Label: Sony
Category: Music
Average customer rating:
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
UPC: 074645241128
EAN: 0074645241128
ASIN: B0000028L5
Release Date: 1993-09-28
Walk the Dog & Light the Light (Run the Dog Darling Light Delight)
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Artist:
Laura Nyro
Label: Sony Category: Music Average customer rating:
Media: Audio CD Number Of Discs: 1 UPC: 074645241128 EAN: 0074645241128 ASIN: B0000028L5 Release Date: 1993-09-28 |
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Contemporary Folk
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Folk
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Styles
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Folk
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Traditional Folk
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Folk
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General
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Pop
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Styles
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Singer-Songwriters
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Pop
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Soft Rock
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Pop
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Singer-Songwriters
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Contemporary Folk
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Folk
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Customer Reviews:
Solid, Mature Nyro.......2006-12-23
A worthwhile comeback, if not brilliant........2002-08-09
In that time she had built up a poor reputation among critics, almost certainly because punk and then grunge were seen as making her sophistication look foolish.
Yet, when one moves beyond the pretension of critics who tend to regard musicianship as something alien to the popular music world, one can see that Nyro's early albums, despite never having sold in large numbers, had had a tremendous influence on the development of the eccentric female singer/songwriters of the following two decades. Their stylings had a major impact on more accessible pop music during this period. Her spiritual themes on "New York Tendaberry" and "Christmas and The Beads of Sweat" paved the way for Kate Bush and Jane Siberry during the 1980s.
Despite a live album from 1989, Nyro did not resume writing songs on any scale until 1993, and on "Walk The Dog And Light The Light", two of the songs were old cover versions.
Given that Nyro was forty-five when this album was recorded, it is not surprising that she lost the raucousness of her early masterpieces. This does have severe problems, given that "Lite A Flame" and "Broken Rainbow" were pure sentiment, and the ethnic voices on "Art Of Love" sounded utterly out of place. Moreover, Nyro had clearly lost the uplifting tone she and her successors had been able to utilise to such brilliant effect over the years since "New York Tendaberry", and songs like "Louise's Church" and "A Woman Of The World" sounded sad even if they were not intended to.
Yet, this album is still worthwhile listening because Nyro retained her wonderful voice to the fullest degree - indeed she sounded better than ever on "Louise's Church" and "To A Child". Moreover, though five of the songs were included on the "Stoned Soul Picnic" compilation, the remaining five include the two highlights of the album: "The Descent of Luna Rosý", which stands as Nyro's best song about the female body, and the title tune, which showed Nyro could pull off a brilliant piece even with a more mature sound. On this title tune, Nyro's sparse keyboard was accompanied by a beautiful, yet joyful acoustic guitar line - quite different from her early work. "The Descent of Luna Rosý" was a more traditional piece, yet it showed the mature Nyro at her best. "A Woman Of The World", despite sounding rather too sad, was still a fine and beautiful pop tune with Nyro showing once more her ability to write about the subjects that have dominated her life so well.
Despite being in parts sentimental and lacking the energy of her early work, this was a worthy comeback that should be heard by her fans.
!! BEAUTIFUL AS ALWAYS !!.......2002-06-23
Not her best but I love it anyway.......2000-10-02
While this CD doesn't hold a candle to "Mother's Spiritual" or "Nested", Nyro's trademarks are intact: jazzy, soul vibe paired with relaxed performances. Unlike her commercial counterparts (Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Rickie Lee Jones), Laura Nyro never sounds forced, stilted, or self-conciously hip. Even when singing overtly political lyrics, she sounds like she's singing about what she feels. This sincerity allows you to swallow some of her stronger opinions without gagging too much. It's part of who she is.
Much the credit goes to her sensitivity as producer and writer. Sonically, she gives these songs such intimate arrangements that you feel like she's sitting in your house playing the songs for you herself. Songs like "A Woman of the World" and "Louise's Church" straddle pop, jazz, and soul and yet are none of these. She covers some old style songs ("Dedicated to the One I Love") but makes them thoroughly her own.
I don't mind that some of her CDs are short. If the quality is there, I'm not going to complain. This time out, though, I think there's some filler: "To A Child" was way better on Mother's Spiritual and "Lite a Flame" pales compared to the similarly-themed "Wild World". The other flaw I see is Gary Katz; I felt his presence a little too strongly for my taste. Some of the songs' endings ("Louise's Church" and "Luna Rose") have horn arrangements that get way too Steely Dan-ish and slick.
Overall, though, I love this CD. The soul this woman puts into everything I've heard from her thus far is what makes her music worth the bucks you pay to buy it. Now how about getting "Nested" re-released on CD, huh?
Sweetest Sounds.......1999-09-17
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