MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
Nicole Atkins performs at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, on Sept. 6.
“I never played a gig that was so quiet that I could hear this squeaking,” said Nicole Atkins, after hearing a tiny sound emanating from her guitar at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, Sept. 6.
“Listen” she said, and made the noise again. And yes, I could hear it clearly. No one in the building was making any noise.
Nor did anyone do that, really, at any other point in the concert, which kicked off The Outpost’s 2024-25 season. The crowd was intently focused on the music throughout the show. That’s the kind of venue, after all, that the Outpost is. And that makes it a perfect venue to listen to Atkins, whose deeply emotional, artfully arranged songs reward close listening.
On the other hand, her rich, larger-than-life voice makes her music work in bigger venues, too. And she has been playing some of them lately: As she mentioned at one point, she has opened a number of shows for Stevie Nicks. And though she didn’t say so, she has been doing the same, in recent years, for Elvis Costello, The Mavericks and Spoon.
Atkins, who grew up in Neptune (near Asbury Park) and is now based in Nashville, has released six albums since 2007, and appeared with a three-piece backing group (guitarist John Paul Keith, drummer Danny Banks and bassist Luca Chiappara) in Montclair. They are versatile musicians, which is absolutely essential for this gig. Atkins has a distinctive voice, but she writes in a variety of styles. Material performed at this 80-minute show had elements of big, dynamic retro-rock (“Maybe Tonight”), new-wave pop (“Party’s Over”), country (“My Baby Don’t Lie”), dance-pop (“Domino”) and hard-edged funk-soul (“Brokedown Luck”). “Never Going Home Again,” which featured some wry storytelling, reminded me, a bit, of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.”
Atkins has used the phrase “Spectral Pop Noir” to describe her music, which I suppose is as good a label as any, as far as evoking an overall vibe. But it really doesn’t do justice to her range.
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
Nicole Atkins at Outpost in the Burbs.
Lyrically, there was more of a common thread, with many of the songs revolving around the theme of romantic heartbreak. “This is another song about ruining your life,” she said before singing “A Night of Serious Drinking,” a ballad that she delivered like a midnight confession. “You and I are not like that legendary bird/That arises from ash/We burn and crash,” she sang. And “No One” — a theatrical number with spaghetti western guitar riffs that ended the pre-encore portion of the show in dramatic fashion — was described as a song about “a Tinder narcissist.”
While Atkins is capable of coming across like a tragic, mysterious torch song singer when she performs, her stage manner couldn’t have been more down to Earth. She opened the set by casually walking through the crowd, playing guitar and singing “Neptune City.” She chatted about her prior experiences at the Outpost; her mother, whose homemade lasagna was served to Outpost patrons before the show; and Nicks, who, she said, gave her some much-appreciated words of encouragement at one of their shows together.
The Outpost presented this show in Montclair’s First Congregational Church, so Atkins talked about her own Catholic school upbringing and, in a sort of running joke, told the crowd to “please rise” and “please be seated” before and after certain songs.
She closed the show with its only cover — the forlorn ballad “Lonely Guy,” by the late Dexter Romweber — though she undercut the pathos in the lyrics by genially asking the crowd to slow-dance to the music. It built, like a lot of her own songs, to a big, cathartic finish — one more chance to showcase the wonder that is her voice.
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
Nicole Atkins’ guitarist, John Paul Keith, at Outpost in the Burbs.
Here is the show’s setlist:
“Neptune City”
“The Way It Is”
“Goodnight Rhonda Lee”
“Captain” (see video below)
“Maybe Tonight”
“Party’s Over”
“A Little Crazy”
“Darkness Falls So Quiet”
“Brokedown Luck”
“Never Going Home Again”
“For Crying Out Loud” (new song)
“My Baby Don’t Lie”
“A Night of Serious Drinking”
“Domino”
“No One” (new song)
Encore
“Cool Enough”
“Lonely Guy” (Dexter Romweber cover)
Atkins will perform at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Visit ticketmaster.com.
For more about her, visit nicoleatkins.com.
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