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a Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell
Kristie Nalley and her band play an intriguing country-tinged brand of rock.
Opener "Barely Legal" ooze confidence as Nalley sings of a temptress who's far too young. Nalley's coquettish vocals are a strong feature on this record.
"Life in a box" is a delightful swirl of a record.
"To Tennessee" is a strong country song with a great chorus. Nalley's singing is more in the rock than the country tradition (no twang at all) which makes for originality.
"Get Back Down Here" is garage rock in the Cramps vein. Nalley shamelessly rhymes "rain" with "plain" and gets away with it.
It's that kind of an album. Short but sweet. In barely half an hour it's over and you're left with the urge to hear it again.
Posted on November 8, 2005 - Collected Sounds
Kristie Nalley & the Pagan Romantics
By Robert Fontenot
New Orleans has never had enough good chanteuses, especially in the rock category, and so Kristie Nalley’s debut EP Mama’s Wine turned a lot of heads last year, especially among collegiates. Her bizarre vocal stylings owe a lot to Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, the Velvet Underground’s Nico, and Rasputina’s Melora Creager, and, like those artists, she likes to play the seductress, lure you inside, and then shove your face in your own desperation. She’s also not above calling out her sisters for not going off in a similar fashion, which is where you get diatribes such as the opening “Barely Legal.”
This solo debut, then, which features the entire Mama’s Wine EP along with five new songs, should be fascinating. And it is — to a point. Bassist/cellist and producer Dave Stover brings her vocals way up in the mix, which only makes her avant-garde sense of melody sound like off-key singing. He no doubt wanted her to rise above the sonic cacophony he constructed around her, intriguing little symphonies of post-riot grrl noise and classicist alt-rock structure. But, that has the effect of making her sound disaffected, and the quiet, almost tame way she refuses to attack the mic doesn’t help.
It’s no coincidence that the drama hinted at on these dozen cuts — which keeps threatening to turn explosive on “Get Back Down There” and “Divorce Me,” only begins to truly ignite on the last track, “Too Far,” where her distorted vocals occasionally drop down and roll around in the band’s mud. “ Too far? Not far enough.
- OffBeat Magazine New Orleans, La
“A combination of Famous Monsters and Rasputina’s more pop-oriented work...one of the best qualities of Nalley’s songwriting is there is no beating around the bush ...each song gets right down to business, does what it came to do and then moves onto the next track. Her combination of simple guitar melodies with heartfelt vocals and lyrics keep the listener more than engaged. All in all, definitely worth a spin. -The Vox, November 2004
- The Vox - Tulane Radio
On her debut album, singer/guitarist Kristie Nalley brews up a potent mix of pop and rock shelved in the unique "only in New Orleans" category.
With solid production work and backing band, Nalley dances the line between sex kitten and rock provocateur.... A great debut.
-- Franke Etheridge, Gambit Weekly
- Gambit Weekly, New Orleans
“Miss Nalley is a sly seductive songstress who brings a Southern Vibe to a Nico-era Velvet Underground weirdness” -Billy Thinnes, Louisiana Lifestyle, Fall 2004
- Louisiana Life
Discography
Mama’s Wine - EP
The Pagan Romantics - LP
Photos
Bio
Kristie grew up listening to her dad play Willie Nelson records upstairs and her brother spinning the Velvet Underground in the basement. The two influences are exceedingly present on the album, but she incorporates distinctive, tormented lyrics into an unconventional mix of ambient alt.rock with country, pop, and punk elements.
After the flood, Nalley continued to live in New Orleans to rebuild her home (as one of the only women amongst the National Guardsman and relief workers.) Living amidst the devastation, Kristie continued her Bank Street Bar ritual and played acoustic sets by candle light despite the city being virtually desolate. As a result, she was a featured artist in U2's film Music Rising, about the post-Katrina plight of New Orleans musicians. This is a strong woman with an even stronger personality, which landed her an interview with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips during his recent filming at SXSW 2007 for the Tonight Show.”
-M. Defelice, Powderfinder Promotions
"Mixing the inherent cultural oddity of New Orleans with the oasis of musical weirdness that is Austin, Texas, singer/songwriter Nalley and her band roar through their debut with breathless ferocity that cross-pollinates Magic Band quirk and Wilco substance with Nico-centric chamber rock poetry rants, resulting in an album that is compelling and disquieting in equal measure. Kristie Nalley & the Pagan Romantics was dealt a set-back when Hurricane Katrina soaked the first printing swallowed by the breached levees), but Nalley has clearly countered with a sonic storm of her own."
----BRIAN BAKER, Harp Magazine
“New Orleans has never had enough good chanteuses, especially in the rock category, and so Kristie Nalley’s debut turned a lot of heads, especially among collegiates. Her bizarre vocal stylings owe a lot to Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, the Velvet Underground’s Nico, and Rasputina’s Melora Creager, and, like those artists, she likes to play the seductress, lure you inside, and then shove your face in your own desperation. This solo debut, then, should be fascinating. And it is… her avant-garde sense of melody… rises above the sonic cacophony constructed around her, intriguing little symphonies of post-riot grrl noise and classicist alt-rock structure. The drama hinted at on these dozen cuts, which keeps threatening to turn explosive on “Get Back Down There” and “Divorce Me,” truly ignites on the last track, “Too Far,” where her distorted vocals drop down and roll around in the band’s mud. “ Too far? Not far enough.”
-Robert Fontenot, Offbeat Magazine
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