Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Nicole Atkins has the sort of elegant, supersized voice that belongs to an earlier era. On 2007’s Neptune City, she set up shop in the Eisenhower years, channeling Phil Spector and Roy Orbison via a moody mix of piano-bar ballads, nocturnal torch songs, and girl group melodies. Mondo Amore continues the trend by keeping an eye on the past, but it shifts everything forward by one decade, mining blues-rock and late-‘60s psychedelia instead of Brill Building pop. Dovetailing with those new influences are three recent breakups -- Atkins’ severance from Columbia Records, her divorce from her original backup band, and a split with her longtime boyfriend -- all of which push Mondo Amore into fiery, guitar-driven, even borderline feral territory. During its quieter moments, though, the album builds upon the pretty, cosmopolitan retro-pop of its predecessor, meaning Mondo Amore doesn’t turn its back on Nicole Atkins’ roots as much as widen her sound.
That being said, this is a very different album. Neptune City was a bittersweet ode to Atkins’ hometown, shot through with nostalgia and memories of the boyfriends she left behind. Mondo Amore, with its lean, muscled rock songs and scaled-down production, is a kiss-off to the boy she met after relocating to New York. “Our love’s a dark disaster since I turned on the light,” she sings on “Cry Cry Cry,” a barbed pop tune that splits the difference between Motown and garage rock. Three songs later, an enraged Atkins -- her vocals scuffed up by a distortion filter -- stomps her way through the electric country-blues of “My Baby Don’t Lie,” threatening to give a black eye to the girl who’s been running around with her boyfriend. The outro to “You Come to Me” evokes a young Ann Wilson, and “You Were the Devil” -- with its spaghetti Western arrangement and low, ominous vocals -- takes its cues from Nancy Sinatra’s duets with Lee Hazlewood. That’s a lot of musical real estate to cover, but Nicole Atkins makes the songs sound like her own property, and they all serve as a showcase for her voice: a big, hefty instrument that rarely weighs its owner down. Mondo Amore may work best as a companion piece to Neptune City -- the fast ‘n’ furious yang to that album’s soft, pleasant yin -- but it’s got more than enough raw emotion to hold its own weight.
© Andrew Leahey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Robert Harrison, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Robert Harrison, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Dan Chen, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Robert Harrison, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Bradley York, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Dan Chen, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Dan Wilson, Composer - Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer - Robert Harrison, Composer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Nicole Atkins, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Phil Palazzolo, Producer, Recording Producer
℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Album review
Nicole Atkins has the sort of elegant, supersized voice that belongs to an earlier era. On 2007’s Neptune City, she set up shop in the Eisenhower years, channeling Phil Spector and Roy Orbison via a moody mix of piano-bar ballads, nocturnal torch songs, and girl group melodies. Mondo Amore continues the trend by keeping an eye on the past, but it shifts everything forward by one decade, mining blues-rock and late-‘60s psychedelia instead of Brill Building pop. Dovetailing with those new influences are three recent breakups -- Atkins’ severance from Columbia Records, her divorce from her original backup band, and a split with her longtime boyfriend -- all of which push Mondo Amore into fiery, guitar-driven, even borderline feral territory. During its quieter moments, though, the album builds upon the pretty, cosmopolitan retro-pop of its predecessor, meaning Mondo Amore doesn’t turn its back on Nicole Atkins’ roots as much as widen her sound.
That being said, this is a very different album. Neptune City was a bittersweet ode to Atkins’ hometown, shot through with nostalgia and memories of the boyfriends she left behind. Mondo Amore, with its lean, muscled rock songs and scaled-down production, is a kiss-off to the boy she met after relocating to New York. “Our love’s a dark disaster since I turned on the light,” she sings on “Cry Cry Cry,” a barbed pop tune that splits the difference between Motown and garage rock. Three songs later, an enraged Atkins -- her vocals scuffed up by a distortion filter -- stomps her way through the electric country-blues of “My Baby Don’t Lie,” threatening to give a black eye to the girl who’s been running around with her boyfriend. The outro to “You Come to Me” evokes a young Ann Wilson, and “You Were the Devil” -- with its spaghetti Western arrangement and low, ominous vocals -- takes its cues from Nancy Sinatra’s duets with Lee Hazlewood. That’s a lot of musical real estate to cover, but Nicole Atkins makes the songs sound like her own property, and they all serve as a showcase for her voice: a big, hefty instrument that rarely weighs its owner down. Mondo Amore may work best as a companion piece to Neptune City -- the fast ‘n’ furious yang to that album’s soft, pleasant yin -- but it’s got more than enough raw emotion to hold its own weight.
© Andrew Leahey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:26
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Nicole Atkins
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Razor & Tie
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings. ℗ 2010 Razor & Tie Recordings.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.