Chelsea Girl – NICO****

The Fairest Of The Seasons/These Days/Little Sister/Winter Song/It Was A Pleasure Then/Chelsea Girls/I’ll Keep It With Mine/Somewhere There’s A Feather/Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams/Eulogy To Lenny Bruce

Fresh from her collaboration with The Velvet Underground Nico released her debut album Chelsea Girl. Providing her own melancholic, minimalist interpretation of then unreleased songs from some major songwriters.

"Though Nico wrote little of this material, she got great young talent to contribute previously unreleased songs. A young Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, and, of course, her former band mates John Cale and Lou Reed, all turn in tunes that complement Nico's singing. It manages to be an unusual album that does work."

"Chelsea Girl is Nico’s first proof of musicianship aside from The Velvet Underground. The most engaging feature here are Nico’s vocals; a deep, monotone, slightly out of tune voice that brings just enough despair to the beauty. The lyrics are creative, memorable and backed by solid string instrumentation."

"The minimalism, the coldness, the stark arrangements; it's all part of her allure, and was one way to be female, powerful, mysterious and complicated in the 1960s. It's a fascinating counterpoint to the druggier fuzz of The Velvet Underground, a much more introspective look behind the scenes of those social butterflies."

"This is the twin sister of The Velvet Underground & Nico. Half of Chelsea Girl was co-written by at least one member of The Velvet Underground, and these songs are similar to Nico's work on the band's debut. The other album tracks were written by other influential musicians of the time."

"This is a beautiful folk album, with lots of good songs, pretty imaginative arrangements and typical Nico vocals. The instrumentation, with lots of cello and other string instruments, is simply amazing. The music of Chelsea Girl may not be Nico's creation but she inhabits it totally. The songs feel like they're luring you to a funeral in the woods. It's light but it's autumnal. Strings and flute dance with guitar melodies and Nico's otherworldly delivery. It's an evocative piece of work."

"Chelsea Girl is a dour, haunting, minimalist record, anchored by Nico's deep, unusual voice."