The Voice of Enigma.

Every once in a while an artist appears with a depth of songwriting rarely seen or heard nowadays. Tina Dico is one such artist. Talented is an understatement for this woman who for many years has had a huge following in her native country, Denmark. In this age of pop stars who refer to themselves as "Artists", it is refreshing to listen to someone who is, in fact, a real artist. Tina's sultry vocals, melodic compositions and insightful, expressive lyrics, full of imagery, metafor and emotion, combine to make her one of those singer/songwriters who only come along once in a generation. Joni Mitchell is cited as one of her influences, and I recall thinking to myself, after listening to Tina's EP, "Far", that there was something of Joni there. No, it's a different sound from Joni, but that combination of jazz/folk/rock melodies and lyrics that reach into the depths of your soul and pull forth feelings that you thought you had lost forever (or maybe never knew you had) create a similar feeling.

Tina Dico's music is passionate, insightful and simply beautiful. Her album landed on my lap while attending Musexpo in '07. She is an incredible live artist often playing solo with her acoustic guitar. I have had the pleasure of seeing her live twice at The Roxy and Largo. Her aura is hauntingly lovely.

Here are my three favourite singles of all time.

''He took me back to where he lives, we had a drink and made attempts to conversate, but none of us felt much like talking about the lives that we were there to escape''.



''Poison racing through my veins, a sordid pull to the insane, a constant gravity to change and I don't know where to go''.



''I have lost it once before, I've pulled myself up from the floor and I am looking for a reason to stay standing. But sometimes it's just too much or not enough or something else, It's so much bigger than my head, it's too demanding''


Tina writes all her music and lyrics. She has a great command of the English language in poetry, which is amazing considering her native tongue. Her british accent is also adorable, since she's spent many years in London. Dico touches on all sorts of topics; of course there are songs of love won and lost (some very sensual). There's also a lot of treatment of personal history using some powerful imagery, but without being clinical or academic at all. She's also not afraid to tackle the more nebulous subjects either; the word choice is so well balanced: "You don't touch the magic / the magic touches you" being one example. She also touches on the inspirational, and does it well: "It's too late to be perfect / And it's not like we haven't tried / It's hard but it's worth it / Every time we get it right", and even the semi-comical in the song "Head Shop".


She has written three EPs on the road creating a trilogy on the way. A fine trilogy too, not overproduced as so many artists are these days, instead relying on superb songwriting, poignant lyrics and strong vocals to get the story across. If you like female singer/songwriters this is one artist you do not want to pass up on. Check out her albums 'In The Red' and 'Count To Ten'... brilliant.


Her latest album represents life. It is a beginning, a detour and an open ending.