Neptune City by Nicole Atkins

We are attending the Avett Brothers concert at Meadowbrook this weekend. Looking forward to that show a great deal. Finding out this week that Nicole Atkins, someone of whom I had never heard was the opening act I decided to Spotify her. For me Spotify is soon becoming a verb to match the noun just as Google is.

Atkins is a good singer. She is not a rocker and moves somewhere between Amy Winehouse, Jessica Lea Mayfield with perhaps a touch of Florence as well.

I chose to listen to her album from 2007 as Spotify's ratings have more of her top rated songs on that album.

The album gets better with each listening with songs such as Maybe Tonight, The Way It Is and Love Surreal being songs you could easily hear on any number of the channels on XM. The most winning songs on the album to me are the title track a dreamy tale of city life and the enchanting Cool Enough.

I have a hard time placing the influences but it is clear that she fits in a niche that has become quite popular. Cool Enough is a great song but like the whole album there is nothing surely something to remember. She is a good performer, a good singer but yet now she is just one of many doing this act.

Jessica Lea Mayfield, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt

A couple of weeks ago Amazon offered this album for way back in 2008 for $3.00. Having already liked the first song I had heard off her most recent album I purchased this. I have been very very pleased with this album.

Thus singers voice is unique. She sounds raspy with a slight drawl but it is not southern so much as in some songs she just slows it down. Joni Mitchell, Maria McKee, Lucinda Williams these all sound like influences on Jessica but this is only my idea, what she was influenced by might be others.

What I know is this girl can sing. I have not found a song that is not something I want to hear again on the disc but For Today, Hold you Close and especially We've Never Lied are standouts. Hearing this young lady tell us she will talk to whoever she wants to makes you feel like it is a statement or a song that she might well have spoken in the past.

There is not much room in the Top 40 for an artist like this. In some cases you have to hunt for good music. It is out there if you do. This album surfacing for me three years later proves it can be found.

Listen to this.

Jessica Lea Mayfield, Blue Skies Again

This single was free on Itunes this past week. I will be the first admit that I do not know if this is a relatively new singer of just one I have not been familiar with. I can say this.

This is a very nice single. I watched her on David Letterman last week and now in listening to this song a few times it is clear that she can sing.

Her voice is delicate and can sound fragile but at times belts. Off the top of my head I would think of a cross between Maria McKee, Lucinda Williams and Joni Mitchell. I am sure that being considered in that group would make Jessica Mayfield very happy.

Check her out.