The Writings She Hides: A Review of Nicola Hitchcock’s “a Bowl of Chalk”

From the late 1990’s to the year of their demise in 2001, Nicola (pronounced Nic-a-lah, not Nick-ola) Hitchcock was probably best known as the lead lyricist and vocalist of the trip-hop duo Mandalay, alongside Saul Freeman. For the most part, this remains her claim to fame to date. Before this rise and fall, however, Hitchcock had been one of music’s rising stars since 1993 when she released her first solo album, A Bowl of Chalk.

Nicola Hitchcock is of entertainment DNA: her mother was an actress before starting a family and her father, a natural musician, worked as a drummer in a jazz band on weekends alongside an additional career as a television scriptwriter, director, and producer. Hitchcock’s own love of music blossomed as a child after her parents divorced. To pass the time on long car journeys between households, she and her sisters would create rhymes and songs. Soon thereafter, upon receiving a guitar for her 9th birthday, she found she could disappear into her room for hours quite happily as her musical creativity evolved. Her early influences included, Carole King, the Beatles, and Detroit’s trademark “Motown Sound.” To some extent, all of these appear on this brilliant debut. It began when she was signed to F-Beat/Demon Records on the strength of some early demos written while in her early twenties.

It must be said, Hitchcock’s talent, while obvious, might leave a yearning for something more for those used to a more mainstream sound. Even those who loved her work with Mandalay might be surprised at how much more acoustic and pared-down Bowl of Chalk is. These acoustics are mixed in with some electronic loops here and there, but in a very unique fashion: think characteristics of Motown, folk, soft rock and easy listening with a touch of alternative, all fused to create all-new category. Undoubtedly, this is aided by the emotional impact of Hitchcock’s signature vibrato-rich vocals.

Of the 12-tracks appearing on Bowl of Chalk, the overall atmosphere of every one of them is in some way carried by acoustic guitar harmonies. Songs such as Writings I Hide, What You See is What You Get, and Strange Times succeed in delivering such melodies with exceptional prowess. Writings I Hide in particular evolves into an especially ethereal tune as piano and orchestral strings weave their way in and out through Hitchcock’s expression of the inquisitive lyrics, allusive of what appears to be unspoken words amidst the devastation of a relationship. It is a melody that is slow and graceful.