Out Feb. 8 on Razor & Tie

I won’t go so far as to say it’s Nicole Atkins’ answer to the Beach Boys’ Smiley Smile. And I would never say the follow-up to Pet Sounds is a bad album. On the contrary, it gets better with each listen. But there are those pesky things called “expectations” — where we anticipate something so much we become involved before and during its inception. How much we know depends on the artist. In this case, we knew a lot. And we now know for every Smiley Smile, there’s a mind blowing and immediately satisfying Smile that will probably never see the light of day. In other words, for every Mondo Amore, there’s… another Mondo Amore.

A cynic would say it had disaster written all over it. A record some three years in the making witnessed by three completely different bands (and with them, three different sounds), two record labels and a constantly rotating track list — was Atkins a crazy person, a crazed genius or simply the victim of crazy circumstances? I’ll let Behind the Music tackle that one. Say what you will about Atkins’ sophomore release. This is the record she wanted to make at this point in time.

From the very first track, the Zeppelin-esque rocker “Vultures,” Atkins seems hellbent (emphasis on hell) on avoiding the sequel to Neptune City. What a threatening contrast to the grandeur pop of “Maybe Tonight.” Between the menacing bass riff and hard-rockin’ drums, it’s almost as if she’s saying, “It’s as much about the other elements as it is the lead vocals.” And for better or worse, that theme is present throughout. Even on tracks like “Hotel Plaster,” where in concert this beautiful tear-jerker was playing successor to Neptune‘s “War Torn,” Atkins’ longing voice is now accompanied by a droning and very prominent male vocal. It’s somewhat jarring while still managing to be a standout track.

In terms of sheer presence, there’s little rivaling the purity of that dragging, come-hither croon found in “You Were the Devil,” a tight, Spaghetti Western-inspired ditty that leaves you wanting more. Ask, and ye shall receive, because from there, everything becomes more cohesive. Where anomalies like “Cry Cry Cry” and to a certain extent, “My Baby Don’t Lie,” made me wonder what happened to coulda-woulda-shoulda-been shoo-ins such as “I Wait For You” and “Oh Canada,”  the latter portion of the record delivers a big-screen ending carrying the weight of the world. “War is Hell” (featuring My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on backup vocals) is an excellent example of musical evolution. What began as an uptempo live track with potential now takes it’s time with sparser instrumentation and a lush arrangement of vocals and strings when the chorus rolls around.

Then, there’s “The Tower.” From the very first time Atkins played this song, at the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival, there was no doubt in my mind the six-minute epic would close this album. And yes, it is big and powerful and emotional. Something in which the Jersey native should take pride. The entire record is quite an accomplishment, for that matter. It’s a full pallet of rock, blues, psychedelic, country, soul and melodramatic cinema sound — like watching a Tarantino film and spotting homage after homage. In that regard, these 10 songs are a huge success. Then it hit me a few moments ago. Listen to almost any one of the ten tracks off Amore, and then play “The Way It Is” from the predecessor. Hear it? That vocal. She’s so close you can feel it right in the pit of your stomach. Click back over to “Hotel Plaster.” She seems more distant. It’s hard to tell whether it’s the production or something more intentional in the delivery. After all, it does seem rather fitting, what with everything personal and technical going into the making of this record, that her voice sound more tired. But less potent? Add it to the many mysteries of Amore, a grand idea Atkins couldn’t stop loving.

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