Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

It's a shame that with a voice and songs like hers that I have never heard of Laura Nyro. This was a pretty great album and though it seems a lot of artists knew that, I think it deserved more love from the general public. "Lonely Women" caught my ear as something even beyond really good, late 60s singer-songwriter material. I love the range of her voice in it. And then it goes right into the energetic "Eli's Comin'." This is when the album really stood out for me. "Stoned Soul Picnic" is a crazy cool song, and it's hard not to think of the 5th Dimension as I always associated them with this song. So much of what I thought was their sound is Nyro's sound. The song that really has everything I love about Laura Nyro is "Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)." I really wish I could figure out what the story is, but I sure like hearing it. I didn't fall in love with every song, but I am so happy I got to listen to this, and I look forward to listening to more of her as well as being aware of her influence on so many other artists.

I have heard of Laura Nyro in reference as an influence of other artists, but don’t recall ever hearing her work before. I will admit that it was not love at first listen…and I was surprised. The voice is beautiful, but the multiple changes within a single track did not set well with some listlessness that I was experiencing yesterday. I was aware that it was not her, it was me. So, I came back to it today and have enjoyed the experience much more.

This is incredible. I have heard of Laura Nyro but never listened. I always had the feeling for some reason that her music was somehow weird and would be a challenge to listen to. On the surface, it doesn't seem challenging at all --- I get a clear singer-songwriter pop vibe a la Carole King or Rickie Lee Jones --- and I can't figure out why she wasn't on the radio all the time when I was a kid. But, oh, yeah...melodies and rhythms and even styles change every couple of lines or so. She doesn't stay anywhere for very long...and I love it. My god, what a treasure.

I have listened to this album many times before. Several years ago I became a huge fan of The 5th Dimension’s version of “Sweet Blindness.” When I found out it was originally written and performed by Laura Nyro, I landed on this album and was surprised to also find “Eli’s Comin’” (which I knew from Three Dog Night) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (another 5th Dimension hit). These songs drew me in and I fell in love with the album and Laura Nyro. I wish I was sitting in a cabaret somewhere sipping on a Gin Gimlet and enjoying a live performance of these incredible songs. Laura Nyro’s vocals are exhilarating. She creates elaborate song tapestries with varied and interesting textures, stories and dimensions. You never quite know where her songs might go or end up, but every one of them is peppered with delightful surprises. It’s such an amazing journey… I LOVE this album. If you haven’t heard Laura Nyro perform “Eli’s Comin’” then you haven’t really ever heard it, no matter how much of a Three Dog Night fan you might be. Besides the three songs mentioned previously, I’ll give a special call out to “Luckie”, “Lu”, “Poverty Train”, “Lonely Women”, “Emmie”, “Women’s Blues”, “Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)”, and “The Confession”. Looking at the previous list I feel a little silly. I could single out any song on this album as it is a phenomenal work (did I really leave out “Timer” and “December’s Boudoir”?!). The whole journey is a thrilling, beautiful adventure and I love every twist and turn. ELI AND THE THIRTEENTH CONFESSION is a masterpiece that up until now I have had to myself. Being able to share the Laura Nyro experience with my friends today makes the world a whole lot brighter!

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.

i thought that the voice was overwhelming and obnoxious. i’m not sure if it’s because of i was listening through my phone but i just didn’t like her singing at all

Laura Nyro is one of those names I know but completely missed out on her music somehow. Quick review: if you're partial to early 70s complex singer/songwriter artists like Carole King, Elton John, Todd Rundgren ... you will love this. There's definitely a strong and immediate Carole King comparison to be made in songs like "Stoned Soul Picnic" both in voice and melody; it's a high compliment yet I find Nyro in parts to be more complex in her arrangements. For example - the amount of tempo changes within songs isn't quite jarring but it is eminently noticeable in a way that forces you to listen to these songs. Heck you could almost call it progressive 70s AM gold. Summing up -> I enjoy nearly every minute of this album... but what makes me drop it just south of a 5 is the mix. It's a very clear recording but boy the voice is too hot/loud and I just can't get by it after many listens. The music itself is everything I'd want though - a preponderance of major 7th chords amidst jazz+pop progressions, gorgeous harmony, dynamics, varying melodies constantly in motion, variety in songs... giddyup. 8/10 4 stars.

Not my thing.

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

Excellent album. Amazing how influential she was, and died so young. Such a tragedy. Fave track: stoned soul picnic.

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.

Listening to this was like seeing art. I have no idea what I’m looking at but I guess a ton of artists sampled these songs? Just not my cup o tea

Carole King wannabe

I liked it, sue me

I imagine that she’s constantly winking as she performs. Pass

pretty good jazzy piano + soulful white woman vocals

This album is so full of life, and what a voice!

A great selection from 60s pop. Favorites: Sweet Blindness, Poverty Train, Eli's Comin'

For a stretch - the first three songs, say - I felt that this was pleasant jazz-pop, but nothing to write home about. Sure, there are gestures at character, but the effect is that of one color of paint. But the rest of Eli convinced me that the paint was higher quality and the technique more subtle than I thought. The richness comes out as the songs are layered, and my perspective on the beginning of the record is very different now that I have heard the end.

10/10 such a fun album no complaints, just some really fun pop I should listen to at least one or two other albums from her

Great singer/songwriter vibe. She reminds me of Carole King. Songs like "Sweet Blindness" are very indicative of their time. Horns, tambourine, vocalized "ba ba ba bas," like classic Dylan. These songs are well produced. I like that she has something to say. She's definitely a budding activist and she uses her music to entertain but also inform. She's as confident as they come, willing to intimately feature her voice with minimal accompaniment, which is raw, bluesy, and beautiful. I had heard Eli's Comin' and I always attributed it to some 70s band (3 Dog Night?), but I guess it was Laura Nyro. Good song! Stoned Soul Picnic is awesome! I am a Laura Nyro fan - she's an inspiration and a talent.

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.

I have never heard of Laura Nyro before, so I'm quite excited to go on on an album knowing nothing. She's really good. Soul, jazz and experimentation all banging together. It's an album I won't be sure about until I've given it more listens. But it makes me want to listen to it more. I went back for a second listen. I think I'm going to buy this one off the back of this. I could end up regretting the score I give it, as I feel like this could end up being a five star album to me once I've lived in it for a bit. How had I missed her all my life? I know I Met Him On A Sunday. It's a tune! It's not on this album, it just came up after it ended!

No ty

It was okay. 0RS

Very good.

It's... Fine I guess? But you can't follow Bjork with this mellow schmooze really. Sorry Laura I'm sure you were revolutionary at the time.

2/5 sadly no.

This is a style of music that has never quite done it for me, though somehow Joni Mitchell gets a pass for it with me. This one grew on me though as it went on. Still not really my thing but it's clearly hugely influential and objectively good.

nope

Wasn't the worst.

I did not know her. I think she lacks a voice.

mærkelig sing/songwriter, country, Pj harvisk

I feel like I should have liked this more than I did but for some reason I couldn't get into it and really struggled to get through it. Probably more on me than the record. Probably should be 3 stars but giving it 2.

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

Meh

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

Bit too musical theatre at times but the good stuff is spectacular

Cool

Not my favorite, but I like her voice.

Pretty good pop music. Nice voice. 6/10

Man, I almost like this, but it's consistently pushing itself into show-tune territory and I just can't stand it. Like, I don't feel like she's brassy enough to pull off these big moments for me. I wish it was a smaller album, maybe? Like, a little more intimate, like what the album cover seems to suggest.

I feel like I've been misled, I thought Laura Nyro was going to be some Laurel Canyon folkie; this was quite something else! Absolutely eccentric in both writing and execution, but exhilirating for all that. I found Nyro's policy of teeing off wildly and playing where it lay to be endearing, but can fully understand that it could be disorienting or frustrating for others. Quite what is this anyway? Mutant show tunes? Soul-jazz-kitchen sink pop?

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.)

no

Anything from 1968 makes me wary, this little project seems to insult me more often than not with absolute garbage from this period, but this doesn't strike me immediately as folk rock or psychedelic shit, looks more like it'll be jazz. Cover gives me jazz vibes. Ok it's pretty jazzy, but also kinda like the Supremes as well? Songs are upbeat for the most part and catchy. She can sing, too. And wrote all the songs according to wiki!! I'm honestly surprised I've never heard of her before. This is a really nice surprise, and a welcome change from groaning as I slog my way through the day's album haha. An actual worthy entry for 1968, who'd a thunk it? Lost a bit of steam towards the end but still gonna give it 4/5.

I really liked this one a lot. Great vocals, the instrumentation is weird and super fits within the work. I added quite a few of the songs to one of my playlists.

not terrible

N I C E

jazzy; yllättävän hyvä, mut silti vähän tylsä; ei yhtään biisii, jonka kuunteleminen ois ärsyttäny

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

0/5 why you do this to me

Nörö iha 3/5 ok

Powerful performances, incredible voice. A lot of clever gems hidden inside these recordings.

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.

Failed to leave an impression

5/5 - surprisingly excellent

Couldn't get through it, seemed basic

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

Unique and fun album, but not my thing...glad I heard it though

It's competently produced and her voice is fine, but the campy broadway-meets-60s-pop songwriting was not to my taste. When the horn section kicks in and it has hints of classic soul I tend to like it, other times it sounds like the schmaltzy Elton John records I tend to skip - there's more of the latter.

Descent. Enjoyable

Beautiful voice, amazed that I never heard of her before.

Love this album. 60 sounding, but very good.

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

This production fucking slaaaaaaaps. Songwriting is fantastic. Great rhythm. One of my favorites I've heard on here so far. Sounds timeless to me. Big influence for Todd Rundgren too.

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.

Underrated, gorgeous, heartfelt gem. The vocals are lovely. Truly an underappreciated masterpiece.

So good! Retro math rock

3/5

Норм деваха исполняет

Sounds like the link between Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Lovely voice, soul meets jazz and pop. His did I miss this all these years?

Una voz envolvente, que hace disfrutar el álbum (casi) completo. Para deleitarse.

I don’t hate it, but I really just can’t get into this

Nicht komplett gehört, hat mich nicht begeistert.

Sunday vibes

Not offensive but nothing to celebrate either. Why's it on this list?

Honestly don’t understand how this was selected - but then I’ve always hated this kind of tripe - fuck the 60s

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

Ok Laura, go off! I’ve never heard of Laura Nyro and was not expecting to like this as much as I do. What a great voice.

Quite liked this...

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.

Very good! And so nice to have a woman on here, finally! This is vibey! And the album cover is nice.

.

So not my style but some enjoyable songs

She is obviously a talented singer, but not really my thing.

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

Somewhat boring and lackluster. She sounds great and there are some high points (Second Half of Lonely Woman for example) but was hard to get through the whole album

This is one of three albums I get to listen to on an island in hell. Things that sound better: Open mouthed pork rind crunching on a public bus, mosquito stuck in your ear canal and the always reliable fingers on a blackboard. I tried to find something good about this cloying 70sesque drivel, but not much here. The opening seconds of “Poverty Train” we’re ok.

Right up my alley

too much singing.

Beautiful vocals

Never heard of Laura Nyro, but 2.5 tracks in I think this is GREAT! What a voice! Excellent record. Catchy, toe tapping, range of styles. Really nice songs that her voice elevates.

Felt like it should and could have been better than it was.

Pretty good pop album, with catchy songs

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.

4

Exciting voice, amazing lyrics, cool jazz vibes, clever arrangements... boring songs

Just too many words. Shhh love.

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

Well she has a good singing voice but her campy, bouncy jazzy pop style was really grating and annoying to me. I couldn’t get thru this one

Was für den Soul Allnighter. Bisserl Dsiko. Nicht für mich, nicht durchhehört

Worst one so far. My brain hurts from trying to listen to it

Skillful, but grating vocals. A few decent songs, but lacking a royal run of tracks to make the list

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.

Really enjoyed this album. It was all over the place in a very good way. The band was on fire and the vocals were amazing. I appreciate the wide variety of sounds even within songs. A very interesting listen all around. Favorite tracks: “Lucky,” “Lu,” “Poverty Train,” and “Eli’s Comin’”

Super soulful voice but its not my style.

Solid album

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

I think this is another case of the poetry of lyrics being lost on me, based on the way the album was written up. She clearly has a great voice, and the instrumentation of strings is interesting, but overall this album didn't seem to catch me. I'm going to rate a 2.5 for now, with an understanding that a more thorough listen may be necessary later.

Quite enjoyable. a bit long but i really liked it

A pleasant surprise of an album. Excellent singing by Nyro over an eclectic collection of sounds from diverse genres.

forgetable late 60s joni-mitchell-like

old school New York singer. She influenced Elton John. This album was in Rolling Stone's top 500 albums of all time (somewhere in mid-400s).

i'm glad i survived that. i do not believe i would have enjoyed that particular part of 1968. i doubt i would've felt the need to be shouted at in that way.

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

Her voice keeps switching from annoying to beautiful

Can’t believe I never heard of her, had a Joni Mitchell vibe mixed with Sheena Easton, I really liked it.

Good good not bad

Leuk hoor

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

Beautiful and brilliant album! Loved it. Never heard of Laura Nyro before this and definitely going on my daily listening list.

Again, just not for me.

meh

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

Great voice, great album.

This I hate.

too dissonant

Liked the style but a bit too much at times.

Loads going on and all of it is great. Slow sad songs, uptempo fun stuff. Powerful voice.

I think there's a reason this never really gained popularity... Nyro is clearly talented vocally but her songwriting is just not that good and it sounds like show tunes, which is kind of insufferable. Really campy. I can't finish the album :/

Great album could totally vibe to this

weirdly loving this, feels like 4 or a 5 started grating after a bit Once it was alright now slaps tho

Standard 60s blue-eyed soul pop with an occasional dash of Gershwin-esque jazz and an extra helping of inane lyrics. Boring. Best track: Luckie

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.