Nicole Atkins – “Singing In The Mirror”

The Nashville-based singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins has been making really good music for a long time. It's the kind of sharp, classicist pop music that's easy to take for granted, but you shouldn't do that. Every time I hear a new Atkins song, I'm surprised at how good it is. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. She might not be a household name, but Nicole Atkins definitely has the respect of her musician peers. Wilco multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone produced her upcoming album Drama, and it's her first for Chris Isaak's new Sun Records imprint Wicked Game. I was really impressed with lead single "When The Night Falls," and I'm just as impressed with her new single "Singing In the Mirror." It's a huge, hearty '80s-style synth rocker with that prime Pat Benatar feeling. I also thought of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten," and I really wish more songs made me think of "Unwritten." Naturally, this track is inspired by the experience of a "Weird Al" Yankovic live show. I'll let Atkins explain it:I wrote it after coming home from having a blast at a "Weird Al" show. When I got home, I found myself alone and crying, looking at my own eyes in the mirror going, "Where are yo...