Acclaimed vocalist Nellie McKay was introduced to many of the ’60s songs covered on her latest release by her mother (and sometime co-producer), actress Robin Pappas.

Acclaimed vocalist Nellie McKay was introduced to many of the ’60s songs covered on her latest release by her mother (and sometime co-producer), actress Robin Pappas.

A

n interview with Nellie McKay, the British-born, American-raised singer/songwriter and vocal stylist who performs a solo show this week at Cincinnati’s 20th Century Theater, can be as unpredictable as her career itself. But it’s also frequently greatly pleasurable, just like her music.

McKay’s first album, 2004’s Get Away From Me, was two-discs’ worth of original material — an audacious debut for a newcomer. In 2006, after her second album, Pretty Little Head, she temporarily veered away from contemporary songwriting to star as Polly Peachum in a Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera. Read more about McKay here.

Nellie McKay performs Thursday at Oakley’s 20th Century Theater. Tickets/more info: the20thcenturytheatre.com.

This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2015.

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