In case you missed it: OUR FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2007

NICOLE ATKINS – Neptune City (Columbia)

This article was previously published in the January 2007 edition of the Locus Ceruleus e-newsletter. To subscribe, visit our main site at http://www.locusceruleus.kk5.org

Anyone who tuned into Nicole Atkins jaw dropping October 30th performance on Letterman can have been left in no doubt that they were witnessing a truly rare talent. Reviewers have compared her approach to that of Roy Orbison, and its a surprisingly fitting comparison for an artist who’s appeal lays squarely in her contradictions. At once haunted and haunting, fragile and commanding, subtle and imposing, Atkins knows how to use her voice to command and disarm. Her debut full-length release ‘Neptune City’ features 10 brisk but involving songs that play to these strengths, building a single seamless piece. In the wrong hands, songs like the devastatingly lovelorn paean ‘The Way It Is’ would easily drown in their own histrionics, but Atkins consistently rises to the occasion; direct, heartfelt and unapologetic. Tasteful string arrangements weave in and out of distorted guitars and swooning keyboards to create a unique world – a world that slowly immerses the listener in a way akin to all-time classic albums such as Dark Side Of The Moon, Pet Sounds and Bat Out Of Hell. Yes, ‘Neptune City’ is that good. When Nicole sings of her broken down childhood hometown on the title track, we are there with her, amongst the abandoned ferris wheels and deserted piers.

Last year saw many excellent albums released, from the Tori Amos’ bewitching epic ‘American Doll Posse’, to the 4 a.m. barroom blues of Eilen Jewell’s ‘Letters From Sinners & Strangers’. However none have consistently impressed and amazed us here at Insomnia Cafe as much as Nicole Atkins’ ‘Neptune City’. An absolute classic, and our favorite album of 2007.

http://www.nicoleatkins.com

~ by insomniacafe on January 29, 2008.