When Harry Nilsson died in 1994 he was working on recordings which have become Losst and Found, the "new" Nilsson album out now on Omnivore Recordings. With contributions from Jim Keltner, Jimmy Webb, and loads of others, this album certainly works on its own terms, and not just as a continuation of the late Nilsson's talented run as a recording artist. The truth is, none of this feels unfinished.
Mark Hudson produced this, and put the pieces together for this release, and Losst and Found is full of fantastic music. "Lost and Found" is peppy near-power-pop, while "Woman Oh Woman" is elegant chamber rock. If this cut sounds a bit like something from Walls and Bridges, the Lennon connection is made more explicit via a cover of "Listen, The Snow is Falling" here. The Yoko Ono-penned number features Beatles friend Klaus Voormann on bass, with the late Nilsson imbuing this with a real sense of fun, with the results sounding not entirely unlike "Coconut", actually. "U.C.L.A." is funny and smart, while "Lullabye" is simply beautiful. The song sounds a tiny bit like something from Randy Newman, which makes sense, I guess, considering the late Nilsson's connections to that composer.
If "Love is the Answer" suggests that Nilsson could have pursued a fairly straightforward path as a pop artist in the Nineties, had he lived, "What Does a Woman See in a Man" is even better. The Jimmy Webb-written selection features Webb on piano with Nilsson's plaintive vocals the star of the composition. And the results are as tender as anything Nilsson recorded in his far too short life. The cut is a revelation, really, and it's the sort of effortlessly wonderful kind of music that ranks pretty much as the equal to that of Nilsson's best work earlier in his career.
And that's the secret to why this release is so vital and essential. For a record that is essentially a continuation of leftovers from the late singer's files, Losst and Found works remarkably well. This is a fantastic record, and an indication of all the potential Harry Nilsson still possessed as a recording artist in 1994, 14 years after his last official album.
Losst and Found is out now via Omnivore Recordings.
[Photo: Doug McKenzie]