Women of Musical Genius Wednesday: Neko Case

So I think my passion for Women of Musical Genius was reignited on Saturday night at the Temple Club here in Lansing with a performance by Neko Case.



When she isn't performing with Canadian indie collective The New Pornographers, Case has a terrific alt-country act that's really more country than alt, with a backup band that features upright bass, banjo, and pedal steel guitar (truly a beautiful lineup of instruments to behold on stage). The real feature here though is her voice. I mean, this woman can SING, belting out mournful ballads and toe-tappers alike from the depths of her soul, or at least her vocal chords. There were moments where the instrumentation dropped out and she belted out a verse, and I just compulsively let out a "woooo!" not out of group mentality, but out of genuine awe. Plus, she has a terrific stage presence to boot- very friendly, telling stories and cracking jokes with the audience between almost every song. Neko Case, welcome to the hallowed halls of genius (better known as my iPod).

Neko Case- John Saw That Number