cletta1201's Full Review: Everybody Got Their Something by Nikka Costa
This review is dedicated to my ”fan-damn-tabulous Aerosmith goddess” known to you guys as Aerocat
Maybe I’m crazy, yeah that must be it. I’m not really sure what I was expecting from the Nikka Costa but when I bought it and listened to it for the first time I was pretty upset. I thought that “Like A Feather” was a completely misleading song to introduce the world to Costa. I understand that it’s all business and record companies sometimes do that to you. They give you a really good and catchy single to make you believe that the rest of the album might be the same and then you go spend your hard earned dollars only to be disappointed and short on cash. I think “Everybody Got Their Something” is one of those albums.
Track Listing
1. Like A Feather
2. So Have I For You
3. Tug Of War
4. Everybody Got Their Something
5. Nothing
6. Nikka What? (interlude)
7. Hope It Felt Good
8. Some Kind Of Beautiful
9. Nikka Who?(interlude)
10. Just Because
11. Push & Pull
12. Corners Of My Mind
I know she’s supposed to be a wunderkind and all of that good stuff, but the album was just okay, not spectacular, just okay. I was astonished to read reviews that compared her to Chaka Khan and Tina Turner, and although I don’t deny that she is talented, she’s no Chaka. Although I think it’s nice to see artists’ show a varied background and interest in different types of music – I think for some, it can be difficult to make that flow and that is my major issue with this album – I think the flow can be awkward at times.
“Like A Feather” the bluesy, rocky lead single is great and is one of the best songs on the whole album. Her vocals are sharp and the music is cool. Really on this song, she sucked me into her music vacuum, I thought at times she sounded like a white girl version of his purple majesty Prince. Too bad, the rest of this album isn’t like this.
“Tug Of War” is one of those tracks that you like in one instant and in the next, you hate it. I like the breaks in the music, but sometimes it just hits a little too heavy for me. It has a little bit of electronic feel to it, and when it’s not all out and out rock – I dig it. ”So Have I For You” sounds like Nikka playing in a sandbox with Lenny Kravitz. Very heavy in the guitar and even louder on the vocals.
Another standout track is the one the album is named after “Everybody Got Their Something” this is without a shadow of a doubt the best song on the album. I think that if this had been the lead single, I might not have been so thrown when I purchased the album. Nikka definitely has “something” about her that makes you want to keep listening. She wrote or helped to write every song on her album and she seems to actually be good at it. ”sometimes the only thing you get is what makes you feel like/ you’re something else altogether/ you have everything don’t need another reason to be something/ I’ve been on a ride and caught up in the landslide/ But I’m gonna spread my wings and fly…”
Once she spread her wings, she comes crashing to the ground with ”Nothing” which is a ballad in the loosest definition the world will allow. The lyrics are on the mark, but the sound and vocals are pretty much garbage. ”Hope It Felt Good” brings back the Kravitz vibe, but I don’t like it. AN interesting footnote is that showing up on this song to help with music is Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson from The Roots, at least she’s got connections.
”Push And Pull” is what Costa’s ballads should be like. Bringing the falsetto down a little and singing from the soul. Here she gains my respect for showing her vocal range and depth. Even though you can here that there are a lot of elements to the song, but you can focus on her vocals and I like that. That’s one of the downfalls of this album - that Costa has such a beautiful voice and sometimes you end up listening to the music and not her. I think generally she has the right idea but just kind of gets misguided and falters some. There’s also the 2 interludes, which she could have canned, 10 songs is just fine by me. Because she is so talented you just want a little more from this album and don’t really get it. I think she shows a lot of promise as an artist though and that might be worth giving this one a go.
If you like artists who are all over the board, this might be the album for you. Still not convinced of her sound? Think Prince meets Lenny Kravitz meets Janis Joplin meets Steven Tyler with a sprinkle of Erykah Badu and you got it all figured out.
If You Like Nikka Costa You Might Like: Sheryl Crow, Alana Davis
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