I ran out of time this week to write this review. Just one of those things but, I decided to wake up this morning early, put on my crumbling pink kitty eared headphones and let my mind move from sleep to wake while listening. In my dawn light shadowed room, with cans and ears in full glow, How Real Are We? by Tiara & Andrew began to glow in my sleepy and yawning temples.
Woeful, expansive, How Real Are We? by Tiara & Andrew is your rhapsody to expansion and traversing a human inner or outer universe. Tiara’s vocals are earthy and melodic. As she lets her gentle but, powerful serenade swell and recede on each track, I cannot help but to wax reminiscent of Sade’s work. And that Tiara’s and Sade’s names both have a connection to deserved, glittering crowns.
Andrew’s guitars are steadfast and true, forming a harmonic foundation that Tiara’s voice flow around like nebulaic dust and solar wind throughout the album. His electric vibes and velvet bass lines intertwine into vines of soft cosmic funk and blues. Natural sounds of rain in a moonlit clearing, chirping roosted birds, and breezy wind assist to form a landscape worthy of an artist’s oils.
Each song unfold tales of transfiguration and rebirth but, how threads of our past still connect to who and what you are. “Thinner”, “If The Moon Knew My Name” and “Stardust” were my favorite tracks but, this thirty-three minute septenary of missives are all beautiful in their own right. If I could have shared this waking dream experience with others across the distance of a pillowcase would be the only change I would make. But, that is totally on me.
“Stardust” is out today as a single and you can pre-order How Real Are We? which will be out on March 15th. I highly recommend you do.
Proceeds from cassette tapes go to Pretty Purposed, an organization out of Petersburg, VA that teaches young girls from low income areas positive life experience. 75% of digital proceeds and 50% of CD proceeds on Bandcamp go to Tiara & Andrew. 25% of digital proceeds and 50% of CD proceeds on Bandcamp go to Grimalkin to help us continue making physical releases in the future.
Tiara & Andrew will be celebrating this new release with a live show on March 15 at Basic City Beer Co. in Richmond, VA. Watch for more details on their social media and on Grimalkin Records.
What a wonderful way to wake up.
Paper Phoenix ink 