Nicole Atkins w/ John Gallagher Jr.

Nicole Atkins “This whole album is almost like my fight against loneliness,” says Nicole Atkins of her latest release, Drama. “A lot of the songs came out of the fact that my husband and I basically have a long distance relationship. We're both on the road. He's a tour manager. I'm an artist. We can be apart for months at a time.” Those feelings of isolation and separation, complicated by sleep problems and some career uncertainty, left Atkins feeling overwhelmed at times. “I had to write myself through a lot.” As the material started to take shape, she felt like she was “building a life raft,” and not only for herself. “With everything going on in the world, it's easy to forget that we're all the same,” she says. “We're being disconnected and pulled apart. We're longing for connection. That's what I want to write and sing about, and hopefully by doing that, make people feel a little less lonely.” The life rafts on Drama are sturdy, with smart design and a buoyancy that's a tonic for our times. The Spectorized girl group rush of “Trippin' On Teardrops,” the pulsing Memphis soul-styled “For No One,” the James Bond-meets-Stevie Nicks noir of “Danny,” and the ABBA-worthy, anthemic “Singing In The Mirror.” As always when dissecting Atkins' neo-classic sound, it's fun to play with mash-up descriptions – even she offers her own colorful takes - “What if Brian Eno, Scott Walker and Lee Hazlewood were all partying?” and “It's like a Broadway show playing on a dive bar stage.” But bey…