The latest radiant gem by the gifted singer-songwriter and performer Nikka Costa — is far and away her most direct and convincing musical statement yet. If this is Costa’s most pleasing album to date — and it clearly is — then it’s exactly because the woman singing to us so powerfully has finally found the creative freedom to first and foremost please herself.
The good:
“Stuck On You” – Costa roars with her signature style. It’s her sexually charged funk that charges up your soul.
“Can’t Please Everybody” – Is this song from 2008 or 1978? Costa’s greatest asset, besides her voice, is her authenticity. It shines through every note of her amazing voice.
“Love To Love You Less” – This instantly reminds me of Ray Charles and the brilliant twists and turns of love. Love, joy and pain always inspire great songs and Costa does a great job bringing it home.
“Keep Pushin” – Get your funk on. Costa is spirited as hell and doesn’t sell the same sound just to make a buck.
“Someone For Everyone” – Simply beautiful.
“Cry Baby” – Costa wears her heart on her sleeve–but her pain is our joy.
The rest:
“Loving You” – Imagine sitting in a bar with smoke floating through like fog waiting for last call–we’ll this song fits that atmosphere.
“Bullets in the Sky” – A nice closer that is mostly unremarkable.
Finally:
What does Nikka Costa and Amy Winehouse have in common? Their voices are the most obvious similarity, but they also shared a producer. You might be surprised that Nikka Costa had the producer and style long before Winehouse turned up. “Peeble To A Pearl” is solid soul. It’s amazing that a couple white women own soul music right now. Thankfully Nikka Costa is keeping it alive.
Watch the video for “Stuck On You”
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