Monday, October 2, 2017

The Beauty of Song, Part Four: Nicole Atkins

Nicole Atkins is a Jersey girl you may not have heard of.


That's because she's a hard-driving folk-rock performer in the early twenty-first century, an age when neither folk nor rock will get you airplay on Big Radio.

As you can expect, Nicole Atkins - who comes from Monmouth County, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen's old stomping ground - is a big favorite on alternative-music radio, thanks to songs like "Cry Cry Cry" and "My Baby Don't Lie," both from her 2011 album Mondo Amore.

She made her first big splash with Neptune City, her first LP and her only album with a major label (Columbia), which featured songs such as the title track and "Together We're Both Alone."  Music critic Katherine Fulton praised the album, saying that its arrangements "showcase the depth, range, and versatility of Atkins' alto voice, not to mention her songwriting prowess."

But her music doesn't make you dance, so maybe that's why you may be only hearing of her for the first time here.

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