My List: Nellie McKay

Thelonius Monk: I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good [Listen]
McKay says Monk "alwyas takes you to some place you've never been."

James Brown: Honkey Tonk [Listen]
The Godfather of Soul's talent makes McKay "want to slit my writs and burn all my records (in that order)."

Ry Cooder: Three Chrods and the Truth [Listen]
"He's the heart and soul of this beat-up nation," she says of the guitar great.