NICOLE ATKINS WALKS A FINE LINE BETWEEN MODERN AND RETRO

Singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins has been riding a wave of positive press and publicity since the October 2007 release of her full-length major label debut album, Neptune City, which she named after the northern Jersey shore town in which she grew up. The album received positive reviews in publications like Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and Spin, and Atkins was named one of the “Top 10 Artists to Watch” by Rolling Stone.

Atkins built national recognition performing with her band, The Sea on the late night TV circuit, including “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O'Brien” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” They were also featured (playing themselves) in a television commercial for American Express as part of its “Are You A Cardmember?” campaign.

Atkins music sets introspective lyrics to Brill Building-style pop fused with lush, atmospheric layers. The 30-year-old Atkins calls her cinematic songs “pop-noir.”

“It took me a long time to find my sound,” she says. “When I first started writing songs, they were kind of country-ish. I was into that [sound], but I was also really into ’68 garage rock and psychedelic music. I could never figure out how to put together all the sounds I wanted into one. After many years of trial and error, it finally happened.”

Atkins sings in a traditional, melodic, retro style that may have been at least partly inspired by all the classic lounge singers she witnessed accompanying her parents on weekend trips to Atlantic City. Her sense of drama was kindled by her participation in school plays.

“I did a lot of musical theater growing up,” she says, “but I was always more drawn to singers like Roy Orbison, Scott Walker, or the Righteous Brothers – people that sang in a really dramatic way. Even the Beach Boys on Pet Sounds – things that just really have a soundscape.

“It’s a shame people don’t really sing with melody anymore,” Atkins adds. “All of my songs are really emotional. They’re stories. There might not be that many words to them, but it’s just the way that they’re sung, or the violin or piano lines underneath – that tell the whole story.”

Atkins and the Sea have been touring for over two years.

“We’ve been touring so much the shows have gotten pretty dialed in,” Atkins says. “It’s easy and fun for us now, whereas before we were just finding our footing.”

Atkins says the years she spent playing to audiences of 15 people taught her how to work a crowd. Even when playing to large crowds, she says she tries to create an intimate, interactive atmosphere.

“That’s what’s most fun about what I do – just being on stage and getting to live through all the experiences of the songs and interacting with the crowd, telling stories and jokes,” she says. “It should almost be like me and the people in the audience are at a party together and I’m the loudmouth in the room. I almost get more upset if one of my jokes bombs than if I flub a note on one of the songs.”

In concert, the band has no trouble recreating the lush sound of Neptune City, but Atkins says the energy level is turned up a few notches.

“Our live sound is pretty true to form, but it’s a lot more raw and rockin’,” she says.

After nearly two years on the road, Atkins says she’s looking forward to returning to the studio to record her next album.

“I’m excited to see what these 30 songs are going to turn into on a 14-song album,” she says. “There are some that are similar to Neptune City. Then there are some that are almost like dirty blues songs, in a Black Keys or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-type way. That’s why I’m glad there are so many different styles and elements in my sound. We’re kind of free to take it where ever we want.”

The new album won’t be out until sometime later this year, but fans check out Nicole Atkins Digs Other People’s Songs, a four-song EP of cover tunes Atkins and The Sea recorded between legs of the current tour. It features songs by the Doors (“Crystal Ship”), the Mamas and the Papas (“ Dream A Little Dream”), the Church (“Under the Milky Way”), and Nada Surf (“Inside of Love”) and is available for download at Amazon.com.

“Yeah, I listen to a lot of different music,” Adkins says about the eclectic nature of the collection. And judging from the positive buzz surrounding her, other people dig Nicole Atkins’ songs, too.

“I worked really hard for seven years as a solo artist, and then one summer I made a demo that turned into these songs and got a band together,” Atkins says. “Everything just fell into place. It happened quick, but it was seven years in the making. Finally I had a cosmic bone thrown to me.”