One of the most legendary singer/songwriters, the late Laura Nyro (1947-97), has one of her rarest of “live” recordings finally issued in the US. Originally only released in Japan back in 2003, Trees of the Ages catches Ms. Nyro in a trio of concerts in Osaka and Tokyo Japan back in February 1994. To put these shows in perspective, Nyro had just released her penultimate album Walk the Dog and Light the Light, with this tour featuring a hefty amount of material from that record. Nyro at the piano, along with vocal harmonies provided by Diane Wilson, Dian Sorrell and Diane Garisto, mix many of her classic hits here along with some intriguing covers.
Her vibrato is rich and warm on piece like “Ooh Baby, Baby”, with her main attraction being the sincerity of her delivery as on “Dedicated to the One I Love” and “Walk on By”. Many of her songs have become Boomer anthems, such as “Wedding Bell Blues” and the defiant “And When I Die” with her mood and tone being that a gospel preacher, but without a transcendent deity. The songs from her most recent album include the message from “A Woman of the World” and “Louise’s Church” along with the thoughtful “To A Child” and “The Descent of Luna Rose”. This album, like her shows, has Nyro’s heart and soul on her sleeve.