Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m a bowl full of nerves right now, my Frenchie, Marshall Jolie-Pitt, managed to chew his way out of his crate right last night and is now enjoying the entire apartment free from confinement. Please pray for me that he doesn’t destroy everything.
The world is making it more and more apparent that Nellie McKay and I should be together. After last week’s round of Women to Listen to, I got a sweet email from an AfterEllen.com reader recommending Nellie to me. Then, when I got home, I received her album in the mail. Today, she joins the NMT ranks with an album that is stylistically all over the map. She takes you to the island with her on “Caribbean Time” while “Bruise on the Sky” is more small apartment in a large city. No matter what genre she is evoking, there seems to always be a bit of old Hollywood in her songs.
Though she is unsigned, Katie Costello’s music has, in my opinion, the potential to be huge. She is pure pop in an indie package. Since I seem to feel the need to compare everyone to others, I think Katie is easily comparable to A Fine Frenzy and maybe Adele. They’re smart, they build their songs to crescendos and fill them with poetry. I’m definitely happy to have found her.
The Mexican superstar recorded this live album in front of some of the most influential composers in Latin America. That’s really all I know about it. To me it sounds kind of like a pop version of smooth jazz that you might hear at a Sybaris. Whatever floats your boat right?
That’s it for this week’s new releases but if you’re interested in checking out a preview of Corin Tucker’s new album (out next week), you can stream it on NPR.com in its entirety. Also, if you’ve got any questions (besides if she will go out with you, because I’ve got dibs after her husband) send them my way because I’ll be interviewing her soon.
Honorable mentions: Fences (which was produced by Sara Quin), Electric Six, Deerhunter, Pete Yorn, The Dance Party, Grandchildren, The Hush Now, The Posies, The Airborne Toxic Event, Eric Clapton
