Review of Tish Hinojosa, Anderson Fair

Review of Tish Hinojosa

Anderson Fair

By Linda 

Originally posted by The Lone Star Jukebox of KPFT Houston 90.1 FM on December 3, 2016

Background Story 

November 30, 2016

He moved out 7 years ago to the month. He moved out when I was out of town. When I got home, he had taken almost the entire CD collection, spare a few that were in my car or had fallen under the couch, and all of the single malt Scotch. I immediately sent him a text to complain about the Scotch. And the CD’s. The Scotch was easy to replace. But the 2 tall Ikea Billy bookcases filled to the brim with CD's, not so much. My music inventory now consisted of a few first issue CD's of Nancy Griffith, Greg Trooper, Jimmy LaFave, Kelly Willis and Tish Hinosoja. Plus one or two others. The entire collection fit into one shoe box. 

Six years have passed, and most of my music now comes from internet sources or KPFT radio. As I was getting ready to drive to Austin for a photography class last summer, I feared my internet connection might not work well, so at the last minute I grabbed the “Homeland” (1989) CD and threw it in the car.

I listened to the CD as I drove around Austin for different photo shoots. Her tone was pure and unpretentious. The folksy lyrics had an element of honesty in them, but her voice had a sweet, almost innocent air to it. The contradiction between the innocence and wisdom, the country beat with Spanish flair, I found appealing. She became my best friend for the ride.

I listened to one song in particular over and over again, “Donde Voy”. It meshed well with the curved, hilly roads surrounding Austin. 

I was excited to hear that Tish Hinojosa was performing Friday night at Anderson Fair. 

Musical Performance Review

December 2, 2016

Her flirty black hair sat just on top of her shoulders with long bangs that accented her eyes. She wore a black velvet dress, appropriate for the holiday season. As she sang her opening song, “Western Sky”, she had a grin from ear to ear. 

She sang an acoustical mixture of older songs from her “Heartland” and “Heart Wide Open” albums, songs from “After the Fair” and other more recent albums, songs sung in English and songs sung in Spanish, and holiday songs sung from the “From Texas for a Christmas Night” album. 

Her voice is still as pure today as it is on her first album. She sounded strong and mature, as if the years of experience living in Germany and abroad had enriched her musicality.  

Her newest single, “After the Fair” off the album with the same name, is an upbeat song about falling in love visiting a pop-up, travelling fair in Hamburg. The other single off the same album, “Infinity Times Ten” is written about the love a mother has for her daughter. She sang the song as if she were singing it to her daughter, full of emotion with a big, warm smile on her face. 

She introduced the popular “Donde Voy” saying it was an immigrant’s story about crossing the border, migrating, finding a new life. She sang the song with a rich, full and emotionally mature tone. I think it was my favorite song of the evening. 

I look forward to following Tish and seeing her again as she rebuilds her career after putting down her guitar for a few years. 

Note to Lone Star Jukebox

Thank you for the opportunity to review Tish Hinojosa. I know she was not on the original list that was sent out via Facebook, however by the time I tried to buy tickets, Ian More and Reckless Kelly were sold out. Then about that time I heard on Border Radio that Tish was in town on Friday, and I knew I had to go see her! 

Feel free to read all or part of this review. The background story is there to add interest, and to help others understand the connection between the song, listener and artist for this story. 

Enjoy!