Nicole Atkins says “Mondo Amore” is “the record I’ve been wanting to make since I was 12,” and you can see why: her second album is a collection of vivid, soulful songs showcasing Atkins’ powerful voice.

The songs have a growling blues-noir feel that sounds the way the photo above looks, with rollicking arrangements pushed as far as they can go without falling apart. Distant drums rumble on “This is For Love,” grainy guitar tumbles through “You Come to Me” and Atkins sings a sultry warning over dry bass and foreboding strings on opener “Vultures.”

Atkins sings with wringing intensity, letting loose wave of emotion on “Heavy Boots” and letting her reverberating vocals carry the slinky “You Were the Devil.” The New Jersey-born singer leaves a significant question hanging in the wind, though: if this is the album she’s wanted to make since she was 12, what’s she going to do next?

— Eric R. Danton

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Vultures mp3

February 8, 2011 at 11:42 am | Share |