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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nikka is Wikked, September 15, 2005
The industry might have found refuge is Joss Stone's revival of sweet soul stemming from a couple of decades and withering away when popular music started to take itself too seriously. The thing is, Joss Stone's covers and album and debut both deliver soul music that treads safely between genre lines without being to forceful.
Enter Nikka Costa, a Joss Stone before there ever was one. Costa's interested have always been in soul and never meandered into radio-pleasing territory. Even when she unwisely opened for Britney Spears to promote her insurmountably funky Everbody Got Their Something, she admits that the difference between them is like "day and night."
Now catering closer to her fan base as the opener for Lenny Kravitz, Costa is back with her vintage funk and bottomless soul on Cantneverdidnothin'. Dropping the loud "I Don't Think We've Met" from her track list after an early internet leak, the album still is unhurt by this discard. Starting out with the equally thrash "'Til I Get To You," where she alphabetically cites all her lovers until she gets to...you guessed it. Then she continues this heavy rage with the title track before slipping into the more soulful "Fooled Ya Baby."
The album never dwindles, but there are definite standouts. In this case they came following each other. "Happy In The Morning" is an cheery little soul ditty that steals the show and "Hey Love" is a gloomy lullaby that exudes pure emotion.
Other tracks include the lonesome "I Gotta Know," where Costa fuses simple lyrics with a lingering melody, and a rendition of Nina Simone's "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" with adequate use of a sitar.
"Around The World" starts out sinister but then delves into a groove and refused to be filler considering it mid-set location. The lyric "Don't let it get you down, baby" stands out in sincerity."
Costa rounds off this amazing set with a heart-wrenching patriarch on "Fatherless Child," which then becomes the bonus track "Sugar In My Bowl." This perfectly closes the album and proves Costa is a talent of our times. Even as Joss Stone marvels in her fame, the true soul crown goes to Costa, who, unlike her counterpart, does not sugar coat anything. This is a must for anyone who have a greater appreciation for soul or funk music.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy follow-up album to "Everybody Got Their Something", July 9, 2005
Wow.. it's taken Nikka Costa a LONG time to bring us the follow-up to her 2001 break-out album "Everybody Got Their Something". Who can forget "Like a Feather", that irresitable dance-along from that album. Nikka Costa, a funkier version of Janis Joplin, took her time, and with good results.
"can'tneverdidnothin'" (11 tracks plus 1 "hidden" track, 45 min.) can generally be divided up in 2 sides: the harder, funky tracks, and the slower 'ballads'. The album starts off with a blast, "Till I Get To You" (first single), and follows with an equally blazing title track. "Fooled Ya Baby" is a great ballad. Things kick up again later in the second half, with "Swing It Around", and even better the all-out stomper "On & On". The album closes with 2 'ballads', including the great "Fatherless Child". The hidden track is a departure from the rest of the album, just a short, jazzy-feeling song.
It amazes me that this album has not gathered more attention than is has (which is basically none) since its release now almost 2 months ago. I suspect that the absence of a readily radio-friendly track similar to "Like a Feather" plays a big role. What a shame. This is a fine album. Maybe not as great as "Everybody Got Their Something", but still better than, say, 90 percent of albums released these days...
Seperate from that, Nikka Costa is an awesome live act. I've seen her in concert once, and she electrified the audience, giving her all. If you have a chance to see her live, don't miss it!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of the year, period, May 31, 2005
Forget mistermaxxx's review. Teena Marie is not someone Nikka Costa is trying to be, she has always been her own artist and it shows in this album, featuring a wide range of styles that a lot of artists I feel are lacking these days. If you want heartfelt, it's here. There's passion, there's pain, and if you want rock, you got some of it here. I for one to not feel she is trying or struggling to be someone else, for she is herself and you can hear it here.
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