Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro enjoys a revival in the public’s consciousness about once every fifteen or so years. Tributes and revivals of the soul and pop classics that made her one of the most beloved songwriters of her day abound, honoring the rare artist, who sadly succumbed to ovarian cancer in 1997 at the tender age of 49. This latest tribute by pianist extraordinaire Billy Childs, Mapping the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro, is a must-have from earlier in the year, if only for the enviable series of featured performers on the guest list, including: Yo-Yo Mama, Chris Botti, Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Renee Fleming, Freddie Hubbard, Rickie Lee Jones, Esperanza Spalding, and, last, but certainly not least, Ledisi.
Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro enjoys a revival in the public’s consciousness about once every fifteen or so years. Tributes and revivals of the soul and pop classics that made her one of the most beloved songwriters of her day abound, honoring the rare artist, who sadly succumbed to ovarian cancer in 1997 at the tender age of 49. This latest tribute by pianist extraordinaire Billy Childs, Mapping the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro, is a must-have from earlier in the year, if only for the enviable series of featured performers on the guest list, including: Yo-Yo Mama, Chris Botti, Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Renee Fleming, Freddie Hubbard, Rickie Lee Jones, Esperanza Spalding, and, last, but certainly not least, Ledisi. Produced by Childs and Larry Klein for Sony Music, the jazz and pop approach to some of Nyro’s most darling children is keenly on display in this restrained, yet sweet approach to a song made famous by such acts as The 5th Dimension, Swing Out Sister, Julie London, Claire Teal, Jill Sobule, and, of course, Nyro herself on her 1968 album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession.
Ledisi’s spot-clean version sits neatly within the canon of previous versions. While her performance is reserved for a Naw’lins singer best known for her wide range and powerhouse vocals, the collaboration with Childs’ has an ease and grace about it that feels both right and mature. Background vocals bring the doo-wop soul of “surrrrrry” to the proceedings about midway through before it takes flight into a dreamy bridge and gently falls back to the earth for a vamp out of the classic hook with Childs killing the keys on the way out the door. The divine performance is one of several that pays fitting tribute to a lady whose artistry often felt before her time and who, like so many greats, was taken from us much, much too soon. Enjoy this delectable until the next revival, say at about 2030?
By L. Michael Gipson