New York Tendaberry (studio album) by Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro was one of those rare and singular talents that comes along once in a lifetime, if you're lucky. In her original music, the disparate sounds of Soul, Jazz, Folk-Rock, Doo-Wop, Broadway, and Brill Building Pop coalesced into something that was magically hers alone. Her wild and untrained 3-octave mezzo-soprano, while powerfully expressive, was not to everybody's taste. So it's no surprise that so many of her songs became hits when covered by other performers, but never for herself. ("Stoned Soul Picnic", "And When I Die", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoney End", etc.)

One of the first things you notice about Nyro's music is how much she was a product of her surroundings. New York City exudes from every musical pore in her body. While I've never called New York my home, I've had the pleasure (and pain) of spending time in all five boroughs at various points in my life. And nothing takes me back there like Nyro. When listening to her now, I'm reminded of the streets I walked down, the sights I saw, and the people I met throughout New York. And I imagine what it must have been like to have grown up in her time and place.

All of Nyro's albums are worth hearing. But for my money, this one is her masterpiece. Simultaneously both intimately personal and grandly ambitious, it's a roller-coaster ride deep into her then 21 year-old psyche. And during those several occasions when her voice cracks, you can feel your own heart breaking right along with it. Haunting, arresting, deeply human, and flawless in it's flaws. If New York Tendaberry catches you in a particularly vulnerable moment, it just might leave you weeping.

I find, New York tendaberry, a difficult album to get into. There's no doubting the quality of the songs, but as opposed to the, Eli, album there's no diversity here. It's all piano based tracks, where on the last record there were jazz, pop and folk influences. NYT, is a good album with some fine songs but it just isn't as enjoyable as the last one.

Amazing. Not just playfully bonkers like Eli, this is a quite dark and ambigious album, it's where you often see the most of Laura Nyro's personal struggles even if she keep her inner self more hidden than ever. While it may be her masterpiece, it's not the best place to start with Nyro, but after going through her lighter subsequent work and her more caddish earlier albums, it's harsh and difficult yet intoxicating beauty becomes even more recognizable and rewarding than ever.

From kingofwine 02/20/2013 19:51

I don't know if I can say this is her best album out of the trilogy, Eli and Christmas the others, but it is definitely more moody and personal than the previous. This woman will break your heart.

From Romanelli 03/13/2011 17:18

Laura Nyro was, above all else, a great songwriter. Her own recordings didn't sell a lot, and her style takes some getting used to. But her songs are amazing, and the arrangements, particularly on this album, are unlike what anyone else was doing at the time, or since. New York is her 3rd album, and she took a lot of time and care in making it a beautiful piece of work. The album is about her home, New York City, and what it means to her. "Save The Country", written after the assassination of Robert Kennedy, is the single, and the rest, if you can get used to her more jazz and Tin Pan Alley style, is beautiful.

Nyro died of cancer in 1997. 2 bonus tracks were added for this 2002 reissue. This is her best album overall.