Nicki Jaine of pigeons and other curiosities

From the captivating cover of this album with the introspective photos spread over a lace tablecloth with a fly as overseer, we become drawn into a body of music that begins with a scratched LP sound permeating the first track, "The Sound of Girls." And so it begins, this strangely playful yet delicate sound of cabaret girded by the deeply charismatic and Germanic voice of Nicki Jaine, sounding like a revitalized Nico.

We could call this gothic but it transcends that genre because Jaine's Of Pigeons and Other Curiosities reveals shades of the past in her music but mixed with today's more daring musical acceptance. One thing can be said, you've not heard the like of Nicki Jaine before. It takes daring bravado and talent, all of which Nicki Jaine oozes, to travel the new paths she does without fear.

But there's more. Nicki Jaine has had enough of vacuous pretensions and overflowing vanity and it resonates throughout her album of compositions. You can detect it in "Sound of Girls", you can sense it in "Pretty Faces." She also has little patience for those who cannot keep up with her and end up leaving as unveiled in "Should Have Known."

Things get heated in some areas like "Octopi", "Antartica", and "Pigeon Named Crow", delightfully so because they show an edge to Nicki Jaine's sharpness. Overall, her album of lyrical observations is direct, twisted, disappointed, and brilliant. With a schizophrenic torrent and outpour, Of Pigeons and Other Curiosities is an album that dispenses human panic and emotional shutdown like needed morphine.

Nicki Jaine is an emerging talent that caters to the musical intelligentsia of today. Her bold and lyrically observational approach to her art with raw instrumental approach is refreshing and unforgettable. With her debut release an announcement, we can expect greater things from Nicki Jaine.

Go ahead. Challenge yourself. Try Nicki Jaine out and see if you can measure up.