116. Laura Nyro | Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Luckie
2. Lu
3. Sweet Blindness
4. Poverty Train
5. Lonely Women
6. Eli's Comin'
7. Timer
8. Stoned Soul Picnic
9. Emmie
10. Woman's Blues
11. Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)
12. December's Boudoir
13. The Confession

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Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is an uplifting album. The songs are pop. Laura Nyro has a high-pitched, yet powerful voice. The songs are deceptively catchy.

The lyrics border on being vacuous. The music is competent, but it borders on being generic. Any pop album with saxophone and other horns in it is a good indicator that it's not very good.

I'd like to characterize this album as insipid because it really is. (This album really reminds me of all the bad 1970s pop music that I've heard over the years.) However, Laura Nyro's vocals are really good and oblige me to think better of this album. And I did think highly of this album the first time I heard it.

Despite my distaste for the lyrics and music, I do think this album deservers to be on the 1001 Albums list if the list is a list of albums that charted new territory in pop and rock and roll music. This album is certainly something new, although not for the better.

So, for those who like music without any depth or substance, I heartily recommend it. Otherwise, stay clear of it. The stand out songs on this album are: Luckie, Lu, Eli's Comin', Stoned Soul Picnic and Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe).

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆