Search - Tish Hinojosa :: Heart Wide Open

Hinojosa Offers A Look Into Her "Wide Opened Heart"

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 08/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Finding Paris, Never Say Never Love Again, Shotgun Rider



Ranked loftily with such talented songwriter-singers as Nanci Griffith and Carrie Newcomer is Tish Hinojosa. As a poetic ratiocinator of the highest order, Hinojosa has an attunement to expound the intricacies of the heart embellished with melodies that are fetching and heart warming. In fact, this was perhaps why Warner Brothers signed her to their roaster a few years ago resulting in two stellar albums, the country-popish "Destiny's Gate" and the folk-imbued "Songs from the Labyrinth." However, the lack of commercial exposure has brought Hinojosa back to the independent label scene. "Hearts Wide Open," released under Valley Entertainment, is the first collection of new compositions in 5 years. Despite the time warp, these 12 self-penned tunes, still shows that Hinojosa has not lost of iota of her songwriting craft made manifest most poignantly through her acerbic observations of life and love. In fact, by way of her stellar scribal prowess, "Hearts Wide Open" is Hinojosa's defiant cri de coeur to make a niche in today's folk and country scene.



The crème de la crème of "Hearts Wide Open" is no doubt "Finding Paris." Situated within the context of a tantalizing saga (perhaps autobiographical) of a struggling family, "Finding Paris" narrates the dreams of the lonely mother of escape via visiting Paris. What makes "Finding Paris" surpasse ce qui est excellent is the languid mandolin riff that romantically transposes one in a dreamy mode to the streets of the city of lights. Never one to be constraint ethnically, musically and linguistically, "Never Say Never Love Again" boasts a lilting reggae beat as Hinojosa trades lines with herself in both Spanish and English on this ode to the far reaching prowess of love. Taking another detour is the bucolic "Shotgun Rider," an upbeat Western-type number that brings to mind one of those old John Wayne movie scenes. While the tempo slows down on "Whatever Happened to Everyone Wanting to Care," as Hinojosa exegetes the lack of a social conscience in today's culture over a heart stirring tune.



However, there are a number of enervations: there are too many ballads. Moreover, though the sentimental "The Kitchen Table" has a powerful message of keeping the family central, Hinojosa's soft and frangible vocals almost sounds like she was somehow disenchanted. Also, "The Poet, the Painter" though it is lauded for its maudlin insights, it gets a little self indulgent at times. "A Thousand Shades of Red and Blue," on the other hand, is a little better. Being a poetically insightful love song, but with a running time of close to 5 minutes, it gets a little too dreary.



Nevertheless, despite these quibbles "A Heart Wide Open" still is a superior album. It's an album that crosses boundaries linguistically (with "Derechos de el Corazon" being delivered entirely in Spanish) and genres. Further, the instrumentation, thanks to producers Marvin Dykhuis, Glenn Kawamoto and Hinojosa herself, are kept to the background with the spotlight on Hinojosa's Suzy Bogguss/Nanci Griffith-like vocals. Also, as a writer, Hinojosa is not superficial in any sense of the word: she has a way of articulating the language of the heart in ways that bears a palatable rhetoric."

My favorite singer/songwriter...

George C. Glanzmann | Buena Park, CA United States | 04/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Superior hybrid english/spanish music by one of the top 3 singer/songwriters in the world--at least in my opinion. I am sorry that I am no good at reviews--I just want to say that I love Tish's music."

A Period of Transition

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 04/07/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A Heart Wide Open arrived on the scene during a period of both personal and professional transition for Tish Hinojosa. She has a new life, a new look and in some ways, a new sound as well. Though she still has the angelic voice for which she is known, her songwriting seems temporarily to have become both more sentimental and more nostalgic.

I have been a fan of hers since the late 1980s and have heard her in concert more times than I can remember. To me, her strongest material is in her 1990s output from Aquella Noche to Frontejas. But even her weaker albums have at least some songs that stand out, and A Heart Wide Open is no exception. My favorites are the patriotic ballad Blue Eyed Billy, the throwback sound of Derechos de el Corazon, the country-tinged Shotgun Ridin, and the plaintive Something More Than This.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw Tish in concert at a small San Antonio club. She played several hours and maybe twenty songs. Perhaps cognizant of audience favorites and perhaps her own favorites, she largely steered clear of songs from this album. The crowd was overwhelmed by the quality of her performance and cheered by her announcement that a new all-Spanish album is in the works for the end of the year.

If you are a big fan of Tish Hinojosa, then you are sure to enjoy A Heart Wide Open. On balance, I do. But having been a fan for a long time, I don't think its anywhere near her best work. Three stars make buying this a toss-up."