This is an extract of the review of the Junkyard Jude Waldman night at Mello Mello by Pete Robinson which looks at the support performance by Tiki Black. The full review can be found at http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/9457/Junkyard+Jude

"The crowd were [then] encouraged to swap one man and his guitar for one woman and her piano in the form of TIKI BLACK. Manchester-based by way of Paris and Cameroon, Black offers gentle vignettes of highly emotional and deeply personal songs. A short set, comprising just five songs, this was a performance that really gave the impression of having been invited into the intimate surroundings of the artist’s rehearsal room, such was the introverted lyrical content. From opener Open Your Eyes to the french language Le Cinquieme Element these were sparse songs, making use of slow-building piano to accompany fragile and enchanting vocals. The former in particular, progresses with a haunting quality, exploiting a minimalist structure to great affect, giving it a power disproportionate to its quietude. Elsewhere, Free Like Smoke demonstrates that music can be just as much about the silence as the notes in between. There is obvious talent here and these are songs that tug at the heartstrings without ever giving the impression they were written purely to do so. Open Your Eyes contains the line: ‘do not hide in your cocoon’. Tiki Black would do well to follow this advice."