''Chickaboom!'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Canadian-New Zealand country singer

Tami Neilson Tamara Neilson, known professionally as Tami Neilson, is a Canadian-born New Zealand country & soul singer/songwriter. She is the winner of multiple awards, including the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards and Best Country Song Award; she is also the ...

, released on 14 February 2020, by Neilson Records and Outside Music. A country album inspired by rockabilly, ''Chickaboom!'' was nominated for the

Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year The Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the contemporary roots and folk genre. Prior to 2016, awards for this genre were awarded in two categories ...

and

Aotearoa Music Award for Album of the Year Album of the Year is an Aotearoa Music Award that honours New Zealand music artists for outstanding album. The award was first awarded in 1973 as part of the Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA). Singer-songwriter Bic Runga has won the award twice, ...

at the

2020 Aotearoa Music Awards The 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards was the 55th holding of the annual ceremony, renamed the Aotearoa Music Awards featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 15 November 2020 at Spark Are ...

. The album debuted at number eight on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.

Production

Neilson was inspired by a rockabilly and country sound for the album, reminiscent of

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

and Wanda Jackson. Many of the songs in the album are inspired by Neilson's struggles in the music industry and gender inequality. Neilson chose the album's title to express the sound of rockabilly and artists on Sun Records, and to evoke a feeling that the songs would "pop and explode". The album featured a stripped-back instrumentalisation compared to her previous album '' Sassafrass!'', in part to be more easily able to replicate the album's sound in live performances. Neilson produced the album herself and wrote or co-wrote every song on the album excluding the album's closer, "Sleep", which was written by New Zealand country musician Delaney Davidson. Neilson's brother Jay Neilson was a major contributor to the project, performing guitars and appearing as a featured artist on the singles "Hey, Bus Driver!" and "Any Fool with a Heart". The song "Sister Mavis" was written as a tribute to singer

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

. Neilson's sons provided accompanying vocals for Neilson on the song "Queenie, Queenie".

Release and promotion

"Hey Bus Driver!" featuring Neilson's brother Jay Neilson was released as the lead single from the album in September 2019. Together the pair released Neilson's next single "Any Fool with a Heart" in October, followed by "Ten Tonne Truck" in November, "You Were Mine" in January 2020 and "Queenie, Queenie" in February. A music video was produced for "You Were Mine" and was intended to be released in January, however, due to the severity of the

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...

, Neilson and her team shelved the video, due to it containing scenes of a fiery blaze. Owing to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Neilson was unable to tour in 2020. Instead, she focused on creating a YouTube series, ''The Tami Show'', with her brother Jay. On 19 February 2021, the album was re-released as a deluxe edition, featuring a five song concert recorded at Roundhead Studios for

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...

recorded with her band and the Big Boss Orchestra.

Reception

On review aggregator Metacritic, ''Chickaboom!'' received a score of 84 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Kyle Mullin of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' praised the album, feeling that the cut-down band (compared to her large-scale backing in ''

Sassafrass! ''Sassafrass!'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian-New Zealand country singer Tami Neilson, released in June 2018. Production The album was inspired by Neilson's experiences of becoming a mother, losing her father and turning 40. She felt ...

'' "lets Neilson's outsized voice take center stage, exactly where it belongs". Jim Hynes called "You Were Mine" the album's stand-out track, describing it as "a cross between

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

and early Mavis with her explosive vocals". Rich Wilhelm of ''Pop Matters'' described Neilson as "the heiress apparent to legendary rockabilly/country queen Wanda Jackson". The album was nominated for the

at the

, and for the

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, The album's lead single "Hey Bus Driver!" won the

APRA APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

award for Best Country Song at the 2020 Country Music Awards in New Zealand.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

*Brett Adams – lead guitar (5) *Charlie – guest vocals (4) *Chris Chetland – mastering * Delaney Davidson – lead guitar, guest vocals (7), production *Jules Koblun – artwork design *Sabin Holloway – photography ( cover) *Joe McCallum – drums, percussion *Jol Mulholland – mixing *Jay Neilson – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals *Tami Neilson – rhythm guitar, producer, vocals *Todd Neilson – photography (stills) * Graham Reid – liner notes *Sam – guest vocals (4)

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chickaboom 2020 albums Tami Neilson albums Albums produced by Delaney Davidson Rockabilly albums