Nellie McKay And Her Pretty Little 7 Songs!

What a difference 13 months makes. If you recall, back in October of '05, Sony was distributing a 16-song promotional version of Nellie McKay's sophomore LP, Pretty Little Head, to all media for review. While the album was technically watermarked, the album was decoded and widely circulated around the web all the while garnering a shitload of attention.

The bulk of this buzz came from the fact that Nellie had intended the album to be 23 songs but Sony decided to truncate it for various reasons. Long story short, Sony and Nellie parted ways, Nellie signed with SpinArt and as of Halloween '06, Nellie's full version of Pretty Little Head can be heard in its full form.

With all that hassle surrounding the seven omitted tracks, I thought it was right about time to review these select songs and see if Nellie's protest was worth the effort. These tunes are: 'Mama & Me', 'Pounce', 'Yodel', 'Swept Away', 'Food', 'Lali est parisseux' and 'Old Enough'. I recall hearing 'Pounce' at her Mercury Lounge show in December of '05 and totally eating it up. The fifty-six seconds that comprise the track include ample meow-ing (similar to the hound-like effects she makes on Get Away From Me's 'Dog Song'), and a hook so catchy you'll be singing it in the shower till New Year's. 'Food' is perhaps the highlight of the 7 tracks. It's lyrically clever, charismatically delivered and composed beautifully!

Each of these tracks have merit in one way shape or form and it's a shame it's taken so long for us to hear them. With the 16 tracks we're already familiar with plus the seven new ones, the album will surely fall into my top picks of '06.

You can pick up Pretty Little Head in stores now (41 page booklet accompanies the release!) or you can download the seven aforementioned tracks at the iTunes store. Go now!! Here's a track from the original 16, one of my favorites on the cohesive album:

MP3: 'Columbia Is Bleeding'