Theo Tams: Jekyll Hyde Love
Soulful vocals perfectly convey emotionally honest lyrics.
By Kerry Doole
Theo Tams - Jekyll Hyde Love (Slaight Music/Hidden Pony Records): After impressing with recent single Fixable, the Toronto-based pop singer/songwriter returns with another winning cut. Jekyll Hyde Love was co-written by Tams, Andrew Martino, and Alexandra Soumalias, and produced by Tams and Marty Martino. It displays the kind of emotional openness and honesty that has now become a TT trademark.
He explains that "I wrote this song after my partner and I had a really stupid argument. In so many ways we are complete opposites, but in other ways, we are too much alike. We've been together almost a decade, and we have definitely had our shares of ups and downs, but the main thing that has kept us together is our passion for each other, and our passion to make things work.
"Sometimes that passion has an ugly Hyde side to it, but it's also what keeps us inspired and growing. I hope that as you listen, you recognize that 90% of the shit we argue about with our partners is so futile. Jekyll and Hyde are two sides of the same man and I truly believe that we all have a little of both in us. There's no shame in admitting that. Often from the outside, this polarity can be seen as dysfunction, but it can also be seen as a volley: sometimes I love you badly and sometimes I love you good, but the love is always there."
The song is a gently mesmerizing slow burn, with Tams' soulful vocals placed atop a sparse R&B inflected production.
Jekyll Hyde Love is accompanied by a video featuring a stripped down, acoustic version, filmed live on location at Slaight Music.
The Alberta born and raised Tams first made a national splash by winning the Canadian Idol competition in 2008, followed by the release of a debut album, Give It All Away, in 2009. He has released several EPs since then, while gradually forging his own musical identity. The tracks he has released since his last record, 2018’s Call the Doctor, are the sound of an artist coming fully into his own.
Links
Publicity: Rosie Boyce, Auteur Research
Management: Mike Renaud, Hidden Pony
