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The arrangements are very much of their place and time: piano, harmonica solos, and the sort of polyharmonic brass and back-up vocals typical of late 1960s and early 1970s glossy pop. And the songs are an eccelectic lot: a touch of pop, a touch of blues, a sprinkling of folk, some of them tightly wound pop hits (such as "Wedding Bell Blues,") but most very free-style (such as "Lazy Susan.") And then there is Nyro's voice.
Nyro did not really have a uniquely memorable voice, but it was very strong, very clean, and very unpretentious, and therein lay its ultimate power: you feel that if the girl next door had the talent to lay bare her soul through writing and singing her own music, this is what it would sound like. Nyro easily bests the artists who covered her on "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoney End," and "And When I Die," but perhaps her most uniquely personal work (and to my mind most satisfying on the recording) are the the spiraling, breezy "Blowing Away," touching "Billy's Blues," and sadder-but-wiser "He's a Runner."
Nyro eventually evolved into a truly remarkable artist who combined great delicacy of voice and lyric with unexpected melodies, in some ways anticipating such artists as Kate Bush, Tori Amos, and Rickie Lee Jones. And she did considerably more interesting work than this particular recording. But even so, THE FIRST SONGS is an enjoyable introduction to her work, and recommended to established and new fans alike.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
If had to choose Laura Nyro's best album, it would be either this one or 'Eli And The Thirteenth Confession'. The acclaimed 'New York Tendaberry' is a bit too much for my little ears that want to hear songs with memorable melodies and something at least resembling a normal song structure.
'The First Songs' may lack in originality (for starters, Herb Bernstein's arrangements are pretty standard stuff in my opinion), but it might contain Nyro's best melodies, which is sort of supported by the fact that many of these songs (Wedding Bell Blues, Stoney End, And When I Die) have been interpreted by other artists.
My favourite songs include the disarming Wedding Bell Blues ("C'mon and marry me Biiillll!"), Flim Flam Man and especially Buy And Sell, which sounds like a Miles Davis ballad (with lyrics) and is one the most beautiful songs ever, as far as I'm concerned.
If you are looking for an album that constantly challenges and/or surprises you, this might not be the one, but The First Songs should not disappoint a listener who appreciates good melodies - written by a very talented artist who was just starting out. Wonderful.
But the tracks are poorly represented on this CD. The sound is very thin. Read more
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