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Preview Wed Mar 02 2011
Breakups for a Listener's Pleasure
When Nicole Atkins last played Chicago, her backing band was called the Sea. When she returns on Friday night, it will be with the Black Sea. (No, they're not from Yalta. They're actually a few Ambulance Ltd refugees.) With that in mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that she's had a couple rough years lowlighted by some personal and professional breakups. But if not for those, her new album Mondo Amore most likely wouldn't be terrifically devastating. The jibes begin right away in the first track called "Vultures" (sample lyric: 'take all they can get until you're dirt and bone') and barely let up through "The Tower" (not exactly about building one). Atkins' superb voice carries pain, regret and freedom through tunes that cover stomping blues, twangy rock'n'roll and pop ballads.
Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea headline Subterranean on Friday, March 4. Pepper Rabbit opens at 9:30pm. Cotton Jones also plays. The show's 17+ and $13 in advance, $15 at the door. Subterranean's located at 2011 W. North Ave.