Chickaboom!

Chickaboom! is the seventh studio album by Canadian-New Zealand country singer Tami Neilson, 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 and Aotearoa Music Award for Album of the Year at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards. The album debuted at number eight on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.

This article is about the Tami Neilson album. For the Bob Merrill song, see Chicka Boom. For the picture book by Bill Martin Jr., see Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

Chickaboom!
Studio album by
Tami Neilson
Released14 February 2020 (2020-02-14)
StudioThe Lab (Auckland)
Genre
Length28:13
Label
Producer
Tami Neilson chronology
Sassafrass!
(2018)		 Chickaboom!
(2020)		 Kingmaker
(2022)
Singles from Chickaboom!
  1. "Hey Bus Driver!"
    Released: 6 September 2019
  2. "Any Fool with a Heart"
    Released: 18 October 2019
  3. "Ten Tonne Truck"
    Released: 15 November 2019
  4. "You Were Mine"
    Released: 15 January 2020
  5. "Queenie, Queenie"
    Released: 14 February 2020

Production
Neilson was inspired by rockabilly musicians such as Wanda Jackson on the album.

Neilson was inspired by a rockabilly and country sound for the album, reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Wanda Jackson.[1] Many of the songs in the album are inspired by Neilson's struggles in the music industry and gender inequality.[2] 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".[3]

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.[4] 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.[5] Neilson's brother Jay Neilson was a major contributor to the project,[5] 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.[2] Neilson's sons provided accompanying vocals for Neilson on the song "Queenie, Queenie".[6]

Release and promotion

"Hey Bus Driver!" featuring Neilson's brother Jay Neilson was released as the lead single from the album in September 2019.[7] Together the pair released Neilson's next single "Any Fool with a Heart" in October,[8] followed by "Ten Tonne Truck" in November,[9] "You Were Mine" in January 2020[10] and "Queenie, Queenie" in February.[11] 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, Neilson and her team shelved the video, due to it containing scenes of a fiery blaze.[12]

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.[13] 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 recorded with her band and the Big Boss Orchestra.[14][15]

Reception

On review aggregator Metacritic, Chickaboom! received a score of 84 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! praised the album, feeling that the cut-down band (compared to her large-scale backing in Sassafrass! "lets Neilson's outsized voice take center stage, exactly where it belongs".[17] Jim Hynes called "You Were Mine" the album's stand-out track, describing it as "a cross between Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and early Mavis with her explosive vocals".[6] Rich Wilhelm of Pop Matters described Neilson as "the heiress apparent to legendary rockabilly/country queen Wanda Jackson".[5]

The album was nominated for the Aotearoa Music Award for Album of the Year at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards,[18] and for the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in 2021,[19] The album's lead single "Hey Bus Driver!" won the APRA award for Best Country Song at the 2020 Country Music Awards in New Zealand.[20]

Track listing
Chickaboom! track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Call Your Mama"
2:27
2."Hey, Bus Driver!" (featuring Jay Neilson)
  • J Neilson
  • T Neilson
2:13
3."Ten Tonne Truck"T Neilson2:22
4."Queenie, Queenie"T Neilson2:09
5."You Were Mine"
  • J Neilson
  • T Neilson
3:43
6."16 Miles of Chain"
  • D Davidson
  • T Neilson
3:29
7."Tell Me That You Love Me"
  • D Davidson
  • T Neilson
2:03
8."Any Fool with a Heart" (featuring Jay Neilson)T Neilson2:43
9."Sister Mavis"T Neilson2:44
10."Sleep"D Davidson2:20
Total length:28:13
Chickaboom! Deluxe track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Walk (Back to Your Arms) (Live for RNZ @ Roundhead)"
  • T Neilson
  • J Neilson
3:11
12."Roimata (Cry Myself to Sleep) (Live for RNZ @ Roundhead)" (featuring Troy Kingi)
3:11
13."A Woman's Pain (Live for RNZ @ Roundhead)"T Neilson3:04
14."Call Your Mama (Live for RNZ @ Roundhead)"
  • D Davidson
  • T Neilson
2:30
15."You Were Mine (Live for RNZ @ Roundhead)"
  • J Neilson
  • T Neilson
3:45
Total length:43:59

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
Weekly chart performance for Chickaboom!
Chart (2020) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 8

Release history
Release dates and formats for Chickaboom!
Region Date Edition Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various 14 February 2020 Standard
[22]
19 February 2021 Deluxe
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [14]

References
  1. Cudby, Chris (18 September 2019). "Interview: Tami Neilson Talks Family, Touring & Her New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. Sawyer, Bobbie Jean (13 February 2020). "Tami Neilson on Learning From Kitty Wells, Empowering Women and New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. Zimmerman, Lee (28 January 2020). "Tami Neilson Makes a Dynamite Impression With 'Chicka Boom!'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  4. Puschmann, Karl (5 February 2020). "Tick... tick... Chickaboom! How Tami Neilson lit a fuse under America". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  5. Wilhelm, Rich (11 February 2020). "Big Hair, Big Voice, Big Twangy Guitars, Tami Nilson's Back". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  6. Hynes, Jim (13 February 2020). "Vocalist Tami Neilson Unleashes Powerhouse Country, Rockabilly and Soul on 'Chicka Boom!' (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  7. "Tami Neilson Shares New Single 'Hey Bus Driver!' Featuring Brother Jay Neilson, Ahead of Nationwide New Zealand Tour". New Zealand Music Commission. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  8. "Tami Neilson Unleashed "Any Fool with a Heart" Video". Killbeat Music. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  9. "Tami Neilson, Releases Third Single Ten Tonne Truck Off Her Forthcoming Album Chickaboom!". New Zealand Music Commission. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  10. C.C. (17 January 2020). "Listen To Tami Neilson's Single 'You Were Mine'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  11. "Tami Neilson Examines Parenthood and Feminism via "Queenie, Queenie" (Premiere + Interview)". PopMatters. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  12. Reuter, Annie (15 January 2020). "Tami Neilson's Soul Shines On Intoxicating 'You Were Mine': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  13. Easther, Elisabeth (19 May 2020). "My Story: Tami Neilson - the buzz behind the beehive". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  14. "Tami Neilson to Reissue Deluxe Version of Acclaimed LP Chickaboom! with Added Live Tracks". Kill Beat Music. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  15. "Chickaboom Deluxe". Bandcamp. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  16. "Chicka Boom! by Tami Neilson Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  17. Mullin, Kyle (11 February 2020). "Tami Neilson Chickaboom!". Exclaim!. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  18. "Aotearoa Music Awards 2020: Full list of winners". Newshub. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  19. Gordon, Holly; Warner, Andrea (4 June 2021). "Here are all the 2021 Juno Award winners". CBC Music. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  20. "NZ Music Awards 2020: Country music winners announced". Radio New Zealand. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  21. "Charts.nz – Tami Neilson – Chickaboom!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  22. Puschmann, Karl (5 February 2020). "Tick... tick... Chickaboom! How Tami Neilson lit a fuse under America". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
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