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Music CD - Nellie McKay: Obligatory Villagers
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Music CD: Obligatory Villagers
Artist: Nellie McKay
List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $8.45
Your Save: $ 8.53 ( 50% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Tracks:
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1. Mother of Pearl
2. Oversure
3. Gin Rummy
4. Livin
5. Identity Theft
6. Galleon
7. Politan
8. Testify
9. Zombie
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0015707984324
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Label: Vanguard Records
Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Vanguard Records
Release Date: 2007-09-25
Studio: Vanguard Records
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Subversive Potential
Comment: Nellie McKay has received a lot of positive press, but the further west you get of, say, Greenwich Village, the less well known she is. So I bought this c.d., way out west, with some degree of anticipation.
And the anticipation was fulfilled, and then some, on the opening number, "Mother of Pearl." Is this a slap at feminism, or a slap at those who would slap at feminism? Judging by the tag line, "I'm Dennis Kucinich, and I approve this message," I'm guessing the latter. Whichever, it's sharply written and nicely pulled off.
From there, IMO, the c.d. goes downhill.
The problems are twofold, essentially: production; and pastiche.
Production-wise, with Nellie McKay, it's all about the lyrics, and too many times you can't clearly hear them. Plus, she sings flat once too often for my taste - painfully so on the d-flat of the word "there" (after "danger") on "Testify," but also throughout the otherwise-catchy "Zombie." I was going to defend Ms. McKay at the expense of the producer, except that I see she co-produced the c.d.
But when I say "pastiche," I mean a maddening mish-mash of themes, both musical and lyrical. Take "Identity Theft," for example, supposedly this c.d.'s "masterpiece." What's it about? Is Nellie saying that we lose our identity when we go to college? Or is she saying we kill our own identities with shameless self-promotion, in search of those damned 15 minutes? Or, is the truth of the matter that one night she got especially blottoed, ranted into the tape recorder in a free-association, stream of consciousness mode of thinking, and out of that, essentially unedited, came the lyrics of this song? Just a guess, but I'll put my money on that possibility. Many ideas are fine; but one gestalt, please.
As I listened and re-listened to this c.d., I thought of Frank Zappa. Not everything Zappa did was brilliant, mind you; but Zappa got to the point where he melded his peculiar brand of doo-wop, r & b, Stravinsky and Varese into one distinct voice; and his lyrics, though "subversive," were sharp and pointed. Zappa was a legend; and I'm thinking that Nellie McKay could become a similar kind of legend. But don't kid yourselves, folks; she's not there yet. But certainly, she could get there. RC
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Heart Pounder
Comment: I never get tired of Nellie McKay. She is a delight with endless range humor, intelligence and glorious music.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Obligatory Villagers
Comment: This is a pleasant enough CD but not as good as the previous ones ' Pretty Little Head' and the superb debut ' Get Away from Me'. Moor of the same really with an eclectic mix of styles as usual. Don;t like the first track much but unlike most CDs it gets better as it goes on. I find it a bit over orchestrated at times and there is a lack of faster tracks this time. Well worth a listen though.
Simon Fyffe
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really Nice
Comment: I really like this one. I complained a bit about "Pretty Little Head" because it was too much and needed paring. This is short and sweet and it works for me. I love the songs, the orchestration and the players. Nice fat trumpet sound, great sax solos, and a rough and tumble feel that's endearing to me. More than just about any album I've listened to lately, I find myself replaying the songs in my head and liking it. "Testify" is truely awesome and I can't help but love "Zombie."
I also love her singing and the contrast between her and guest singer Bob Dorough - very cool. I gotta say, you don't hear stuff like this anywhere else (or I haven't)..
Customer Rating:
Summary: Has Its Moments
Comment: As with Get Away from Me, I'm finding that while the entire album is interesting, there are only a few songs here that will end up in "heavy rotation" at my house. "Identity Theft" is the track I enjoy the most, though it's also difficult to resist the charms of a Nellie McKay song called "Zombie". "Oversure", a jazzy cabaret number that features Bob Dorough on vocals, is also good fun, and the "Don't Sleep in the Subway" vibe of "Gin Rummy" is quite tasty, but I'm not sure I'll listen to them more than occasionally.
Overall, my impression after a few listens is that McKay continues to be an interesting, talented artist, but one whose reach sometimes exceeds her grasp. Many of the songs here are over-orchestrated in a way that's more appropriate for a big production number, and I suspect that I'd enjoy them more if I heard her perform them live with a small ensemble. Here's hoping for a Nellie McKay live album.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Nellie McKay returns with Obligatory Villagers, a 9-song odyssey and follow-up to Pretty little head, one of the best-reviewed records of 2006. Like its predecessor, Villagers produced, arranged, written and performed by Nellie, this time featuring an ensemble of jazz greats, including Phil Woods, Dave Liebman and Bob Dorough. An early review from Pitchfork testifies, from the cheeky ukulele-and-tap-shoes dance break! in the middle of album opener Mother of Pearl to the chorus of brain-hungry zombies on a finale titled, yes, Zombie , Villagers finds Nellie and her collaborators at their most lively and rambunctious.
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