I'll admit I wasn't familiar with Nellie McKay (pronounced McEye) when the disc came across my desk. I was intrigued by the black and white cover, with its '40s jazz aesthetic featuring a smiling blonde McKay. I took a peak inside. The liner notes were filled with candid shots of musicians pouring over sheet music and an orchestra with a pensive McKay at the helm. I was ready for some serious stuff.
Obligatory Villagers, her third release, opened with the slightly smoky yet sweet voice of McKay on Mother of Pearl. Done in cabaret style, the tune was pleasant, with nice instrumentation, and then it really caught my ear. Did I just hear the line "feminists don't have a sense of humor/feminists just want to be left alone ... they have a tumor on their funny bone"? Brilliant! I listen again. Yup, those are the words. Now I'll admit a penchant for wry lyrics in a tune, and McKay delivers. Maybe it's her background as a former standup comedienne.
But this isn't shtick. These are well-orchestrated tunes, with good players and zingers for lyrics. There's Gin Rummy, inspired by the fate of former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. It has a '60s pop sound, sunshiny day-dreamy vocals à la The Association, and lyrics more piercing than McKay's lovely voice intones ("my time was a miracle/insipid and satirical/a madrigal of lyrical twists").
And the lyrical denseness of the disc continues with a tome of a tune, Identity Theft, clocking in at over 350 words. The theme is obvious but the song contains some obtuse lyrics that require more than the once-over, such as "journo-fascist profiteers/bonbonbastic puppeteers" and another stanza "Ignorance is a right/not a privilege." "Identity Theft" jabs at vegetarians, cops, and airport security, and gives a nod to Ray Bolger (the scarecrow from the wizard of Oz) and the man in black (Johnny Cash): "I punched a man on Broadway/just to watch him cry."
When asked about the slightly contentious nature of the disc, McKay replies, "Gallows humor often makes me laugh the most. ... If you're going to make a joke, it may as well be an offensive one."
This attitude and tenaciousness is what caused her to vacate her record deal with Columbia. She left after they refused to release her last album, Pretty Little Head featuring collaborations with k.d. Lang and Cyndi Lauper, as a double disc. Instead of compromising her artistic vision (she likened the double disc to having to flip over a piece of vinyl) she opted out of her contract and released it herself on her Hungry Mouse label. Obligatory Villagers was released September 25th on Vanguard.
If you're easily offended don't pick up this disc, but if you're ready for a touch of cabaret, a bit of Broadway, and a whole lot of lyrical prowess get it now. Good far beyond her years (she's only 25), McKay is one tough cookie in a cute wrapper.
Stacy Towar-Fogarty is an on-air personality and music director for a popular radio station in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
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