四处游荡的艾小柯

现年只有19岁的Nellie Mckay, 出生于伦敦，成长于Harlem，纽约，从8岁其就得到了Bloomingdale School of Music的钢琴奖学金。2000年进入曼哈顿音乐学院学习音乐，但是因为不喜欢教条的教学方式而中途辍学。后进入纽约comedy club表演，2002年重拾最爱的音乐，自己作词作曲，歌曲唯一的伴奏：钢琴，也完全由自己弹奏，可以说是最纯粹的one-person-show。2003年签约哥伦比亚，2004年推出第一张专辑：Get Away From Me，并在美国各地和欧洲进行巡演。

Nellie的演唱风格基本属于cabaret, blues，每首歌要么是一个小故事，要么是通过生活中的细节来宣泄情感，讨论时事，甚至政治敏感话题。Nellie受过严格的正规音乐训练，不仅可以表演blues, 更可以表演正规的花腔女高音，表演的时候各种嗓音的转换应用自如。很多时候难以想象这么年轻的一个19岁女孩竟然拥有如此娴熟的表演技巧，写出这么多非常深刻的歌词。

在现场观看Nellie的表演实在是一种极大的享受。对于生活在新奥尔良这个音乐城市的小柯来说，现场表演也去了不少，但是Nellie和观众的互动确是前所未有的令人激动人心。Nellie出场后没有任何废话，先以一首短曲和大家问好，接着就是连续两首大家最熟悉的曲调轻松的歌，之后每首歌之间会讲几个巡演中发生的小笑话：这对于有过两年comedian经历的Nellie来说这是轻而易举的。观众时不时地被Nellie幽默风趣的笑话打动，台上台下笑成一片。说到高兴处，Nellie有时候也会应观众的要求现场作词作曲表演。

Nellie的现场表演极其自然，跟在cd中听到的音质和表演水平几乎无异，显示出她深厚的实力和极高的天赋。钢琴弹奏更是如行云流水，仿佛根本无须经过大脑一样浑然天成。小柯在台下距Nellie两米远的距离看得是目瞪口呆，佩服的五体投地！！！Nellie唱慢歌的时候感情极其投入，唱到动情处甚至流下了眼泪，很多观众，包括小柯自己也唏嘘不已。

一个半小时的表演似乎一瞬间就结束了，所有的观众都已有未尽的长时间起立鼓掌：What a wonderful and brilliant performance!!!

最后忘了说，Nellie本人比这张照片漂亮许多，装束十分经典。Nellie很喜欢中国文化，很多演出都是穿旗袍或者传统的红色大袄，甚至在其中一首歌里加进去了一句中文！不过这句中文说得实在是拖泥带水，小柯支着耳朵听了半天，也只能大概听出来好像是“出名/著名不好啊”。不过Nellie今天晚上没有刮中国风，而是穿了一件露肩膀，大泡泡袖的镂花黑色及膝A字礼裙，腰上一条粉紫色的缎带，配今年春天最流行的浅金色绑带高跟凉鞋，坐在钢琴边，沐浴在金黄色的舞台灯光里，小柯感觉仿佛时空错乱，置身于50年代的巴黎，从此无可救药的爱上这个19岁的爵士乐精灵……

贴两首Nellie的歌：

第一首，是Nellie在Aldrich Museum，Ridgefield现场表演的录音，歌曲名字叫 I wanna get married, 表现的是一个极度想结婚的女子内心的轻声呻吟。

第二首，是cd里的一首demo, 名叫David, 大家可以听出Nellie作词的诙谐幽默。

Nellie绝对可以说一颗正在冉冉升起的新星，许多的电影都邀请她为里面的人物写歌。今天晚上听到的一首Nellie用女高音演唱的一首为Jennifer Aniston的新电影创作的一首慢歌，简直是天籁之音，不过可惜没有在网上找到这首歌的link，估计是太新了。明年6月她还要在broadway表演The Threepenny Opera。演艺事业可以说是蒸蒸日上。

下面是一些主要报纸对Nellie的评价，感兴趣的可以读读：

ROLLING STONE
Records of the Year "Get Away From Me," encompasses hip-hop, dance pop and alternative rock as well as bubbly jazz on its two discs, but it's McKay's laser-beam wit and able songwriting that made it one of the debut albums of the year."

BLENDER
The 50 Greatest CD's of 2004 Nellie McKay #9 - "On her debut, McKay nearly explodes with grandiose verve."

USA TODAY
"Her clever double-disc debut, Get Away From Me (take that, Norah Jones!), was my favorite strolling-around-the-neighborhood recording of the year."

LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Freshman Class of 2004" Best debut CDs of the past year - Nellie McKay

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"She shows in the best moments of her debut, "Get Away From Me," that she's not afraid of digging deep for emotional revelations."

BOSTON HERALD
#1 on Sarah Rodman's list of 2004 releases! "Tastefully radical debut from gifted gal who skips gaily from hip-hop to jazz pop."

THE WASHINGTON POST
On her double-disc debut, this piano-playing New Yorker raps, rocks, scats, croons -- and defies categorization with cocky verve.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This New Yorker-by-way-of-London unexpectedly dropped the most audacious debut in recent memory

NY NEWSDAY
"Get Away From Me" is still a daring, delightful lark. McKay dashes giddily from genre to genre, including wry cabaret

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
"Get Away From Me" #6 on Dan Deluca's Top CDs of 2004

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
Nellie McKay channeled Cole Porter and Eminem, careening through pop history with the wind in her hair and traffic cones beneath her wheels.

THE ONION
"McKay steadily gained recognition in 2004 for being one of the leading modern jazz singers, if not for her chops, then for her bizarre and sometimes lewd humor."

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE
"McKay is a major talent in development."

STAR TRIBUNE
"The 19-year-old piano woman is the most sophisticated pop newcomer sinceRufus Wainwright."

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
"A double CD debut from a wisenheimer piano player applying to be Randy Newman of her generation."

THE KANSAS CITY STAR
"She's an audacious cabaret singer who looks like Doris Day and isn't afraid to bust a rhyme like Eminem"