Mother's Spiritual

Laura Nyro | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ICONOCLASSIC
• ASIN: B0027CI1UU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,086 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Laura Nyro's ninth album, Mother's Spiritual , was the second of her two "maternal" albums (1978's Nested being the first), and broke a long silence upon its release in 1984, being Nyro's first new release in over five years. In contrast to the wild, adventurous music with which Nyro first made her reputation, Mother's Spiritual exhibits a calm, serene, piano-centered sound; it's cherished by longtime fans, and has never before been widely available on CD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laura's Greatest Along with "New York Tendaberry", May 29, 2003

By 

Charles A Carlino (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother's Spiritual (Audio CD)

While "Mother's Spiritual" is as far removed from "New York Tendaberry" as imaginable, where NYT was aggressive, sad, frantically emotional, and sometimes disturbing (though ultimately satisfying), MS is gentle, flowing, reassuring and nurturing. It's an exquisite piece of work with a continual flow, and it's a true shame that Columbia/Sony has not seen fit to release this title on CD. (It was only been released as a rare German import over a decade ago.)

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STOP HERE ! This is the one to buy next., April 27, 2002

By 

A music fan (Shrewsbury, Ma. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother's Spiritual (Audio CD)

I will be breif as the other reviews also state the case very well, but any fan of Laura's should own this CD. I have had it since the day it came out and it gets better with each succesive listen. Laura continued to make great music througout her carreer and this is one of her finest, most personal, works lyrically. However, it is the melodies that rival her greatest works and will continue to bury themselves into your skull until they rest within your soul. Let's face it, soul is what this beautiful and sensitive woman was ultimately all about. Her passing has been one of the most profound losses of my life. Some may think that strange as I never met the woman but her music always spoke passionately to me. That wonderful music is her legacy and any fan must own this album. It is discraceful that Sony has not seen fit to release this CD domestically but this Line import is priced reasonably so what are you waiting for ?

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! Laura's best CD from her latter period!, June 16, 2001

By 

The Pete (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mother's Spiritual (Audio CD)

I've just started listening to pre-"Smile" Nyro, so I can see how people can be split between these two phases of her work. Her earlier work seems more ambitious and urban, while her later work is more melodic and nature-themed. It's unfortunate that the two best albums from her later period ("Nested" and "Mother's Spiritual") are so hard to find. It makes it difficult to see that her later period was just as worthwhile as her celebrated early albums.

Anyway, if you like Laura Nyro's latter phase (from "Smile" on), then this CD is a must. Get it while you can! It's the best work she crafted from this period. Every song has something very concrete to say in beautiful poetic language and, lyrically, "Mother's Spiritual" is Nyro's most open album. Several songs are about becoming a mother and dealing with motherhood and, as usual, there are a couple political songs and Nyro is not shy about what she thinks. However, I find that her straightforward, unpretentious presentation prevents any of these songs from becoming crabby public service announcements (like Joni Mitchell or other former sixites icons work seems to get).

However, good themes are nothing without good music and Nyro delivers all the way through the CD. All these songs are a joy to listen to. The overall tone of the record is very light and focuses on Laura's piano playing and voice, using the other musicians to fill out the sound and vary things somewhat.

On this CD, you will understand why people on the Bottom Line CD kept shouting for her to play "To a Child". What a heartfelt song! "A Free Thinker" speaks to following ones own path with tight musicianship and great harmonies. "Mother's Spiritual" is, in my opinion, Laura's most beautiful piece of writing and performing. These are my favorites, but there are few songs that don't feel very strongly about.

A wonderful, hard to find CD. If you like Laura Nyro, do not hesitate to pay the extra buck to snatch this up. There is no CD like it, and it is so worth the import price!