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As she’s getting ready to release her full length debut for Columbia we’ll take a look back at her recent EP which was a slight preview of what’s to come from this singer songwriter. “Bleeding Diamonds” is the title of the EP, and while this type of music isn’t exactly my forte you still have to respect the depth and the fidelity of Atkins’ music. Her backing band is called The Sea and that is the perfect name for them, not just because of the depth of the music, but also because of the controlled chaos that frequents the album. The title track on “Bleeding Diamonds” is the best. Nicole’s voice is close to that of Regina Spektor’s, almost as good. And her song writing is excellent. “Bleeding Diamonds” will probably hit AAA Radio without a problem if the label decides to release that as the single when the full album is released. If they don’t release that, they should opt to do “Snowshakes”, the second track on the disc. The next three tracks on the EP, are really kind of ho-hum tracks. They’re good for what they are; they’re just really hard to get into. The final track on this six track EP is “Neptune City” and it’s unique song that recaptures the magic of the first two tracks on the EP. Keeping in mind that this is just an EP and it can’t be judged like an album because it’s an introduction to the artist, (which it seems like Columbia and the labels under the Sony umbrella love to do to introduce great artists- Mat Kearney’s “Chicago” EP had the first single “Nothing Left to Lose”, as well as the second single “Undeniable.”) Nonetheless Atkins can be viewed as a rare talent and people should get ready for her full album to make a splash if/when it comes out.