Amazon.com: Obligatory Villagers [Explicit]: MP3 Downloads: Nellie McKay

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to learn about free downloads, special deals, and new releases.
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Get Away From Me (Explicit)

by Nellie McKay

4.1 out of 5 stars (165) $9.99

Raising Sand

by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

3.9 out of 5 stars (609) $8.99

The Reminder

by Feist

4.2 out of 5 stars (165) $9.49

Back To Black [Explicit]

by Amy Winehouse

4.4 out of 5 stars (550) $9.49

Middle Cyclone

by Neko Case

4.2 out of 5 stars (88) $8.99

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Musical Suite for the Ages, November 27, 2007

By	Anne R. Eason "J Eason" (Deep Gap, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Obligatory Villagers (Audio CD)

What a short and sweet album! I think to truly appreciate it you have to think of it as two songs--Mother of Pearl and Zombie--which serve as bookends for one of the most thrilling suites of musical inventiveness since, well, I'm not sure when. Comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody don't do Nellie justice.
The suite kicks off with McKay's shout out to newsworthy dog owner Maxine Shreck and ends with the gospel rave up Testify. In between the listener is treated to everything from sea chanties (Livin) to Latin ballads (Politan) to hip-hop pop (Identity Theft). Just in the space of one song (Testify) she goes from Mancini-style spy music to anthemic rap to SNL-horn ensemble jazz to raise-the-roof soul.
The album is incredibly well-served by McKay's choice of backing musicians, including Bob Dorough whose scratchy vocals provide a perfect counterpoint to young Ms. Nellie on Oversure and Galleon.
Give this album a couple of spins and the nifty arrangements and hook-laden melodies will stick in your head for weeks. Lyrically, McKay manages to take episodes from her own life and turn them into poetic vignettes. Like Steely Dan lyrics, they are vague enough to keep you guessing yet include enough concrete imagery to point you in the right direction.
One of the best albums of 2007!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazing Nellie McKay, September 29, 2007

By	Randall McSorley (Kaukauna, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Obligatory Villagers (Audio CD)

Nellie McKay's tunes continue to amaze, impress and delight. After the first listening, I was struck with the musicianship and quality of the arrangements, although I was left feeling that the album may be a touch over-polished. Then, after subsequent listening sessions, I realized that the polish was intentional, necessary and glorious.

Just as the Beatles crafted songs that were complete in and of themselves, at the same time weaving perfectly in an overall album concept, so does Nellie McKay's third album. Each song perfect and complete in its own chapter of the album.

Identity Theft, Mother of Pearl and Testify are the shining stars of this bright collection, although each and every of the nine songs is a complete, living, breathing success.

Obligatory Villagers is a happy addition to Nellie McKay's catalog. Highly recommended!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Nice, January 11, 2008

By	Daniel Holland (Arroyo Grande, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Obligatory Villagers (Audio CD)

I really like this one. I complained a bit about "Pretty Little Head" because it was too much and needed paring. This is short and sweet and it works for me. I love the songs, the orchestration and the players. Nice fat trumpet sound, great sax solos, and a rough and tumble feel that's endearing to me. More than just about any album I've listened to lately, I find myself replaying the songs in my head and liking it. "Testify" is truely awesome and I can't help but love "Zombie."

I also love her singing and the contrast between her and guest singer Bob Dorough - very cool. I gotta say, you don't hear stuff like this anywhere else (or I haven't)..

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 21 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Nellie McKay!
This album never fails to make me smile. The songs are hysterically funny. Not only that, they are insanely well written. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Cydni Perkins

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!
Great music and lyrics. Nellie McKay has phenomenal insight and style. Her music is diverse, validating, and inspiring! Read more

Published 9 months ago by Patchouli

3.0 out of 5 stars Peaks and Valleys
Ms. McKay has both a tremendous amount of talent and energy. Her voice is rather ordinary, but her musicianship is wonderful. Read more

Published 10 months ago by moose_of_many_waters

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Subversive Potential
Nellie McKay has received a lot of positive press, but the further west you get of, say, Greenwich Village, the less well known she is. So I bought this c.d. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Rick Cornell

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart Pounder
I never get tired of Nellie McKay. She is a delight with endless range humor, intelligence and glorious music.

Published 16 months ago by Reader

3.0 out of 5 stars Obligatory Villagers
This is a pleasant enough CD but not as good as the previous ones ' Pretty Little Head' and the superb debut ' Get Away from Me'. Read more

Published 16 months ago by S. Fyffe

4.0 out of 5 stars Has Its Moments
As with Get Away from Me, I'm finding that while the entire album is interesting, there are only a few songs here that will end up in "heavy rotation" at my house. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Robert Szarka

5.0 out of 5 stars instantly became one of my top 10 favorite CDs...
I had never heard of Nellie McKay until just a couple weeks ago, when I caught a bit of her music (and interview) on NPR while driving home. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Ray59

4.0 out of 5 stars Cabaret Interlude
Nellie follows up her ambitious last two albums by putting on a show with some friends. The mood is light but smart, with commentary, anthems, rap, Python-esque ditties and a few... Read more

Published 19 months ago by LuvNJustice

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Real Nellie.
Having heard her first on the live recordings from her old website, the live at Joe's and Fez recordings, I am delighted and happy to hear this album. Read more

Published 20 months ago by El Mort

› See all 21 customer reviews...

Look for Similar Items by Category

Subscribe to The Amazon MP3 Download newsletter to find out about free song downloads, new releases and hot digital music deals first.

Free Songs, Cheap Albums

Visit our Special Deals Store to find ultra-low prices on great albums, daily deals, and over 500 free songs.

›Shop now

Hear the Best

Discover what makes our editors move in our Best of the Month store, where they shine a light on their picks for the best in CDs, MP3s and vinyl.

›Discover editors' picks

Keep up on the latest music news, trends, free tracks, live video streams, and other cool stuff. Read ChordStrike.com, our music blog, brought to you by the editors at Amazon.com.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Hear the Best

Feedback

Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History