Nellie McKay

Critics loved her whole tongue-in-cheek lounge shtick. But after a couple albums, the joke was wearing a little thin, and Ms. McKay needed something more than just irony, slathered on thick as Brylcreem, to hang No. 3 on. Fortunately, this lounge lizard has some serious chops, and her quirky arrangements have only gotten more interesting since her stint in Threepenny Opera. Skip the preciously awkward rapping of "Gin Rummy" in favor of the whacked-out musical theatre of "Oversure." Oh, and "Zombie," which is freaking hilarious.

In 2005, cabaret upstart Nellie McKay vacated her Columbia deal so she could release Pretty
Little Head at sixty-five minutes instead of forty-eight. But on this follow-up, she zigs where
she once zagged -- the nine songs last barely half an hour, and they're better for it. Track
for track, Obligatory Villagers is no stronger than its predecessor. But things are over so
fast that it's carried by its two or three standouts, innumerable charming momen... More >