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Nellie McKay artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
McKay, the New York singer and songwriter, performs a mordantly witty set accompanied by piano, ukulele and both the Mountain Stage band and running crew. The multifaceted artist Mia Doi Todd also makes a last-minute appearance.
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Nellie McKay is a singer-songwriter known for her distinctive mix of jazz vocals and torch singing with cabaret pop, rock and a rap-inspired rants. Hear McKay in a full concert recorded live from Alexandria, VA.
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Witty singer-songwriter Nellie McKay had three days to write and record a song. The end result is an intricate three-part tune named after a London hotel.
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Nellie McKay made a splash in 2004 with her debut CD, Get Away From Me. McKay's latest, Obligatory Villagers, is a jazz- and cabaret-inflected outing with sassy lyrics on topics as diverse as feminism and zombies. McKay joins Terry Gross for a Fresh Air concert and conversation.
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At 25, McKay has already carved out a name for herself as a musician, actress and comedian. Smart, quirky, unpredictable and highly original, her three albums have received positive reviews and attracted a cultish audience. Hear an interview and in-studio performance.
()Nellie McKay made a splash in 2004 with her debut CD, Get Away From Me. McKay's latest, Obligatory Villagers, is a jazz- and cabaret-inflected outing with sassy lyrics on topics as diverse as feminism and zombies. McKay joins Terry Gross for a Fresh Air concert and conversation.
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We never thought we'd do it, but on this edition of All Songs Considered, we've got a tribute to Doris Day. Nellie McKay, an often irreverent and comical singer, reworks songs made popular by Day on a new album called As Normal As Blueberry Pie. Hear McKay's spare and elegant arrangement of "The Very Thought of You." Also on the program: a retrospective from the old-time string band New Lost City Ramblers; dreamy folk from the Canadian trio The Weather Station; the British electro-rock duo The Big Pink; experimental soundscapes from Blind Man's Colour; and the Vijay Iyer Trio remembers the music of Julius Hemphill.
()Witty singer-songwriter Nellie McKay had three days to write and record a song. The end result is an intricate three-part tune named after a London hotel.
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A rare re-issue from David Byrne; Balkan Brass via the New York band Beirut; Wood spoons, laptop tunes: Tender Forever; More surprises from singer Nellie McKay; Black Flag memories from Dirty Projectors; The tainted love and fight songs of Shivaree
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It's easy to focus on McKay's lunatic-fireball appeal, but the hymn-like "Gladd" offers a reminder that she's also capable of jaw-droppingly beautiful songs. With a Joni Mitchell-like purity, she sings a friend to a peaceful death over a simple series of piano chords that gently push forward with minimal ornamentation.
()Horses remastered and live from Patti Smith; A preview of new music by Nellie McKay; A new retrospective on Jelly Roll Morton; Stunning slack key guitar from Sonny Lim; Medieval synthesizer work by Hurdy Gurdy; Swedish art pop from Jens Lekman.
()In this election year it seemed a good idea to put out a call for music about politics. What we wanted was satire; what we got were earnest and passionate songs that mostly bashed the incumbent president …
()The magic hour with Wynton Marsalis; A bit of blues from The Mountain Goats; The lo-fi world of John Vanderslice; New music from Chicago's Tortoise; and rethinking the blues with Tarbox Ramblers. Featured Artist: Nellie McKay.
()On our first program of the new year we look ahead to some of the most anticipated albums of 2004, including a special sneak preview of an upcoming release from Norah Jones. Host Bob Boilen speaks with All Things Considered music reviewers Tom Moon, Meredith Ochs and Will Hermes.
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McKay's Normal as Blueberry Pie is "eccentric yet utterly disarming," says rock critic Ken Tucker. McKay's admiration for Doris Day isn't really a surprise — both artists are cheerful and underrated — and on this album the two seem like "sisters in bright-eyed intelligence."
()We never thought we'd do it, but on this edition of All Songs Considered, we've got a tribute to Doris Day. Nellie McKay, an often irreverent and comical singer, reworks songs made popular by Day on a new album called As Normal As Blueberry Pie. Hear McKay's spare and elegant arrangement of "The Very Thought of You." Also on the program: a retrospective from the old-time string band New Lost City Ramblers; dreamy folk from the Canadian trio The Weather Station; the British electro-rock duo The Big Pink; experimental soundscapes from Blind Man's Colour; and the Vijay Iyer Trio remembers the music of Julius Hemphill.
()It's easy to focus on McKay's lunatic-fireball appeal, but the hymn-like "Gladd" offers a reminder that she's also capable of jaw-droppingly beautiful songs. With a Joni Mitchell-like purity, she sings a friend to a peaceful death over a simple series of piano chords that gently push forward with minimal ornamentation.
()Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews his picks for the best music of 2006. While CD sales figures are down from last year, Tucker says that music is increasingly being distributed in new formats.
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There's more Nellie McKay to love on her new CD. The singer-songwriter now produces her own music — on her own label, and on her own terms. She talks to music reviewer Christian Bordal about what she says is her "attempt to get across a very personal statement."
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Everybody loves Cole Porter. But most jazz musicians really love Cole Porter. Singers love his lyrics, which showcase great wit, amazing rhymes and beautiful imagery. Instrumentalists love his elegant melodies and sophisticated song structures. Celebrate Porter's birthday with Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nellie McKay and more.
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