Nicole Atkins

With her throaty vibrato and nostalgic, orchestrated pop songs, singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins brings to mind a blend of Roy Orbison, Loretta Lynn, and Jenny Lewis. Atkins was raised in Neptune, NJ -- a town whose influence would later play a large part in her debut album -- and relocated to North Carolina during her late teens to study illustration at UNC Charlotte. After befriending members of the Avett Brothers and logging several years with the alt country band Los Parasols, she briefly returned to the tri-state area, where a series of open mic performances in Manhattan's East Village helped her hone a sound that was more indebted to pop music than her work with Los Parasols.

Atkins spent the following years traveling between North Carolina and the Northeast, eventually settling in New Jersey at her parents' house. Performances in New York City helped her attract attention from several local musicians, and Atkins soon pieced together a backing band comprising guitarist Dave Hollinghurst, bassist John Flaughter, drummer Dan Mintzer, and keyboardist Daniel Chen. Operating under the name Nicole Atkins & the Sea, the band secured a residency at Piano's -- a popular nightspot in the Lower East Side -- and struck a deal with Columbia Records on the strength of Atkins' demo recordings and impressive performances. Atkins released the Bleeding Diamonds EP in 2006, and the group decamped to Sweden later that year to work on a full-length album. Featuring the songwriter's self-professed "pop-noir" sound, Neptune City arrived in late 2007, followed by an EP of cover material in 2008.