Eli and the Thirteenth Confession

I really was expecting this to be better.

Ok

Refreshing sound for 60s pop

Musically this is well-crafted, but I absolutely cannot stand her voice. It's way over the top and it's migraine inducing to the nth degree. Couldn't handle more than a couple songs of it.

The Good: We finally get the truth!
The Bad: It took 13 tries…
The Ugly: The previous twelve lies!!!

Never ever heard of this lady. What a inspiring, yet sad story.

When the first song kicked in my instant reaction was “WTF am I being forced to listen to now?” That feeling really didn’t leave after the second song… as a matter of fact, when I was done with the record, I was kind of happy…

However, as I was on my morning walk, and the walk lasts about 80-85 minutes, and I only had this album uploaded on my smart-watch, well… I had to listen to it again.
Some how, the album actually started growing on me.

Then, 1 day later, now that I know the trick of listening to the next album without having placed a review of the previous one, I decided to listen to the new album… this morning… during my walk…
That fucking album was a nightmare… so I listened to this album again.

Congrats Laura on these 4*

There’s something I find rather irritating about this.

Laura's music is stuck between being really cool and innovative and dated ("Stoned Soul Picnic" sounds like a borderline parody with how late 60s it is) and uninteresting to me. I hear quite a bit of influence on Kate Bush here. Ultimately not really for me

En mi vida había escuchado de Laura Nyro y me llevé una grata sorpresa.

Laura Nyro is a rare entry into my personal canon of captivating singers including Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser and Scott Walker. I’m amazed I was not familiar with her before picking up this record because she is a sensation. It's not often that a genre completely clicks in your head for the first time but her take on vocal jazz did that for me through an elaborate vocal performance which bursts with vital feeling, flavour and a joy for life. It elevates a more familiar pop soul sound, which I usually find soothing but straightforward, into something wholly unpredictable and shaken up. She’s here for a party. She’s bringing the party!

Laura Nyro has a good voice. But I don't like her music. It reminds me of a certain kind of bar music that I can rarely stand. 3/5

Great voice. Amazing that this was recorded in 68 - sounds way more modern production-wise

I didn't know much about Laura Nyro before this, but man, I was totally blown away. This 1968 album sounds way ahead of its time, mixing soul, jazz, gospel, and pop into its own unique vibe. You can really hear how she paved the way for legends like Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Kate Bush. The song structures are wild and unpredictable, but instead of feeling messy, it’s just a super fun, creative rush.

Her voice is unreal, so powerful and full of raw emotion. Whether she's going all in on the theatrical, frantic parts of "Eli's Comin'" or chilling out with the groove on "Stoned Soul Picnic", she’s in total control. I can see why her big, Broadway style energy might be a lot for some people, but I loved it. It’s an absolute hidden gem and a total blast to listen to.

Yet another 5/5 rating (am I being too much generous with my ratings? Or am I being so lucky with the albums the generator is throwing at me?!?!)

But seriously, when I hear something that could have been produced 2, 3, or 10 years ago and it captivates me, and then I look it up and realize it was produced 40, 50, or 70 years ago, that’s how you know something has aged well. With this album, I felt exactly that! Although it’s not my favorite genre, this lady’s jazzy voice and the beautiful melodies were a wonderful experience.

Good album. Not really my style or something I see as very interesting. But it's a good listen. Nice voice and great musicians. I particularly liked "Poverty Train", "Lonely Women", or "Stoned Soul Picnic" or "Woman's Blues". Between 3 and 4 stars.

Het eerste nummer is een soort radio-soul. Zeer toegankelijk. Het smaakt best naar meer. Het is blijkbaar slechts een opwarmertje. Laura heeft nog heel wat voor ons in petto. Ze gaat er vol voor. Maar tegelijk lijkt ze zichzelf wat te overschatten. Met name de uithalen zijn niet per se denderend. Af en toe komt er een erg geinig nummer voorbij, gewoon lekker swingend, zoals Eli's Coming' (al moet je even door een intro heen).

Snap niet waarom dit in het boek moet, er zijn toch wel betere artiesten in het genre. Maar ach, het is best geinig eens te horen.

Leuke verrassing dit, want ik had nog nooit van Laura Nyro gehoord. Lekker theatraal af en toe. Productie klinkt best modern voor zo'n oude plaat.

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

ou pior que foi bem melhor do que achei que seria. mó vozerão com 21 anos que bizarro
achei alguns instrumentais bem massa, na real. uma pegada mais blues/jazz, super bem produzido. bacana demais.

Help! Carole King got replaced by an alien who sounds just like a cat in heat! What ever shall we do?
(you could take a couple stars away from the rating)
Okay we'll take a couple stars away from the rating!

Enjoyed this