Since the release of their 2011 EP Anchored, Nikki Sue & The Bad News were onto something special, perhaps without even knowing it. The New Jersey-based band has been winning over listeners with their brand of Indie Rock with a generous sprinkling of Country flare. While it was an impressive debut, the audio was marred ever so slightly by its production value. Nikki Sue’s new full-length Nothing Gold finds the band moving forward by looking back, revisiting that debut as well as including a few all-new compositions.
The move is undoubtedly a risky one, especially when you take into account the fact that that EP was released only 3 years ago.Those concerns are put to rest once the music starts. This development might escape the ears of any newcomers, but all of the tracks from Anchored (as well as the new songs) have been re-recorded, mixed and mastered by guitarist Ben Hutcheson. The result is a much cleaner-sounding product. Gone is that strange echo that surrounded a lot of the early recordings. There’s another crucial element at play here that makes Nothing Gold such a vast improvement: time. In the three year span since those initial recordings, the band has matured a great deal. The new versions crackle with a new sense of urgency. Nikki’s vocals are charged with even more confidence and emotion and now there’s equal footing with the band as her voice is now clearly heard over the instruments.
While the bulk of the album has one foot in the past, the three new songs give listeners a glimpse into the band’s future. “Leave It All Behind,” which I’ve recently covered in a previous post, is one of the band’s strongest recordings to date. I love the sassy self-assurance in Nikki’s vocal delivery, which is done in such a way that never borders on being arrogance. That playful spirit continues on “Who Needs Enemies,” a jaunty little ditty that makes almost makes you forget how scathing the subject matter is. The title track reinforces my long-held belief that Nikki Sue & The Bad News’ slogan has it backwards. If anything they’re a “Country band with an Indie Rock twist.” The only difference is that this brand of Country music is far removed from the likes of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift and clearly callback to the days where Loretta Lynn and June Carter Cash ruled their airwaves.
The album’s finale “Spittin’ Lies” finds the band hitting emotional pay dirt. The choice to decrease the tempo from its original version was an inspired one, as there’s now much more meaning and emphasis behind each note. In the album’s final minutes, Nikki’s repeating of the line “look what you’ve gone and done” is as powerful as it is heartbreaking.
I had initially hoped to hear more original songs, but the improvements to that early material and the strength of the new tracks more than make up for it.
Rating: B+
Top Pick(s): “Spittin’ Lies,” “Leave It All Behind,” “Who Needs Enemies”
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