The Gumption

On her second full-length, Toronto singer Tanika Charles steps up to fill the void left by Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones with a 12-song offering of sanguine retro-soul that’s rich in ’60s and ’70s period detail yet still leaves her with ample room to assert her own distinctive personality. Sure, “Tell Me Something” may lure you in with its honeyed harmonies, tastefully unobstrusive brass, and slow, sensuous backbeat, but Charles disrupts the candlelit ambience to deliver a spoken-word salvo to her noncommittal lover. And while the northern-soul jaunt “Going Home” and organ-smoothed heartbreak ballad “Since You Been Gone” reaffirm Charles’ fealty to the sounds of the past, she speaks soundly to the current state of racial and gender inequality on “Upside Down,” an acidic stomper that imagines Hendrix sitting in with The Supremes.

"Essential Release!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and cover BLUES&SOUL Mag "Tanika Proves She Has 'The Gumption' on Her Confident New Album" Exclaim Mag "Tanika Charles Gets “The Gumption” To Become a Soul Star" Bandcamp Daily "We're hooked! 15 albums you need to hear this Spring" CBS Music "La soul ardente de Tanika Charles" FIP (Radio France) "Tanika Charles Is Living Her Best Life" Soul Bounce "Tanika Shows Off Her 'Gumption" POPMATTERS "A cut above the rest" ROCKERILLA Mag "Highly Impressive" Echoes Mag "Impressive!" BILLBOARD Mag "Best New Music" KCRW The new album by Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize-nominated Canadian soul star Tanika Charles. Produced by a stable of some of Canada's finest musical minds including DJ Kemo (The Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall), Chin Injeti (DJ Khalil, Eminem, Drake) and Daniel Lee (Hooded Fang, Phedre), Record Kicks proudly presents "The Gumption" the awaited new album by Canadian soul star Tanika Charles that will hit the streets worldwide on May 10. "What gave you the gumption?" Tanika Charles rhetorically asks during the introductory notes of her sophomore album appropriately titled The Gumption. While the apprehensive lover at the receiving end of that inquisition should feel slighted by the remark, it also alludes to the assuredness Tanika has gained since the release of her Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut Soul Run. The Gumption picks up where Soul Run left off, continuing her tradition of marrying classic soul with modern production styles. Across a dozen songs spanning 38 minutes, Tanika addresses moments of vulnerability, vindication, uncertain love, forbidden fruit and the state of the world today. "It's a little more mature. It's not feeling guilty about being up front, not being afraid to address situations that aren't comfortable for me. I'm comfortable in my skin now in a way I never was before. The overall theme is growth. I feel the music reflects that, and my words reflects that. Even the album cover tries to convey the feeling too. I'm not putting up with unnecessary nonsense anymore." Predominately guitar-driven mid-tempo soul, with a handful of dance floor friendly tunes and some psychedelic leanings, The Gumption was indirectly influenced by the likes of Alabama Shakes, The Supremes, Khruangbin, D'Angelo, and Moses Sumney. It is sonically moody at times, but with consistent silver-lining arcs. "I've grown up and learned to deal with situations significantly better. We have a tendency to hold back our innermost feelings for fear of hurting others. Even when we're happy we worry about over-sharing, as if joy is a competition you don't want to gloat about." The success of Soul Run propelled Tanika in front of new audiences far and wide, with extensive touring in North America and Europe. "I've been touring, experiencing new places and meeting new people. And in that time also worked on completing this album". While criss-crossing Canada with festival appearances on both the east and west coasts, Tanika also embarked upon four overseas tours for a combined 45 European shows within a one year period. This included performances at the prestigious Trans Musicales Festival in France, the Lärz, Germany Fusion Festival, Mostly Funk & Soul and Jazz Festival in UK, the Holy Groove Festival in Switzerland, and the Canarias Jazz Festival in Spain.

Building on the markedly old-school feel of her previous album, Soul Run, singer Tanika Charles stays rooted in classic soul, rock, and funk...

It's tempting to listen to the classic structure of Trinidadian-Canadian singer-songwriter Tanika Charles' verses and catchy choruses and try to pigeonhole...