Saw her at Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass fest in San Fran this past weekend. Great live show! She's got *shockingly* red hair and the sun was behind her. Looked like her head was on fire. Sound wasn't the greatest, but she still came through nicely. Her "sidekick" backup singer is fantastic and very funny and cute as well.

Oh RadioDoc I dont like her music either (even though she is critically acclaimed).  She annoys me.

Most of this comment thread is juvenile rubbish.  Neko is a star and the real deal.  

Heh - when I hear the phrase "she's got stage presence" I figure that translates out to "she's got a nice rack." So I hit the googles to see what she looks like and, well, don't do that at work, folks.

/not a hater, just don't care for her stuff

That may be true, but as a recording artist she's Friday night karaoke at a sleazy bar.

That may be true, but as a recording artist she's Friday night karaoke at a sleazy bar.

You should hear/see her live - she's got a set of pipes and that eerily captivating stage presence. . . an amazingly talented performer.

You should hear/see her live - she's got a set of pipes and that eerily captivating stage presence. . . an amazingly talented performer.

So you agree that her 'edge' is technical tricks and studio processing and not from talent.  Thank you.  Some distinction.   While this song isn't bad, most of her stuff is a put-on.

I really like Neko Case. I think her edge comes from the way they mike her vocals. This is her distinction.

You nailed it, it's called reverb. It makes her sound all Patsy Cline retro, that's her gimmick. She uses phrasing that optimizes this effect, over and over. Without it (live) the voice sounds a bit thin and shrill. She does sound airbrushed and I think it prevents her from connecting on a personal level. Even her name sounds made up. Most here fawn over her and even though she's a spicy redhead, I usually mute.

I think Neko is very cool, but..."puts Dylan in his place"?? What nonsense is that? Let's see her transform American folk music, and then you can get back to me.

if you saw her performance on leno, she sings without reverb and there is absolutely nothing shrill about it.

You nailed it, it's called reverb. It makes her sound all Patsy Cline retro, that's her gimmick. She uses phrasing that optimizes this effect, over and over. Without it (live) the voice sounds a bit thin and shrill. She does sound airbrushed and I think it prevents her from connecting on a personal level. Even her name sounds made up. Most here fawn over her and even though she's a spicy redhead, I usually mute.

You nailed it, it's called reverb. It makes her sound all Patsy Cline retro, that's her gimmick. She uses phrasing that optimizes this effect, over and over. Without it (live) the voice sounds a bit thin and shrill. She does sound airbrushed and I think it prevents her from connecting on a personal level. Even her name sounds made up. Most here fawn over her and even though she's a spicy redhead, I usually mute.

Doesn't Neko use a bit too much echo chamber. I'm not sure what the technical term is, but her voice seems Photoshopped/airbrushed.

Doesn't Neko use a bit too much echo chamber. I'm not sure what the technical term is, but her voice seems Photoshopped/airbrushed.