If you’ve not listened to Tiffany since her 1980s smash hit with the cover of, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ then you’ve been depriving yourself of some incredible music. September 21 sees the release of Tiffany’s eleventh studio album, ‘Pieces Of Me’, an extremely introspective album which showcases her immense vocals and shouts to the world just how fantastic an artist she is.
Recorded in LA, Nashville, and London, ‘Pieces Of Me’, like her previous album ‘Rose Tattoo’, is very definitely not a pop album, and leans very heavily towards Americana and rock. In listening to her discography, it’s clear that although Tiffany has always had a beautiful singing voice, it’s in her most recent albums that you sense she’s really found her place: she’s confident, and her vocals have a strength and timbre that’s not as readily apparent in her earlier records.
Indeed, on ‘Pieces Of Me’, there’s a number of tracks where Tiffany could be mistaken for Stevie Nicks – most particularly on second track ‘Feels Like A Storm’. It’s an album which takes a lot of listening to in order to review it properly – not because it’s hard to get into, but rather because it’s too easy to get lost in.
In speaking about the album, Tiffany said that it’s not what people think an album from her should sound like.
“From the writing process to recording, and producing, and working with amazing musicians who understood my vision – this is the music that’s been in my heart for a very long time.”
She’s had total control over the album, and has most certainly grown as an artist.
Opening with ‘Worlds Away’ we’re immediately struck by Tiffany’s vocals. They’re huge, they’re rich, they’re strong, they’re insanely good. The track is also extremely well produced, with phenomenal instrumentation. It should come as no surprise therefore that Tiffany has overseen the production herself. Second track, ‘Feels Like A Storm’, could easily have been sung by Stevie Nicks, and this isn’t the only track on the album which makes us feel this way, with the very haunting ‘Fall’ giving us the same vibe.
‘Beautiful’ is a more upbeat, rocky track, which has drawn comparisons to other female rock artists such as Debbie Harry. We’re getting a bit of a Cyndi Lauper vibe as well, as well as Kim Wilde. It’s got an 80s feel to it which we enjoyed immensely, and while we’re listening can’t help but bounce in our chair. It’s a song which conveys perfectly feeling of first love – you can’t help but think about the other person constantly.
‘Waste Of Time’ is an anthemic country song, with a strong Nashville feel to it, and an epic drum start really setting the tone of the track. The chorus showcases Tiffany’s rich vocals, which in this song have a sort of world-weary feel to them. Her high notes are beautifully sustained with a gorgeous power and emotion. In an album of highlights, we think this is our favourite.
Title track ‘Pieces Of Me’ opens up with the world-weary Tiffany again, and we wonder what troubles she’s seen in order to put this amount of emotion into her music. “Here we go again chasing pieces of me”. It’s a standout track and was a strong contender to take the title of our top track. Again, we have the whole Stevie Nicks vibe, and we’re completely in love with the instrumental break and it’s soaring guitars, with Tiffany’s vocals sweeping back in, accompanied by her backing vocalists. It’s an awesome track in the purest sense of the word. Speaking of the track, Tiffany explained,
“It’s about embracing life, even if you’ve made mistakes, wasted time on relationships or career choices, it’s about taking back control and moving on. So it made total sense as the album title. You really are getting all the pieces of me, everything I’ve ever dreamed and wanted.”
‘King Of Lies’, track 6, harks back with a nice name check to track 4, ‘Waste Of Time’. It’s a full on power anthem, and we’re reminded here of yet another strong voiced female artist, this time it’s Pat Benatar. Tiffany’s vocals are incredible – the emotion and strength in her voice makes us want to turn the volume up to 11.
A change of pace in the piano-led ‘Hey There’ and here we see that Tiffany can do slower love songs as well. There’s still a lot of pain to be felt here, but the track is the only ballad on the album and it gives Tiffany the opportunity to shine.
Every track on ‘Pieces Of Me’ has the power to stand alone on its own merits, and we don’t envy Tiffany’s task when deciding which track to release as a single. Several times we’ve got caught up in the album and forgotten that we were meant to be listening for review purposes: if that’s not enough to convince that it’s a brilliant album then we don’t know what is.
‘Pieces Of Me’, by Tiffany, is out on Friday 21 September as a digital release. This will be followed up on October 5 as a CD, and November 2 on Vinyl. You can pre-order here.
Catch Tiffany live across the UK:
18TH BRISTOL – THEKLA
22ND COTTINGHAM – CIVIC HALL
24TH LONDON – BORDERLINE
25TH MAIDSTONE – HAZLITT THEATRE
26TH PRESTON – GUILD HALL
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