Late-Night Follies Nicole Atkins Should Be a Star

WHO: Nicole Atkins
WHAT: "The Way It Is" (The Late Show)
WHY: Last night's Letterman appearance marked New Jersey singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins's network TV debut, a big moment for any artist trying to jump start a legit music career. To say she made the most of it doesn't quite do the performance justice. Atkins — who specializes in an anachronistic and eerie combination of girl-group pop, country-ballad sway and Broadway pomp — nailed it. If she didn't gain at least a few thousand fans because of the gig, we'd be shocked; hell, we feel converted ... and we thought she was quite talented already. Sounding a bit like a cleaned-up Amy Winehouse with a serious Roy Orbison jones, Atkins led a grand-piano and sleigh bell-enhanced band through the wispy showstopper "The Way It Is" with the power of a woman possessed — the song's titular acquiesce is fraught, to say the least. Atkins's song about a long kiss goodbye offers a perfect hello. Next stop, iPod ads?