Count to Ten

Album Review

Danish singer/songwriter Tina Dico (born Dickow) is now based in London. She flirted with major-label success in Europe, but after a music biz implosion left her with no deal, she borrowed money and started her own logo. She's won numerous prizes in Denmark, including a 2002 Steppeulv (the Danish music critics award) for Composer of the Year, a 2002 Danish Music Award for Songwriter of the Year, and a 2006 Danish Music Award for Singer of the Year. All of which would mean squat to American audiences if she weren't talented. With her predilection for strong lyrics, charming melodies, and semi-acoustic arrangements you can file her under folk, pop, AAA, or light rock. She has a pleasing, low-key vocal style that won't blow anyone away, but is perfectly suited to her own music. Count to Ten is her forth album and it's an unpretentious charmer. "Craftsmanship and Poetry" is a subtle folk-pop gem with acoustic guitar and minimal electric bass. Dico sings of the silence that can drown a lonely person, knowing that poetry, boyfriends, and booze will do nothing to heal an aching heart. "Count to Ten" is a wordy, Dylanesque tune that impresses with its command of language and a strong chorus. "Cruel to the Sensitive Kind" has echoes of '60s British pop in its elegant melody, the tale of a heartless cad who always shows up just when a gal is feeling most vulnerable. Dico's keen, insightful, and anguished delivery makes the tune a killer. "Everybody Knows" is the portrait of a closed-down friend who's unable or unwilling to break out of her shell. Swooping sustained electric guitar notes and tinkling acoustic arpeggios mirror the dark intensity of the lyric. Dico never rocks out, but she does use a restrained rock band on some tracks. "Sacre Coeur" is another tale about ambivalent love that builds to an anguished chorus; the electric guitars don't overwhelm the arrangement but provide some small release from the tension of the verse. "Night Cab" actually rocks out, rolling along like the wayward taxi in the song's title. Dico is obviously conflicted about matters of the heart, and is adept at portraying the delicate anxiety one feels when you know what you want but don't quite have the courage to go and get it. Let's hope her relationships in real life work out better than the ones she sings about. ~ j. poet, Rovi