Produced by a stable of some of Canada’s finest musical
minds including DJ Kemo (The Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall), Chin Injeti (DJ
Khalil, Eminem, Drake) and Daniel Lee (Hooded Fang, Phedre), Record Kicks
proudly presents “The Gumption” the awaited new album by Canadian soul star
Tanika Charles that will hit the
streets worldwide on May 10.
“What gave you the gumption?” Tanika Charles rhetorically
asks during the introductory notes of her sophomore album appropriately titled
The Gumption. While the apprehensive lover at the receiving end of that
inquisition should feel slighted by the remark, it also alludes to the
assuredness Tanika has gained since the release of her Juno Award and Polaris
Music Prize-nominated debut Soul Run. The Gumption picks up where Soul Run left
off, continuing her tradition of marrying classic soul with modern production
styles. Across a dozen songs spanning 38 minutes, Tanika addresses moments of
vulnerability, vindication, uncertain love, forbidden fruit and the state of
the world today. “It’s a little more mature. It’s not feeling
guilty about being up front, not being afraid to address
situations that aren’t comfortable for me. I’m comfortable in my skin now in a
way I never was before. The overall theme is growth. I feel the music reflects
that, and my words reflects that. Even the album cover tries to convey the
feeling too. I’m not putting up with unnecessary nonsense anymore.”
Predominately guitar-driven mid-tempo soul, with a handful
of dance floor friendly tunes and some psychedelic leanings, The Gumption was
indirectly influenced by the likes of Alabama Shakes, The Supremes, Khruangbin,
D’Angelo, and Moses Sumney. It is sonically moody at times, but with consistent
silver-lining arcs. “I’ve grown up and learned to deal with situations
significantly better. We have a tendency to hold back our innermost feelings
for fear of hurting others. Even when we’re happy we worry about over-sharing,
as if joy is a competition you don’t want to gloat about.”
The success of Soul Run propelled Tanika in front of new
audiences far and wide, with extensive touring in North America and Europe.
“I’ve been touring, experiencing new places and meeting new people. And in that
time also worked on completing this album”. While criss-crossing Canada with
festival appearances on both the east and west coasts, Tanika also embarked
upon four overseas tours for a combined 45 European shows within a one year
period. This included performances at the prestigious Trans Musicales Festival
in France, the Lärz, Germany Fusion
Festival, Mostly Funk & Soul and Jazz Festival in UK, the Holy Groove
Festival in Switzerland, and the Canarias Jazz Festival in Spain.
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