[rating=3.00]
The first in a series of EP releases, Pro*Whoa! finds Nikka Costa cooing and screeching over six freaky funk tracks reminiscent of Prince and Stevie Wonder. Costa blends the classic 70s funk sound with modern studio wizardry and the result is a collection of tunes that is simultaneously organic and futuristic. She seems to rely perhaps overmuch on the spurned lover motif in her songwriting. But it’s a role that suits her otherworldly voice so well that a bit of self-imposed type-casting can be forgiven. It is difficult to comprehend how the vengefully sexy and irresistibly bitchy Costa hasn’t broken big. 2001’s Everybody Got Their Something began a string of solid releases that all have moments of transcendent soulful beauty and infectious grooves that could easily rival or surpass anything on the R&B charts of the past decade. Much like those cult favorite programs that are sometimes referred to as “too good for television”, perhaps Nikka Costa’s fierce fireball funk is just a little too hot for the mainstream to handle.
“Nylon’s In A Rip” is an excellent showcase for the full contents of Costa’s trick bag. Anchoring the Pro*Whoa! EP, the song features Miss Nikka’s measured caterwauling over a pounding dance-rock pulse. The dynamic arrangement swings back and forth between cotton ball quiet and gale force funk storm while cleverly incorporating a dizzying array of B-movie sci-fi laser gun sound effects and a guitar solo that sounds like a lithe robot dinosaur come to life.
