Nellie McKay is kind of outside my usual area of interest --- she's so young !-- she doesn't do standards -- and occasionally she does -- gasp -- rap. (ughhh)

But I forgive her everything -- because she is so musical.

When she draws a line with her voice -- I gasp -- I follow -- I obey.

She reminds me of Van Dyke Parks back in the sixties -- with that sophisticated feeling of fractured tin-pan alley. That's how she's different from all the other angry-women-singer-songwriters.

Regrettfully -- she's quite feisty -- not pandering to my middle-age romantic fantasies -- but full of the sarcasm and anger appropriate to a young person -- and I guess she was too feisty to stay with her record label (Sony) -- so who knows what she'll do next. Grow up and start singing romantic ballads ?

She can sing ! and play piano -- and write a funny song.