With three albums (Get Away From Me, Pretty Little Head, and Obligatory Villagers) and an ep (Rumor Has It....) under her belt, Nellie McKay may be the most consistently brilliant performer I know of. While some of her recordings are better than others, she hasn't made an serious missteps yet, and I can think of none of my other artists who I can say that about. (Okay, I suppose Buddy Holly, but he died so young.) She plays nearly as many instruments as Prince, she garnered rave reviews for her stage acting in Threepenny Opera (and she may have done well in P.S. I Love You if her character had been given enough space for McKay to breath life into her). She has written at least sixty songs, which is more than many artists can claim over a whole career. Her arrangements are fresh and inventive. I savedNellie for last this month simply because she is the best. I can think of no contemporary musician who is half as inspiring.
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