TMN Magazine issue 4

“My Foolish Heart” was where things started
to change for me…where I really started to
appreciate the sincerity in the music of
Nothing But You on their Tony Bennett cover.
I think it’s also the last song where you might
question Nicky’s choices; I could understand
some people thinking she’s right at the edge of
her tone & range to hit the high-parts…but
from what I’ve gathered throughout her
performances on these tunes, she’s putting in
a determined effort to let the art of the writing
shine through her mood, attitude and tone. So
while it could be argued from a technical
standpoint at times that it still sounds a little
raw – I think what we trade for rounded,
polished edges here on “My Foolish Heart”
help bring out the honest sincerity of the
intentions behind the writing of this cover
tune. That’s always a deal I’m willing to
make…and I think you get a lot of Nicky’s
genuine emotion through the way she
approaches her vocals here.
Shota’s piano-playing has been spot-on
throughout everything I’ve heard so far and
has been incredibly reliable for Nicky, who inturn
as a result really gets to explore
entertainment, performance, character &
attitude within these songs they play together.
“New York State Of Mind” is a fantastic
example of this project at its best with bold
confident tones and beautiful notes twinkling
from the piano while Nicky puts a highlight
display of some of her most powerful vocals
we’ve heard so far on the record. Quite often
that can be a result of knowing the material
inside & out…could be a cover that she knows
really, really well – but I think you also hear
the quality of her performances rise again
right around here on the album.
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She hits the mark with real grace and
power on “New York State Of Mind” and
with a perfect mix of soulful & sweet on
“Cry Me A River” right after – Nicky has
raised-up the standards in the middle of
this album and really become a force of
expression to be reckoned with in these
songs back-to-back. Another
exceptional job of creating a beautiful
combination of art & music combined –
“Cry Me A River” is a massive highlight
on Meant To Be and certainly a worthy
cover version with its own validity.
Switching it up to sweetened tones of
guitar from Jerry Stucker for the emotional
melody of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You”
– this was another highlight for me; and
another tune that had shown me how
much I’ve come to accept the dramatic &
theatrical, artistic approach that Nicky
brings to the vocals. It’s almost similar to
acting in the way she delivers the material
– but the sincere connection she has to the
songs and the passion she brings to her
performances makes it all more real than
mere acting. You can tell Nicky both loves
& lives this material, and was born with a
song to sing & share with the world. “A
Song For You” showcases an artist that’s
right in the moment…committed to the
song & really making it her own. I felt
much the same about Eric Carmen’s “All
By Myself” and Nothing But You’s cover
version; a great performance from Nicky
leads the way to captivating moments that
capture the essence of the emotion – and a
real highlight for Shota’s piano-playing. As
the song progresses, you really get to hear
Shota putting fantastic emotion &
expression in the music, increasingly right
up to its very end.
Album Review