The late Laura Nyro achieved her greatest fame, perhaps ironically, as the writer of some other bands' best songs. Penning gems that would be hits for The Fifth Dimension, Barbara Streisand, Three Dog Night, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and others, Nyro made her mark for all eternity even if her own solo material, including renditions of these hits, remained less well-known. This has been an issue since before the singer's death in 1997. Never one to yearn for the spotlight, Laura did herself no favors as others got famous on what she had written.
In an effort to get the songwriter the attention she's always deserved, and to dig out some treasures from the vaults, two labels have stepped forward in 2021 to offer up essential releases. Omnivore Recordings brought forward two releases which sort of bookend Nyro's career. So let's start with those.
Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape offers up material from 1966. A tape of the 18-year-old Nyro's audition for producer Milt Okun and A&R guy Artie Mogull, the release is as pure a sampling of Nyro's talents as one could ever dream of hearing. Opening with a rousing "And When I Die", this set makes a listener marvel again at just what a total package Nyro was as a writer and performer. That she wasn't a household name still amazes me, though I suppose in certain circles she was. With compositions here like "Luckie", later a highlight of 1968's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, and "Lazy Susan", Laura commands. It's enough to have her voice and piano and nothing else as the force of the whole thing, as her choices as a singer, writer, and performer are all too wonderful and precise. Rarely could someone deliver poetic, emotional material with this much earthy, natural heart. Go Find The Mind: The Audition Tape is a vital document, and proof of an artist's youthful power upon arrival.
Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro Live in Japan is a concert recording from 1994. Performing to an appreciative audience, Laura Nyro tentatively unfurls her skills over the course of this record. With just a piano and backing vocalists, Nyro tackles some of her best known tunes (a light-as-air "Wedding Bell Blues"), and newer masterpieces (the restless "Walk The Dog & Light The Light"). Everything on this release has an intimacy that's a different shade from the earlier audition tape, though Nyro retains a modesty as a performer that's always endearing. When you listen to this now, it's tempting to imagine some alternate reality where Laura Nyro got re-discovered and appreciated more right before her death but that didn't happen. As always it needs to be said that she deserved far more praise and attention even as her career took detours, and her material went into more complicated territory, lyrically and musically. Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro Live in Japan makes that case once again.
As significantly, Madfish have offered up Laura Nyro's first 7 albums, along with 2 records of live cuts and rarities in the American Dreamer: 1967-1978 box-set. The release is a crash course in the singer-songwriter's genius, an immersive dive into her best material over her peak years. There's nothing on this that's not highly recommended, frankly.
From "Billy's Blues" and the other gently plaintive numbers on More Than a New Discovery and on to "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness" on Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968), Nyro's progression as an artist was swift and amazing. As the material got more introspective and jazz-influenced on New York Tendaberry, a listener could be forgiven for finding "Captain for Dark Mornings" and "The Man Who Sends Me Home" less obvious pleasures than earlier numbers. These were not likely to be hits for other artists, with Nyro pursuing her own, entirely unique muse.
Christmas and the Beads of Sweat was more contemplative, anchored by the stunning "Christmas in My Soul", though the cover of "Up on the Roof" an indication of where Laura'd go next. Her 1971 collaboration with Labelle, Gonna Take a Miracle remains an odd classic of its own genre. A neat mix of soul, doo wop, and balladry, the album still charms immensely. A bright "Jimmy Mack", a soulful run at "The Bells", and an expansive "Spanish Harlem" are the highlights here, though the whole album is a joy to hear.
Smile (1976) and Nested (1978) find Laura Nyro's talents in a new place, adapting to a changing climate. After a few years away, the singer-songwriter is adept at crafting some gems ("The Cat Song", "My Innocence"), but the hooks are not as obvious, the lyrical concerns more obscure than ever at times, and the melodies not as welcoming. Nyro was a gifted writer and performer even in this era, but it's hard to square this material up to the earlier offerings, honestly.
Madfish make American Dreamer: 1967-1978 essential with the addition of a bunch of rarities near the end of this massive set. A mono demo of "Stoney End" finds Nyro's heart all up in the tune, while a live run at Aretha's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" from the Fillmore in 1971 is a revelation. Laura Nyro was the rarest of soulful performers, one with as much intellect as feeling, and an expert at crafting material for others as well as at reshaping it to her own skill-set. A playful snippet of "O-o-h Child" from The Five Stairsteps is another gem here, and an indication of Nyro's appreciation of soul music, an appreciation that would serve her well when recording with Labelle the same year. This set is all great, but these live nuggets, along with the remastered albums themselves, make American Dreamer: 1967-1978 a must-purchase for any fan of this late genius.
Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape and Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro in Japan are out now via Omnivore Recordings, and American Dreamer: 1967-1978 is out now via Madfish.
[Photo: Omnivore Recordings]