vibratos on the vocals and the tense violin tremolos. The piano sets the tone for the following song, ‘A Ghost of Me’, which touches you with its deep, intricate, and lovely writing. The subtle movements between phrases are performed flawlessly. The vocals performed had a lot of control, which really establishes the mood, and the violin counterparts are truly something that keeps you intrigued in the song’s progression.
‘The Unscripted‘ has a lovely start that then amazes you with a change in the progression, truly grabbing and holding your attention for the duration of the song. With such simple seeming lyrics with deep thoughts, the song talks about the strength and power of letting go. The harmonic structure is primarily maintained by the piano, while the bass adds a lot of motion. Furthermore, the vocal improvisations sounded absolutely intriguing. The following tune, ‘Nobody Knows’, has a deep, strong vocal melody that perfectly expresses the writing’s passion. The guitar is being used in the arrangement, and the combination of Drums, Bass, and Piano adds a lot of power. The finest aspect that we would want to see is how the emotions are conveyed when singing the phrase ‘Nobody Knows’, which is breathtaking to listen to.
The way ‘The Crown’s Crumbs‘ develops has such an effortless flow to it. In the tune, there is a sense of a sorrowful trip. The tunes’ energy is maintained by the drums and bass. The song’s tone is established by the well-controlled vocal delivery and the emotive string arrangements. The arrangement was perfect for letting the writing and vocals sparkle. The following song, ‘The Other Woman’, has a great blues flavour to it. The fun of the Piano performance, which is just lovely to listen to, lifts the mood. The progression is held together by the guitar. The best section is the interlude moment, when the tightness and magnificent act of the drums, bass, cello, violins, and piano really stuns you. We can truly sense the honesty in the performance of the title tune, which is played with so much heart. The song is designed to tell us a tale in order to describe and explain the meaning of the lovely sounding phrases. We also get to hear several plucked strings that are really appealing to the ears. The cello is one element that truly adds to the track’s emotional complexity.
‘Release Me‘ is a free-flowing piece with a simple arrangement, with the guitars strumming mostly contributing for the chords. The piano is added for a little additional punch, and the cello adds a lot of tenderness. The writing is still fantastic, and the intensity with which the vocals are delivered moves you to your core. Listen to the lovely string arrangements underneath the tune as it comes to a close; they’re simply stunning. The next tune, ‘Colour Me Blue’, has a very interesting rhythm to it. The bass and drums are rock strong and tight. Furthermore, the E. Piano and Cello depict the blues licks so effectively, which leads to such great improvisations by the guitars and violins. The guitar solo is the song’s pinnacle, and the vocals above it are really exhilarating. The album comes to a conclusion with ‘Your Way,’ which is a really emotional song. The song is simple, yet the strong words and warm sounding Piano touch you deep inside. The cello and violin arrangements are really well written, not only in this tune but throughout the album. This song, too, has a thrilling premise. I sincerely hope that more people become aware of the album and identify with its beauty.
Tiki Black also talks about her experiences working on the album and recording it.
1. What were your sources of inspiration, or what do you believe was the genesis of the song’s concept?
I wanted to do a concept album encouraging growth and emancipation. In many ways, it is hard for us to grow because everything around us including the institution we are part of, kind of helps us stay dependent.
2. Can you tell us about some memorable moments from the recording sessions? How did you prepare for the sessions?
In the beginning, all I had to do was to watch the musicians interpret the sheet music that I had prepared for them. I played a couple of the songs to give more of a flavour of what I wanted. It was great to see the band getting excited and lending their talent to the interpretation of The Other Woman. That was quite the exciting jam. Colour Me Blue was interesting too: I gave them the notes/progression and time signature as well as specified the use of the Debt’s riff and watch them just bring it to life.As much as those moments were interesting, I felt very much more like an observer watching my creation being brought to life by talented people, albeit singing the songs. One of the most memorable moments from the recording sessions is the recording of The Crown’s Crumbs. I was completely part of bringing the whole thing to life, from playing the piano to arranging the whole piece. I enjoyed completing the work alongside my producer as he added the remaining instruments and sounds that were buzzing in my head.
3. Did you confront any difficulties throughout the songwriting process, or was it a pretty natural process?
The songwriting process was, as usual, full of ups and downs. Each song had its own process because they each have their own story, their own perspective and their own focus. For example, The Debt is a song that tells the story from the perspective of the Debt. It required me to personify a concept and to think of it as a universal sourge, so not just potentially a financial strain but an emotional one, and not just the ones that we are conscious of. From there, I had to write something that looked natural and not at all like I had to do a full research to ensure that the words I had chosen included every type of debt without looking like an essay or anything such. In the song Release Me, I had to look at the same subject from two different points of view, to get them fighting each other in a sort of question and answer, like what happens when you are in doubt about something, especially in this case, about asking someone to let you go. So yes, the research, the changes of perspective, finding the right set of words and progressions that uniquely says what you mean and turning reality into art. They were not necessarily difficulties but they were definitely challenges. The only difficulty I can think of is the fact that I write the songs before even thinking about whether or not I can sing them. Losing my voice at one point (the side gig I do to earn money had my throat coated with dust at one point, so to speak) made it a nightmare to interpret some of the songs for longer than I would care to remember. The crisis that ensued is not a great memory.
4. Can you tell us about your time working on the album with such talented musicians?
There is something magical about hearing your music come to life in the hands of others. The talents on display from the pianist Ben Gladwin and the cellist Vicky Mutch to the drummer Daniel J Logan and the bassist (and guitarist) Jonathon M Crump were phenomenal. The more intimate setting of The Crown’s Crumbs made the talents of producer and musician Russell Cottier shine. I told him the instruments and melodies I heard on top of the piano I played and he just played them, from violin and viola to electric guitar. The drummer was Danny Shaw and all I had to do is do the drums with my mouth and he just got it and played it. I called on the Cameroonian roots of Serge Tebu, the guest bassist on that song, to roll a bikutsi sound in the middle 8 with the notes I provided and he just naturally delivered.
5. Is there anything in particular you’d like to emphasise about the album?
The album is the second one of my oncept albums (and of my albums) and follows, as the first does, the natural cycle of life. Growth and emancipation which are its themes require cutting the proverbial umbilial cut to any feed that stiffle our growth.
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