Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Average nice.

Nice sound

Really good listen. Sort of timeless - could have been from any decade and I wouldn't have guessed 60s. A pleasure.

was gonna be rated higher for the namedrop of me, but then it got a little jesusy towards the end and lost a star. She can sing though. I wonder why she's not more popular.

Very bluesy - I liked it

Gran voz y buenas canciones que no llegan a ser adictivas.

good voice, some songs were pretty good but it’s not something i’d usually wanna listen to, i can understand the appeal but it was just decent to me

Well made, but not my thing.

I prefer the soulful, singer-songwriter Laura Nyro to the "funky", Mamas and the Papa's style tracks that make up too much of this album. Diminishes the timeless effect her voice can have.

solid 3.5 Sunny 60s

Better than I expected! High 3.

I like the songs but it sounds a little too "broadway" for me.

Ok

As a musical! Respect!

Not bad.

Nice voice, tori Amos reminiscent

7/10 Highlights: Lu Sweet Blindness Poverty Train

not my thing but good

Up and down

A nice jazzy album. Laura Nyro has a beautiful voice. The opening track is great. Some songs do sound kinda dated; I'm not a fan of 70s-esque horn sections. Sometimes it feels like Nyro is over singing, like a cliche show off singer. But generally the album is a pleasant listening experience.

Pop-soul-jazz. Agradable. Ni fu ni fa.

"Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" by Laura Nyro is a bold and ambitious album that showcases Nyro's exceptional songwriting and unique vocal style. Released in 1968, the album features a blend of soul, jazz, and pop, with Nyro's introspective lyrics and passionate delivery at the forefront. Nyro's songwriting on this album is nothing short of brilliant, with songs like "Eli's Comin'" and "Stoned Soul Picnic" standing out as highlights. Her ability to infuse her songs with emotion and depth is truly remarkable. While some may find the album's production a bit dated, especially compared to modern standards, its timeless quality and Nyro's undeniable talent make it a classic in the singer-songwriter genre. Overall, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" is a captivating and unforgettable album that deserves a listen from fans of thoughtful, soulful music.

I feel like I just listened to the story arc of a contestant on American Idol. A talented vocalist showing off her technical skills on a series of somewhat uninspiring songs. I’m not mad I listened to it, but I’m pretty sure I will quickly forget what I heard.

It was fine.

This is the definition of ‘nice’ It’s probably also the definition of ‘won’t remember it’ and ‘won’t listen again’ but it was a pleasant soundtrack while walking in the rain.

She sounds incredibly like Carole King but these songs had more of a 60s pop formula to them. Similar to Nick, pheasant enough but didn't grab me

Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Eli’s Comin’

Eli’s Coming and Stone Soul Picnic are classics.

Talented singer and groovy songs even though I hadn’t heard of her before

First time with this one. I have heard some of the songs done as covers by other artists. Laura's vocals are spot on and musicianship is very well done. Definitely hear the jazz, blues, and gospel influences. I tend toward the more bluesy numbers. I will be checking out some of Laura's other releases. Good listen.

Yeh yeh yeh

Great vocal album. Some of it sounds modern. Strongest in the "soul" moments.

Don’t love her vocal style. It has a up-and-down downstop and start nature that makes me feel like I’m stuck in musical traffic. It’s a quality that sometimes put me off of Joni Mitchell. Other than that there’s nothing objectionable.

While this album was too much for me, I could hear the musical shifting from much of what was happening in the 60s to what became the singer songwriters of the 70s. I did hear influences on Kate Bush, which was interesting to compare how much I enjoy Kate Bush and did not greatly appreciate this album.

70's singer-songwriter. I'd never heard of Laura Nyro before but I'm quite familiar with a few of the songs on this album via cover versions (esp. Eli's Coming and Stoned Soul Picnic). As a songwriter she's excellent, with a wide variety of themes and interesting melodies -- I especially like some of the creative tempo and rhythm choices. As a performer she's indifferent and very inconsistent across songs. Sometimes she sounds very nice (like a somewhat harder rocking Carole King) but in too many instances her voice either gets too nasal and whiny, or screechy. I love the songs but she can't reliably carry them off so I won't spend time listening to these versions of them again.

There were individual moments that I liked. But no single song made me want to return to this. Completely fine. 3/5

Mixing soul, pop and folk in a massively impressive way. Laura Nyros voice is incredible. Her vocal range allows her to do so much and gives great amounts of diversity to the actual sound of the music itself. You can see why and where she became so iconic as a songwriter.

Enjoyed her voice, started off well with silky city sound, then lost itself.

euh ja was geen groot fan

"Lonely Women" is good, but otherwise this ranges from "nice enough" to "meh."

pretty decent, Laura has a nice swing tone to her vocals and its used really well at the start of the album, other than the rest of the album hasn't quite stuck for me

Obviously a talented singer, but not my style of music 2.5

Okay album. Wasn’t the biggest fan of Laura’s choice of harmony with the music being played, but enjoyed the instrumentals. Jazz and blues elements.

Great voice, but not gonna give this another go.

I would rate it 3.5 just for the range it has. it's different enough from the other music of the late 60s and it takes you on a journey – none of the songs end where they began. the problem is that I'm not the biggest fan of the destination

In the tradition of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon, a strong songwriter with a more soft rock, soul-tinged, jazzy tunes, with a great vocal range, but not quite as tightly executed as the others. This was nonetheless a pleasant surprise. Stoned Soul Picnic and The Confession are my favorites.

One of my favourite things about music is that it can have this ability to transport your mind to somewhere else. In this case, this album made me think cinema. Specifically Tarantino. A bunch of these songs felt like they were written with film in mind.. Or perhaps Tarantino just directs and writes scenes with this type of music as the soundrack to those scenes. I got a jazzy, bluesy, soulful... Maybe even gospel feel to it. Song's about romance, love, drugs, hardships and poverty. It felt very real and honest. I will admit that the album had to grow on me. Poverty Train and Lonely Women changed my initial thoughts on this record. It was a pleasant listen. There are some things I don't really care for, the vocals, as beautiful as they often are, a lot of the vocal runs sound unnecessary, the vocals are very forward in the mix and often frown out the other instruments. But her vocals are great none the less. From brash, and angry to subtle, timid and beautiful. Great listen.

Nothing special or memorable, forgot all about it 5 minutes after it ended. [0136/1001]

Interesting songs. Can't get past her whiney voice.

This is a perfect album to put on in the background of an intimate dinner party (complimentary)

totally new to me, never even heard the name before, it vibes though

Manche Songs sind nicht schlecht, aber grundsätzlich nervt mich ihre Stimme meistens eher. 3.4/10

Pretty nice throwback that I've never heard of.

It's certainly interesting. Like a hippy acid and weed fueled backtrack to the 60's and early 70's, but done by a lounge singer. Every now and then it feels like I could be listening to The Carpenters.

I've never heard of Laura Nyro, but her last name makes me think of those weird meat sandwiches you find at the state fair. I think it's lamb, but you never know what you're eating at those gatherings. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this album, the gospel-innfused jazz vocals and the up tempo of the first few tracks really won me over. Though once it settled down into a more Carpenters-esque songs it kinda fell off.

This was a fun little number. I liked the upbeat jazzy feel. And the wind instruments. It feels like a throwback to a long forgotten era.

Fine stuff, not really familiar with Nyo's work but I enjoyed it well enough, nothing really standoutish though

Not a fan of her voice. I think she's like Joan Baez or someone like that. Talented and good, but it just doesn't sound great in my ears. Eli's Coming but Three Dog Night did it much better. Standouts: Lucky, Eli's Coming, Emmie, December's Boudoir

Passabler Folk Jazz.

very similar blues number, easy listening, but I didn't have a song that popped out

Laura Nyro has an incredible voice and the quality of the production I found surprising for a 60s record. It's not really my thing but respect for the talent

She has a beautiful voice and can sing, but many times I wished there was more background music to support the vocals. Stand-out: Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)

Soul. Folk

Surprising.

It’s fine. Maybe it’s the result of my own ignorance, but it seems like there was a very crowded field of female singer/songwriters in this vein, at this time. I’ve haven’t connected with any of them, and they tend to blend together for me.

A talented songwriter but feels constrained having to suit a sixties swinging style. A little too early, a little too late.

Energetic 70s female rock and soul. I like it!

Just good, just over 2.5

Solid stuff

Nyro’s got her own unique crop of fruity tunes, but they’re just a bit too hard to bite into. Nevertheless, the style is unparalleled (and perhaps served as an inspiration for the later greater works of Kate Bush).

Spicy boomer mom music.

There’s much to like on this one. Dug the tempo changes and the smooth vocals.

5/10. I'm glad it inspired Todd Rundgren and Elton John to make music I enjoy more. And Stoned Soul Picnic is a good song.

Partway between Joni Mitchell and Minnie Riperton but less good than either artist. I guess that's the price you pay for coming first. 6/10

Enjoyed it. Sort of Carole King ish.

The songwriting is of similar caliber to Cole Porter, Bacharach, even approaching the theatricality of Sondheim. Catchy, coherent, but mercurial and unpredictable. Each song is a mini-opera. However, there's a histrionic quality to the arrangements and the vocals that's strident and abrasive to my ears. Still, it's no wonder she was admired by so many contemporaries and later superstars who cited her and this album as influential to them.

#1 - Alright sound. Laura's voice feels hard to pick out over the instrumentals (a recurring theme). #2 - Just ok. #3 - Liked the rhythm changes in this one. It feels like we just skipped by these three songs. #4 - A slower paced song from the first three. Felt the instrumentals worked well in this one. #5 - Another slow jam (that picks up toward the end). #6 - Fairly haunting. I liked this one. #7 - I wasn't sure how to rate this one honestly. I guess it's okay/decent. #8 - Fun sounding lyrics. Another one that I liked in this album. #9 - Of the slower paced songs, I like this one the most. #10 - The funky sound is cool, but it feels a bit out of place compared to the rest of the album. #11 - I could not stop hearing the bongos (?) in this song. #12 - Honestly, by the time I got to this point, I was a little done with the album. I feel the album hit the saturation point here, and it became background noise for me. #13 - An okay song to end on. Nothing really stands out here. Overall, I found Laura has a good voice, but it's drowned out by the instrumentals in some of the songs. I feel like there's some good stuff here, but misses too. The rhythm changes in some of the songs were okay and shook it up every now and then. I can't say I hated it or loved it; it gets a 3 for me.

I feel like I should enjoy this more than I do. It’s unique, and I like it a lot as music. The fact that it’s a female musician leading a band is remarkable for the late 60’s. The fact that she wrote all of the material is equally remarkable. In a way I have a real respect for this album, despite only having heard of it this morning. That respect is essentially doubled based on the sheer amount of artists I love and respect who list Nyro as an influence. But, based on an initial listen, Nyro feels like an artist whose art I admire more than I actively enjoy. I’m a writer by trade, and the best example of a writer I think of in this way is Henry James or, to take a less pretentious reference, Isaac Asimov. I can recognise, and admit that both of these writers created works that were artistically perfect. The Portrait Of A Lady is a perfect fin-de-siècle society novel. Foundation And Empire is a perfect Golden Age of American Science Fiction novel. But… But… despite their artistic perfection, despite the fact that I can understand people’s devotion to them as works of art, I admire them from an arms length. There is something about their approach to art that doesn’t grab me. When I finished Eli And The Thirteenth Confession, I put on my liked songs on Spotify, and what came up was Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix and Painter Song by Norah Jones. Little Wing was a perfect palette cleanser, because Hendrix is an artist I know is divisive but whose appeal I understand. The Norah Jones song is one I was only introduced to recently via this project, but it’s an example of a female led band project which I also vibed with. I don’t think that Come Away With Me is a more mainstream release than The Thirteenth Confession has coloured my impression. Despite my current top rating including two Radiohead albums, I’d like to think my taste was more eclectic than a lot of the music nerds around at the moment who seem to listen to Indie Rock exclusively. My favourite album that was influenced by Eli And The Thirteenth Confession was Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones. It is one of my favourite albums of all time. I’m not adverse to this weird shit, I swear. I use this line a lot, but I probably need to listen to this more than once in order to get it. But unlike other albums on this list where I didn’t hate it, I just feel like I didn’t get it, I’m not sure I will revisit this. I might eat these words. This has all the makings of being a special favourite of mine. But at the moment I’m not feeling it. It’s two stars, bumped to three because I admire it. God I hope I don’t fall in love with this album on potential future listening, because this rating has the potential to be a real embarrassment

Very nice album. Super nice voice to listen too. Old fashioned pop/singer songwriter style - takes you back in time. The mastering of the Spotify version is terrible, so that makes the experience a bit less nice. The vocal is crystal clear and sounds good, but the instruments are drowning and blending. The intro song, Luckie, is pretty famous.

Not my favorite

Not bad. Feels a bit like if you were in a posh wine bar this would be sung with a piano playing in the background. Not one I'd revisit but nothing that I found particularly bad.

Nothing amazing here, but clearly out of the lot for '68.

A nice pop/soul/jazz album from 1968. I don't know why it's supposed to be here on this list, I'm not sure this album is so important or influencial, but... It was a pleasant listening.

All over the place musically and a waste of a solid voice.

er eitthvað þarna? tilgerðarlegt á köflum en stundum sprettir, þarf líklega aðra hlustun og fær því 3,5.

there were a lot of innovative albums in 1968. This one is OK

I enjoyed her voice quite a lot throughout this record, contrary to what most of the reviews seem to be saying. It kept me interested throughout the runtime, which was a solid 40 minutes. Don't have many complaints, or too many praises to sing either really. It's very much in one ear and out the other, but while it's playing the tunes are catchy and fun.

Heard before: no I had been wanting to give Laura Nyro a shot, and this is legit one of the weirdest records I’ve heard in a while. I thought I was getting early Joni Mitchell, not ADHD Burt Bacharach with doo wop vocals. I had to listen twice before I could settle into it, but once I did, the wandering melodies, stutter-step rhythms, and chamber pop arrangements gave a jazzy, almost musical theater vibe. Audacious, soulful, and crazy 70s art pop. Top tracks: Stoned Soul Picnic, Emmie, December’s Boudoir

I liked parts of this, but the whole thing kind of suffered from a late 60's era production sound. Later half of the album I found to be more interesting and unique.

Didn't know this one at all. Very like Carole King or similar. It's pretty enjoyable and I like her voice. The backing stuff sometimes was a little too quiet for me though. 3.25/5

Sassy fun this

3/5 Best: Eli's Comin' Worst: December's Boudoir

Embarrassed to say I know nothing about Nyro. Definitely right there with Carol King. Good stuff!

I thought I knew this voice from Wedding Bell Blues (I didn’t, I was thinking of The 5th Dimension version). Lo and behold, she wrote Wedding Bell Blues and Stoned Soul Picnic (also made popular by T5D). 3.5

Luckie // Lu // Eli’s Comin’ // 3.5-4/5

4 Hmmmm 3

Pretty good

-a lot going on as far as the vocals she gave us, tempo, and style. “Sweet Blindness” was catchy on the hook and I enjoyed, but song was not consistent -thought it was too long of an album -I can imagine in the summer, young “fun” girlies enjoying this in their early twenties

This was fine, kind of bland. But not bad. I would not mind listening to this again.

In eerste instantie klinkt het heel leuk, totdat haar stem toch wat begint te irriteren.

The album itself is fine. I did not enjoy the weird genre it belongs to though. Feels like a mix of pop and campy jazz, but doesn't excel in either area. Her voice gets a bit on my nerves sometimes.

Laura, pick a damn tempo and stick with it Well produced but EXHAUSTING to listen to

A nice slice of Northern Soul.

not to my taste

Did not realize this album was released on 1968. Beautiful voice, interesting album. 3/5

Reminds me a lot of Carole King and Kate Bush. Love how lush and cool jazzy the music is, combined with her double-tracked vocals makes me a beautiful listen, especially since the key and melody often change mid-track, keeping me engaged. There were highlights, but also plenty of forgettable tracks that just felt like a showcase of her vocal talent. With its 46-minute length, it could have dropped a few tracks. Favorites: Luckie, Lu, Eli's Comin, Timer, Stoned Soul Picnic, Farmer Joe

I really wanted to like this, but in the end her voice was just too grating for me to listen to on a lot of the songs. It's a very interesting album, just not one I would listen to for pleasure. Favourite song: Eli's Coming

Only listened to half but it was okay!

A pleasant listen. Was surprised to hear it was from 1968. The tracks and album cover could be from a much more recent era. My favourite track was Lu

Oh, this is pretty pleasant, I should save this song to my music libr- wait no, that's just annoying. Oh wait no that sounds kinda nice...never mind... And repeat. Overall an interesting album.

Good!

Nice mix of songs with different tempos to keep me interested from start to finish.

She was a great songwriter.

What a quaint and silly little album. There are some heart wrenching and great lyrics on here but sometimes the singing style gets on my nerves. December's Boudoir got pretty silly and i was laughing. It sounds great instrumentally and production wise but it's not really my jam. Score: 60 Art: 70

I never heard of Laura before. She looks and sounds ahead of her time. The album was enjoyable to me, but I can understand how others would find her draining.

I grew up hearing Laura Nyro, who was one of my mom's favorites, and I love her take on soul, although I'd rather listen to Aretha or Gladys or Whitney or Diana any day of the week. One thing about Laura Nyro is that she's noticeably off-key (flat) a lot. It's part of her sound, I think it's intentional and supposed to be there, but it sounds just wrong to me a lot. I don't understand that ... all in all, great songs, but the delivery isn't my favorite. 3/5

It's a low bar, but I liked this more than Joni Mitchell. Rounding up from 2.5.

clearly accomplished but not for me

Great vocals

It was a little meandering at times for me. Definitely had its moments, I enjoyed Woman’s Blues when it got into it, she has a great voice. It’s soulful and even a bit funky at times with the brass. I could see myself returning to a few tracks but definitely won’t be running thru the entire thing again. 3 stars

An interesting listen. Laura Nyro had a very peculiar voice, which had its rough charm at the start of the album, reminding me of a Polly Jean Harvey that would play show tunes and rhythm'n'blues instead of indie rock (her sort of indie rock was admittedly infused with a lot of blues as well, at least on her first albums--but PJ Harvey fans probably understand what I mean here). That being said, this comparison doesn't *fully* do justice to Nyro's one-of-a-kind performance--drawing on a lot of the expected "techniques" heard at the time, and yet using them in her own idiosyncratic way. The thing is, the end result can get a little tiring the more you advance into *Eli And The Thirteenth Confession*: That constant vibrato thing sounds as if it's out of control: once you start noticing it, you can't help hearing it everywhere. And, good lord, Laura was so... *chatty*. It's not as if I wanted her to shut up... but maybe her vocal lines should be lower in the overall mix, at least. Is it wrong for me to say so? Am I disturbed by a "chatty" female performer because I am a man who can be bothered with the (many) words of a woman? I'll let you be the judge of that. To my defense, I don't have this problem with Janis Joplin, also very demonstrative and "chatty". To me, the problem with Laura Nyro as a performer does not lie with the "intent" but with the execution. There's a very fine line between "impressive" and "overkill". And *Eli And The Thirteenth Confession* straddles it constantly. Likewise, Nyro's songwriting and arrangements aptly mirror that recurrent "overkill" mode felt in her vocal performance. Time signatures and tempi constantly change and morph and switch. Sometimes it's as if those changes are gratuitously demonstrative--as if Nyro desperately felt like she had something to prove. She was obviously talented enough to create memorable songs without resorting to those demonstrative shenanigans. And yet she couldn't help doing it. Or maybe, just maybe, her songwriting "instincts" do not sit well with my own tastes when it comes to sophisticated and off-kilter structures and arrangements. To each their own, I imagine... In spite of my rather harsh assessment up there, I want to single out three tracks that work perfectly well for me: "Poverty Train" has a terrific introduction, very ahead of its day and age, and the rest of the song doesn't disappoint. "Eli's Coming" is a striking cut, proving that if Nyro stuck to a simple idea (for most of the song, at least), she could actually be more impressive than when she went through different modes and styles in the space of a single track. And "The Confession" is an admirable, heartfelt closer. The only problem is that the rest of this record quickly gives me a headache. I'm happy I discovered it through this app. But I can't "feel" this as an "essential" album. It's more like an interesting curio for me. Sorry, Laura Nyro fans... Number of albums left to review: 636 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 181 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 85 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 105 (including this one)

Laura Nyro is a blindspot in my musical knowledge. Initially came across as trying too hard and those constant tempo changes. However she has a brilliant voice and the production is ace... needs more than one listen.

There are a lot of likable moments here – in “Timer,” “Eli’s Coming,” “Stoned Soul Picnic” among other cuts – but the tempo shifts are too jarring and too many. Net effect is sub-compelling.

Kate Bush's influence already showing even at like 8 years old

I really need a barcalounger to truly enjoy this album. It's not too bad, but just not my style.

She channels a bit of Carole King for me, though i didn't particularly love any songs. Stoned Soul Picnic was probably the most interesting for me, but overall it was pleasant... soulful voice over not very memorable songs.

Fun. She has quite an expressive voice at times, a little screechy at other times. But the songs are enjoyable enough

This is another album that I have no idea what genre to put it in. Laura Nyro is a singer songwriter who melded together aspects of jazz, folk, soul, R&B, pop, and show tunes, creating an odd mishmash of everything. One thing about her style that I've read a lot of people don't like is the constant tempo/genre changes she implements. You are just settling into a song, getting used to the beat and flow, and Laura flips it on its head and completely changes it. While it may annoy a lot of people, I don't mind it really because it keeps you focused on the music instead of drifting off. Laura has a beautiful singing voice, and can really hit those high notes! I hear influence from jazz/soul greats such as Nina Simone and Billie Holiday in her style and vocal delivery. Her lyrics are largely nonsensical, much like Kate Bush, but older. Overall, I enjoyed today's album after listening to it twice. Much like Joni Mitchell's album I reviewed on here already, it took me some time to warm up to how out there this album was. I doubt if I will listen again, but I'm glad I did at least once. Favourite songs: Eli's Comin', Lu, Sweet Blindness, Timer, Stoned Soul Picnic Least favourite songs: Lonely Women, Emmie, Woman's Blues, December's Boudoir 3/5

I thought this was great. Reminded me in a good way of Carole King. I thought it was very musical and pleasing

Hey, it's a record I own that I haven't spent enough time with. Guess I'll get on that! There are a lot of great songs here. Many made famous by others, notable Three Dog Night and The 5th Dimension. She deserves kudos as a songwriter, as a singer, she is not the greatest either as an interpreter or a powerhouse vocal. She's nice which is probably why I haven't spent more time with this album which is just nice. Nothing wrong with that but I'm probably gonna reach for other things instead. As a digger though, it is an important historical document of both her songs and her style as well as an early entrant in the singer-songwriter craze that would become a force just a few years after this album hit transforming the whole greenwich folk thing into a money maker for the powers that be.

Only ever heard of Laura Nyro in the context of Monterey. Her voice is quite incredible ranging from the beautiful and emotional to an almost screeching high pitch. The band delivers one heck of a performance, and their ability to rapidly and precisely change tempo and incorporate multiple genres almost makes this seem like Captain Beefheart gone jazz pop. This might grow on me in the future but after just one listen there are too many loose ends, that I don’t know how to tie yet.

umm white lady doing some bog band meets motown? its surprisingly alright, not transcendent, but not so blandly thieving. this is an album.

One of my musical blindspots. I'd never heard of Laura Nyro, despite her being in the Rock hall of fame. I definitely had my interest piqued.

7/10, bueno pero dsps se me aburrio caleta y se hace muy largo.

cool sound

A mixed bag

Thought this was really good but then it began to wear me out.

Good

Nice nice nice

Enjoyed this one a lot, very Carole King esque

Pretty typical late 60s singer songwriter type stuff to my ears. Not bad, not great.

Reminded me of a darker Carole King or Joni Mitchell. Pretty good.

J'avais beau ne pas connaître cette gothique, c'était finalement tout comme tant Romano en a parlé dans la radio libre de Difool.

Je suis de très mauvaise humeur ce matin et ce n'est très certainement pas cet album de Laura Nyro qui va y changer quoi que ce soit

The longer I spend with this record, the more flaws begin to emerge. The first track more or less encapsulates everything right/wrong with the album - an extremely complicated, busy arrangement with every hook imaginable, but nothing with any staying power. Her voice is slightly weedy, and a number of the tracks veer into the territory of Gershwin show-tune. I enjoyed a number of moments on this record, but the songs themselves lack any kind of impression.

laura nyro was a brand new artist to me! i knew of her since she was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2012, but i hadn't sought out her music before. her spot on this list is worthy! in a word nyro is pop, but she has jazz and folk mixed in. nyro had an interesting voice; sometimes it can be very beautiful, like in a carole king style, and sometimes her voice isn't exactly "pretty." but that's reminiscent of the sixties, and i respect it. actually, this album is firmly in 1968 but i'm not surprised that musicians like elton john were influenced by it. i can hear similarities between nyro and carole king and other singer songwriters. 3.5

Laura Nyro was completely new to me, name and all. If you told me that Tori Amos derived her influence from Nyro, I would believe it. As a Tori Amos fan, I saw a lot of striking similarities here. While Nyro is decidedly jazzier, she has this eclectic piano pop singer songwriter quality about her. You can tell that she views her singing as an art form. She allows her singing quality to carry the emotions of various musical and lyrical phrases. Even when she’s singing more “dirty” or wailing or dissonant, there is no doubting her conviction or commitment. This was an interesting and unique experience, and aside from Tori Amos, I know this woman must have paved the way for so many eclectic singer songwriters of today. It was wild and educational to hear someone doing this style back in the 1960s!

I bought this on CD years ago after reading a rave review about it. But I've never really got into it because it never really settles and I suppose that restlessness is the attraction. Nyro is a confident singer and her buoyant personality comes across. Some of the songs are really good hence there were covers by a number of artists.

Yeah kinda souly

Not heard this before, didn't wow me but it wasn't unpleasant

I hadn't heard of Laura Nyro before, she sounds way more contemporary than the late 60s, great voice. The album was alright, could have been shorter; enjoyed the up-tempo tracks; the crooning ones less so - half of them sounded the same; there were moments when I could see how the likes of Tori Amos could take inspiration.

сумбурно слушала и ничего не поняла)

A very well written collection of songs, although it has a few low points

Didn't really strike a chord with me but I can see why it gets a lot of love

This album is a lot. It's an incredible record in terms of musicality and talent. It's unlike anything I've ever heard, but it's also a bit exhausting. The tempo-changes are so frequent that I feel like I'm constantly jumping from one fast moving car to the other. Very unique record.

This is the kind of album that takes a bit for me to warm up to, but it was a pleasant listen. The layered vocals and arrangements are a bit of an acquired taste, but it's definitely a creative, unique sound. Laura Nyro's bold, expressive, somewhat torchy vocals are charming in their way. But I don't know that I need 56 minutes of her. Fave Songs: Stoned Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness, Woman's Blues, Lu, Luckie

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Woman's Blues (10) 2 - Stoned Soul Picnic (8) 3 - Luckie (1)

Interesting album, nothing particularly moved me, but I enjoyed her singing

Not bad, but ultimately lacking depth and emotion. I guess it was pretty modern 44 years ago when it came out and I do like the varied influences, but in the end it's still not much better than mediocre.

I got a 60's girl group vibe from a lot of these tracks. Solid vocals but I think there were others from that genre that did it better. Definitely not unpleasant to listen to but, in the end, I was left a little empty. But, then again, it was 1968. Maybe that's what they were going for.

Incredibly talented but underated singer/songwriter. Proof that you can appreciate something but not especially love it since I have to admit after a few numbers it starts to grate with it's NYC energy and vibrancy. Still, it's mood music and maybe on a sunny Spring day doing housework it would be good to have this on?

Alright

Impressive voice, kinda jazzy. A bit slow overall

5/13, 38%

Beautiful, raw voice and poetic lyrics

I was pretty shocked to see that this album is from 1968, until I heard it. The album cover and it being listed as "pop" threw me off because it does not feel like something from the 60's but the songs were good! I wouldn't quite compare her to Kate Bush or some of the other pop people of those decades but she had some good songs.

Uplifting and a very bright start to the morning. I liked the variety of styles. It reminded me a lot of Carole King's Tapestry. Some decent Northern Soul head nods as well. Not life changing, but decent.

The choices within each of the songs for tempo, rhythm, and style are interesting to say the least. Originally I thought that the cover was one of those retro covers. Nope, it's for an album of the time. The bottom line is, even with the innovation of the song choices, it still sounds incredibly dated. Not something I would choose to come back to.

Highly influential but not widely known and died of cancer at 49. Very sad. She's got a great voice but I'm not all that into her music, even after multiple listens. Pleasant to hear, but don't need to hear it again, which is the definition of a 3 for me.

Gave it a go but couldn’t finish the album - some homage to Kate bush but overall found it winey. Not sure which genre - a bit show jazz, easy listening, I’m not sure - some dodgy lyrics had to give up sorry 😞

3.5 for me. I thought it sounded like Carol King recorded a Motown album. A few good songs but not my favorite.

This is good but I'm not sure I've missed anything important through not having heard it before.

First time ever that I listen Laura Nyro. Sweet voice, nice melodies, styles fusion. It sounds to me like a precursor of some others more modern artists like Sade and Norah Jones

I had never heard of this artist before today. Very easy to listen to and she has a beautiful voice. I'd be interested in checking out her other work.

Never heard of this artist before - an interesting enjoyable sort of timeless album

All new to me: the artist, the album, and all songs. What a voice! Solid songwriting, too, and great performances. Stylistically, not something I think I'll come back to -- just preference -- but I can appreciate the depth and range of her talent. Impressive.

Pop-soul-jazz. Agradable. Ni fu ni fa.

Great voice but no song really goes anywhere.

Decent easy listening without highlights or lowlights, nice to hear

Lovely, weird and entertaining.

It's not quite my jam but did enjoy her powerful voice and fun melodies. Almost a 4.

I think this would be great to experience live in concert. I don’t think it works as well as a record. Not for me.

It was OK. not totally my bag

Somewhat hard to hear over the chaos of a frat house, but the album overall sounded pretty nice. I’ve become a bigger fan of this type of music since the start of this list I think

Po coveru sam mislila da ce biti neka melodramaticna Irkinja iz 90ih. No ovo je pak melodramaticna Amerikanka iz 60ih. Skroz suprotno. Jako lijep glas. Lonely women mi je najdraža s albuma i stvarno ima nekih dobrih trenutaka. Ali nisam se pretjerano uživila u ostatak. No drago mi je da sad znam za ovu tetu.

Nikad čuo za nju, ali mogu reći da je stvarno fin album, lijep. Jaka boja glasa. Međutim stvar je što u ovom trenutku nisam baš za ovako nešta pa mi zasad neće biti neko vraćanje na ovo, al da je dobar, dobar je.

Što dalje ide to jači album

Very Carol Kane-Esque. I'm enjoying it. shocked that I have never heard of so many of these albums. also bought the book in case there's some key info I need to know.

There's only so many times you can listen to Tapestry, no matter how perfect it is. So when you want a bit of that but also something different there's this. Like King Nyro wrote lots of stuff that were initially made famous by other people. Unlike King her voice is a lot more distinctive, bordering on Joni Mitchell at times. I liked this on listening, and wouldn't have come across it otherwise.

Pretty fun listen!

Quite the Morning song bird

This is a perfect example of an artist that deserves to be on this list based on her musical impact and influence on many artists to come. Nyro manages to balance smooth, soulful voices with cutting lyrics of loss and missing. Her crooning is on great display as she makes an album highlighting her unique range and sound.

This one was pretty out there. I feel like some songs had the bones of something really catchy, but then would purposefully veer off into some other experimental direction. It was mainly focused on the vocals, which were good for sure, but the songs just didn't grab me, or at least they would start to grab me and then the beat would totally change up and she'd do some strange vocal trill. Best song was Luckie, but Lu was pretty good too.

Eli’s comin is lowkey a bop

poverty train sucked. luckie was a good intro to set the mood for the album. overall, it felt ahead of its time

60s sound. Kind of reminds me of dusty springfield. Slightly annoying high pitched voice. Stoned cold picnic is a famous song, pretty cool song.

An artist Iv never heard of, enjoyed the album

A wild ride of an LP - the compositions are loud and boisterous, while Nyro’s vocals sit on top and often threaten to go off the rails (though never do). Worth another listen just to fully digest all that’s happening here.

Good! 3.5 stars. Very enjoyable, didn't hit me too hard but I did like it quite a bit.

I liked it, sue me

pretty good jazzy piano + soulful white woman vocals

I'd never heard 'Eli And The Thirteenth Confession' and I'd never heard of Laura Nyro, so this was a complete surprise to me. In a word, the album struck me as ambitious. Laura's vocals are powerful and each song's arrangement feels packed full, to the point of bursting with purpose and intent. I can see why this would be an infuential album and I can also see how a number of these songs would go on to be hits for other bands as well.

It was okay. 0RS

Never heard of her before. This hybrid of 60s pop, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez is good.

Mukava vanha uutuus mulle. Fiilailin auringonpaisteessa autossa vaikkei mieltä mullistavaa kuitenkaan ollut

Pretty good pop music. Nice voice. 6/10

Hello, who is this? Never seen this name before in my life, but I like the album art (feels very 2000s) and a few of the tunes. But dang if you just put this on and told me it was some later Joni Mitchell record I would believe you like a devout Mormon. Still, “Poverty Blues” worked for me enough that I listened to it twice. The 60s were THE decade for cocaine songs. (I guess, I don’t really know.)

not terrible

showcase of an amazing voice. good if you're in a bluesy mood

Nörö iha 3/5 ok

Not sure why I've never heard of her before, this sounds like it should be classic stuff, but I guess she never had a major hit. Definitely sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.

Nice songwriting, decent performance. Fun never knowing when a tempo change will hit.

Descent. Enjoyable

This was bloody good! Really enjoyed it, couple of duffers on it though which stops 4 stars. However, throughly worth a listen by all!

Well the beginning of the first song started a bit suddenly. Ohhhh it's the blues, that makes sense. It's good so far, I'd probably rate a 3 based on what I've heard so far. Wait, this came out in 1968? The recording quality sounds really good for the 60s. I'm considering rating a 4 just because of the sound quality. Album ended as suddenly as it began. I enjoyed the quality. The style wasn't my thing, but I appreciate it for what it is.

3/5

Sunday vibes

Never heard of her before but enjoyed listening to her songs.

This album is very simple and speaks to a kinder gentler time when music was far less sophisticated. The songs have one intention which is to entertain a live audience. Her voice is impressive as it bounces effortlessly up and down the scale. Many of the songs are flush with tempo changes that keep things moving along nicely. Unfortunately there are a number of other songs that seem to stagnate.

.

So not my style but some enjoyable songs

I loved her voice. Dad recognised her voice too and she was the vocalist with 5th Dimension; Wedding Bell Blues, great song ! A solid ***

Ik vind het nogal slap en soft. Een soort jazzy maar het klinkt als liftmuziek

Eeeh, I can't say this was awful but not my cup of tea. It had that weird lounge singer vibe again that was just a total swing and a miss. The only song I really jelled with was "Stoned Soul Picnic." I thought it was great and the soul was really there. Other than that was just waiting for it to be over.

Laura Nyro was a great song-writer and a lot of people did well from her songs, especially The Fifth Dimension, who would have been a one-hit wonder without her. As performer she had a good enough voice, but IMO it can be a bit shrill when she ramps it up. The album fades a bit & I think her interpretations of her own songs weren't as great as the interpretations of other great performers. I guess that's why there are so few great singer-songwriters out there. It's hard to be equally good at both.

Buena voz para un estilo muy personal y sin mucha instrumentación. En ocasiones un tanto desgarradora. Estilo muy de los 60-70. Agradable de escuchar

1968, pop, stimme erinnert mich an erykah badu, geht klar

Great voice, and a tragic story. The first half of this album is great. I love the jazzy show-tunes-y nature of it! The second half really drags on as she goes higher and higher into her register. I was glad it was over by the end.

Pretty standard vocal centric pop effort from the late 60s.

Very much music from its time. She had a really nice voice.

Good. Never heard of this artist but she has a very familiar sound. Very Carole King

Leuk hoor

I liked it. It had some real chill anime vibes.

Not bad decent songs. Seemed like the style was on its way out as it

Liked the style but a bit too much at times.

I liked the album, but personally didn't enjoy her singing style.

I'll have to come back to this one. I enjoyed some moments but it was mostly lost on me. Her voice is technically good but I don't really like the sound of it.

Pretty nice jazzy songs in this album. Specially the first half. Second half was a bit meh

Jazzish bluest vocal and piano singalongs. Inoffensive.

The musicianship was good and all, but the songwriting and vocal performance felt a little like jingling keys in my face

Reminds me of Joni

4.5/10

This one is a swing and a miss for me. My wife was NOT a fan either. It was more annoyed by the weird skat stuff and it completely derailed me from the album.

She has a good voice, but the music is VERY annoying. She sounds like a hyper theatre kid performing for her grandparents at Thanksgiving.

Sounds like showtunes

A bit too easy listening for me. Lovely voice though.

Sounds like a carol king knockoff without the good songs

Hhmmm 2

This is the second time this has come up for me and my multiple projects. I didn’t dig it the first time. But I listened a second time. Music can really change for me on the second time through and familiarity can improve my impression immensely. But that’s not the case here. What happened was that I became more aware of what was wrong. Laura has a fear of emptiness. She feels compelled to fill every moment, every instant with sound, with vocalization, with instrumentation. If she could have just let in a little room for breath, I believe there would have been a great improvement. But we’ll never know. And I am not sure I can withstand this a third time. 2 Boolean: true, so I could know

Not my type

Idk why but I just did not vibe with this. I think it’s an average to below average record for this style.

..

The top review nails this for me, it veered between good and annoying, depending basically on the register of her voice. Teetering between a 2 and a 3

Haven’t heard Laura Nyro before, and I can’t say i’m thrilled to have heard of her now

Just a lady singing nice songs. Her voice travels from beautiful to slightly annoying and back throughout.

2.5

Not really for me - the songs were all a bit samey and her voice put me very slightly on edge

y, no me gustó no se

No, thank you.

Some of this borders on musical torture, "Surry! Surry! Surry! SURRY!" for example. I think Laura might have had undiagnosed Asperger's or similar, as she seems to fixate on repetitive and annoying noises at some points during this album. Other parts are quite pleasant, but not enough to make up for the bits that are anything but enjoyable. Overall I feel two stars is about right. One star for quality, plus a bonus star for enthusiasm in belting out some of these songs.

I wanted to love this but I kind of drifted off while I was listening

Good jazz R n B crossover singer songwriter of 60’s 70’s who didn’t get the recognition she deserved

Strange mix…some nice some irritating

Weird

Meh 🫤 not my cup of tea

Un disco un poco aburrido, la cantante tiene muy buena voz pero las canciones me aburrieron

This was a wild one. When she gets swinging it’s really good. When she goes high it can get shrill and almost alarming. Songs often build slowly and then take an interesting turn. I started off thinking this is a 1, then it gradually won me over with its idiosyncratic charms, then it lost me for a bit. It was a fun ride and I’m glad I listened to it, and it’s certainly a compelling historical document of 70s feminist art, but I’m not sure I’d come back to it. Ultimately a 2.5 but I’m trying to stick to the rating system I set earlier.

meh

Kept feeling like I should be enjoying this, but I really couldn't...

The music is like Amy Winehouse if she was happy. The vocals are that of someone you think could have a really nice voice if they only took singing lessons. But they never do and you’re left with occasional notes of nails on the chalkboard.

I can’t really discern how I feel about this album. In one hand I feel like she’s a very talented vocalist, but on the other hand I felt like I was getting sick of her vocal style by the time I got to side B of the album. On one hand I feel like she’s doing too much with her exaggerated show tune style of music, but on the other hand I feel like she’s not doing enough, and there’s no real memorable songs on this album. This album is really just the middle of the road for me. 5/10.

Nope

Die New Yorkerin Laura Nyro war gerade zwanzig Jahre alt, als sie im Januar und Februar 1968 im Columbia 30th Street Studio in Manhattan ihr zweites Album einspielte. Gemeinsam mit Arrangeur und Co-Produzent Charlie Calello verschmolz sie dort Soul, Jazz, Gospel und Folk-Pop zu einer Klangsprache, die für die Popmusik der Epoche beispiellos war. Columbia Records veröffentlichte das Ergebnis im März 1968 – und druckte auf Nyros Betreiben hin sogar Liedtexte auf einem parfümierten Beilagebogen mit: ein Symbol für die ungewöhnliche künstlerische Autonomie, die die Songwriterin von Beginn an für sich beanspruchte. Das Album ist vollständig von Nyro selbst geschrieben und enthält Songs, die als eigenständige Kompositionen bestehen, zugleich aber einem übergeordneten Erzählbogen folgen. Tracks wie „Stoned Soul Picnic", „Sweet Blindness" und „Eli's Comin'" wurden rasch von anderen Künstlerinnen gecovert und zu Hit-Singles verwertet – während die Originale selbst eher als Insider-Empfehlung kursierten. „Emmie" gilt rückblickend als eines der frühesten lesbisch codierten Lieder im Mainstream-Pop. Was Nyro von einer bloßen Songlieferantin unterschied, war die Art, wie sie ihre Stimme über drei Oktaven selbst vervielfachte, jeden Hintergrundgesang allein einsprach und damit die konventionelle Studioroutine der Zeit brach. Eli and the Thirteenth Confession scheiterte kommerziell, blieb aber im Bewusstsein von Musikerinnen und Kritikern als Referenzpunkt haften. Todd Rundgren nannte es eine Oper; Alvin Ailey choreografierte eine Ballettperformance zu sechs seiner Tracks. Nyros Einfluss auf Kate Bush, Tori Amos und die gesamte Welle introspektiver Songwriterinnen der 1970er-Jahre lässt sich kaum überschätzen. Ein Album, das seiner Zeit so weit vorausgriff, dass es die Gegenwart noch immer berührt.

This album is kind of all over the place. I didn't hate it, but didn't really like it that much either.

60s female vocalist wailing, but even less actual music structure than others. No thanks.

Kinda boring. I have never been a big fan of jazzy crooners and she was no exception

1.5

Hadn’t heard of her before, started strong with the show tune aspect but was a bit samey, I liked the jazz vocal style but there were times when I felt she was struggling to hit notes.

Wat nog wel aardig uit de startblokken schiet als een soort eenpersoons blanke versie van de Surpremes, wordt al snel langdradig. De matig interessante jaren-zestigsoul maakt plaats voor hippige-achtige vage uitstapjes met op de zenuwen werkende lange uithalen met die overslaande stem. Kate Bush deed dit beter, Diana Ross deed dit beter, Janis Joplin deed dit beter. Hier begin je op een gegeven moment op de klok te kijken van verveling.

I really tried

Stimme mir zu schrill. 2,4

Correcto

Musical talent aside, this is a hard pass. Some people should stick to writing I guess.

Carol King Lite Her voice is amazing when she is being soulful but grating when she is powering through notes . Stoned cold picnics is a stone cold classic but the rest are meh or annoying with the odd great bit

Torrada monumental, pero es buen album

it probably didn't seem this way in '68, but Nyro now sounds to me like a Carole King wannabe

This one is saccharine. Supposedly better than sugar, but is it? It can be tasted in the drink, a chemical, processed, engineered.

Listening session: april 7th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: no Thoughts: some parts were enjoyable but quite frequently her voice became annoying and too theatrical for my liking Favourite tracks: Lu & Stoned Soul Picnic

No standouts

The longer I listened the less I enjoyed this.. Nyro has a great sounding voice but this was almost bordering on cabaret; I assume this is a product of its time but just not my thing. 2/5

Nope. Not for me.

Does not sound like an album from the 60s at all, I had Jess guess what year she thought this came out in and she said 2008 I feel like this has a lot of things about it that should make me really like it but I just didn’t? It kind of has a similar vibe to like maybe the Joni Mitchell album, but a little more jazzy/soulful maybe, but none of the songs quite hit the same. 2.5

It sounds like Carol King, whom I was subjected to in large qualities because my wife introduced my children to Really Rosie. People have gotten divorced for less.

Someone described her voice as switching between beautiful and annoying, and I couldn't agree more. When it's annoying, it's bad, it's like unskilled Broadway singer trying to flex their range. 2*

Niet boeiend, temu versie van beter tijdgenoten.

Really dig the band and the production, but can't help feel this is a voice of the era, and the brassiness or falsetto elements just don't work as well now as they maybe once did. Appreciation for this one will definitely come down to how you feel about her voice, and in my case, the feelings veered between acceptance and intense irritation.

Certainly one of the albums of all time

Some nice crooning but otherwise forgettable

not my monkey not my circus

This was always gonna be a tough sell for me, as the genres it’s mixing are none of my favourites, and although I didn’t enjoy this all that much, I still respect it. I did enjoy the constant shifting of pace and tone of the songs, kinda kept you on your toes a little, and the singing across the album is superb. However, for me, it does unfortunately fall into that category of albums where each song sounds the same. Now this may be because of the same subject matter being covered on a lot of these songs, however to me it felt like the arrangements all began quite similarly. I respect this, just not for me.