There is a moment during the Memphis soul style strut of ‘For No One’ from this latest Nicole Atkins album, her first of all new material in six years, where she sings “don’t let a good wine go to waste.” As a metaphor for the sumptuous melange of ages and sounds heard throughout this record, I cannot help but think it is on the money. Everything you hear on ‘Drama’ in terms of sound aesthetic contains echoes of golden eras of recorded music. Be it film noir, the panoramic orchestrations heard on classic Roy Orbison tracks, the lush heart string plucking arrangements perfected for the Nashville sound, the trip-hop moodiness patented by Portishead and even the scene stealing dramatizations washing over a Bond theme tune, this is a soundtrack performed with so much class you could probably get away with mislabelling it as the work of the Wrecking Crew. However, as much as these mostly live cut audio expressions make the record sound incredible, they are nothing more than the decorative choices of an artist with a great ear; the element really standing out is the quality of the songs. Nicole Atkins has stepped back into the ring armed with a collection of numbers that are demanding their place in the cannon of classic American compositions. Nicole has explained her modus operandi as “not trying to rehash or celebrate some bygone era. I’m just taking what I like melodically from the past and channelling it into my songs. I like to make them deeply personal. The question I come back to is – how do I make this sound exactly like me?”
None of this is fresh news of course, ever since she released her 2007 debut album ‘Neptune City,’ Nicole Atkins has stood tall as part of a rich new breed keeping the spirit of classic popular song craft not only alive, but an essential part of the modern music listening menu. She has always sung with clarity and force, untroubled by the kind of vocal crutches that seem to hold back too many mainstream vocalists. Nicole puts a song over the old-fashioned way, although such is the effectiveness of her method that there is really nothing vintage about it, it simply remains the best style available today delivering the treatment these tracks demand. By getting inside the heart of the lyric, feeling it, and stepping up with such commitment it ensures no nuance of the song is going to be missed, the Atkins identity is indelibly stamped in these grooves. It all makes me ponder how, sometimes the best artists have nothing more of a USP than just doing the basics really, really well, to a standard that pretenders cannot hope to get close to. Perhaps the problem with this kind of performer is that there is nothing particularly headline grabbing about simply being very talented and incredibly good at your craft, too many people need more sensationalism or a troubled back story to offer their attention but I am here to tell you, putting a brick wall up against the hype machines and trusting your ears around a talent like Nicole will only lead to good things and a life enriched by brilliant music.
By her own admission Nicole approached this record from a place of power, recalling where she was two decades ago releasing a debut and the relationship troubles fuelling inspiration at the time. She admits to being bewitched by the sound of heartache and so deliberately re-connected with the circumstances and troubles faced back then, re-purposing and aligning them with today’s extra life experience and self-growth, so as to produce a new perspective on age old themes of love and life. The signposts are all over the album cover, a bold comic strip style depiction of Nicole looking fearfully up at an oncoming avalanche perhaps? And yes, that really is the famous Sun Records logo you see at the top right corner, her friend and touring partner Chris Isaak (who has a cameo appearance on ‘Cue The Symphony’) having signed her to the label as part of a current drive to honour its legacy by releasing vital new titles such as this. To these ears ‘Drama’ has the potential to become one of the signature albums in the labels catalogue. Nicole has produced a collection where every track could be a single, she nods to girl-group pop with ‘Trippin On Teardrops,’ an electro pulse on ‘Singing In The Mirror,’ Jimmy Webb worthy classicism on ‘When The Night Falls,’ all this and so much more before finally closing with some jazz leaning balladry on ‘Softly As You Were.’ As a whole, this album is a masterclass in dramatic, lovelorn song writing, executed with pazazz and sensitivity, showing a clear understanding of the musical fundamentals that can make a record worth revisiting again and again. If it sounds like a classic that may well be because, soon enough, it will surely become one.
Danny Neill
For more on Nicole Atkins and ways to purchase the album please follow the link: https://nicoleatkins.bandcamp.com/music
