In Swings the Tide

In Swings the Tide
Studio album by
Anika Moa
Released8 October 2007
Recorded2006/2007
GenrePop, folk, country
Length41:44
LabelEMI
ProducerAnika Moa
Anika Moa chronology
Stolen Hill
(2005) 		In Swings the Tide
(2007) 		Love in Motion
(2010)
Singles from In Swings the Tide
  1. "Dreams in My Head"
    Released: October 2007
  2. "My Old Man"
    Released: March 2008
  3. "Standing in This Fire"
    Released: July 2008
  4. "Wise Man Say"
    Released: June 2009

In Swings the Tide is the third studio album by New Zealand Pop recording artist Anika Moa. It was released on 8 October 2007 by EMI Records. The album reached number six on the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified Platinum for selling over 15,000 copies.

Background

Songs on the album were inspired by the break-up of a relationship and Moa's father's deteriorating health.[1]

Moa produced the album herself. Mixing of the album was achieved in two weeks, while mastering took one day. "It's been the easiest album I've ever done and the most control I've had over everything", she later said.[2]

Composition

Moa has described the album as "ballady, country, folky pop".[1]

Tour

Moa toured New Zealand to promote In Swings the Tide. She was backed by drummer Nick Gaffney and bassist Chip Matthews on the tour. Folk singer-songwriter Age Pryor opened for her,[3] and Anji Sami, sister of Madeleine Sami, also opened at the Nelson show.[4]

Date City Location
6 December 2007 Dunedin The Backstage
7 December 2007 Christchurch Al's Bar
8 December 2007 Nelson School of Music
9 December 2007 Wellington San Francisco Bathhouse
11 December 2007 Whangārei Salut
12 December 2007 Kerikeri The Centre
13 December 2007 Auckland Transmission Room

Patrick Stowe from The Nelson Mail gave the gig a positive review, praising Moa's "brutal honesty on stage".[4]

Critical reception

In Swings the Tide
Review scores
SourceRating
The New Zealand Herald[5]
The Press[6]
Taranaki Daily News[7]

Russell Baillie of The New Zealand Herald rated In Swings the Tide four stars, commending its "level of songcraft here that wasn't always apparent on her earlier work."[5] Nick Bollinger from New Zealand Listener said that "[In Swings the] Tide strikes a balance between the industry-standard pop of Thinking Room...and the introspection of 2005’s Stolen Hill."[8] Taranaki Daily News' Felicity Rookes gave the album a positive review, commenting that "The intimate nature of the folksy tunes show how Moa has grown lyrically".[7] Vicki Anderson of The Press lauded Moa's songwriting skills, noting the "honesty and rawness of expression and emotion" present on the album. She gave it a perfect score of five stars.[6]

Commercial reception

In Swings the Tide debuted on the New Zealand Albums Chart on 15 October 2007 at number eight.[9] The next week it moved up two places to number six,[10] where it peaked.[11] On 9 December 2007 it was certified gold for shipping 7,500 copies, and on 17 February 2008 it received a platinum certification for 15,000 shipments.[12] The album exited the chart in June 2008, but later re-entered the chart thrice, and spent a total of thirty-nine weeks on the albums chart.[11]

Singles

"Dreams in My Head" was released as the first single from the album on 8 October, the same date as the album's release.[13] The song reached number sixteen on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and spent eighteen weeks on the chart.[14] Luke Sharpe directed the accompanying music video.[15]

Track listing

  1. "Wise Man Say" – 3:21
  2. "Dreams in My Head" – 3:33
  3. "Miss Universe" – 2:23
  4. "The Blind Woman" – 4:39
  5. "In Swings The Tide" – 3:20
  6. "My Old Man" – 4:07
  7. "Day In, Day Out" – 2:15
  8. "Hangin' Around" – 3:24
  9. "Standing in This Fire" – 4:29
  10. "Honey You'll Be Alright" – 2:34
  11. "You're The Light" – 3:45
  12. "Thinking About Tomorrow" – 3:55

Personnel

The Band

  • Anika Moa - vocals, guitar, harmonies
  • Nick Gaffaney - drums
  • Chip Matthews - bass
  • Neil Watson - electric guitar
  • Stephanie Brown - piano, keyboards, Clavichord accordion, Hammond organ, vibraphone, glockenspiel
  • Andy Lynch - mandolin on Track 7, electric guitar on Track 12, dobro on Track 6
  • Brendon Morrow - vibraphone on Track 1
  • Brian Smith - clarinet on Track 5, bass flute on Track 6
  • Bruce Lynch - lap steel on Track 6
  • Miranda Adams - violin on Track 3
  • Jeremy Toy - electric guitar on Track 8

Harmonies

String Players

  • 1st Violins: Miranda Adams, Arthur Grabczewski, Pam Jiang, Diana Cochrane
  • 2nd Violins: Mark Bennett, William Hanfling, Julia Broom
  • Violas: Rob Ashworth, Christine Bowie, Greg McGarity
  • Cellos: Claudia Price, Katherine Hebley

References

  1. ^ a b New Zealand Press Association (17 October 2007). "Anika Moa returns to pop roots with country flavour". Stuff.co.nz. (Fairfax New Zealand). Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  2. ^ Cardy, Tom (7 December 2007). "The Hard Sell". The Dominion Post. Fairfax New Zealand. p. 11. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  3. ^ "In Swings Anika" (Press release). Funktion Music. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  4. ^ a b Stowe, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Wonderful Moa and co 'under-valued'". The Nelson Mail. Fairfax New Zealand. p. 2. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  5. ^ a b Baillie, Russell (6 October 2007). "Anika Moa: In Swings the Tide". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Vicki (19 October 2007). "Critical Mass". The Press. Fairfax New Zealand. p. 3. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  7. ^ a b Rookes, Felicity (11 December 2008). "Reviews: In Swings the Tide, Anika Moa". Taranaki Daily News. Fairfax New Zealand. p. 15. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  8. ^ Bollinger, Nick (13–19 October 2007). "But seriously". New Zealand Listener. 210 (3518). APN News & Media. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Top 40 albums (#1586)". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Top 40 albums (#1587)". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 22 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Anika Moa - In Swings the Tide". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  12. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". RadioScope. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  13. ^ "Dreams in My Head - Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  14. ^ "Anika Moa - Dreams in My Head". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  15. ^ "Anika Moa – Dreams in My Head video". NME. Retrieved 14 April 2010.