Customer Reviews

Angel in the Dark

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have over 5,700 volumes in my music collection. So when I say that Laura Nyro is my VERY favorite, I hope you will realize it encompasses a broad scope. When she sings, she takes me to places no other singer has: from the abyss of despair to the ecstacy of bliss, and often within the same song. When she was with us, I would often pray for Laura that her muse would speak to her. The track "Serious Playground" with just piano and Laura's vocal addresses her attunement with the muse of the creative process. For her fans, this is a strong CD and certainly an answer for my prayers. In the title track, Laura's ethereal voice floats over the piano, "I can't live no more without an angel of love." Her original song "Triple Twilight Goddess" is part politics, part tears, the working woman's ballad. I think my very favorite of the new self-penned originals is "Sweet Dream Fade." This is Laura at the top of her game, equal parts pop, jazz and soul. Randy Brecker's trumpet and Freddie Washington's bass propel the tune with the refrain "Don't let this sweet dream face." Stunning. Bashiri Johnson's percussion pulses in Laura's "Gardenia Talk" and makes the cut a lot of fun. "Animal Grace" shows Laura's concern for the treatment of animals that surfaced so well in her "Light the Light" CD. The most empassioned vocal is near the close of the CD on Laura's "Don't Hurt Child." Her voice weaves over, through and under the rather laconic instrumentation, "May the love that you know get you by." The covers on the CD are real gifts. Laura who transformed Carole King's "Up On the Roof" on her "Christmas & the Beads of Sweat" album, makes Carole's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" build from a haunting refrain to desperate plee to the confident assurance of a mature love. Carol Steel contributes some sweet percussion on the track. Laura totally transforms the Richard Rogers' "He Was Too Good To Me" into an aching lament. Laura does two Burt Bacharach songs here. "Walk On By" has such a strong emotional melody and lyric that it seems tailor-made for Laura. But the real find is the gem "Be Aware." I couldn't find this on any of my old Dionne LP's or couldn't tell from the internet sites where it has previously been recorded; so I don't know where Laura found this treasure. It is about as brilliantly and sweetly stated a song of social consciousness as one is likely to find. The transition from piano to full band gives the arrangement strength as Laura sings, "When we have so much, should any child be homeless? Be aware." "Let It Be Me" is beautifully powerful; Laura doesn't so much sing it as embody it. Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Ooh Baby" takes the bare emotions of a soul song and exposes the raw nerve. When Laura sings, "I'm crying, baby, baby," you feel it to the bone. Why Laura chose the Gershwin tune "Embraceable You," I don't know. Like few other singers, she can transform even a standard as her own. In "La La Means I Love You," Laura's voice embraces the sweet soul and slides over the melody as if it were written just for her. The CD ends with "Coda" from the title track, "Come back to me, come back." And as much as anyone can, Laura has come back to us with this final studio disc. Don't miss the final chapter in this classic singer/songwriter's work. It is not to be missed!

Laura Nyro is, in my humble opinion, the greatest combination we have ever had in a singer and songwriter. In terms of singing alone, she ranks near the top of my list with Ella, Billie, Sarah, and Aretha. In terms of songwriting, she ranks somewhere up there with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Does it sound too good to be true? Sometimes I think so. But this album (her final works recorded during her final days) reminds me that Laura is truly what I think she is--the best singer/songwriter that will ever inhabit this earth.

You do not have to be a Laura Nyro fan to enjoy and appreciate this album. Laura's voice is so beautiful here; untouched by time, reaching the heights and depths it did in her earlier recordings 30 years before. She adds her own harmony vocals throughout, which is something she pretty much pioneered in the 60s on her triology of masterpieces "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession", "New York Tendaberry", and "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat". Those three albums broke new ground in so many ways, and even Laura seemed inspired by them when she made the recordings that appear on "Angel in the Dark". I think she made peace with the wild ramblings of her youth when she did these songs. Her 80s and 90s work showed a departure from the wild energy of her salad days, but she came full circle round with this soulful, energetic set (though a touch more subdued than her 60s/70s work, of course).

Believe it or not, I'm trying not to gush uncritical praise here. I can truly say that this collection of songs is so unique and special, period. But it does make it even harder to accept Laura Nyro's death, because these songs are proof that her fires were still burning, and that there would have been many more albums and Bottom Line concerts to attend.

If you are already a fan, you won't get through this with dry eyes. But even if you know nothing about Laura Nyro, I think this album will still send you through a gentle emotional wringer.

"Come back to me, come back..."

When I first moved to NY with a fifty-dollar bill in my sneakers and a suitcase full of dreams stored in my room at the YMCA, the first evening I spent in the city was at a Laura Nyro concert in Central Park. On a balmy July evening she came out onto the stage in bare feet and a cocktail dress, sat down at her piano and played song after song for close to two hours, not once saying a word to the audience. After each song was finished she would smile out to the crowd and begin to serenade us with yet another musical gem. When the concert was over, Laura left the stage and we all sat mesmerized, shaken to our very core with the Manhattan skyline echoing with the strains of Laura's lovely voice. Listening to this CD reminded me that Laura's music touched you deep down inside. The music said it all. She bared her soul, told of her dreams, heartaches and joy in every chord and in every lyric. You truly were one with Laura when you listened to her music, so it is only fitting that the last recorded material that we have from Laura recreates this same intimacy. What a rare treat to have such a wonderful tribute to an angel that we all shall miss. This is a CD to treasure.

In retrospect, the late Laura Nyro's final recording, "Angel in the Dark" is full of haunting summons to mortality: The title track with its pleading, repeated line, "Come back to me, come back; answer my prayer," beckons the spirits of Nyro's mother (who, eerily, succumbed to ovarian cancer at age 49, as her daughter would in 1997); and her maternal grandfather, among others, who Nyro claimed had primary influences on her life (this according to the eloquent liner notes penned by poet Elaine Silver-Lillywhite, Nyro's friend and business partner on their Luna Mist record label).
Likewise, Nyro's self-penned "Triple Goddess Twilight" directly summons these familial spirits, as Nyro sings: "Mother you died young and left me; Your twilight colors/Rose/Ah burgundy/Coral mist/What are the shades of loneliness."
She also addresses her grandfather in the lines: "My grandfather painted houses/On a ladder in the sky/He was working class/Urbane/Street-wise/Said-'We can change the world, girl/Love will inspire,'/Told me this through whiskey/And revolutinary fire."
She summons Heaven with: "He left a war/To walk in peace now/Said life was for/Our dream/Our dream of progress."
The song itself ends by not really resolving itself-in that a piano chord is repeated over and over, sounding like the cadence of footsteps walking into some unknown terrain, gradually fading.
Not all is heavy and haunting, though--the cover songs showcase a youthful joy and obvious reverence for these songs' influence on Nyro as a youth; listen to "Let It Be Me," "Walk On By" and "Embraceable You" to hear examples of her myriad musical influences.
I contend, though, that her most striking recordings on this set remain her self-penned compositions such as those listed previously ("Angel in the Dark," "Triple Goddess Twilight); as well as the mystical "Serious Playground," where Nyro sings, without a hint of irony, "My boss is The Muse" and so describes the songwriting process; "Sweet Dream Fade," an almost 'accidental' groove, given Nyro apparently was not going to record it, but Lillywhite insisted it was ready and Nyro picked it out on the piano, and her band quickly established the charts and set down a groove. It ended up, according to the liner notes, as her last in-studio recording: a sort of off-the-cuff, joyful, jazzy, breezy song and one of the most upbeat songs on the album.
Another Nyro original, "Gardenia Talk," describes spring with relation to new or rediscovered love --it's a song brimming with hope and optimism, seductive and richly visual.
The truly haunting closing song is Nyro's original "Don't Hurt Child" (perhaps written with her teen-age son in mind?). Something like a soulful lullaby, she implores, 'Don't hurt child/I took my stand/But the key is in your hand/Heal your wild wing/And fly." The song, which came to Nyro all in one day, was also among the last songs she recorded.
Other reveiwers have suggested this album is perhaps Nyro's most intimate, a assertion with which I agree. While some critics and reviewers dismissed Nyro's later work is less evocative than her earlier, 'advant-garde' 60s and 70s albums (and it is true that many of her songs in the 80s and 90s stressed topical earth-mother-animal rights-feminist leanings and perhaps only resonated with a handful of fans) "Angel in the Dark" finds Nyro in a seemingly different creative place: Though slightly pushing the edges of darkness and mortality themes with the title track and others, the attendant mystical spirituality that always set Nyro's work apart is firmly in place and flows through this album--it is pure soul. While knowing this was Nyro's last recorded effort might add to this feeling among listeners now, it is plain that the lyrics address spirits come and gone, implore understanding and celebrate happiness, new seasons. It's something like a cycle of life, this album--evoking spirits at the beginning, giving advice to a child on the threshold of life by the end. This album seems at once to be celebrating newfound creativity on the part of Nyro (this again according to the liner notes) while hinting at the sorrow just over the horizon.
This is Nryo in magnificent, final bloom. A must-have for fans, it's best listened to after taking in the fiery music of her youth ("The First Songs," "Eli," "New York Tendaberry,"Christmas and the Beads of Sweat"); her homage album, "Gonna Take A Miracle;" her content, relaxed vocals on "Smile" and "Nested" (as she moved to rural Connecticut and 'settled'); "Mother's Spiritual," "Walk the Dog and Light the Light" (her later albums focusing on the topical natural world-feminist-animal rights-earth mother angles that were important to her). Taken in this career-spanning context, "Angel" seems the perfect end-note: Whether pleading for much-missed spirits to return, or seductively reminding the listener, "It's spring," the emotions of this recording, the warmth with which Nyro sings and accompanies herself or the grooves that seem to leap out at the listener at the songs were the band locks into a jazzy groove, this album seems, more than anything, a testament to the power and affirmation inherent in an artist for whom "The Muse" allows her to exclaim, "I'm here for the music/Of my life."
So are we, and we are all the better for it.

Aaah, Laura Nyro! Just her name works magic on me. I tend to be wary of posthumous releases in general--especially when there have been lawsuits involved, as was the case with "Angel in the Dark." But this was, after all, Laura Nyro, which means that it would be a "must have." The ultimate test, though, is how much would I recommend it to other people, especially to those who aren't (yet) Laura Nyro fanatics.

Well, that's a little tricky actually. This mix of new compositions (all magical in their unique ways) and "heartbeat songs" from Laura's youth is, as others have noted, a remarkably seamless whole. I had to check the liner notes to determine that "Be Aware" was actually a Bacharach/David number that I had somehow missed along the line. But Laura makes it her own--so much so that it's hard for to imagine anyone else doing it justice. And the first several tracks especially just send me away, simultaneously sensuous and dreamy.

But for those who have yet to succumb to Nyro's spell--and especially for those who have never heard her at all, I think I would still recommend they start out with something from earlier in her career. To understand the mature, somewhat languid Laura Nyro oeuvre, I think you first have to have been exposed to her fevered post-adolescent soul...to go back to when it was truly as much "playground" as it was "serious," when she was "still mixed up like a teenager, gone for the 4th of July..." Whenever I personally introduce a friend to Laura's music, it's always "Eli and the 13th Confession." If that doesn't win 'em over, nothing from the later,quieter periods will.

And yes, there are people who are indifferent to Laura Nyro or who try to write critically and objectively about her place in pop music history blah blah blah. I am anything but indifferent--and hardly objective. Laura Nyro creates entire worlds for me: opens up whole new dimensions. There are those who will find her lyrics obscure and her melodies fragmented. They just don't get it and likely never will. I always make allowances for personal tastes, but I actually feel sorry for those who can't fathom Laura's music.

I had the pleasure of seeing Laura Nyro live twice, once at Carnegie Hall in the early 1970's (at the peak of her popularity), and again many years later, in the early 90's at the Appel Farm Folk Festival in New Jersey. On both occasions, I was impressed by both her formidable talent and her gentle nature. (At the Carnegie Hall concert, which was an all-star benefit for an Eastern religious leader whose name now escapes me, she spoke between songs about the benefits of Eastern mysticism, when a heckler, who was clearly not in the spirit of the evening, shouted, "[B.S.]!" She stopped, played a few strains on her piano, and paused again for a moment, saying, "You may think it's [B.S.], but I think it's true.") Anyway, anecdotes aside, I always especially loved her early work, which generated hits for everyone but her (Barbra Streisand, The Fifth Dimension, and Three Dog Night, to name a few). This always amazed me, because she was always the best and most soulful interpreter of her own music. I lost touch with her after the early 70's, and she never really recaptured the commercial success of her first four classic albums. But she was always an artist of integrity and grace, and while her voice lost a bit of the range she once had, it never lost that sweet, soulful style that was her trademark. This is a wonderful final love letter to her fans, a satisfying mix of original tunes and covers, and a return to form of sorts, harkening back to those great early songs, as well as "Gonna Take a Miracle", her very fine album of covers with Patti LaBelle and her group. It's an intimate, passionate, reflective, and generally excellent CD. We will miss you, Laura, but thank you for this final, graceful bow. (P.S.: Wait for the "hidden track" at the end, a nice cover of the old Marvelettes hit, "Come and Get These Memories".)

Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell provided the soundtrack through my high school and college years in the 70s. Four months ago, I finally grew up and bought my first home. While filing my albums (yes, albums, I still play them)on their new shelves I became reacquainted with Laura. She was sorely missed and badly needed, and when I searched [...] for Laura recordings I was surprised and delighted to find Angel in the Dark. That was three weeks ago, and I haven't stopped playing it. Laura continues to provide my life's soundtrack just as she did 25 years ago. I was moved to tears on my first listen; hearing her familiar, hauntingly beautiful voice was...life altering, like a big, warm, long embrace. These songs are just like old friends, even better the second time around. The accompanying liner notes are a bonus, so much pleasure for virtually nothing. 1001 thanks to all involved in preserving Laura's memory and sharing their talent with her one last time, and giving the rest of us such a wonderful, loving gift.

I moved to Nashville in 2001 and bought this CD right before I relocated. I flew to Nashville while my things were on a moving truck and this was one of the few CDs I slipped into my bag that I brought with me. When my things were delayed getting here for almost three weeks, this CD was in constant rotation, soothing, calming and reassuring my soul. This CD contains "the best of both worlds" that Laura moved in and out of throughout her career...The Lunar poet who wrote from another galaxy and the crooner who loved to sing the soul songs of her youth. All of the new compositions ("Triple Goddess Twilight", "Gardenia Talk", the title cut and my personal favorite "Serious Playground) are all individually brilliant...Perhaps Laura's best writing...The cover songs are all stirring..."Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "He Was Too Good To Me", "Embraceable You", "La La Means I Love You" and the irresistable "Ooh Baby Baby", each take on new meaning with Laura's unmatchable interpreation. Don't miss out on the masterpiece.

When I saw this album, I thought "Oh no, someone has taken all the bits and scraps from Laura's career and pounded out some kind of posthumous embarassment." Boy, was I wrong! This is not only NOT an embarassment, it is easily one of her best albums ever. The music and the quality of her voice are first class all the way; then I read the loving liner notes by the woman who worked with her at the end and who put the album together, and I was even more moved and delighted. Laura has never sounded stronger and more beautiful than she does here--a great testimony to her talent and strength. The brief coda of the Vandella's Come and Get these Memories made me go back and start appreciating Laura's early albums again--maybe that was what she wanted. I hope so.

So many of the songs on this album feature the just-Laura-and-her-piano simplicity and directness. In this first listening I hear the soul-bearing intimacy of New York Tendaberry and the mature intensity and commitment of her later work. "To a Child", for example. These AREN'T songs Blood Sweat and Tears, Streisand, and the Fifth Dimension would cover. These are classic Laura songs, HERS, even those penned by others. What a wonderful gift that this album is released! At her death four years ago I thought that was it, there would be nothing more. I stand corrected.

Fellow Napsterites take note: buy the CD. David Gahr's silver on black photographs of Laura at the piano show again, uniquely, the artist at work. And Eileen Silver-Lillywhite's extensive liner notes make quite a story. Here is Laura in her last days, composing, playing scrabble with her son Gilly, struggling against terminal illness, attending a poetry class at a university. Imagine that: you're taking a college class in poetry and one of your fellow students is vaguely recognizable. Eventually you figure it out. She's the lady who wrote Brown Earth and Chinese Lamp and Tendaberry. What would you say? I hope I'd have the courage to ask, "So what are you working on these days?".

Here is the answer.