BLEED (2000)

Description

Singer/songwriter Tina Schouw’s debut album ‘Bleed’ is a compilation of upbeat and fun songs, which draws on an eclectic blend of musical genres. From the fun pop tune ‘Tick Tock’ she dives into the beautiful slow acoustic ballad, ‘You are beautiful’, then swings into the jazzy Picasso tune and swoops deliciously into the sultry bossa ‘Me and My perfume’. As South African music critic, Jeremy Dowson says, “Tina is one who’s able to bleed styles, yoke volcanic passions and move you in mysterious ways with a subtle disregard for convention, the only rule being that she’ll never ever allow herself to bore you. This  album is produced by her longtime accompanist and friend, pianist and composer Andrew Lilley.

This Cape Town local jazz vocal legend has finally released her debut album and the title says it all. It is a work brimming with blood, sweat and tears, but filled also with a string of evocative and emotional songs, mostly written by Tina. For the album, Tina Schouw enlisted the instrumental and production talents of Dave Ledbetter, and used the full range of her wondrous vocal talents to create an album that is going to impress a lot of doubters. Her songwriting is strong and moving, helped of course by a voice that swoops and soars, scats and sobs. There is a touch of Rickie Lee Jones in her voice, but that’s where we dump the comparisons and focus on the beautiful and mesmeric opening song, ‘Tick Tock’. What follows is a slow and jazzy trip through Tina’s world, a trip many of her fans have been anticipating since she first appeared on the Cape Jazz scene. This is as original and effective a jazz vocal album as has been recently produced in SA and ‘Bleed’ will surely grab Tina Schouw the attention and acclaim she deserves. Must listen Track: Tick Tock

– Review by Stephen Segerman (Rock Digest)