Consumer Guide Album

Laura Nyro: Christmas and the Beads of Sweat [Columbia, 1970]
Nyro is one of those hypersensitive types--they're usually women, which says more about women's oppression than their gifts, though it pertains to both--who can't see the condition for the nuance. There's no denying she's unique--her jazzy pop-gospel synthesis is without precedent or facsimile. No denying that she's serious, either, and probably in a good way--dedicated to her vision and her craft rather than pompous or solemn. But for an unsolemn person she cracks very few jokes, and her way with words, like everything else about her, is self-consciously romantic. She was born 150 years too late. When she's on, her music can overtake you anyway, but there's no "Wedding Bell Blues" or "Stoney End" on this album--melodically, "Up on the Roof" dwarfs her every meander. The plus is on general principles. C+