a Nikka Costa CD Review (Nu-Soul Magazine)

60s flowerchild or 70s disco Queen?

"Nikka Costa's "Pebble To A Pearl," is all the rage!"

By Marcus Scott

With the espousal of the 60s wild party Woodstock era encrusted in her latest recording Pebble To A Pearl, fiery contralto Nikka Costa has did the impossible: she’s found a way to manipulate metamorphosis through music.

Costa embraces her inner flower child with a sound familiar but abstract to previous releases Everybody Got Their Something and can’tneverdidnothin’, which sounded more discothèque and dance-rock oriented than this touching confessional.

The churchy but 60s Motown psychedelic shock funk sounds of lead single “Stuck To You” is a testimony to the record’s sound. The bluesy doo-wop backup a la Andrews Sisters by Costa is also an additional sexy bonus to the song, giving it that extra pop that would other make the song fizz out before the sultry bridge. With its jingle drum progression, handclap backbeat and Costa’s feisty belts, this song is a force to be reckoned with.

Trailing the first song is the Janis Joplin-esque acid-jazz anthem rock “Can’t Please Everybody.” Arguably the standout track on the album, Costa’s iron-clad husky-soul vibrato is like a chainsaw piercing through fine china as she reminds listeners that not everyone all at once is ever pleased. A simple message with Costa’s balls-out approach may back some into a corner while inviting others to the mosh pit.

The record, like most records, has its ups and downs. The problem: merely the arrangement of songs. The record which has a more soul-rock edge gets cooled down by the 70s disco-funk tunes that are like ice cubes in the white hot jungles of Costa’s high-energy music. Songs “Cry Baby,” “Keep Pushin’,” and the album’s title track are among the songs that branch between Studio 54 glitz and Woodstock rock, oddly sprinkled in sweet 60s glam. Nonetheless, even with the oddly-arranged ambient-like 70s tunes, the record oddly stays afloat without flat lining.
Honestly, there’s not a badly written or badly produced song in the bunch. Some of the most memorable are the least commercial. While “Bullets In the Sky,” a melancholy and atmospheric call-and-response between Costa and backup sounds like schoolhouse recess at its best, its more soundtrack than Top Ten single. Other songs “Damn I said it First,” and “Keep Wanting More” are high points. While the former is a sexy-sensual torch song, its downtempo may keep it only on chill-out radio, while the “Keep Wanting More” would need one hell of a music video for today’s cyber enthusiasts.

Nonetheless, this is Costa’s best effort in years. While finding a spunky creative energy to create such work, she may never be as commercial as some recording artists. However, where most artists have thrived, Costa has a card up her sleeve: This album would make one hell of a live performance. Think MTV Unplugged.

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