"Pretty Little Head" by Nellie McKay

Last year, I was exposed in part to the talent that is 24-year-old singer-songwriter Nellie McKay.

I had heard a few of her songs before somehow or other on the internet, including one of her most popular songs, "David," but it wasn't till last year, when Nellie starred in The Threepenny Opera at Studio 54, that I really found out more about her. Having heard me talk about Nellie's starring in Threepenny, ex-roomie David exposed me to a variety of her wonderfully sardonic and catchy songs. I was amused and enjoyed her performance in Threepenny, but for the most part I didn't pursue her music actively.

Recently, that has been changing. I bought a copy of her first album, Get Away From Me at Tower Records for 20% off having spotted it during the closing sale at Tower, and today I bought her latest album, Pretty Little Head, the release of which was delayed because of a split between Nellie and her former record label, Sony, which caused this latest CD to be put out on her own label, Hungry Mouse. Both are tons of fun, and I'm pretty much addicted. She's able to master pop, rock, jazz, and bits and pieces of rap with equal flair. I've heard of her described as a mix between Doris Day and Eminem, which seems just about right, with splashes of Peggy Lee, Regina Spektor (particularly her tricks of vocal range and tone) and Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's thrown in for good measure.

The fun thing about her music is that it manages to tackle activist issues without being bogged down in weightiness. She manages to present a fun listening experience that challenges the listener at the same time, and that's pretty cool.

Anyway, I highly recommend both albums, and Pretty Little Head is currently on sale for $10 at Virgin, so that's a good, cheap way to say howdy-do to one of music's up-and-coming label-turned-indie talents.