Tokyo-born US singer and songwriter, NIKKA COSTA, has quite a pedigree. Her father, Don Costa, was an arranger for Sinatra and that link led to her working alongside ‘Ole Blue Eyes himslef and then people as diverse as Prince, Ray Charles, Ben Harper and Lenny Kravitz. Born in 1972, she made her first record when she was just nine and her ‘(Out Here) On My Own’ claimed pole position in the pop charts of several European countries. Her biggest hit, however, was 2001’s ‘Like A Feather’ and to date she has something like 10 albums to her name. One ‘Pebble To A Pearl’ (2008) was released on the reactivated Stax but Ms Costa has never really been a classic soul singer – maybe more rock and indie with a touch of dance and just a splash of soul and a hint of funk.
Her last album was 2017’s ‘… With Strings; Underneath and Between’ but earlier this year we were promised a new collection via the release of a single, ‘Dirty Disco’ – an addictive, catchy cut that is clearly a product of her time working with Prince. We filed it under “electro disco-funk”. It’s taken a few months but that parent album has just won release and it’s named for that very track and if “electro disco-funk” keeps your canal house boat afloat you’ll be delighted to learn that there’s a lot more of the same on offer… try ‘It’s Just Love’, ‘Keep It High’, ‘Dance N’ Forget’ or ‘Glitter In My Tears’. ‘Slow Emotion’ is out of the same stable but (as the title suggests) this is a tad slower. ’Unsubscribe’ is perhaps the most interesting cut – a funky commentary of modern digital interaction. That and everything else is delivered powerfully. Like we said, “classic” soul it ain’t but the album, ‘Dirty Disco’ is packed with intrigue and electro-based interest. Out now.
