Luckie/Lu/Sweet Blindness/Poverty Train/Lonely Women/Eli’s Comin’/Timer/Stoned Soul Picnic/Emmie/ Woman’s Blues/Once It Was Alright Now/December’s Boudoir/The Confession
Famed singer songwriter Laura Nyro second album Eli & The Thirteenth Confession contains several tracks made famous by other artists. Meanwhile her LP of the originals languished at a lowly placing on the US album chart, despite the critical acclaim. (US:181)
"Eli & The Thirteenth Confession is a sparkling set of well-crafted, well-arranged pop songs. Simply amazing - how this young girl churned out perfect songs one after the other. Laura wasn't very successful with her own songs, but others were."
"If you want to hear an album from an artist who knew exactly what she wanted to do, free from conventional limitation, and has achieved this feat remarkably well, then hear Eli & The Thirteenth Confession. Nyro intrepidly set out to create a record that blended several genres including blues, gospel, jazz, Motown and Broadway, all the while maintaining a firm grounding in pop music. However, she was not interested in the straightforward approach to pop songs. Instead, she ambitiously set out to create songs with unrelenting dynamism and unorthodox rhythm changes. Her artistic drive essentially violated basic laws of pop composition. The songs were more like mini-suites, divided into sections with complex changes in both tempo and melody. Whereas many pop artists played it safe by maintaining the same tempo, applying a traditional song structure and sticking to one designated genre, Laura repudiated this approach and that is why she was a true original."
"Eli & The Thirteenth Confession is the quintessential Laura Nyro. It shows a sophistication of song styling, which will stir up a variety of emotions for the listener."
"I have turned on a multitude of music lovers to Laura's music over the years. But mostly I like to listen to this album when I am alone so I don't need to talk and I can just absorb this masterpiece. A true musical genius who will be forever missed by me and all true lovers of music."
"I can't stop listening to this one. The mixture of pop, jazz and other elements, with superb arrangements, make this album incredibly interesting and enjoyable. The unusual chord progressions and frequent rhythm changes introduce a complexity that somehow flows naturally and easily."
No comments:
Post a Comment