Last time
Nellie McKay took a stroll through the past, she doffed her hat at
Doris Day, an obvious tribute for a singer as besotted with the stage as
Ms. McKay.
My Weekly Reader, the album that functions as the sequel to 2010's all-original
Home Sweet Mobile Home, is a surprise as it shines a spotlight directly on some of the shadowy corners of the '60s. Despite opening with a cover of
the Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and a leisurely reading of
the Beatles' "If I Fell,"
McKay doesn't spend much time with the familiar. She gravitates toward folky introspection and songs that allow her to strut, two kinds of vintage styles that suit her well, but
My Weekly Reader also shows her fondness for weirdo social satire, a quirk that at first glance seem like an odd fit for the singer. Upon second glance,
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention's "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" and
Moby Grape's "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" seem odd, yet the ambition that fuels the covers is admirable. Where
My Weekly Reader shines is on the quieter moments, which range from the loveliness of
Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Wooden Ships," the nostalgic gleam of
Gerry & the Pacemakers' "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," and the spookiness of Richard & Mimi Fariña's "Bold Marauder." Here,
McKay achieves a delicate balance between '60s reverence and a sly modern wink, a blurring of eras that plays to her strengths. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine