Ancient Heart

Ancient Heart
Studio album by Tanita Tikaram
Released	12 September 1988 [1]
Recorded	April–July 1988
Studio	Red House Studios, Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England
Genre	Rock pop folk
Length	44:20
Label	WEA Reprise 9031-71030-3
Producer	Rod Argent Peter Van Hooke
Tanita Tikaram chronology
Ancient Heart (1988) The Sweet Keeper (1990)
Singles from Ancient Heart
"Good Tradition" Released: 27 June 1988 [2] "Twist in My Sobriety" Released: 10 October 1988 [3] "Cathedral Song" Released: 2 January 1989 [4] "World Outside Your Window" Released: 27 February 1989 [5]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Robert Christgau	B [7]
New Musical Express	[8]
Record Mirror	[9]
Smash Hits	[10]

Ancient Heart is the debut studio album by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, ^[11] released by Warner Music Group on 12 September 1988. The album was a hit globally, launching 19-year-old Tikaram's career. Guest musicians include Rod Argent, Mark Isham, Peter Van Hooke, Paul Brady, and Brendan Croker; Argent and Van Hooke also produced the album. Four singles were released from the album: "Good Tradition", "Twist in My Sobriety", "Cathedral Song" and "World Outside Your Window". ^[12] In October 2025, Tikaram will release a follow-up album, LIAR (Love Isn't a Right) . ^{[13] [14]}

Reception

The New York Times stated that "it's almost impossible to believe that the creator of the record's moody, enigmatic ballads is only 19 years old. The mournful contralto of this English singer sounds like a softer folkish echo of such quintessentially cosmopolitan voices as those of Nico and Grace Jones... The somberly lovely arrangements on Ancient Heart feature a string quartet on several cuts, and in "For All These Years," Mark Isham's trumpet and fluegelhorn envelop her unusually mature voice in rich wistful atmosphere." ^[15]

Billboard noted that "U.K. vocalist exhibits mature pipes and a simple yet sophisticated writing style on her debut... Hard to pigeonhole her elusive sound; it could take with the same listeners who were drawn to Toni Childs. Great promise here." ^[16]

A review from Spin observed "more miserable than Leonard Cohen, more cryptic than Kate Bush, Tanita Tikaram wears her ancient heart on her album sleeve... Tikaram turns out to be a real magpie, pinching bits from hither and thither and building them into something of her own, albeit something willfully abstract... It's her voice that helps the music triumph over her self-consciously adult lyrics. An extremely mellifluous instrument for one of such tender years, it has the resonance of someone a lot more mature and world-weary." ^[17]

In a retrospective write-up from AllMusic , Jose F. Promis claimed the record "stands as one of the most underappreciated albums of the 1980s... (Tikaram) created a melancholy and wistful work, mature beyond her years, of startling originality and honesty. While this album may be considered folkish and artsy, it never stoops to the clichés that dominated those styles of music in the later Lilith Fair years... Ancient Heart is a smoky, world-weary album, that, years after its initial release, does not sound one bit dated and has effortlessly stood the test of time." ^[18]

Track listing

All words and music by Tanita Tikaram.

1. "Good Tradition"
2. "Cathedral Song"
3. "Sighing Innocents"
4. "I Love You"
5. "World Outside Your Window"
6. "For All These Years"
7. "Twist in My Sobriety"
8. "Poor Cow"
9. "He Likes the Sun"
10. "Valentine Heart"
11. "Preyed Upon"

Personnel

• Tanita Tikaram – vocals, guitar
• Mark Isham – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Paul Brady – mandolin
• David Lindley – violin
• Marc Ribot – guitar
• Rod Argent – keyboards
• Brendan Croker – guitar
• Pete Beachill – trombone
• Mitch Dalton – guitar
• Martin Ditcham – percussion
• John Georgiadis – violin
• Keith Harvey – cello
• Noel Langley – trumpet
• Malcolm Messiter – oboe
• Helen O'Hara – violin
• Brendon O'Reilly – violin
• Philip Todd – saxophone
• Peter Van Hooke – drums
• Clem Clempson – guitar
• Mark Creswell – guitar
• Ian Jewell – viola
• Rory McFarlane – bass

Charts

Chart (1988–89)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	31
Austrian Albums Chart [19]	1
Canada Albums Chart [20]	22
Dutch Albums Chart [21]	4
European Albums ( Eurotipsheet ) [22]	1
The Official Finnish Charts [23]	2
German Albums Chart [24]	1
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece) [25]	1
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist) [26]	9
New Zealand Albums Chart [27]	23
Norwegian Albums Chart [28]	1
Swedish Albums Chart [29]	8
Swiss Albums Chart [30]	1
UK Albums Chart [12]	3
US Billboard 200 [31]	59
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums [32]	65

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [33]	Gold	35,000^
Belgium (BRMA) [34]	Gold	25,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [35]	Gold	26,667 [35]
France (SNEP) [36]	2× Gold	200,000*
Germany (BVMI) [37]	3× Gold	750,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ) [38]	Gold	50,000 [39]
Italy (FIMI) [40]	Platinum	200,000 [40]
Netherlands (NVPI) [41]	Platinum	100,000^
Norway	—	202,000 [42]
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [43]	Gold	50,000^
Sweden (GLF) [44]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [45]	Platinum	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [46]	2× Platinum	600,000^
Summaries
Worldwide	—	4,000,000 [47]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "BPI".
2. "Good Tradition single".
3. "New Singles". Music Week . 8 October 1988. p. 40.
4. "News: Tanita's Smile". Sounds . 24 December 1988. p. 3.
5. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 25 February 1989. p. 43. Retrieved 25 September 2024– via World Radio History.
6. Promis, Jose F. "Tanita Tikaram: Ancient Heart". AllMusic . Retrieved 16 August 2016.
7. "Consumer Guide Reviews: Ancient Heart". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 16 June 2018.
8. Bailie, Stuart (17 September 1988). "Long Play". New Musical Express . p. 34.
9. Dee, Johnny (17 September 1988). "33 - Album Reviews". Record Mirror . p. 31. ISSN   0144-5804.
10. Smash Hits magazine - Review: Albums - Ian Cranna - 20 September 1988 - page 87
11. "Tentative Review #63". tranglos.com. 2 January 1998. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
12. "TANITA TIKARAM | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
13. "Tanita Tikaram returns to music scene after 37 years". RTE.ie . 6 May 2025.
14. "Singer Tanita Tikaram to release sequel to debut album after 37 years". Yahoo News. 6 May 2025.
15. Holden, Stephen (25 January 1989). "The Pop Life". The New York Times . Retrieved 27 October 2025.
16. "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard (magazine). No. 17 December 1988. p. 66. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
17. "Album Releases". Spin. No. March 1989. March 1989. p. 70. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
18. Promis, Jose F. "Ancient Heart - Tanita Tikaram | Album". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
19. "Discographie Tanita Tikaram - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at.
20. "World Radio History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
21. "Discografie Tanita Tikaram - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl.
22. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet . Vol. 6, no. 9. 3 March 1990. p. 27. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
23. "Sisältää hitin" (PDF). musiikkiarkisto.fi. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
24. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
25. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 6, no. 9. 4 March 1989. p. 12. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
26. "Ísland (LP-plötur)". DV (in Icelandic). 31 March 1989. p. 34. ISSN   1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
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30. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch.
31. "Tanita Tikaram". Billboard.
32. "Cash Box Top 200 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . 6 May 1989. p. 14. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
33. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 September 2020.
34. "Tanita" (PDF). Music & Media. 7 October 1989. p. 14. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
35. "Tanita Tikaram" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
36. "French album certifications – Ranita Tikaram – Ancient Heart" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tanita Tikaram; 'Ancient Heart')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
38. "Tanita - Gold in Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 March 1990. p. 3.
39. Cresswell, Peterjon (5 February 1994). "Teen Star Revolutionises Hungarian Pop". Billboard. p. 40. Retrieved 27 September 2020– via Google Books.
40. Caroli, Daniele (9 December 1989). "Italy | Talent Challenges" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 101 (49). Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: I-8. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 28 September 2020– via World Radio History.
41. "Dutch album certifications – Tanita Tikaram – Ancient Heart" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Ancient Heart in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1989 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
42. "Tanita - Best Selling Debut in Norway" (PDF). Music & Media. 18 March 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
43. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN   8480486392.
44. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
45. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Ancient Heart')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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47. Childs, Marti (13 July 2011). Where have all the pop stars gone?. EditprosLLC. ISBN   9781937317010 . Retrieved 25 August 2018.