In Swings the Tide is the third studio album by New Zealand Pop recording artist Anika Moa. It was released on 8 October 2007 by EMI Records. The album reached number six on the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified Platinum for selling over 15,000 copies.
Background Songs on the album were inspired by the break-up of a relationship and Moa's father's deteriorating health.
Moa produced the album herself. Mixing of the album was achieved in two weeks, while mastering took one day. "It's been the easiest album I've ever done and the most control I've had over everything", she later said.
Composition Moa has described the album as "ballady, country, folky pop".
Tour Moa toured New Zealand to promote In Swings the Tide. She was backed by drummer Nick Gaffney and bassist Chip Matthews on the tour. Folk singer-songwriter Age Pryor opened for her, and Anji Sami, sister of Madeleine Sami, also opened at the Nelson show.
DateCityLocation6 December 2007DunedinThe Backstage7 December 2007ChristchurchAl's Bar8 December 2007NelsonSchool of Music9 December 2007WellingtonSan Francisco Bathhouse11 December 2007WhangāreiSalut12 December 2007KerikeriThe Centre13 December 2007AucklandTransmission Room
Patrick Stowe from The Nelson Mail gave the gig a positive review, praising Moa's "brutal honesty on stage".
Critical reception
Russell Baillie of The New Zealand Herald rated In Swings the Tide four stars, commending its "level of songcraft here that wasn't always apparent on her earlier work." Nick Bollinger from New Zealand Listener said that "[In Swings the] Tide strikes a balance between the industry-standard pop of Thinking Room...and the introspection of 2005’s Stolen Hill." Taranaki Daily News''' Felicity Rookes gave the album a positive review, commenting that "The intimate nature of the folksy tunes show how Moa has grown lyrically". Vicki Anderson of The Press lauded Moa's songwriting skills, noting the "honesty and rawness of expression and emotion" present on the album. She gave it a perfect score of five stars.
Commercial receptionIn Swings the Tide'' debuted on the New Zealand Albums Chart on 15 October 2007 at number eight. The next week it moved up two places to number six, where it peaked. On 9 December 2007 it was certified gold for shipping 7,500 copies, and on 17 February 2008 it received a platinum certification for 15,000 shipments. The album exited the chart in June 2008, but later re-entered the chart thrice, and spent a total of thirty-nine weeks on the albums chart.
Singles "Dreams in My Head" was released as the first single from the album on 8 October, the same date as the album's release. The song reached number sixteen on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and spent eighteen weeks on the chart. Luke Sharpe directed the accompanying music video.
Track listing "Wise Man Say" – 3:21 "Dreams in My Head" – 3:33 "Miss Universe" – 2:23 "The Blind Woman" – 4:39 "In Swings The Tide" – 3:20 "My Old Man" – 4:07 "Day In, Day Out" – 2:15 "Hangin' Around" – 3:24 "Standing in This Fire" – 4:29 "Honey You'll Be Alright" – 2:34 "You're The Light" – 3:45 "Thinking About Tomorrow" – 3:55
Personnel
The Band Anika Moa - vocals, guitar, harmonies Nick Gaffaney - drums Chip Matthews - bass Neil Watson - electric guitar Stephanie Brown - piano, keyboards, Clavichord accordion, Hammond organ, vibraphone, glockenspiel Andy Lynch - mandolin on Track 7, electric guitar on Track 12, dobro on Track 6 Brendon Morrow - vibraphone on Track 1 Brian Smith - clarinet on Track 5, bass flute on Track 6 Bruce Lynch - lap steel on Track 6 Miranda Adams - violin on Track 3 Jeremy Toy - electric guitar on Track 8
Harmonies Anna Coddington on Tracks 2,3,4,7,10 & 11 Tim Guy on Tracks 4, 7 & 10 Madeleine Sami on Track 4 Ned Ngatae on Track 4 & 10 Kara Rickard on Track 10
String Players 1st Violins: Miranda Adams, Arthur Grabczewski, Pam Jiang, Diana Cochrane 2nd Violins: Mark Bennett, William Hanfling, Julia Broom Violas: Rob Ashworth, Christine Bowie, Greg McGarity Cellos: Claudia Price, Katherine Hebley
References