The Sweet Keeper is the second studio album by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released in 1990. Like her debut album Ancient Heart (1988), it was produced by Peter Van Hooke and Rod Argent. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "We Almost Got It Together", "Little Sister Leaving Town" and "Thursday's Child".
Although matching the #3 peak of Tikaram's debut album in her native UK and achieving Gold status, it sold in significantly lower numbers than Ancient Heart, which went Platinum.
Critical reception
On its release, Bob Stanley of Melody Maker felt Tikaram's voice was the "centrepiece" of the album. He praised the use of strings and brass as "an inspired move", but felt they "intrude" on some of the songs. He considered Tikaram's lyrics to "barely compare" to those of her inspirations, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, stating that they "sound portentous, but are ultimately shadows to the words of Tanita's heroes and heroines". Stanley concluded, "The Sweet Keeper sees Tanita dabbling with the folk-pop of her debut, embellishing and improving it in some areas. They'll love it in Basingstoke and Norway - the next LP will be the real test."
In a retrospective write-up from AllMusic, Tom Demalon claimed the record is "much the same as the first go round. Musically, The Sweet Keeper is fairly unadventurous -- melodic, jazz-inflected adult pop with touches of folk. The only real moments that resonate are the tracks on which Sonny Landreth adds guitar. Lyrically, Tikaram is somewhat impenetrable, often going in circles that are so personal they leave the listener baffled. However, it's hard to resist that voice, husky and sounding more world-wise than her years. If it weren't for her voice, The Sweet Keeper would be easy to disregard. As things are, it's worth a listen, especially the Tikaram's hushed delivery on "It All Came Back Today."
Track listing All tracks composed by Tanita Tikaram. "Once & Not Speak" "Thursday's Child" "It All Came Back Today" "We Almost Got It Together" "Consider the Rain" "Sunset's Arrived" "Little Sister Leaving Town" "I Owe All to You" "Love Story" "Harm in Your Hands"
Personnel
Tanita Tikaram – guitar, vocals Mark Isham – trumpet Rod Argent – arranger, conductor, keyboards Sonny Landreth – bottleneck guitar Abigail Brown – violin Richie Buckley – tenor saxophone David Clifton – guitar Mark Cresswell – guitar Mitch Dalton – acoustic guitar Mark Davies – cello Roger Garland – violin John Giblin – bass Roy Gillard – violin John Heley – cello Helen Kamminga – viola Martin O'Connor – accordion Helen O'Hara – violin, arranger Mark – violin Peter Van Hooke – arranger, drums Clem Clempson – acoustic guitar Rory McFarlane – bass Katherine Shave – violin Robert Woollard – cello Andrew Davis – double bass Anne Solomon – violin
Charts + Chart performance for The Sweet Keeper Chart (1990) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 68 European Albums (Eurotipsheet)3 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) 2 Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)1 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist) 5Irish Albums (IFPI)1 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "The Sweet Keeper" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca". 8 US Billboard 200 124 US Cash Box Top 200 Albums 95
Certifications
References