Beyond her generous physical frame, it was the power and purity of Elliot’s voice that made her one of the most visible personalities to emerge from the sun-kissed Summer Of Love, suggesting she was capable of much more than the hippy harmonies of The Mamas & The Papas. These early 70s releases found her stretching her talent and proving herself to be adept at almost any musical style that took her fancy.
Elliot herself selected the songs for the eponymous 1972 album, including two Randy Newman tracks and achingly beautiful readings of Judee Sill’s Jesus Was A Cross Maker and Bruce Johnston’s Disney Girls. Best of all, though, might be the soulful Baby I’m Yours, originally a hit for Barbara Lewis.
The second album in this set is even more sophisticated: Elliott backed by lush strings on Jimmy Webb’s Saturday Suit and Albert Hammond’s (If You’re Gonna) Break Another Heart. The final collection, a live recording of her cabaret show, offers a masterclass in jazzy torch songs, its title alluding to how far behind she’d left her 60s roots.
