Tachie Menson is an unknown artist on her way to fame. An emerging songwriter, she is reportedly from London, grew up in New York, and now lives in Montreal, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in audio recording.
Tachie Menson is talented; she exudes intelligence. As seen Friday at L’Esco, her performances are never forced, and her songwriting style has a classic flair.
Reminiscent of Joan Armartrading, her gorgeous afro contrasts with her small tie and neo-hippie outfit. Her appearance is androgynous, gender-neutral—and that’s just perfect.
It doesn’t take long to recognize her talent: a beautiful mezzo-soprano/contralto voice, lovely folk-style guitar strumming, jazzy folk, R&B, and a likable trio backing her up, drawing inspiration from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s—and drawing almost nothing from the decades that followed.
A self-taught guitarist, Tachie Menson is content to play (very well) the carefully crafted chords of her songs and draw out a few smooth effects from her Gibson Les Paul.
She’s recorded almost nothing so far, but it’s easy to see her disconcerting ease in expressing herself and offering a body of work that’s both classic (from the get-go) and unique (as she plays).
Tachie Menson is going to make a name for herself, I’m telling you. Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve written “I’m telling you.”
