The Sweet Keeper

The Sweet Keeper is a 1990 album by Tanita Tikaram. Like her debut album Ancient Heart, it was produced by Peter Van Hooke and Rod Argent. Three tracks from the album were released as singles "We Almost Got It Together", "Little Sister Leaving Town" and "Thursday's Child".

The Sweet Keeper
Studio album by
Tanita Tikaram
Released29 January 1990[1]
RecordedAugust 1988 – May 1989
Genre
Length47:12
LabelEast West Records
ProducerPeter Van Hooke, Rod Argent
Tanita Tikaram chronology
Ancient Heart
(1988)		 The Sweet Keeper
(1990)		 Everybody's Angel
(1991)
Singles from The Sweet Keeper
  1. "We Almost Got It Together"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Little Sister Leaving Town"
    Released: 1990
  3. "Thursday's Child"
    Released: 1990

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
New Musical Express7/10[3]
Record Mirror[4]
Smash Hits[5]

On its release, Bob Stanley of Melody Maker felt Tikaram's voice was the "centrepiece" of the album. He praised the use of strings and brass as an "an inspired move", but felt they "intrude" on some of the songs. He considered Tikaram's lyrics to "barely compare" to those of her inspirations, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, stating that they "sound portentous, but are ultimately shadows to the words of Tanita's heroes and heroines". Stanley concluded, "The Sweet Keeper sees Tanita dabbling with the folk-pop of her debut, embellishing and improving it in some areas. They'll love it in Basingstoke and Norway - the next LP will be the real test."[6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Tanita Tikaram.[7]

  1. "Once & Not Speak"
  2. "Thursday's Child"
  3. "It All Came Back Today"
  4. "We Almost Got It Together"
  5. "Consider the Rain"
  6. "Sunset's Arrived"
  7. "Little Sister Leaving Town"
  8. "I Owe All to You"
  9. "Love Story"
  10. "Harm in Your Hands"

Personnel
  • Tanita Tikaram – guitar, vocals
  • Mark Isham – trumpet
  • Rod Argent – arranger, conductor, keyboards
  • Sonny Landreth – bottleneck guitar
  • Abigail Brown – violin
  • Richie Buckley – tenor saxophone
  • David Clifton – guitar
  • Mark Cresswell – guitar
  • Mitch Dalton – acoustic guitar
  • Mark Davies – cello
  • Roger Garland – violin
  • John Giblin – bass
  • Roy Gillard – violin
  • John Heley – cello
  • Helen Kamminga – viola
  • Martin O'Connor – accordion
  • Helen O'Hara – violin, arranger
  • Mark Pharoah – violin
  • Peter Van Hooke – arranger, drums
  • Clem Clempson – acoustic guitar
  • Rory McFarlane – bass
  • Katherine Shave – violin
  • Robert Woollard – cello
  • Andrew Davis – double bass
  • Anne Solomon – violin

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[8] Gold 250,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[9] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[10] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. Smith, Robin (27 January 1990). "This Week - The next seven days in view". Record Mirror. p. 28.
  2. The Sweet Keeper at AllMusic
  3. Morton, Roger (3 February 1990). "Long Play: Miss Smartie Pants". New Musical Express. p. 32.
  4. Crossing, Gary (3 February 1990). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 15.
  5. Soutar, Mike (24 January 1990). "Review: LPs". Smash Hits.
  6. Stanley, Bob (27 January 1990). "Albums: Thursday's Child". Melody Maker. p. 29.
  7. Tanita Tikaram – The Sweet Keeper
  8. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tanita Tikaram; 'The Seet Keeper')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  9. "Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990" (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 8480486392.
  10. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Tanita Tikaram; 'The Sweet Keeper')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  11. "British album certifications – Tanita Tikaram – The Sweet Keeper". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Sweet Keeper in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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