Apparently Laura Nyro had wanted to merge several songs into mini-suites of time and mood changes on her debut album, but was overruled by older heads who deemed it too radical a step for a mere novice. Listening to the power and assurance of her work as presented here with the resultant first album, however, she could almost certainly have pulled it off. The quality and variety of songs that contain internal variation anyway is quite stupendous. She wrote And When I Die at age 17, and also included here are her own versions of Wedding Bell Blues and Stoney End.
However great these songs are, there are also others to rediscover, such as the minimalist Buy & Sell, which is enhanced by an evocative New York arrangement featuring muted trumpet and string bass. If the music world were fair, many more would realise that she rivals or excels all the other female heroines such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King, even with this debut album. More than you could ever expect from a discovery at any age.
