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100 Albums: "Everybody Got Their Something" by Nikka Costa

Kurt is going through his favorite records. Read the explainer or view the master list.

Artist: Nikka Costa
Title: Everybody Got Their Something
Released: 2001
Genre: soul pop


Japanese-born Australian-American Domenica "Nikka" Costa started recording at age five. At nine, she performed on the White House lawn. Her father was a record producer, so she basically grew up around musicians. She achieved some success in Europe as a child star and then moved to Australia in the 90s to get married and form a handful of funk projects before going back to releasing albums under her own name.

Everybody Got Their Something is Costa's US debut and the most successful album of her career, mostly on the strength of the lead single and opening track Like A Feather, which was featured prominently in Tommy Hilfiger ads and found its way into MTV rotation. And... it's pretty great song. The title track showed up in Muzak mixes, usually in the afternoons when the songs were a bit dancier. Those are the most up-tempo tracks on the record, but there are some pretty amazing ballads, like Push & Pull, Nothing, and What Have I For You, which was cowritten with the Beastie Boys. Mid-album slow-burn Just Because is a shockingly beautiful love song. The album hews a little close to adult contemporary pop, but has just enough soul and funk underpinnings to keep it interesting. There are a few filler tracks and some hidden-track nonsense, in addition to a couple of scorned-lover songs that feel perfunctory, but for the most part it's a strong record with a nice groove and fairly unique voice. Worth checking out.

Further Listening: I don't know much else of her catalog, just the one album. Sorry. But, according to Wikipedia, she and her husband have a daughter named Sugar McQueen, so that's pretty awesome.

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