| Neptune City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Nicole Atkins | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | September, November 2006 Varispeed Studios, Kalgerup, Sweden Gula Studion, Malmö, Sweden |
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| Genre | Folk Acoustic Rock | |||
| Label | Red Ink/Columbia | |||
| Producer | Tore Johansson | |||
| Nicole Atkins chronology | ||||
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Neptune City is an album by Nicole Atkins, released in the U.S. on October 30, 2007 by Columbia Records.[1] As of December 2007, the album has reached No. 6 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.
Contents |
Prior to the album's release, Atkins found herself at a bar her family frequented in Neptune City, New Jersey called Bilow's, thinking about what she would title her album. She pondered aloud naming the album Neptune City, almost as a counterbalance to Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., with encouragement from the bar's patrons. "And I figured Neptune City, too, it seems so ominous," she told the Village Voice. "It sounds like very, you know, aquatic and mysterious."[2] Though several publications have suggested the album's title refers directly to her hometown, the real life Neptune City is a distinct municipality just to the east of Atkins' native Neptune, New Jersey.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | (84%)[3] |
| Allmusic | [4] |
| BBC Music | (positive)[5] |
| The Cornell Daily Sun | (positive)[6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[7] |
| Music Emissions | [8] |
| The New Zealand Herald | [9] |
| PopMatters | [10] |
| Spin | (6/10)[11] |
| Under the Radar | (8.5/10)[12] |
Neptune City was generally well-received by most music critics. Katherine Fulton of Allmusic noticed that "Atkins shows on this album that she has both the capability and potential" and praised the "lush arrangements on Neptune City, which [...] showcase the depth, range, and versatility of Atkins' alto voice, not to mention her songwriting prowess".[4] Chris Jones of BBC Music wrote that Atkins "delivers glorious, over-the-top twang-drenched ballads that both romanticise her native New Jersey and yet still throw in a tough, dark heart of country noir" and described the album as "something akin to country, but also something weirdly post-modern", while praising its production and vocals.[5] Susan Frances of AbsolutePunk wrote that "the whole album is tooled with melodic patterned frescos combining orchestral fields with pop/rock elements" and added that it "does justice to the real Neptune City".[3] Mikael Wood from Entertainment Weekly described it as "heartbreak nearly at its finest — and most cosmopolitan"[7] while Joanna Hunkin of The New Zealand Herald compared it to "an intricate oil painting" and called it "a collection of curiosities, revealing a new intrigue with every listen".[9]
Michael Keefe of PopMatters found the album "big and dreamy", the arrangements "vibrant, lush, and propulsive", and stated that "the instrumentation will swoop in and carry you along for a 40-minute ride through timeless chamber pop", but also noted that "the primal force that drives Neptune City is the huge and charismatic voice of Nicole Atkins".[10] Will Miller from Music Emissions noticed that Neptune City "deals with that love/hate relationship almost everybody has with their hometown" and wrote that "with varied and lush instrumentation of strings and piano, the musical backdrops are full and rich throughout" and generally praised Atkins' vocal abilities.[8] Suzanne Baumgarten of The Cornell Daily Sun felt that Atkins "has a folk song quality that makes her otherwise pop-like style unique and truly enjoyable" and called the album "optimistic, yet utterly realistic"[6], while Under the Radar called it "a superb yesteryear sounding album".[12] The album also garnered positive reviews from independent entertainment website IndieLondon, which found it "well worth checking out"[13], and Greek webzine Avopolis, which described it as "an elegy for love".[14]
A fairly mixed review came from Stacey Anderson of Spin, who noticed that the artist "coolly distills the romanticism of '60s girl groups into dark, baleful country pop" but felt that "the songs swell and crest in identical structure, leaving her gorgeous voice [...] to battle the overproduction".[11] Jenni Cole of MusicOMH gave an unfavorable review, saying that "this really is an album that's going nowhere".[15]
All songs written and composed by Nicole Atkins, except where noted.