Tuesday, March 22, 2011

CD Review: "Rose Tattoo" - Tiffany

CD: "Rose Tattoo"
Artist: Tiffany
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Label: Only the Girl, Inc.

I gotta admit, when I first heard that Tiffany was making a comeback, but not in her normal realm of bubblegum pop but in my favorite genre of music, country, I was more than a little leery and skeptical. I mean, this is Tiffany, the same red headed teen vocal power house that filled shopping malls with screaming fans in the 80's, the same one that dated a New Kid on the Block and made all the girls in your class jealous, and yes, the same one that made every heartbroken young girl sit by her cassette player replaying "Could Have Been" after a high school break up. Come on, Tiffany? A country music singer with a side ponytail and scrunchie? Well let me tell ya, once I heard her sing her "countrified" version of "Could Have Been" on YouTube, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I loved it! I think "Rose Tattoo", is a great cd too.

It may be 20+ years since Tiffany made her splash in music, but her vocals are still as strong as they were back then, actually stronger, more mellow and mature. In all of her past and most recent releases, I think she's showing listeners the broadest vocal range on this particular cd. She's always had that dance club feel to her music and it's still there in this release, however, now it's more of a country line dance instead of an 80's pop dance club. The first song on the cd, "Feel the Music", makes you do just that. This one makes you wanna dance, makes you wanna let your hair down, kick your heels on the sawdust floor and try to show that you have the best dance moves in the group of line dancers. Boot scootin' boogie it's not, but it will definitely have your cheeks rockin'. The second song, "Crazy Girls", which happens to feature the voice of another amazing country vocalist, Lindsay Lawler, is another one with a thump and beat that will have you cranking it up to eleven in the car on the way to the closest honky tonk. Next in the track listing is "He's All Man". I expected a Shania Twain "Any Man of Mine" kind of song and while it was a good song, it just wasn't my favorite on the cd. "He Won't Miss Me" is the first slow tempo ballad on "Rose Tattoo" and it's a good one - great relatable subject matter and emotional instrumentation. We've all been there, done that. We've poured our heart out to the one we love before walking away in hopes that he'd come after us, but deep inside we know that it's over and they probably won't miss us when we shut that door for the last time on a relationship. If you're going through an emotional time, a break up, you might wanna have Kleenex on hand for this one. I needed some. Well performed emotional songs like this always get to me. The next two songs, "All Over You" and "Just Love Me" are songs for the broken hearted, songs where the heart cries for understanding. Again, might wanna have Kleenex if you're one who actually listens to what's being said beyond the melody. No woman wants to deal with puffy eyes and a runny nose, so trust me, have the tissues. It's only good advice. The next song, "Love You Good", is actually that one song that is on most cds that for some reason or another you just can't get into. I don't know if it's because it didn't really "go with the flow" of the other songs or if it's just that I don't like the voodoo-ish, spooky blues sound. I'm sure there will be those that do like it. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying it's not my style of song and I don't think it's Tiffany's either but kudos for bringing something different and unique to the mix. The last song, "Just That Girl" is by far, in my opinion, the best song on the entire cd, at least it's my favorite. Personally, I AM "Just that Girl" - the good, the bad and the ugly. I can identify with this song more than most other songs out there. I don't know if that's good or it's bad but it makes for a good song.

Tiffany, you have my stamp of approval to enter the world of country and that's not something I give to many crossover artists. I always figured you'd eventually get here because it's always kind have been in your soul and I've heard from many sources how important country has always been to you. Welcome, won't you stay?

If you have a chance, I recommend catching Tiffany performing live around Nashville. Her vocals are outstanding in her live shows and do her the justice that sometimes recording just doesn't do. Luckily this is not one of those recordings. This one does her a great deal of justice.

Find Tiffany online:





You can purchase "Rose Tattoo" at Amazon.com and on iTunes.You can also purchase on Tiffany's website.