In a beautiful ode to her Honduran heritage, songwriter and producer Daniela Andrade has crafted a heartfelt recipe book filled with the spices, flavours and memories of her Central American roots. A gift of appreciation for those who have helped her reach where she is now, Tamale is a celebration of more life.
Opening up with the steamy "Tamale", Daniela comes to terms with the feeling of being different because of her ethnicity and wanting to escape to a place without judgement. As a Latina growing up in Edmonton, she describes the desire to be proud of her culture but having to deal with the constant pressure to fit in. On "Gallo Pinto", Daniela draws on the experiences of her parents and addresses their immigration to Canada in the 80s, and offers a sincere thanks: “This one’s for my mommy, this one’s for my dad. Gave up everything to give me what they couldn't have.” The track, which Daniela produced, showcases her sparkling vocals against a single-textured guitar loop and reflects on an emotional time for the young singer’s parents, who had to leave Daniela’s older siblings in Honduras to support the family while they raised her in Canada.
The downtempo “$$$” creates at an atmospheric bed of gentility for Daniela’s delicate vocals to bring comfort to listeners’ ears. She speaks of the need for nothing else but the time of someone special. Daniela crosses the bridge to the mystical “Lost In Translation”. The song's minimalistic production provides a fitting aura for Andrade's tender vocals. Going back and forth between English and Spanish, Daniela speaks about the unvoiced body language in relationships that can sometimes leave lovers confused with unanswered questions. The number flows into the Redbone-esque “Wet Dreams”. With a happy-go-lucky feel, Daniela’s slightly distorted voice echoes over the quaver of keys and guitar patterns, as she yearns for a lover she knows she shouldn’t crave. Tamale culminates on the fiery “Ayayai”. Singing entirely in Spanish, Daniela’s crisp vocals melt over the track’s jazzy instrumentation. Imbued in digital and organic elements, the song unearths the hot flame of a candlelight in the darkness.
An impressive collection of self-written and self-produced songs, Tamale demonstrates the boundless creativity of Daniela, who prior to releasing her own singles, racked up hundreds of millions of plays with YouTube covers.
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