NEW YORK (AP) - "Chicks and super-bitches, where you at?"
Nikka Costa shouted out to the crowd before launching into her relationship revenge anthem, "Hope It Felt Good" at Hollywood's Knitting Factory on Saturday (Nov. 24), the second stop on her first headlining tour.
The song sent aspiring independent hoochie-mamas in the packed house chanting along in girl-power affinity. But this hot, new powerhouse of funk and rock isn't just about flaunting her strong womanly ways: Costa has a pedigree set for musical greatness. The 28-year-old daughter of late big band leader Don Costa (and goddaughter of Frank Sinatra) has been performing since the age of five and recently sent the press into a spin with the release of Everybody Got Their Something in May.
Now the media darling is showing what she's got onstage with a headlining tour. At the sold-out Knitting Factory show, Costa proved to be a straight-up, redheaded stick of dyn-o-mite with an eclectic mix of influences. Backed by a nine-piece band - which included two horn players, two backup singers, and a DJ - they channeled styles as diverse as KC and the Sunshine Band and Led Zeppelin.
Costa, decked out in her trademark skin-tight hip huggers and floral wraparound top with flowing kimono sleeves, combined the untamed rocker recklessness of Janis Joplin with the soulful sex appeal of Tina Turner. Her hip-shakin grooviness led the band's ultra-tight abilities to take the audience along on an adrenaline rush as they rolled out a set of fierce, soul-fueled rock numbers and just as easily toned it down to let Costa show a little feminine vulnerability in such tunes as "Push & Pull." Her single "Like a Feather" had the crowd enthusiastically clapping along to the chorus -- no doubt learned when the song was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger commercial.
Costa closed out the set with a monologue addressing her woes of having to constantly explain her broad mix of styles. "People are always asking me, 'What are you - soul, blues, rock?' To me, music is either good or it's crap." The band then exploded in segment of "Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself Again" and segued into "Everybody Got Their Something."
In a move that only amplifies her gutsy, unguarded approach to music, Costa ended her encore alone on a darkened stage, doing a soulful a cappella version of the song "Sista" to a cheering legion of fans.
Opening the show was the ethereal hippie folk sounds of Miranda Lee Richards , a former model whose Mazzy Star-esque vocal quality and gentle approach provided a sharp contrast to Costa's gritty soul and frenzied stage presence. Richards graced the audience with songs off her debut The Herethereafter. The two Virgin label mates will be touring throughout December.
