Track Listing

1. Maybe Tonight
2. Together We're Both Alone
3. Way It Is
4. Cool Enough
5. War Torn
6. Love Surreal
7. Neptune City
8. Brooklyn's On Fire
9. Kill The Headlights
10. Party's Over

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27178 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Neptune City - Music of the Gods
Once again, thank you Jools Holland. New Jersey born Nicole Atkins' excellent performance of two instantly lovable songs on BBC2's 'Later... With Jools Holland' ('Maybe Tonight' & 'The Way It Is') led to the CD dropping into my letterbox a few days later and, over the last month or so, I have listened to it many times, loving it more and more each playback. The music on 'Neptune City' is like a cross between Richard Hawley's love of a classic, romantic melody coupled with the slight Spector-esque excesses of Bernard Butler, resulting in a sensational collection of deeply affecting, powerfully emotional music, delivered by Atkins' expressive, powerful but beautiful vocals. Some have compared her work with that of Roy Orbison, and I can really see understand what they're talking about.

'Maybe Tonight' is an upbeat, melodic slice of modern Motown, a great piece of uplifting, symphonic pop to kick off the album, and it is followed by one of the album's best tracks, 'Together We're Both Alone', which is a reverb-soaked masterpiece, all sweeping, swooning strings, bells and the feel of a Walker Brothers classic. The impressive start to the album continues with 'The Way It Is', a dark, brooding narrative of someone wanting to hold on to their lover, but reaching an empty acceptance that the loss is inevitable. Featuring marimba, strings, electric guitars and building up to a truly amazing climax with an equally amazing vocal performance, this could have been one of Dusty Springfield's greatest hits.

Tore Johansson's production of this album is one of its many strengths and this is demonstrated on the atmospheric 'Cool Enough', a wonderful song about wanting to leave a dead hometown, and the instrumental ending is just heavenly. 'War Torn' is more of a grower, its subtle beauty being revealed the more you listen to it. 'Love Surreal' starts with the dark, upbeat, classy feel of a Bond theme and then reveals the catchy, stomping chorus, which reminds me of The Cardigans at their best. 'Neptune City' is a reverential, bittersweet and yet loving ode to the place where Nicole grew up and has the feel of a great Richard Hawley track from 'Coles Corner' - maybe there's something that inspires you in a particular way when singing about the place in which you were raised?

'Brooklyn's On Fire' is one of my favourite tracks on this, an album full of favourites. The creative, playfulness of the song and the soaring melody are just two of the factors which make this song special to me. 'Kill The Headlights' is another excellent song about the pain of finding and keeping love. The final track 'Party's Over' is maybe the most 'pop' sounding song on the album, but it boasts a chorus which takes you straight back to the neck-tinglingly classic 60's sound and leaves you, at the silence at the end of the album, wishing that there was more to come.

This is an extremely good - perhaps even great - album. It is so good that it is possible it will become a future classic, in years to come. The compositions, the performance, the arrangements, the diversity and rich textures, they all add up to a tremendously enjoyable, inventive album which connects, emotionally, to the listener. There is no doubt about it, Nicole Atkins is a real talent and I hope she goes on to enjoy the success she so readily deserves. Brilliant, beautiful music.

Rising star
I bought this album on the strength of seeing Nicole Atkins perform on Jools Holland's 'Later' last week, and wasn't disappointed.
In terms of categorisation, Nicole is quite hard to pigeon hole, and her efforts on Neptune City seemed to be Chrissie Hynde meets Maria McKee (both fine artistes) with a little bit of Judy Garland thrown in!
The stand out tracks are undoubtedly the two she showcased on 'Later', namely the irresistably catchy 'Maybe Tonight' and the epic 'The Way It Is', and although there are no other obvious 'single' choices per se, there is barely a duff track on the whole album, plus there is enough variation on offer to satisfy anyone with a penchant for the female singer songwriter genre. 'Together We're Both Alone', 'Neptune City' and 'Cool Enough' are all growers, whilst 'Love Surreal' and 'Brooklyn's On Fire' are more upbeat.
If you're a fan of artistes like KT Tunstall, Martha Wainwright, Maria McKee (Lone Justice) - and I am - then you should love this. Good songs, strong singing, which never strays into the dreadful soulless theatrical territory of your Celine Dions, and worth it for 'The Way It Is' alone. And if you can play that particular song in your car without howling along in delighted harmony, then you're a better man than me!

Interesting Mix.
I got this album having seen some rave reviews and 'most exciting new artist' comments. She has been compared to everything from 60s girl groups to Bruce Springsteen and there does seem to be a veritable kitchen sink of influences/sounds thrown into the mix on this one. She has an excellent voice but sometimes walks a fine line between powerful expression and sounding a little overwrought.

It all sounds a bit like The Duke Special(with female vocal)jamming with Rufus Wainwright. This is a pop album but not one that has any obvious hits as it tends to layers of subtle melody rather than striking lines.
This will not be for everyone but those that don't mind working at an album will find much to enjoy here.