When I first read about this record and it's tongue in cheek Norah Jones dis (Come Away With Me) becomes (Get Away From Me) I was more than intrigued. Nelly McKay had got more talent in her spleen than Britney Spears has in both of her frontal lobes, but the 19 year old phenome doesn't quite know when enough is enough. Get Away From Me at first strikes you as the spark of a musical revolution, but fizzles out under the weight of it's feminist agenda and repetitive raps and rants.

True, McKay was only 19 years old when she wrote these amazingly literate and eclectic tunes, but this proves to be a double edged sword as so many of these themes both musical and lyrical become redundant over the course of 18 tracks. She touches on everything from Diana Krall to a female version of Eminem as she flirts with classical jazz ballads and political rap, and were this album pared down to it's best 11 tracks it probably would have fooled every critic in the world. But after 18 tracks it becomes quite apparent that this is the first burst of genius from an artist who would profit from a bit of seasoning. I sincerely hope she will find an audience and mature into someone who understands that the smart money is always riding on smart (Norah Jones) as opposed to smart-ass.

I would still recommend this release because of it's fascinatin' rhythms, and unique sound, despite everything I've written above. What I think you'll see with this record is very high marks from female critics and reserved praise from the males who take a mighty nasty beating from this sexy, sassy upstart. After all she's just a kid and besides we guys love nothing more than a cheeky challenge. And no amount of verbal battery can blind us to such unbridled talent.