I hear an awful lot of cookie-cutter singer-songwriters, so I have to be careful not to overpraise those who merely don't suck. So I must ask myself, do I respond so enthusiastically to Nicola just because she doesn't suck? Or is she really that good?
Well, I've given it some thought and several listens, and the verdict is in. If her fine but less well produced first albumleft any doubt, this one doesn't: she's that good. This half-hour CD of soulful rock with a touch of Latin spice measures up well not just against her contemporaries on the indie circuit, but against anything today's biggest names are putting out.
A note: "Nicola" is technically a band, since the eponymous singer lends her first name to the project. Much credit goes to her collaborators, especially longtime bassist Jules Rosaly, who also plays some of the guitar parts on the album. But Nicola the singer-guitarist is the center, and the fire inside.
What's The Point opens with a one-two-three punch. "One Little Girl" with its growling 3/4-time attack announces right off that we're in for something unusual and proves to be as good as or better than anything you hear on the radio - if anybody listens to the radio any more - from any blues- or alt-rocker on the scene today. "What's the Point" also rocks hard but has a poppier melody that could easily be as big a hit as Avril Lavigne's overproduced teen-angst anthems. And the title of the wall-of-sound "Bitch" speaks for itself; Nicola's contribution to the literature of I-hate-you blows Meredith Brooks's song by the same title out of the water.
The catchy, dramatic mid-tempo rocker "I Don't Know" features Nicola's voice drenched in political disillusionment, the bitterness almost palpable in her acid tones. There's no better example of her mastery of her material and the seamless fusion of singer, musicians and song. As Yeats put it, "Who can tell the dancer from the dance?";
Article comments
1 - Temple A. Stark
EB - I have this up on Advance.net, too.
A nice read.
Can be found at this link.
2 - abrielle
when i heard avril's songs im like woow wat a great canadian singer her first cd is like punk but her second cd is even better its about her life and its all true no lies at all i wish i was her i heard that she smokes but i dont believe that i dont need to no her personall stuff anyway she can tell her freinds that and stuff but why let much music no they will tell everyone who watches it i dont think her personall stuff should go on the news she doesn't need problems i personally think that she is the best rock singer on earth!!! im not braging at all im just a great fan dont let anyone no your secrets or else they will spread it around like my freinds always do! your the best avril!
3 - Julian Koenig
Nicola at Penn Station last night (Mar 24th)
- at about 8:30 PM: simply put - fantastic!
Thank you for describing in
technical terms the 3/4-time attack: it stopped me in
my tracks (with apologies to LIRR).
I looked around, and the 3/4-time attack had stopped a
lot of other people as well: the crowd was stretched out in a half-moon â€"
50 feet deep. Each listener was in his/her own world.
This marvelous artist possesses even more potential for greatness than
we've seen so far: Nicola has the Streisand special touch.
She makes each member of the audience feel as if the performance is a
special concert â€" just for him/her. When she looks at you, the music
drills down inside you. She doesn’t so much set the listener rockin: Nicola’s music
settles the listener. It’s as if she’s preaching a sermon.
The demographics of her audience was truly remarkable: entranced by her
music were messengers, Wall Street clerks and shoppers late getting home,
the homeless, prosperous well-fed businessmen, and just about every
sub-group which makes up New York City.
And as is predictable, those with the least seemed to open their
pocketbooks the most.
Such is New York. Such was Nicola . . . Wow!
(This review is available in pdf with a link back to the originating
site at:
rjkoenig.com/nicola/jon_sobel_review_17_nov_05.pdf