Nikka Costa
When I first saw Nikka Costa on
the Chris Rock Show in November of 2000, she was a complete
unknown to me, even though she has been performing since she was a
little kid. With a range that goes from Janis Joplin
to Chaka Khan, her fusion of funk, R&B and rock makes Nikka
Costa an artist to watch.
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Concert Reviews Kemp Mill Records / 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. 12/11/01 Not only was the show one of the most
intimate I've ever seen, it was also one of the most energetic
I've ever seen. Where she keeps so much energy bottled up is
a mystery. Accentuated by her signature low riding jeans,
she was dancing, gyrating, shaking, bumping and grinding her heart
out the entire show (taking the occasional break to slow things
down a bit with "Push And Pull" and "Corners Of
Your Mind.") The energy you see in the "Like A
Feather" video is the energy you see on stage, and the
amazing voice you hear on the CD is the same voice you hear on
stage, making you realize how talented she is. Her
stage presence is so great, you can't help but watch in awe.
And even when you were able to take your eyes off of her, the band
didn't allow your eyes to rest either. Watching the sax
player is a show all in itself. Reminiscent of James Brown,
Nikka "gave the band some," letting each band member jam
solo. Vidcaps Albums/Singles I Own The songs with a
Discuss
Nikka Costa at the Discussion Board on the new
Sirens of Song Facebook Page.
Nikka played to a packed house at the Roxy on December 30th, and
as usual, she did not disappoint. The band was tight as
usual as Nikka worked every inch of the stage. I don't
think I've ever seen anyone leave it all on stage like she did
(and always does). She should teach a class in stage
presence. And as if singing, dancing and playing guitar
weren't enough, she even at behind the drums for a song.
She played a mix of both old and new songs and announced that a
new album should be out in 2008. Can't wait for that!
Photos from the December 30th show are posted on the
Photo
Page.
To stay on top of what Nikka is doing and where she is
playing, be sure to visit her myspace page at
http://www.nikkacosta.com.
Playboy featured Nikka as a "Woman On The
Verge." Go to http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/wov/costa/
to read her interview.
Sno-Core Icicle Ball - 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. 3/23/02
College students and people on their lunch break packed into Kemp
Mill Records for Nikka's 12:30pm in-store. Bridging the gap
between musical genres, her appearance attracted both the local
urban station and the local alternative station.
The 30 minute set included stripped down versions of
"Like A Feather," "So Have I For You," and
"Everybody Got Their Something." The 5'2"(?)
songstress wanted to get a good look at everyone who came to check
her out, so she performed her first song while kneeling on a
chair. She didn't sound uncomfortable during the song, but
quickly mentioned afterwards that her knees had never hurt so
much. She later eased her pain by using a box to give her
some more height.
Even though Nikka and the band had to tone things down a bit
because of the area they were confined to, they sounded extremely
tight...and it was only the beginning of what was to come later
that night.
Having performed since she was a little kid, it's evident Nikka
felt right at home on stage at the 9:30 Club. Throughout the
entire show Nikka interacted with the crowd as if we were all
sitting with her in her living room. It was a give and take
relationship in the true meaning of the phrase. From
throwing a guitar pick into the crowd to taking a CD of a fan's
band, it was hard to tell where the stage ended and the audience
started. The show couldn't have been more intimate.
Everyone showed their love for her and she gave it right back,
even if it was tough love at times.
If there wasn't enough audience participation she let us know and
if there was too much she let us know. A couple of guys at
the front of the stage weren't clapping and Nikka quickly called
them on it. On the flip side, bidding the crowd goodbye
Nikka sang a soulful song a capella. The crowd felt her so
much that some people started clapping along, but Nikka quickly
put an end to that. She admitted that ordinarily she would
never ask an audience not to clap, but she needed to be in a zone
when singing the song and politely asked us to "shut the f***
up" for a bit, which brought laughter out of everyone.
Everyone obliged, giving her the total silence she needed to do
her thing.
The artist/audience line was so thin that a body-surfing band
member was mistaken for an over zealous fan and almost manhandled
by a security guard. Nikka had to make security aware that they
were grabbing her bass player from the stage. Being quite
the diplomat she understood how something like that could happen
and thanked security for the job they were doing.
Even though it was my first time seeing Nikka in concert, I can't
help but feel that her shows are like snowflakes...no two are
alike. Although the set list may stay the same, each night
Nikka steps on stage you're in for something new.
To see photos from her Kemp Mill Records appearance as well as her
3/23/02 show in Washington, D.C. as part of the Sno Core Icicle
Ball, visit the
Photo
Page.
Currently available in Nikka's own
vidcap
section are caps from the Tonight Show, Tavis Smiley,
the 2001 Radio Music Awards, the Chris Rock Show, "Push And Pull," "Like
A Feather," MTV2 News and her Gap commercial.
Real
Audio/Video Goodies
You can check out audio and video files of Nikka
at the following sites.
are
the songs that I like the most on each album.
All sound clips in Real Audio G2
can'tneverdidnothin' (2005)
Everybody Got Their Something (2001)
(also available on the Blow Soundtrack)