Nikka Costa’s always been hit-or-miss for me. She arrived on the American scene a decade ago with Everybody’s Got Their Something, an album I still bump to this day. However, two subsequent albums just haven’t hit their sweet spot. Actually, her second album, Can’tneverdidnothin’ provoked such a negative reaction out of me and my circle of music-lovin’ friends that my buddy P. Dizzle wrote a scathing passage in response to a review I wrote that was entitled “Nikka Ain’t My Nucca”.
At any rate, Nikka’s still kickin’ around. She’s gotten some mileage out of her songs being used for various TV ad campaigns, particularly the title track to her aforementioned American debut. She’s preparing to release her fourth album on these shores, the imaginatively titled PRO*WHOA. Our first taste of Nikka’s latest effort comes via “Nylons in a Rip”. It’s an agreeable funk/soul jam with lots of Nikka’s signature feline rasp. I’m not in love with it, but I dig it enough to check out more (and also think that repeated listens might warm me up to it a little more.)
I also didn’t know that women still called pantyhose “nylons”. You learn something new every day!
4 comments
Gonzo says:
Jul 14, 2011
Yeah, I thought women that referred to stockings as “nylons” were the same demographic that called soap operas their “stories.”
Her second album grew on me over time for sure. Less well written than the first, but some good hooks (and I think better produced). The last one hasn’t done much for me outside of a few cuts. Though I saw her live in college, and she killed.
blerd says:
Jul 14, 2011
I bet she’s really good live!
Drew says:
Jul 14, 2011
I’m not necessarily sold. I kinda put Nikka in the same category as Joss Stone – terrific raw-voiced white-girl-soul debuts, and then the rest of their careers on autopilot. This sounds like autopilot to me; but I DO, like Mike, still blast Nikka’s first record to this day, so she’s far from a total wash.
blerd says:
Jul 14, 2011
I see where you’re coming from, Drew. I do feel like Nikka and Joss are both a bit “affected” vocally, but Joss’s third album (the one Raphael Saadiq produced) is the only one worth a damn.