"I have a different sound, a different feel, a different style and this need to be real.
Sometimes I’m quiet, sometimes I’m shrill, but I feel it’s my destiny to try and instill,
The thoughts, the feelings, the message my passion invokes,
To give your heart some beats, to give your flesh some strokes." As the opening of the first track states, this spoken word CD has a different sound, a different feel and a different style - - and is very, very, real.
TianaMarie’s spoken word spans a spectrum of topics from addiction & recovery, abuse & self-discovery, to politics, philosophy & spirituality, with a healthy dose of romance and the ever so present battle with love’s pleasure and pain. Her poetry has incredible diversity and range, as it reflects coming up in the near-northside of Milwaukee, WI, living as an addicted single mom in Minneapolis, MN, and moving to the desert heat of Las Vegas, NV to begin the long journey of recovery, more than twelve years ago.
Her musical influences, which she brought with her while in collaboration with music composer, Pierre Jovan, permeate throughout the album. From Aretha and the Motown sound of the sixties, to the neo beats of Common and Dwele, this is an album to enjoy musically as well as lyrically. And to add a little sauce, the blues influences of old time greats such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald are evident in the music accompanying “I Love Me Some Men”.
She was blessed to start writing poetry at the tender age of 10, but didn’t start blazing mics until 2005. “TODAY I Have Words” is her first CD. It contains fourteen tracks of some of her favorite pieces contained in her book of poetry, also by the same name, “TODAY I Have Words”.
Approaching the stage with a calm exterior and relaxed demeanor, this grandmother of two often receives an initial reaction of shocked surprise from her audience because of the unexpectedly high level of passion that flows from her tongue. Her words come from the heart and touch the soul of her listeners because they are rooted in her own life experiences. As one of her many fans remarked, “It’s like hearing a mesmerizing story in 3 minute clips.”
As a spoken word artist living in the neon city of lights, TianaMarie’s performance credits include featuring at conventions, conferences, and holiday parties held at such well known establishments as the Riviera Hotel & Casino, Palace Station Hotel & Casino, The Gold Coast and Arizona Charlies’ Hotel & Casino. She is also a regularly featured performer at the Las Vegas First Friday Arts’ Festival, which draws crowds of between 8,000 – 10,000 each month, as well as nationally known Las Vegas spoken word venues such as the Purban Poetry Pulpit and the Ice House Lounge.
TianaMarie has also consistently featured at the City of Las Vegas sponsored “Poetry Under The Stars” event held at the Sammy Davis Junior amphitheater for the past two consecutive summers. Although she has had the honor to bless the mic at various venues in L.A. and Phoenix, her first national spoken word tour is scheduled to begin late July, 2007.
For a tour schedule go to: www.myspace.com/todayihavewords
Read more...