Tina Dico - Count To Ten Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 04.16.2008
Danish singer/songwriter returns with an amazing set of folk rock…
My Story
The interesting aspect of pop music out of Europe is the way it seamlessly blends in elements of dance music that, in the US, is more reserved for the Club Play charts – or immediate obscurity. Sure, American pop stars like Britney Spears (and producers like Timbaland), have figured out how squeeze the most out of a sexy pop hook and a club beat, but they’ve never managed the strange artistry that our cousins from across the Atlantic have developed, or the ability to incorporate really hardcore beats, like trip-hop, over bleep and bloop bubblegum.
The latest Euro import in the pop market is Tina Dico, a lady who’s no stranger to dance thanks to a very successful stint with Zero 7. Plus, she’s already a major star in her native Denmark. Will this, her newest studio album, launch her career this side of the pond?
Her Story
Tina Dico (ne Tina Dickow) was born in Danish metropolis Aarhus in 1977. Her father was an avid audiophile, and his record collection exposed young Tina to such singer/songwriter acts as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Tina’s love for music led her to the Danish Royal College as a teenager. While there, Tina performed in several bands, and even began making appearances on local television. A handful of singles followed, and Dico’s sweet vocal stylings led to immediate attention by Danish record labels. Still, Dico chose to self-release her debut album.
Fuel was issued on Tina’s own Finest Gramophone label in 2001. Many reviewers predicted great things for Dico upon its release. The Notes EP followed in 2002, around the time Dico left Denmark for London. Notes began picking up steam due to word of mouth and, despite much radio support, earned Dico a Danish Grammy Award. With attention rising, Dico’s next step would be a highly successful collaboration.
In 2004, Tina teamed with British trip-hop duo Zero 7 to perform vocals on a few of the tracks on their then-upcoming album When It Falls. One of Dico’s songs, “Home”, was released as a single, and When It Falls shot up to #3 on the UK album charts. Dico went on tour with Zero 7 to support the album, introducing a whole new group of fans to her singer/songwriter-meets-dance music.
Dico released another new EP, Far, in late 2004. A much more dynamic record (featuring more downbeat production a la Zero 7), Far had critics and fans both raving. Dico’s second full-length album, In The Red, was released on A:Larm records in 2006. A melancholy and introspective record of alternative folk-rock, Red was a #1 hit in Denmark and earned Dico the Singer of the Year Danish Music Award.
In 2007, she started work on her follow-up, to be released on her own label. She’s currently planning a US tour for the spring of 2008. For more info, check out her official site, YouTube channel and MySpace.
Media
Tina Dico – “On The Run” Video
The Album
On April 8, 2008, Defend Music released Count To Ten, the third studio album by Tina Dico and the follow-up to 2006’s In The Red.
The Band: 8.0
Tina Dico: vocals, guitar
Tina Dico has the same kind of sexy and intimate vocals that belong to the best singer/songwriters. On Count To Ten, she will put many listeners in mind of fellow European import, James Blunt. Luckily, Tina seems to have a whole lot more to say. Her sultry singing anchors this entire album, but there’s no sexuality to sell CD’s here – instead, an introspective sadness that’s held up by an understated but elegant mix of acoustic folk guitars and sparse beats and synths.
Dico stands as a candle light in the darkness of the human condition, softly relating us poetry of life’s pratfalls and loneliness. This isn’t a party record by any means – it’s a set of songs that dares you to both pay attention and look inward. The music winds us down the dark trails of our hearts, pointing out landmarks of both gloom and nostalgia, all while Dico woos us with her smart writing and amazing relatability.
Simply put, Count To Ten is the rare singer/songwriter album with both pop appeal and genuine ingenuity. Dico isn’t content to just sing and whine like most modern folk-pop stars. Nor is she trying to fool us that it’s going to be all sunshine in the end after a broken heart. There are true treasures here for those who care to listen.
The Songs: 8.0
1. Count To Ten
2. On The Run
3. Open Wide
4. Night Cab
5. You Know Better
6. Sacre Coeur
7. Craftsmanship & Poetry
8. My Business
9. Cruel To The Sensitive Kind
10. Everybody Knows
11. Night Cab (Epilogue)
Count To Ten leads with its title track, which is initiated with an appropriate sigh. It’s Dico’s way of saying, this isn’t going to be easy, but here we go. That leads us into an acoustic rant that will have you immediately thinking “Dylan” – that is, until that brilliant electronic atmosphere kicks in. It’s a good precursor to what you can expect from this album. “Ten” is followed by the upbeat “On The Run”, a cut that finds Tina backed by a muted rock band, singing about the joys of being on the road.
“Craftsmanship & Poetry” takes the modern break-up song and turns it on its ear as Dico proclaims that love is, indeed, not enough, as she damns the deafening silence of loneliness. “Cruel To The Sensitive Kind” is a reverb and phase-twinged late-night bar closer about the guy who swoops in to take advantage of a woman’s bad day. Producer Dennis “Ghettoblast” Alghren should be commended most for his work here, as I haven’t heard a track as appropriately moody since the Drive-By Truckers’ “Goddamn Lonely Love”.
Dico does break out of her shell to rock on “Night Cab”, a rolling mid-tempo bit of fun with touches of alt country-rock in the vein of Counting Crows. The cut is even reprised for the album’s closer, wrapping up an album that may just leave you drained emotionally.
The 411: Count To Ten proves that Danish fans have keen ears. Tina Dico is the best thing to happen to folk/rock in years. She’s good looking but not overtly sexual, introspective but not moody, and deep without being inaccessible. The tracks here will leave you thinking and just may break your heart. If you’re into anything with an acoustic guitar, from James Taylor to James Blunt, you’re going to want to check this out.
