aaamusic | On 28, Mar 2011

Nicole Atkins has lungs to rival Florence Welch – and, given her voice is pretty much what carries the entire album, it’s pretty vital that she does. This is not to say there’s anything wrong with the ‘backing’ music itself – it’s a solid take on country rock, and definitely has its moments, particularly in the excellent Heavy Boots (by far the album’s stand out track, for me at least). All in all though, it can’t help but take second place to Atkins’ – to use a huge cliché – extremely powerful vocals, which really are the driving force behind the whole thing. Yes, you might say vocals are often the significant part of a solo artist’s offerings, but here this is doubly the case. Mondo Amore treads the thin line between melodrama and genuine fervour, more often than not losing its balance and blurring the divide completely – and though melodrama is often a recipe for disaster, here it works just right. Alternately jumping between slow burning emotional ballads and explosive musical set pieces, Mondo Amore is definitely worth a listen.

Author: Katharine Sparks