Nicole Atkins And Magneta Lane Make It Ladies' Night

Magneta Lane's Dancing With Daggers was one of my favourite albums of 2006, so there was no way I could be disappointed that their 35-minute set opening for Nicole Atkins And The Sea revolved around that disc, capped off with a powerful "Daggers Out!"

But while the material is strong, they've improved as musicians, and singer/guitarist Lexi Valentine, bassist French and drummer Nadia King look fine — as did (I suppose) the cardigan and tie-clad token boy, Jordan, who occasionally played synth and took over on guitar for one song — their stage presence hasn't evolved as much as it should have after five years. There was little interaction with the audience and the most movement occurred during Valentine's frequent and distracting forays to adjust her amplifier. I can't quibble with Valentine's slightly deadpan delivery of her sharp songs, however, and look forward to hearing the eagerly awaited Gambling With God, which should arrive sometime this year.

Magneta Lane were also an inspired choice to lead into the hour-long set by Atkins and her bandmates. The New Jersey songstress opened with her debut album's title track about her birthplace and, while we were later told that she had to cancel the previous night's show in Buffalo, New York due to illness that prevented her from singing, her voice displayed the elegant yet unpretentious quality that makes the record's appeal grow with every listen.

As promised in an earlier conversation, the overall sound is more muscular on stage than coming out of your stereo speakers. This was especially true on "Maybe Tonight," "Kill The Headlights" and "Cool Enough," which included a solo by guitarist Dave Hollinghurst. Atkins alternated between simply singing and adding electric guitar to her arsenal, though she went with an acoustic near the end of the set on "Together We're Both Alone" (for which Hollinghurst switched to steel guitar) and "Brooklyn's On Fire!" which had the healthy-sized crowd singing along to the short and punchy chorus.

Atkins showed her torch-singing ability on "The Way It Is," and her vocal skills were also at the forefront of "War Torn." She was amiable in between songs, even acknowledging Ontario's inaugural Family Day holiday a couple of times, before closing the main set with an energetic and animated version of "Love Surreal." Atkins is an avowed Doors fan, and she became a slinky lizard queen on a cover of that band's "The Crystal Ship" to end the night.

While Atkins was obviously the centre of attention, Dan Chen was also deserving of the props he received for his keyboard and mini xylophone playing, for filling in the missing strings and horns from the album with his midi, and for being a Toronto homeboy.

Atkins possesses an impressive combination of class and edge and, on her fourth Sunday show at Lee's, she showed that she has what it takes to be a star.