TaniA Kyllikki – “H.W.C.”
TaniA Kyllikki – “H.W.C.” – Single Review
From what I can see out there online, solo-artist TaniA Kyllikki is already well on her way to establishing herself within the music scene…it looks like she’s been releasing singles professionally since about 2018, and recently combined her songs onto a compilation/debut album called Why Chapter One, released this year. You can find this single “H.W.C.” – aka, “Handle With Care,” right there in the set-list as well.
Makes sense to me that she’d be catching on in the R&B/Soul circuit…you could probably also find the UK-based artist branching out into the Pop section, maybe even Adult Contemporary…y’all know what genres are like, they’re versatile to begin with, and when you’ve got a versatile sound, you can end up being put inside all kinds of boxes & categories depending on the demeanor of a song. “H.W.C.” could be placed in any of those categories I’m sure…I never really worry about all that, and neither should she. The world will see ya how they see ya, and hear ya how they hear ya – all we can do as artists is the best we can do to bring the best we can to what we do, plain and simple – and it sounds like TaniA does that.
Sounding like the bridge between Andra Day and Mariah Carey, TaniA seems to find a comfortable spot in the middle, and gives this song the soulful voice the words are calling out for. “Handle With Care” is all about the precarious nature of relationships, how tough love can be to navigate, and the risks we take in pursuing being loved by putting ourselves out there and revealing who we really are to someone special that we care about. Moments like around the 2:45 mark where TaniA dips into a low-key breakdown sound great…hearing her come back to the hooks and bring out the boldness in her voice about ten seconds afterwards is excellent too…and another ten seconds later, she’ll unleash an supremely impressive note in the highest octave you’ll hear in this single. I’ll be honest with ya on that – I was probably more on the fence about its inclusion than some of you will be. At the end of the day, I don’t think she has an issues reaching such staggering heights, which is incredible, truly – to me it was more of a question surrounding whether or not this song particularly needed that moment, or not. As artists, it’s seriously tough to not pull out the most extraordinary talent in your skillset – and when you can reach astonishing notes like TaniA can, well…let’s just say I can’t blame her for wanting to work that in whenever she can. To me, that’s what brought out the Mariah Carey reference – I think she went in that same direction in the earlier part of her career, and almost every song had that BIG ‘wow’ moment like “H.W.C.” has in it.
If you read these pages on the regular, you know I’m much more of an advocate on behalf of doing what suits the song itself the most…and that’s what’s got me wondering whether or not “H.W.C.” really needs that huge moment, or if that previous mix of low-key singing and the boldness of the main hooks was already the perfect mix she was looking for. Like I was saying, I think we’ll probably all come to our own conclusions on that…I’m definitely familiar with the style of music, and I know this kind of writing likes to save that monumental show-stopping moment for the finale…that’s practically a tradition of R&B/Soul. Essentially, she’s following the blueprint of her own inspirations & heroes, and the artists that have blazed this trail for her to do what she’s doing today…and that’s a great place to start – let’s not forget, TaniA is still very much on the early-side of her career if she makes a lifetime out of being a professional.
We all discover our voice in a variety of ways – it’s not just about the notes we can sing, but how we go about singing’em, you feel me? As Kyllikki continues on, the stronger she’ll become as an artist, and the more innovative her own music will likely be as a result – everyone’s gotta walk before they can run, as they say. Right now, she’s already well on her way with a spectacular range in her vocals, all the right fundamentals in her songwriting, and clearly in-depth knowledge of the specific kind of sound she’s going for. There’s room for her to grow and evolve in her craft, which is always a good thing – but the even better news is that she’s already showing all the signs of legendary greatness if she keeps focused on her development as an artist – she could very well go on to become one of music’s best of the best.
Find out more about TaniA Kyllikki at this multi-link: https://linktr.ee/aweinspiringrecords
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