Globaltrickster

Discovered a new artist, after hearing one of her songs on NPR, Nellie McKay.

I am a lover of music, as many people are, however, as a writer, lyrics have always been the premium for me. Secondly, I would have to say any genre breaking sound catches my attention. Nellie is described by one reviewer as a cross between “Dorris Day and Eminem” which seemed absurd at first glance. The first song I heard was ‘Identity Theft’ which definitely had lyrical rhymes, but to an almost…Grand Ole Opry sound to it. It was the words to this song that first drew me in enough to seek out more from Nellie.

Journo-fascist profiteers, pornotastic pioneers
Bonbonbastic puppeteers, get away from me
How can you write what we read, that ain’t my reality
You disabuse humanity, humility and fealty

So I grabbed this “Dorris Day/Eminem” singer and started to listen. And by god it was an accurate description. In some songs she sounded positively 1930′s, in others, she rapped with great speed and accuracy. What put a smile on my face was the lyrics. In almost every song, Nellie’s words drip with an intelligent and critical sarcasm. Sometimes her barbed words are aimed at politics, but most of it is social commentary, especially feminist issues.

Overall, she has a good voice, catchy music, and intelligent song writing. Not to mention the slight jolt when going from a classically sung song about marriage (sarcastic) to a rap about the toils of work, is a pleasant surprise.