Obligatory Villagers

Obligatory Villagers is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Nellie McKay. It was released on September 25, 2007. The album is brief compared to both of her past releases, which both had total times of around an hour. However, the total time of Villagers is roughly equivalent to that of the individual discs on both of her double-disc releases. Bob Dorough appears as a guest vocalist on several tracks. Many of the musicians on the album reside in the Poconos, particularly the Delaware Water Gap area. Having been a COTA Cat, Nellie got to know the musicians that appear on this record. Nancy Reed, a voice teacher in Stroudsburg, sings with her on "Politan." Nellie McKay was Nancy Reed's first student.[1]

Obligatory Villagers
Studio album by
Nellie McKay
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2007
Recorded2007
GenreJazz, pop, rock
Length31:35
33:38 (with online bonus track)
LabelHungry Mouse/Vanguard Records
ProducerNellie McKay
Nellie McKay chronology
Pretty Little Head
(2006)		 Obligatory Villagers
(2007)		 Normal as Blueberry Pie – A Tribute to Doris Day
(2009)

Track listing
  1. "Mother of Pearl" - 2:10
  2. "Oversure" - 3:20
  3. "Gin Rummy" - 2:59
  4. "Livin'" - 0:24
  5. "Identity Theft" - 3:28
  6. "Galleon" - 3:22
  7. "Politan" - 4:18
  8. "Testify" - 5:41
  9. "Zombie" - 5:56
  10. "Doko Demo Doa" (Bonus Track in Japanese) (iTunes Store-only) - 2:05

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau(A-)[3]
Pitchfork Media(6.9/10)[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Critical response to the album was generally positive. Pitchfork Media and AllMusic both commented that the album was "difficult to understand," though they also agreed that McKay is a talented songwriter and arranger.

Charts
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Billboard Heatseekers 30

References
  1. Gordon, William (2015-08-14). "Nancy and Spencer Reed, jazz duo, play at Musikfest". The Morning Call.
  2. Allmusic Review
  3. Robert Christgau Review
  4. Pitchfork Media Review
  5. Rolling Stone Review


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