Self-released

*****

Australian-born Tamara Stewart is firmly ensconced in Nashville’s music scene as a highly-respected songwriter and performer at Writer’s nights and guitar pulls. She’s penned numerous hit songs for Australian country artists and also scored some notable successes of her own with no less than five acclaimed albums and numerous Australian Awards to her credit. This latest album is a remarkably raw, bracingly honest set of country and Americana tunes that tap into both the remarkable spirit in her voice and her incredible lyrical honesty. There are heavy influences of love, heartbreak, and emotional healing so props to Tamara for being brave enough to talk about the hard stuff. Not unlike most, she has had her share of good times and bad. But unlike most, she has the uncanny ability to shake off the chains that bind by sketching song lyrics that both amaze and inspire.

THE TRUTH, THE MUSIC & ME finds Tamara travelling from the ruin of bad relationships through recovery to rising above it all with renewed energy and spirit, The songs are arranged like a travelogue through this journey of appreciation of where she’s at, while still pushing toward a bigger, brighter, better future. Tamara’s confessional lyrical style and starkly sincere singing is beautifully integrated with deftly layered, atmospheric sounds and evocative musical phrasing. The intensity of her voice refuses to let up either, and her sense of harmonic movement and rhythmic patterns often hints at something unsettling going on, a dangerous and explosive feeling that shrouds and ultimately defines this whole album.

The album opens with Birds in Cages a delicate and impassioned ballad for what makes our humanity so beautiful and amazing. Tamara rides the razor thin rail between the darkness and light in this tale of domestic violence that is emotionally affecting on so many levels. That sets the listener up for the deeply personal, heartfelt, striking, and affecting Broke My Heart.  Shaking with urgent and purposeful grit Tamara’s making great, quality music with depth and sincerity here. Piece of My Mind is characterised by big, bold vocals full of passion and pizzazz; this track is the sort to take an artist somewhere big. Sombre guitars, glitchy production, and earnest vocals mark Untied … rueful, hard-edged and authentic, the style of Tamara’s songwriting is another thing that sets her apart.
The songs are at times vulnerable, at times mournful, yet always hopeful. Blessed marks the beginning of recovery, a gorgeous ballad full of introspection tempered masterfully with hope. That hope is carried through with the jaunty Dear Hometown, that though written with specific memories, resonates with a universal message that we can all connect with. There’s a slight step back with Haunted House, a powerful song about the ‘other woman’ as Tamara combines melody with angst and lyrical abrasiveness. This is heady stuff. The Truth, The Music & Me is an intense self-analysis, it speaks to the present by evoking the dramatic honesty that clings to the past. Cathartic and highly personal it leads neatly into The Rising. Equal parts gospel barnburner and funk-rocker this is a roller-coaster ride of rollicking riffs, descending and ascending with a luminous power and joyfulness. Turn this one up, and you’ll feel it in your bones. Face the Music is unusually tuneful, well-hooked and atmospheric, and it comes supercharged with jingle-jangle guitar work, road-weathered vocals and memorable, introspective lyrics. Then comes the vibrant no-holds-barred Late to the Party, a co-write with Leslie Satcher offering the kind of swaggering, punch-drunk escapism we used to spend all our time wishing for in our teenage years, while making it feel utterly achievable even now we’re much older and far more cynical. Pages exits the album sparse and gorgeous, with cautious introspection and a timeless appeal that the entire listen is drenched in.

This album is full of crafty melody and lyrics that find the shortest path to the truth. In Tamara Stewart’s twenty years as a songwriter she’s been restlessly perfecting her craft and she does not let go, back down or settle for less. Listening to her, it’s easy to observe that despite all of the harsh reality she has experienced, she’s still an incurable romantic. Despite numerous setbacks in her life and musical career Tamara Stewart continues to be a vital, forward-moving performer who requires the attention of the masses.

www.tamarastewartmusic.com

June 2019