Nellie McKay's As Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day takes us back in time to the 1920s prohibition era with smooth jazz and slow ragtime tunes, like Nora Jones or Ella Fitzgerald. McKay's voice is slightly husky and dream-like, which makes her slower songs relaxing and her faster songs really upbeat.
Although a few of the songs, such as ""If I Ever Had a Dream"" and ""Black Hills of Dakota,"" start out sounding like something you would hear in a musical, they soon take a swift turn to smoother sounds and catchier tunes.
Familiar sounds show up in some of her songs as well. When ""Mean to Me"" starts you might think you are listening to the song ""Santa Baby"" by Mariah Carey. You soon learn, however, that this song is indeed not nearly as cheesy as ""Santa Baby,"" but is actually something much more meaningful.
You can feel McKay's energy while listening to her music. You can feel a sense of sadness in her voice and heart while listening to ""Black Hills of Dakota."" Contrarily, she sounds like she is having a good time singing ""Dig It."" The song starts with banter between McKay and the rest of her band about different dance moves, which reminded me somewhat of the beginning of the song ""Ballroom Blitz"" by Sweet. McKay does a good job of incorporating different 1920s sounds in her music to change up each song so that they do not all sound the same.
As much as I enjoyed most of the first part of As Normal as Blueberry Pie, the last two songs didn't carry the emotion of the rest. They were hard to listen to and included sharp background music that didn't work well with her soothing voice. The song ""Close Your Eyes"" sounded like a mash-up of MIDI music and a really strong piano player. It didn't mix well and made for a pretty bad song. The last song on the album, ""I Remember You,"" sounds like the music is played by a junior high band, including a bad Tuba player and Jamaican drums, which, by the way, do not sound good together. In fact, Nellie McKay doesn't start singing until halfway through the piece, and the Jamaican drums are relentless the whole time. The last two tracks on the album are the most confusing and disappointing on the album.
Nevertheless, the rest of it is to die for. Nellie McKay's new album is for those who enjoy taking a trip back to the prohibition era and listening to Norah Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and other smooth jazz and ragtime tunes.
