Nellie McKay gives Doris her due with
Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute To Doris Day
(October 13th / Verve)

³Doris Day is an emblem of sunshine, communion with nature and animals, and
common civilityŠ In a time when cynicism rules, her eager humanity is ever
more preciousŠ² – Nellie McKay, The New York Times Book Review

³Ms. McKay has picked up not just antique musical styles, but also a tone
that¹s even more elusive: arch but amiable, with teeth behind the giggles.²
- Jon Pareles, The New York Times

³ Thanks to (McKay), the Great American Songbook has a living, breathing
present as well as a glorious past.² – Joan Anderman, The Boston Globe

For Nellie, producing, arranging, and performing Normal As Blueberry Pie was
the natural outcome of all the years she has spent listening enraptured to
Ms. Day¹s music. ³She was – and still is – ahead of her time,² says Nellie,
who received the Doris Day Music Award in 2005 for ³The Dog Song² in
recognition of her dedication to animal rights.

Nellie reviewed a recent biography of Day for The New York Times, and is one
of the few people in 30 years to be granted an interview with Ms. Day (The
Bark magazine, 2007). ³What she possessed – beyond her beauty, physical
grace, and natural acting ability – was a resplendent voice that conveyed
enormous warmth and feeling,² writes Nellie (The New York Times, 2007).

Normal As Blueberry Pie features 12 songs handpicked from over 600
recordings by Ms. Day, with an original by McKay. Hailed as an ³old pop soul
in her ability to draw so effortlessly on a remarkable range of styles² (LA
Times) who is ³supremely gifted, charming and darkly funny² (Washington
Post), McKay bridges the big band era of the Œ40s into Day¹s later film
career.

³From time capsule to timeless, her humanity always shines through. Her
canon combines modern freshness with reassurance,² adds Nellie, who plays
several instruments on the album, and uses four different old-time mics to
evoke various moods (all lovingly engineered and mixed by recording maestro
James Farber).

Exasperating, exhilarating, and altogether uncategorizable, this fourth
album again showcases Nellie¹s fresh take on music and life with a curtsy to
Doris, a nod to convention, and a unique twist all her own.

* * *
Doris Day is the # 1 female box-office star of all time, and one of the most
prolific recording artists in history. In 1977, she became a leader in the
animal welfare movement, an important cause for McKay. ³She¹s pursuing a
change in the mind-set that allows human beings to treat other species as
objects,² says Nellie. The Doris Day Animal League has more than 180,000
members and focuses on lobbying Washington for pro-animal legislation.

Nellie McKay has released three critically acclaimed albums: Get Away From
Me, Pretty Little Head and Obligatory Villagers, and won a Theater World
Award for her portrayal of Polly Peachum in the Broadway production of The
Threepenny Opera, as well as contributing to The Onion, Interview Magazine,
and The New York Times Book Review. Her music has been heard on Weeds,
Grey¹s Anatomy, NCIS and Privileged, and she has dueted with Eartha Kitt,
Trey Anastasio, Taj Mahal, and shared the stage with Odetta, Lou Reed, Elvis
Costello and other notables in aid of various progressive pursuits.

Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute To Doris Day