Very few artists manage to create a unique image for themselves right off the bat, but Nellie McKay has done it with apparent ease. A 19-year-old, McKay has the vocal range and musical vision of an artist 30 years her elder, and samples a variety of music styles; her songs can be reminiscent of anything from rap to country music. The content of each song includes insightful social commentary, but is also typical of teenage angst.
One song in particular that stands out is “Sari,” a deliberate misspelling of “sorry.” The song exemplifies McKay’s style with biting insight about continually apologizing for perceived failures instead of standing up to society. “Sari” possesses energy, a Niagara Falls of frustration with estuaries of other emotions on the side. What makes McKay different is that her expressions are conducted with an extraordinary mastery of the art of sound.
“Sari,” like most of the songs on the album, has a message typical of teenage angst, which could generally be characterized by a distaste for humanity and society, an unease with life, and a lack of identity. Although McKay herself doesn’t seem to have problems with identity, the other two are clearly in evidence. For example, “I Wanna Get Married” shows the common desire of many young persons to have a secure lifestyle and the support of a family.
“Inner Peace” is another such song. Exasperation with recognizing that you are the same as everyone else, and with trying to justify a selfish upper-class existence in the face of widespread global problems has never found so good a home as this song.
Impressive also are the lyrics themselves. Though typical of teenage angst, they are no less insightful. McKay wraps up modern American society with a few lines in “Toto Dies:” Yeah I’ll have my coffee black/hey look we’re bombing Iraq/I guess that’s the only way/oh did I tell you we got Fifi spayed?” If McKay continues her career with this kind of Wilde-esque insight, she could soon outpace even Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” for social commentary.
But above all, McKay’s music is about self expression. A small genre of the young female pop star has sprung up in recent years, but musicians such as Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne pale in comparison to the sheer force of McKay’s expressive power. Never before has there been a singer who speaks so directly through her music, and with a sophisticated and unusual style to boot.
McKay’s style deserves a few moments of consideration. Each song is different from the last, and although there are a stunning array of sounds and chords present, they are all smoothly integrated in each piece. Checking the credits in the packet that comes with the CD, one can see that not only did McKay write and sing all of the songs, she did all of the piano, organ, recorder, vibes, chimes, glockenspiel, xylophone, and synthesizer parts too. In addition, McKay arranged all the songs. In short, Nellie McKay is extraordinarily talented.
“Get Away From Me” is a stunning example of the directions in which the truly creative can take the music industry. All music fans would do themselves a sizable disservice by not buying it.
