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AUSTRALIAN IMPORT
Condition: Brand New Factory Sealed
Nikka Costa's fiercely bootylicious first single, "Like a Feather"--that song with the thick, clapped 16th notes--has already garnered the 28-year-old singer one hell of a buzz, and for the most part, she's got the goods to back it up. Already a platinum-selling artist in Europe and South America, the Tokyo-born, L.A.-bred singer's stateside debut bulges with ambition. It's a mixed bag of musical tricks that's equal parts '70s-style funk, hazy Led Zeppelin-inspired psychedelia, and angst-ridden alternachick yowling, with healthy dollops of soul, hip-hop, and thrash thrown in for good measure. Produced by Costa, Australian rocker Justin Stanley (who's also the singer's husband), and high-profile New York City DJ Mark Ronson, the album works best when it piles on the noise--like on the standout "Tug of War," which features the unmistakable rim-shot work of Roots drummer ?uestlove. On that track, a flurry of scratched samples, layers of soundboard-smeared noise, and a few luscious string sweeps break into gospel-choir harmonies that swirl gorgeously beneath Costa's reedy mezzo-soprano wails. It's a shame that she can't match this intensity on sparser down-tempo ballads like "Nothing" and "Just Because," where she sounds like Fiona Apple's slightly less annoying older sis. As the album's title says, everybody got their something, and Costa sounds best when she sticks to hers.
Track Listing
1. Like a Feather
2. So Have I For You
3. Tug of War
4. Everybody Got Their Something
5. Nothing
6. Nikka What?
7. Hope It Felt Good
8. Some Kind of Beautiful
9. Nikka Who?
10. Just Because
11. Push & Pull
12. Corners of My Mind
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