Eureka
Pop, 2000

You will never get me to admit that I actually have this singer’s 1988 release Hold an Old Friend’s Hand in the dark corners of my record cabinet, or that I think the title track of that album is superb. And no, that is not my copy of Tiffany’s failed-R&B-diva album New Inside you find in my drawer.

No, no, no, who’s Tiffany? Never heard of her.

Okay, okay, I was a fan of this former teen-queen singer. Go ahead and laugh. But you know what? A grown-up Tiffany makes better music. The Color of Silence is an eclectic mix of country-like tunes with a slight Alanis Morissette edge on some tunes, Shania Twain on others, and all in all, perfect radio-friendly pop. It’s like country-meets-chick-rock..

Hence, I Open My Eyes and my favorite, All The Talking are the perfect songs to play from the speakers on sunny days. She burns up the dance floors with Cinnamon and Butterfly. There’s even a rap by Krayzie Bone of Bones Thugz-N-Harmony in I’m Not Sleeping, and it blends it well considering the song is a Alanis Morissette-on-sedatives song.

If Tiffany’s voice was too husky for her young age twenty years ago, well, her voice has rounded off wonderfully into a slightly husky, sometimes girlish, don’t-make-me-mad voice that conveys enough emotion into her songs to carry them off. The lyrics, which she co-wrote on most of them – are introspective in nature, dealing with relationships going strong or breaking down. Yet when she needs to be angry, she does it so well. Same when she’s resigned, buoyant, or sultry. Her voice just expresses her feelings so well.

The Color of Silence is anything but a muted effort. It’s a beautiful piece of work of wonderful music charting the ups and downs of a relationship. Okay, so I’m a Tiffany fan once again. But this time, I am going to put my nose high up in the air. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.