Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Pop Singer Tiffany Hopes Fans ‘Feel the Music’ on Debut Country Album ‘Rose Tattoo’ Share on facebook!Share on twitter!Send to a friend!By: Nashville Kat

First there was Dolly, then Reba, then Shania … and now Tiffany. The one-time teen pop star who used shopping malls as concert venues back in the late ’80s — the now nearly 40-year-old ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ singer — is ready to come back to music and the genre of country. The California bar where Tiffany performed as a teenager, Rose Tattoo, is the name of her new country album, which came out a few weeks ago.


Tiffany co-wrote every song except one on her first foray into country music. Cut No. 1 on ‘Rose Tattoo’ is the party song ‘Feel the Music. Tiffany tells CMT, “I think I’m representing women a little bit [with 'Feel the Music']. We’re moms, we’ve been married, but we’re not dead, you know? We still want to be hip and cool — and we can! We want to go out on the town for one night and that’s OK!”

Another cut, ‘Just Love Me,’ is really a self portrait of the singer learning to like herself. “I know no different than to be myself at this point,” she explains. “I think you have to go through life and grow up a little bit to be in that situation. So when I write songs, it’s a lot about that. When I say ‘just love,’ it’s truly ‘just love me.’ I know I’m not perfect. There’s something so humble and simple about saying that and being open to that.”

Tiffany is not a stranger to country. The first song she ever learned to sing (at 4-years-old) was Tanya Tucker’s ‘Delta Dawn.’ She has also done what is needed to be accepted into the close-knit music scene in Nashville. She now lives there, and she’s a frequent attendee at writers nights around town.

Like anyone who’s new to country, Tiffany hopes that fans will like both her and her singing voice. She says, “To me, the biggest compliment is when somebody comes up and says, ‘I really connected with that song. That song was speaking to me.’ Or, ‘I’m down in the dumps but I put that song on and it lifts me a little bit. It gives me hope.’”

To hear all eight tracks of ‘Rose Tattoo,’ head to Tiffany’s official site.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Tiffany Takes Notes in Nashville Music Community Former Teen Star Releases Country Album, Rose Tattoo March 21, 2011; Written by Craig Shelburne



Tiffany
Before she became a teen phenomenon in the late 1980s, Tiffany already had fond memories of Nashville. Along with spending several weeks riding the roller coasters at Opryland theme park, she befriended songwriter Mae Boren Axton (who wrote "Heartbreak Hotel") and appeared as a starry-eyed child on The Ralph Emery Show.

As she recalled during a recent visit to the CMT offices, that was when she was about 10 years old -- and a very different experience from her more recent visits to Music Row. With the multi-platinum plaques and teen magazine covers far behind her, Tiffany recalls, "They called me a carpetbagger, it was great. I had no clue what that meant!" With a rambunctious, infectious laugh, she says, "Somehow, I was like, 'I don't think that's friendly, I'm not sure ... .'"

Even as music business executives snubbed her, Tiffany found solace in the city's songwriting community. This month proved she still holds that love of Nashville. Named for the California nightclub where she performed as a child, as well as the ink on her own skin, Rose Tattoo gives her a long-awaited opportunity to introduce herself to country fans. She co-wrote all but one of the tracks, which run the gamut from party songs such as "Feel the Music" to surprisingly candid ballads like "He Won't Miss Me."

Asked what country fans can learn about her from listening to Rose Tattoo, she replies, "Hopefully they'll like my voice and hopefully they'll like me, ultimately," she says. "To me, the biggest compliment is when somebody comes up and say, 'I really connected with that song. That song was speaking to me.' Or, 'I'm down in the dumps but I put that song on and it lifts me a little bit. It gives me hope.'"

Tiffany now lives near Nashville with her son and husband, and she's been making the rounds at writer's nights. When she first started investigating the scene, her hair was black -- not the familiar red -- so she blended in as just another listener, rather than the former pop star with hits like "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been." Now that she's written new material (and returned to being a redhead), she's been known to get up and sing, too.

"If you go to the Bluebird, it's a little more structured and a little more serious. For somebody like myself, you go in there and you take notes," she says. "But you can go some place like the Listening Room -- that's one place in town that I love. It's like, 'Oh, I want to live here!' It's a little bit more casual. Of course, if somebody's up there doing a ballad, be respectful. But it's OK to holler a little bit and have a couple of cocktails and show your 'Whooooo!' Especially when I'm doing a round, I do better with crowds like that. When people are too quiet, I'm like, 'Oh, you're making me really nervous! I'm going to buy a round for everybody here!'"

She vividly recalls hearing one of her all-time favorite songwriters, Mike Reid, perform "I Can't Make You Love Me" as she sat just a few feet from the stage.

"I'm a huge Bonnie Raitt fan and she sings it amazingly, but watching Mike Reid singing that song and telling a little bit about it, it took on a totally different life form. I got to see him at the Bluebird and that stuck with me for weeks," she says. "Hopefully I'll be not just an artist, but I can be one of those songwriters telling a tale about something I wrote that somebody else took someplace and made it better than I could."

On the cusp of 40, Tiffany still has the enthusiasm of a teenager, even though she's branched out beyond her "teen queen" identity. (A sci-fi movie with Debbie Gibson, a spot on Celebrity Fit Club, a revealing Playboy spread, a handful of dance singles and a loyal gay audience have all kept her busy in the last two decades.) And she's a vivacious individual who pretty much interviews herself. Just toss her a question and let the tape recorder run. Even so, she can leave a lasting impression as somebody with a lot left to say and an undeniable desire to connect with her audience.

"I think I'm representing women a little bit," she says when the talk turns to "Feel the Music," the energetic first track on Rose Tattoo. "We're moms, we've been married, but we're not dead, you know? We still want to be hip and cool -- and we can! We want to go out on the town for one night and that's OK!"

On the album's most direct song, "Just Love Me," she sings that she might drive you a little insane but she's worth it. And she says she likes herself more now than ever before. "I know no different than to be myself at this point," she says. "I think you have to go through life and grow up a little bit to be in that situation. So when I write songs, it's a lot about that. When I say, 'Just Love Me,' it's truly 'just love me.' I know I'm not perfect. There's something so humble and simple about saying that and being open to that."

Asked if that's a message that she wants her fans to embrace as well, her laughter fills the room.

"Oh yes, definitely!" she says brightly. "I send that message every day actually on my Facebook! 'Hello, it's me again -- love me!'"

Turning more serious, she continues, "People will say, 'You don't have to share all your colors. You don't have to say that you made a mistake. You don't have to be so real.' A lot of artists don't like that. They're polished and I respect that, but my world has never been like that."

Indeed, tapping into her own life may just lead to a new career as a Nashville hit songwriter.

"I'm very forthcoming with how I feel at the time," she says. "I think that's something that my fans depend on, and I think that's something they relate to. We have a lot in common, even though I'm off touring the world and not doing the 9-to-5 job. People feel things and we're all connected. As a mom or as a wife, or as a person who's fallen out of love, all of those different things connect me with my fans. There's always something to talk about. I'm a shopaholic so there's always some girl out there who's going, 'Oooh, cool shoes!' And I'm like, 'Yours are great!' There's a lot to talk about!"

Thursday, March 24, 2011

CD Review: "Rose Tattoo" - Tiffany

CD: "Rose Tattoo"
Artist: Tiffany
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Label: Only the Girl, Inc.

I gotta admit, when I first heard that Tiffany was making a comeback, but not in her normal realm of bubblegum pop but in my favorite genre of music, country, I was more than a little leery and skeptical. I mean, this is Tiffany, the same red headed teen vocal power house that filled shopping malls with screaming fans in the 80's, the same one that dated a New Kid on the Block and made all the girls in your class jealous, and yes, the same one that made every heartbroken young girl sit by her cassette player replaying "Could Have Been" after a high school break up. Come on, Tiffany? A country music singer with a side ponytail and scrunchie? Well let me tell ya, once I heard her sing her "countrified" version of "Could Have Been" on YouTube, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I loved it! I think "Rose Tattoo", is a great cd too.

It may be 20+ years since Tiffany made her splash in music, but her vocals are still as strong as they were back then, actually stronger, more mellow and mature. In all of her past and most recent releases, I think she's showing listeners the broadest vocal range on this particular cd. She's always had that dance club feel to her music and it's still there in this release, however, now it's more of a country line dance instead of an 80's pop dance club. The first song on the cd, "Feel the Music", makes you do just that. This one makes you wanna dance, makes you wanna let your hair down, kick your heels on the sawdust floor and try to show that you have the best dance moves in the group of line dancers. Boot scootin' boogie it's not, but it will definitely have your cheeks rockin'. The second song, "Crazy Girls", which happens to feature the voice of another amazing country vocalist, Lindsay Lawler, is another one with a thump and beat that will have you cranking it up to eleven in the car on the way to the closest honky tonk. Next in the track listing is "He's All Man". I expected a Shania Twain "Any Man of Mine" kind of song and while it was a good song, it just wasn't my favorite on the cd. "He Won't Miss Me" is the first slow tempo ballad on "Rose Tattoo" and it's a good one - great relatable subject matter and emotional instrumentation. We've all been there, done that. We've poured our heart out to the one we love before walking away in hopes that he'd come after us, but deep inside we know that it's over and they probably won't miss us when we shut that door for the last time on a relationship. If you're going through an emotional time, a break up, you might wanna have Kleenex on hand for this one. I needed some. Well performed emotional songs like this always get to me. The next two songs, "All Over You" and "Just Love Me" are songs for the broken hearted, songs where the heart cries for understanding. Again, might wanna have Kleenex if you're one who actually listens to what's being said beyond the melody. No woman wants to deal with puffy eyes and a runny nose, so trust me, have the tissues. It's only good advice. The next song, "Love You Good", is actually that one song that is on most cds that for some reason or another you just can't get into. I don't know if it's because it didn't really "go with the flow" of the other songs or if it's just that I don't like the voodoo-ish, spooky blues sound. I'm sure there will be those that do like it. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying it's not my style of song and I don't think it's Tiffany's either but kudos for bringing something different and unique to the mix. The last song, "Just That Girl" is by far, in my opinion, the best song on the entire cd, at least it's my favorite. Personally, I AM "Just that Girl" - the good, the bad and the ugly. I can identify with this song more than most other songs out there. I don't know if that's good or it's bad but it makes for a good song.

Tiffany, you have my stamp of approval to enter the world of country and that's not something I give to many crossover artists. I always figured you'd eventually get here because it's always kind have been in your soul and I've heard from many sources how important country has always been to you. Welcome, won't you stay?

If you have a chance, I recommend catching Tiffany performing live around Nashville. Her vocals are outstanding in her live shows and do her the justice that sometimes recording just doesn't do. Luckily this is not one of those recordings. This one does her a great deal of justice.

Find Tiffany online:

Tiffany's Official Website

Tiffany's Official Facebook Page

Tiffany's Official Twitter Page

Tiffany's Official Myspace Page

You can purchase "Rose Tattoo" at Amazon.com and on iTunes.You can also purchase on Tiffany's website.
Posted by LovinLyrics at 2:26 AM Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz
Labels: cd review, New Music, tiffany

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Tiffany - Rose Tattoo by Chuck Dauphin

OK…..I know what you’re thinking….Here comes another Pop star who “has always been Country” trying to make it in the genre. Well, in this case, you couldn’t be more wrong. Actually before “All This Time” and “I Think We’re Alone Now,” there was a ten year old who opened for George Jones and also performed on Ralph Emery’s Nashville Now years ago. She actually wanted to pursue a Country career, but with Music City not wanting to sign someone so young, her backers decided to take her in another direction---which led to the top of the Pop charts.

So….that being said, I’ve gotta admit this is a pretty fine album----by anyone’s standards. I see no reason why any of these songs should not be on the radio. Tiffany is just as Country as many who are having huge hits in the genre today, and there is no denying her talent----as a vocalist or a songwriter. Writing seven of the eight cuts here, you can tell this is a very personal piece of work, and it shows. Songs like “Feel The Music” and “Just That Girl” would fit quite nicely on the airwaves alongside Carrie and Taylor. But, there’s quite a bit more to Tiffany than just radio hooks. She can still carry the goods on an emotional level.

“He Won’t Miss Me” and “Just Love Me” allow her to show the range in her voice, which has only gotten stronger over time. The surprise of the album is the smoldering “Love You Good,” about a Cajun voodoo queen. Someone who is just a “singer” might not be able to pull this off, because you have to throw yourself into it, and does she! This song is one of the more spicier songs I have heard in the format in some time---so much so that you might even sweat listening to it!

I really hope she’s given an honest shot. She’s lived here for three years now, and has really gotten involved with Nashville’s creative community. This is as authentic modern country as you will find anywhere, and deserves to be heard by the masses!

For more about Tiffany or to buy this CD, visit http://www.tiffanytunes.com

That Nashville SoundBites- Tiffany- Rose Tattoo

That Nashville Sound receives many different CD releases throughout the year from indie, bluegrass and artists just off the mainstream radar- or smaller projects like EPs- that we’re doing short mini CD reviews on. We call them That Nashville SoundBites- it’s a feature that will allow us to give some props to some albums and artists that deserve a spotlight on their work.



The Review:
Yep. That Tiffany. Known primarily from her 80's pop smash "I Think We're Alone Now" and more recently for her role in the campy Syfy channel original movie Mega Python Vs Gateroid which also started eighties pop star Deborah Gibson, Tiffany's eighth album is her first foray into country music. Her 2000 album The Color of Silence was critically lauded and its obvious now on Rose Tattoo that she is continuing her evolution as an artist. The album is produced by One Flew South's Chris Roberts and he brings an array of styles and sounds on the album. Rose Tattoo opens with three very rocking country tracks, the best being "Crazy Girls," a duet with longtime Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (in Nashville) fixture and singer-songwriter Lindsay Lawler. Their interplay makes for a fun "Thelma and Louise" storyline and the movie even gets a shout-out in the chorus. Underrated in Nashville as an outstanding songwriter, Roberts co-penned the other two outstanding tracks on the album. "He's All Man" allows Tiffany to show off her range, emotion and voice and the "church revival" bridge is a great touch. "Just That Girl" is the strongest track on the album as it allows Tiffany the opportunity to be introspective and tell some details about herself. Self-depreciating, she talks about spilled coffee, broken heels and falling flat on her face. And if there's a criticism about the album, it's that there isn't more of that on the album. Pop music and country music are different in that there is much more storytelling and personal revealing in the latter. Tiffany's (mostly) choice of everyman topics of love go down easy, but would have more impact if they told Tiffany's own story in more detail. More protagonist would serve her well.

Sounds Like:
Avril Lavigne's voice with a Jo Dee Messina sound

Stand Out Tracks
Just That Girl
Crazy Girls
He's All Man

The Verdict:
Three stars out of five
Posted by That Nashville Sound at 5:00 AM
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Labels: CD Reviews, One Flew South, Tiffany

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Winding Road to the Truth of Tiffany BY KENYTH FOR LA2DAY.COM MAR 17, 2011

When most people think of pop star Tiffany images of silver hi-tops, acid washed denim jackets, and a funky hand dance come to mind. They see her as little more than Queen of the Mallrats and have her locked away in a box with their spandex and slap bracelets. Most people do not see her for what she really is and that is a mature woman who has blossomed into a talented songwriter far beyond the bubble gum pop of her past.
There has never been a question of Tiffany's talent. After signing to MCA at fourteen, she became the youngest female artist to top the Billboard charts with a debut album. Twenty-four years later her version of Tommy James and the Shondells' I Think We're Alone Now can still be heard on the radio. She released four more albums through MCA and has sold more than fifteen million albums worldwide. Though she found immense success as a pop artist, Tiffany's heart has always been in country music.




In 2000 she released The Color of Silence and even though it was a critical success people were still unable to see her as anything other than ‘that girl from the mall'. So in a bold move Tiffany shed her clothes and scored the cover of playboy. She used the press of playboy to promote her music and finally shed her squeaky clean image. "The color of silence was my debut as a lyricist," she says. "It meant a lot to me. I will always treasure the experience. I think we got a lot a great music out of it and songwriting has become really great therapy for me."
In 2004 she released a dance album Dust off and Dance and has had three top twenty singles on Billboards hot 100 dance charts since then, but still dance is not her passion. "I did it for the fans. I was doing something they requested me to do. I put my heart and soul into it, but I never wanted to be a dance artist. Truthfully I don't see, for me as a singer, a lot of longevity in the dance world. I look at the young twenty-somethings that have great bodies and beautiful faces and I don't know where I stand in the dance world. I can't be anything other than what I am."
In 2007 she released another pop rock album Just Me where once again she received critical-acclaim as a songwriter. "I've done a lot of great projects for small labels and they're really great, but they never go anywhere," she laughs.
In January Tiffany released the single Serpentine for the Syfy original movie Mega Python Vs. Gateroid, which she stared in with fellow eighties teen idol Deborah Gibson. "It was hard to write a song with Gateroid or Mega Python in the lyrics, so we soon abandoned that idea. Serpentine is about Deborah's character. It's about a really cool bewitching girl in the bayou. Chris Donahue (the producer) came up with the title and I kind of took it from there. It came quite easy, he wrote a line, I wrote a line, and I really fell in love with the song."
On March 01, 2011 Tiffany finally realized her dream of a country release with her eighth studio album Rose Tattoo through her own record label Only the Girl, Inc. "I really didn't overextend myself here in Nashville. Once I put the feelers out that I was doing the album, first it was finding the right producer which was Chris Roberts and I had already written a few songs to do in my writing showcases. I really plugged myself here in Nashville as more as a songwriter."

Tiffany wrote seven of the eight songs and as far as her favorites on the album Tiffany states that she loves to perform Love You Good. "It's a different song written about a Cajun witch. Tommy Wright brought it to me. We're both True Blood fans and he wrote it and said we should pitch it to the show. It was not meant to be on the album, but was something I would sing out in Nashville. But, it grew on me. I started to mess around vocally with it and make it my own. I knew it had to be on the album. It's like a character in a fantasy song. I think people will really like it, because nobody does that really. It's very haunting and makes you want to rock out a little bit. I think that's the one song for me that I get to be a little more serious and just kind of tell a story. I love the reaction it gets."
"He Won't Miss Me is the most sentimental for me," she states. "It's the one I really have to get prepared to sing. It's where I feel most vulnerable on this album, because I did write it and it's about my personal experiences." She tells a story about a fan she caught singing the words with her recently at a performance at 12th & Porter and how it almost made her cry. "I actually messed up on the words for a second," she states. "I Think We're Alone Now, I always love when people sing it with me, but I'm not so shocked. I kind of depend on that now and it's a great feeling. But, to be ten days out on the new album and to have someone so intently singing the song with me, it touched me deeply. It really did. It's an awesome feeling and I don't think I've felt that on the other albums."
Of this project, Tiffany states. "This music feels like a good fit. I'm not worried about where I stand. Where it's going to go on the industry scale? I don't know. I have high hopes but, I'm just so happy that this is the base. I feel very encourage to continue to creating music and to grow as a songwriter and just keep plugging along. "
By Kenyth Mogan
Photo Credits: Amanda Van Sandt

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tiffany: Rose Tattoo BY KENYTH FOR LA2DAY.COM MAR 8, 2011

Tiffany. The name has become synonymous with eighties bubble gum. Even through Billboard proclaimed her 2000 release The Color of Silence as one of the best albums of the year, she was still the girl who sang I Think We're Alone Now.
Now with her eighth studio album Rose Tattoo, that girl has accomplished a long time dream - and this time, it's county. Released on March first independently by Tiffany herself the album show's a mature woman who is ready to take on the world - and have fun doing it. Though she has found both critical and commercial success as a pop princess and dance diva, country seems to be where she feels most at home.
Tiffany recorded the album in Nashville's Yackland Studios and worked very closely with producer Chris Roberts. "Chris and I talked about what I heard on every song, what the direction was," Tiffany states. "It's like Little Big Town meets Stevie Ray Vaughn with a little bit of Fleetwood Mac."



Rose Tattoo opens with three very rockin country tracks. Feel the Music, written about the power of song, is floor stomping, hand clapping ready for a barn dance ditty that has you singing along by the chorus. Crazy Girls is a duet with singer-songwriter Lindsay Lawler and is another upbeat track about getting the hell out of dodge. He's All Man is a high energy country love song. He Won't Miss Me is the albums first ballad and addresses the pain of divorce. All Over You and Just Love Me are softer more sensual love songs than He's All Man and show the emotion and range of Tiffany's voice. Love You Good has a very on the Bayou feel and is reminiscent of Serpentine, a song Tiffany wrote for her Syfy channel original movie Mega Python Vs Gateroid which also started eighties pop star Deborah Gibson. The album closes with Just That Girl, a song that shows even though she's an adult, Tiffany is not afraid to poke fun at herself.
Lyrically, the album is fun. Though Tiffany is still growing as a songwriter, there's no doubt that she has a real talent for the craft. Her voice, like fine wine, has only gotten better with age and if Rose Tattoo proves anything, it's that she should have gone country a long time ago. The album is good and hopefully this time she will finally be able to catch the break the she genuinely deserves.
Article by: Kenyth Mogan

Monday, March 7, 2011

80’s Pop Singer Tiffany Cuts Country Album





’80s pop singer Tiffany, who you may remember touring malls at the age of 16 in support of her hit cover of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now,’ is venturing back into the country music realm with her twangy new album, ‘Rose Tattoo.’

Yes, we said “back.” Tiffany, who recently made headlines recently by accidentally and apologetically outing her former boyfriend, NKOTB member Jonathan Knight, is in fact making a return to country music. ‘Rose Tattoo’ isn’t a left turn for the singer, whose roots are firmly planted in country music. In fact, she made her debut as a vocalist in 1981 at the age of 10 by singing with country star Jack Reeves in California.

Tiffany told OK Magazine that ‘Rose Tattoo’ sounds like:

“Bonnie Raitt with a Stevie Ray Vaughan vibe. Musically, I’m diverse now from the group. I’ve winged off into something I’ve wanted to do for 15 years. I’m a rocker at heart. I love country music, started in country music. I’m really just going back to my roots.”

Those roots she speaks of include a performance as a pre-teen on the ‘Ralph Emery Show,’ where she sang ‘Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad’ by Tammy Wynette. The new album, which certainly nods deftly to Tiff’s past, was recorded in Nashville, where she currently resides along with her son and husband.

Currently, Tiffany is traveling down many different creative roads career-wise. She recently starred in an original SyFy Channel monster movie, the gloriously titled and hilariously campy ‘Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid’ alongside fellow ’80s diva Debbie Gibson.

You can nab a digital download of ‘Rose Tattoo’ on the singer’s website at http://www.tiffanytunes.com/fr_store.cfm

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