The first thing that strikes when you listen to Tami Neilson’s fifth album, Kingmaker, is her remarkable strength: Neilson is a true soul diva who brings a soul to her brand of country music. That funk is turned up to its highest level on ‘Green Peaches’ but the grit that Neilson brings to these songs is vital to pulling off what the Canadian-born, New Zealand-based singer-songwriter is trying to do.
‘Kingmaker’Â is a political album, a work of feminist art, grounded in both Neilson’s lived experience and her study of feminist theory. She’s mentioned bell hooks’ work as an influence on what she’s doing here, and that gave me pause, not because of any objection to bell hooks’ ideas, but because it’s really hard to express abstract, conceptual ideas in compelling songs. Songs — and stories, too — are about creating an experience, which is largely about emotion, and anything too theoretical makes it difficult to pull that off.
Here’s another thing about political albums: the performer has to channel some visceral energy into the songs. Part of the reason Bob Dylan and Steve Earle are so good at it is that it allows them a particular prism for their unique energy. Our friend Tami doesn’t strike me as having that particular energy, but she has an energy. When you listen to her sing, you get the distinct impression, “This is someone I do not want to mess with.” This is a quality that is beyond her being an excellent singer — it’s a matter of projecting her attitude into everything she does, and it’s very much something that Chrissie Hynde and Lucinda Williams do. I respect and I fear all 3 of these women.
The attitude on this album is for me, a delight, and the album closer ‘Ain’t My Job’ sounds like if a woman wrote ‘Take This Job And Shove It’. By the end of the album, it is clear that Neilson has had enough, and she is done. As she gets us there, she starts with a searing indictment of misogyny in the music industry, ‘Kingmaker’. What’s truly impressive is how Neilson manages to power and make a jam out of material that could be as heavy and depressing as ‘Green Peaches’, which deals with sexual harassment in the music industry in New Zealand. ‘Mama’s Talkin’ may have been inspired by current events — specifically, by Kamala Harris being interrupted by her debate opponent — but the issue is neither new nor is it likely to be one that becomes irrelevant any time soon.
While the album is dedicated largely to these issues, ‘Beyond The Stars’ co-written with Neilson’s late father, is a notable exception. A guest appearance by Willie Nelson in that role is extremely poignant, and it adds an emotional note not otherwise present in the album. Nelson’s presence as a benevolent father figure is suggestive that, for all the harm and wrongdoing visited by men to women, many of us have always done better.
This is a smart, fun album, with a lot to say.
Track list: 1. Kingmaker 2. Careless Woman 3. Baby, You’re a Gun 4. King of Country Music 5. Beyond the Stars 6. Green Peaches 7. Mama’s Talkin’ 8. I Can Forget 9. The Grudge 10. Ain’t My Job Record Label: Outside Music Release Date: 15th July Buy ‘Kingmaker’ now
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