Nikka Costa : Releases >>
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Everybody Got Their Something >>
Tokyo-born, LA-bred singer Nikka Costa's debut Everybody Got Their Something bulges with ambition. Her fiercely bootylicious first single, "Like a Feather"--that song with the thick, clapped 16th notes--has already garnered the 28-year-old singer one hell of a buzz, and for the most part, she's got the goods to back it up. It's a mixed bag of musical tricks that's equal parts 70s-style funk, hazy Led Zeppelin-inspired psychedelia, and angst-ridden alterna-chick yowling, with healthy dollops of soul, hip-hop, and thrash thrown in for good measure. Produced by Costa, Australian rocker Justin Stanley (who's also the singer's husband), and high-profile NYC DJ Mark Ronson, the album works best when it piles on the noise--like on the standout "Tug of War," which features the unmistakable rimshot work of Roots drummer ?uestlove. On that track, a flurry of scratched samples, layers of soundboard-smeared noise, and a few luscious string sweeps break into gospel-choir harmonies that swirl gorgeously beneath Costa's reedy mezzo-soprano wails. It's a shame that she can't match this intensity on sparser downtempo ballads like "Nothing" and "Just Because", where she sounds like Fiona Apple's slightly less annoying older sister. As the album's title says, everybody got their something, and Costa sounds best when she sticks to hers. --Sylvia W Chan
Can'tneverdidnothin' >>
Somewhere on a soulful musical timeline between Sly Stone and Joss Stone, you'll find Nikka Costa. While many find chart success by putting out palpable but forgettable pop/soul mixes, with Can'tneverdidnothin', Costa has once again written and recorded a funk/soul/rock mix that rises her above the plethora of pseudo-soul. Coming from a family tree with deep musical roots (her father Don was a well-respected producer/arranger who worked with Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.), Nikka Costa began her recording career at the age of eight, where she scored a European hit with her cover of "Out Here On My Own" from the movie Fame. For the next 20 years, Costa put out a handful of releases she herself has downplayed as inferior before coming into her first considered `real' solo effort, the impressive, soul-filled Everybody Got Their Something. For her new release, the funk and rock has been turned up considerably; Costa's shining moments of uptempo strength come via the funk-heavy tracks, most notably during the cover of Tina Turner's "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", with its spectacular horn section. The CD's other highlights come in the ballads, most specifically the disc's two closers, the tender "Hey Love" and the raw emotion of "Fatherless Child" about the passing of her legendary dad. "can'tneverdidnothin'" is a disc that is rare in it's authentic, sincere groove, and it seems likely that as Costa continues to grow, so will the depth of her music. --Denise Sheppard
Pebble to a Pearl [Australian Import] >>
Can'tneverdidnothin' [Us Import] >>
Somewhere on a soulful musical timeline between Sly Stone and Joss Stone, you'll find Nikka Costa. While many find chart success by putting out palpable but forgettable pop/soul mixes, with Can'tneverdidnothin', Costa has once again written and recorded a funk/soul/rock mix that rises her above the plethora of pseudo-soul. Coming from a family tree with deep musical roots (her father Don was a well-respected producer/arranger who worked with Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.), Nikka Costa began her recording career at the age of eight, where she scored a European hit with her cover of "Out Here On My Own" from the movie Fame. For the next 20 years, Costa put out a handful of releases she herself has downplayed as inferior before coming into her first considered `real' solo effort, the impressive, soul-filled Everybody Got Their Something. For her new release, the funk and rock has been turned up considerably; Costa's shining moments of uptempo strength come via the funk-heavy tracks, most notably during the cover of Tina Turner's "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", with its spectacular horn section. The CD's other highlights come in the ballads, most specifically the disc's two closers, the tender "Hey Love" and the raw emotion of "Fatherless Child" about the passing of her legendary dad. "can'tneverdidnothin'" is a disc that is rare in it's authentic, sincere groove, and it seems likely that as Costa continues to grow, so will the depth of her music. --Denise Sheppard
Get Off My Sunshine >>
Everybody Got Their Something [CASSETTE] >>
Tokyo-born, LA-bred singer Nikka Costa's debut Everybody Got Their Something bulges with ambition. Her fiercely bootylicious first single, "Like a Feather"--that song with the thick, clapped 16th notes--has already garnered the 28-year-old singer one hell of a buzz, and for the most part, she's got the goods to back it up. It's a mixed bag of musical tricks that's equal parts 70s-style funk, hazy Led Zeppelin-inspired psychedelia, and angst-ridden alterna-chick yowling, with healthy dollops of soul, hip-hop, and thrash thrown in for good measure. Produced by Costa, Australian rocker Justin Stanley (who's also the singer's husband), and high-profile NYC DJ Mark Ronson, the album works best when it piles on the noise--like on the standout "Tug of War," which features the unmistakable rimshot work of Roots drummer ?uestlove. On that track, a flurry of scratched samples, layers of soundboard-smeared noise, and a few luscious string sweeps break into gospel-choir harmonies that swirl gorgeously beneath Costa's reedy mezzo-soprano wails. It's a shame that she can't match this intensity on sparser downtempo ballads like "Nothing" and "Just Because", where she sounds like Fiona Apple's slightly less annoying older sister. As the album's title says, everybody got their something, and Costa sounds best when she sticks to hers. --Sylvia W Chan
Here I am (1989) >>
everybody got their >>
Like a Feather >>
Everybody Got Their Something [VINYL] >>
Tokyo-born, LA-bred singer Nikka Costa's debut Everybody Got Their Something bulges with ambition. Her fiercely bootylicious first single, "Like a Feather"--that song with the thick, clapped 16th notes--has already garnered the 28-year-old singer one hell of a buzz, and for the most part, she's got the goods to back it up. It's a mixed bag of musical tricks that's equal parts 70s-style funk, hazy Led Zeppelin-inspired psychedelia, and angst-ridden alterna-chick yowling, with healthy dollops of soul, hip-hop, and thrash thrown in for good measure. Produced by Costa, Australian rocker Justin Stanley (who's also the singer's husband), and high-profile NYC DJ Mark Ronson, the album works best when it piles on the noise--like on the standout "Tug of War," which features the unmistakable rimshot work of Roots drummer ?uestlove. On that track, a flurry of scratched samples, layers of soundboard-smeared noise, and a few luscious string sweeps break into gospel-choir harmonies that swirl gorgeously beneath Costa's reedy mezzo-soprano wails. It's a shame that she can't match this intensity on sparser downtempo ballads like "Nothing" and "Just Because", where she sounds like Fiona Apple's slightly less annoying older sister. As the album's title says, everybody got their something, and Costa sounds best when she sticks to hers. --Sylvia W Chan