Nikka Costa

Saturday, May 7; the Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard)

May 4, 2005 at 4:00 am

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When your godfather is Ol' Blue Eyes, you don't have to watch your back. And you don't mess around. When kids her age were selling lemonade on street corners, Nikka Costa was selling records in platinum numbers, but largely overseas, where her idiosyncratic mix of clubby beats, soul-jazz strut and (to be sure) pedophilic pop sheen slipped neatly into dance-oriented U.K. and Euro radio. But on her proper U.S. debut, Everybody Got Their Something, Costa rocked harder and smarter than any of the bubble-gum divas, even finessing some old-school country and soul without sounding like a genre slut.

Naysayers box her in with the likes of Lenny Kravitz (who invited her to open his spring tour) and Mary J. Blige, but naysayers don't dance. You do, so get there early.

Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40; call 314-726-6161 for more information.