From the Incomplete Notes File:The Unfinished Neko Case Review (Live at Calvin College, March 31, 2007)

She sings serious American songs, but she’s fun.

She’s the 50’s/David Lynch/60’s/Julee Cruise singing her own “Teenage Feeling” as if she’s Donna singing to James in Twin Peaks. She’s genreless but still steeped in Nashville, while her band (upright bass, slide guitar, etc.) stroke out an Elvis Costello (Spike) jazz line on a song like “Pauline”.

Playing to a large crowd filling Calvin College’s Fieldhouse as part of the closing concert of the Festival of Faith and Music, March 31, 2007, “My True Love” waltzes away while my heart pounds as the camera zooms in on her cocked head swinging out her vocals. It’s a 50’s high school dance, and we’re in the gym. The crowd swinging together, and I’m in love with the band’s lead singer.

Neko Case, though, doesn’t just let us drift off in reverie. Like sneaking a beer into that high school dance, she disarms us with a joke about making a speech to the band in the locker-room-turned-Green-Room, “OK, let’s go out there and give it 110%.”

The set was incredibly beautiful and moving. . .

After a string broke on her acoustic tenor guitar, the band thought about having to end without a closing song. However, they grabbed “Kansas City” from the shelf and Case grabbed a tambourine. They sent us off on a rockabilly train with an incredible guitar line. Hold on, indeed!

Thanks to Neko Case and ANTI- Records for the review CD.