Everybody's Angel

Everybody's Angel is the third studio album by Tanita Tikaram, released in 1991.

Everybody's Angel
Studio album by Tanita Tikaram
Released	4 February 1991^[1]
Recorded	June–September 1990
Genre	Rock, Pop, Folk
Length	48:09
Label	East West Records 9031-73341-1
Producer	Tanita Tikaram, Peter van Hooke, Rod Argent
Tanita Tikaram chronology
The Sweet Keeper (1990) Everybody's Angel (1991) Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1992)
Singles from Everybody's Angel
"Only the Ones We Love" Released: 21 January 1991 "I Love the Heaven's Solo" Released: 23 April 1991^[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Calgary Herald	B+^[4]
Chicago Tribune	^[5]
New Musical Express	2/10^[6]
Record Mirror	^[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[8]
Select	^[9]
Sounds	^[10]

Background

Tikaram wrote the majority of the songs that form the album between December 1989-January 1990, just before the release of her second album The Sweet Keeper, with "Hot Pork Sandwiches" dating far back to 1988.

The basic recording of the album took place in June 1990 at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. The same team of musicians that had worked on her previous two albums were brought to play for this one, including Mark Isham, Helen O'Hara and Mark Creswell. Further recordings took place at Abbey Road Studios back in England. As with her previous two albums, Rod Argent and Peter van Hooke produced the record, but for the first time Tikaram co-produced the songs as well, a move she said she had not felt confident enough to do on the previous two records. This would be the last time Tikaram collaborated with Argent and van Hooke on production.

Jennifer Warnes, of whom Tikaram had always declared being a fan, and whom Tikaram had met when Warnes attended one of her concerts at The Roxy in 1989, added harmony vocals on two songs on the album, the single "Only the Ones We Love" and "Mud in Any Water".

Two songs on the album, "Hot Pork Sandwiches" and "I Love the Heaven's Solo" had previously been released in 1990 in acoustic versions as b-sides to the single "Little Sister Leaving Town".

Release and reception

The album sold moderately well in Europe, but there was an evident decline in sales in comparison with Tikaram's previous albums, and in most territories this was the singer's last album to achieve a chart placing, including the USA. Everybody's Angel debuted and peaked at #19 in the UK, and achieved similar top 20 placings around Europe, but fell off the charts pretty quickly. In the USA, it peaked at a low #142.

Reviews were mixed, but generally found the record more inspired than her second album The Sweet Keeper. Most of the reviews also noted a strong Van Morrison influence on the sound of the album.

Two singles were released off the album. The lead single "Only the Ones We Love", with backup vocals by Jennifer Warnes, did not become a substantial hit and only peaked at #69 in the UK. The second single, a re-recorded "I Love the Heaven's Solo" with a gospel choir, did not chart at all. The album track "Deliver Me" was touted as a possible third single (or US-only single) as it was getting a good response, but no release ever came to be.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Tanita Tikaram

1. "Only the Ones We Love"
2. "Deliver Me"
3. "This Story in Me"
4. "To Wish This"
5. "Mud in Any Water"
6. "Sunface"
7. "Never Known"
8. "This Stranger"
9. "Swear by Me"
10. "Hot Pork Sandwiches"
11. "Me in Mind"
12. "Sometime with Me"
13. "I Love the Heaven's Solo"
14. "I'm Going Home"

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	19
Dutch Albums Chart	20
German Albums Chart	17
Swedish Albums Chart	16
Swiss Albums Chart	12
UK Albums Chart	19
US Billboard 200	142
Norwegian Albums Chart	12

Personnel

• Tanita Tikaram – guitar, vocals
• David Hayes – bass
• Mark Isham – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Jennifer Warnes – harmony vocals
• Rod Argent – piano, Hammond organ, harmony vocals, string arrangements & conductor
• James Archer – violin
• Mark Berrow – violin
• Mike Brittain – double bass
• Richie Buckley – alto & tenor saxophone
• David Emanuel – viola
• Lyn Fletcher – violin
• Wilfred Gibson – violin
• Roy Gillard – violin
• Jack Glickman – viola
• Paul Kegg – cello
• Ben Kennard – cello
• Carol Kenyon – harmony vocals
• Katie Kissoon – harmony vocals
• Andrew McGee – viola
• Jim McLeod – violin
• Helen O'Hara – violin
• Peter Oxer – violin
• Anthony Pleeth – cello
• Paul Silverthorne – viola
• Barry Wilde – violin
• Mark Creswell – guitar
• Martin Robinson – cello

Notes

1. "First Reports". Sounds. 12 January 1991. p. 4.
2. release date
3. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r20209
4. Obee, Dave (17 February 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
5. Heim, Chris (11 April 1991). "Home Entertainment: Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
6. Collins, Andrew (9 February 1991). "Long Play: Dodgy Tika". New Musical Express. p. 31.
7. Duerden, Nick (9 February 1991). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 15.
8. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 709.
9. Sexton, Paul (March 1991). "Reviews: The New Discs". Select. p. 78.
10. Berger, George (9 February 1991). "Albums". Sounds. p. 38.