Tina Arena Is Everything!

[PsychoDrama]

Wow. This actually looks bloody good...

 

[PsychoDrama]

Great to see Tina is touring again. I'm sure she'll be in top form after Evita:

It's a credit to Australia's treatment of Covid that the tour looks set to happen so soon. I can't imagine there being a European leg. Even if Tina wanted to travel, concerts here are looking very iffy and no doubt will be for some time.

But home media of the new tour would be very welcome. And there have been three studio albums since the last live album, so I'm hoping for that as well.​

 

[PsychoDrama]

Be still my heart. There's a new single from Tina, co-written by Tina herself and featuring Andy Taylor on guitar!

​

Tina Arena returns with her first new music offering in over five years, and her first ever independent release. “Church” sets the tone for a series of singles to be released by Arena this year and the beginning of a new chapter of her incredible career.

“Church” is a return to Arena’s roots - a powerful song that showcases her unmistakable voice. Emotionally rich, fearless and inspiring, confessional and redeeming, this is the sound of a world-class artist genuinely liberated, musically and creatively, for the first time in years.

The single was recorded last year with some of her closest friends in a tiny church in Sweden, with Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor on guitar and Swedish powerhouse Mattias Lindblom in the producer’s seat. Despite the name, the song is not deep in religious undertones, but more an empowering anthem for Arena’s journey towards her next musical chapter.

MUSIC

www.tinaarena.com

It's bloody epic and full of drama.

And she sounds as wonderful as ever. I don't know how she keeps her voice sounding so consistently good, but she obviously looks after it well.

If something good has come from the last year's lockdowns, it's the rich vein of creativity from artists. 2021 has already brought unexpected new albums from many of my favourite artists.

Church is "a journey towards her next musical chapter", and I'm very excited by the prospect of "a series of singles" coming up from Tina. It's three years since Quand Tout Recommence, so I'm ready for the next album. Or a nice EP. Tina always gets it so right, so I'll take whatever she delivers.​

 

[PsychoDrama]

I'm doing this a bit backwards, but here are the official teasers for the track:

I'm sorry I missed experiencing the anticipation about the single, but on the other hand I got to enjoy the dizzying excitement of seeing the announcement then being able to click right in to the full video while still processing the news.


Speaking of catching up ex post facto, here's a nice bit of background to the song* and an introduction to the video from Tina. If you click through to watch on YouTube you can enjoy the vicarious excitement of the lead-in with the chat replay:

*( I'm trying to politely overlook the bit about jetsetting between France and Sweden at a time when both countries were experiencing dramatic surges in Covid cases). ​

 

[PsychoDrama]

This is great, especially seeing Tina having a laugh with Peter-John Vetesse and hanging out with Nile Rodgers. Which would all have happened exactly twenty years ago.

It's truly entrancing to hear Tina singing along to the Symphony Of Life backing track as she gets to grips with it - especially now that it's one of her classics.

The mental image of Nile dragging Tina along to watch him play with Duran Duran before going back to his place has blown my mind a little. I don't think the extent of Nile's contributions as an album producer had consciously registered with me before, but listening to the bassline and riffs on Soul Mate #9 and Dare You To Be Happy it really has an updated Chic kind of energy.

 

[PsychoDrama]

How have I not seen this until now?!

God - I hope this tour is released on CD. She sounds great!​

 

[PsychoDrama]

Exciting news from Tina... a new album Her first in over five years (and closer to eight years since her last English language album). Finally, Church has a home.

And there's a new single to launch it:

​

I like it rather a lot. I don't know how Tina looks after her voice, but it's obvious she does. After decades of belting out hits, so many singers either have to sing in a significantly lower register or lose vocal strength or simply don't sound as good having wrecked their voices. But Tina's voice is so unchanging and if anything gets stronger by the year.

The single and what I suspect is the Deluxe Album's bonus track are available now. Going on the title and running time, Danser Sur La Grace appears to be a French language version of the album's Dancing On Thin Ice. I love hearing her sing in French so the Deluxe is a no-brainer (though I'm hoping another track or two will appear on it to warrant the "deluxe" branding).

I'm sorely tempted to just order the signed copy from her website, despite the extortionate international shipping. But it would be a bit annoying if it popped up on Amazon UK for half the price before release.

 

[PsychoDrama]

I'm sorely tempted to just order the signed copy from her website, despite the extortionate international shipping. But it would be a bit annoying if it popped up on Amazon UK for half the price before release.

As if my willpower could stand it. I'd ordered from Tina's site within 2 hours of posting this.

 

[Friend!Food! Oleson]

It would be funny if you received a copy signed by Rowena Wallace.

 

[PsychoDrama]

Exciting news from Tina... a new album Her first in over five years

While I haven't listened to the album a great deal since it arrived just over two weeks ago, I very much like what I've heard. Many of the tracks sound quite "stagey", in a good way... they could form part of some stage musical that tells a story. Perhaps when I get to know the album better I'll be able to piece a story together. Like all good pop albums, many of the tracks sound familiar while retaining some originality.

Outrun The Night is beautiful. As is Love Saves. Dared To Love You First is achingly - almost painfully - lovely. And it's oh so cathartic to sing along with Devil In Me's lyrics "Fück you, I'm a Joan Of Arc without a cause".

Danser Sur La Grace appears to be a French language version of the album's Dancing On Thin Ice.

I usually favour her French language songs, but I think I prefer the English in this case (even though both are very nice).

It's relatively rare for Tina to do French versions of her English songs (she's previously said they don't always translate well and she prefers to do original French tracks) but with the release of the newest single there are now TWO on this album.

Je Me Rapproche - a French interpretation of 2021's Church - was released as a single yesterday:

It sounds great to my ears, though I'm not sure how well it translates back into English. The online translation I found certainly looks a bit clunkier than the English original, but I'm sure it's actually far more graceful in French than this online tool would have me believe.

I'm a tad peeved that this wasn't included on the Deluxe Edition with its solitary bonus track. For now I've had to settle for a digital download. But I'm counting my blessings... at least it's available on UK iTunes

 

[PsychoDrama]

This video has made me fall even more deeply in love with Chains. It is the perfect celebration of its 30th Anniversary:

Chains remains one of my most heavily-played Tina songs, and it would be by far the most-played track if we factor CD plays before play counts were a thing. The perverse side of me wishes it were a less-obvious choice* since her name is synonymous with the song to many casual listeners, but sometimes the biggest tracks are just that with good reason and the fact remains it's a terrific song.

The incredible sequenced music video within - made up of her performances of it throughout the years - perfectly illustrates not only how powerful it is, but also how she delivers so consistently with each and every performance. Just as she finds something new each time she performs it, so does she transmit that magic energy to anyone who listens without losing that special something that makes the original so perfect.

It's the natural first song to have such a story, and I hope there are more to follow.





* At least the music snob in me can take solace in the fact that most of my Top Ten Tina songs by play count are French, Italian or live and highly unlikely to appear on compilations found in British supermarkets or bargain bins.