Laura Nyro and Labelle “Gonna Take A Miracle” Columbia Records (1971) Laura Nyro has long been my favorite singer-songwriter. As a kid, I listened over and over again to all of her first records. When she came back to touring in 1976, I saw her at Tanglewood (released as the live record “Season of Lights”) and at Case Western University in Cleveland. Her first four records were her greatest, but as each new record came out during her middle period (“Smile,” “Nested,” “Mother’s Spiritual”), I bought them right away and found something special in each one.   In the late 80’s I saw her at the Bottom Line a few times. I have her records from the 90’s and, while I don’t have the same emotional connection to those songs, her voice remains soulful and warm and familiar to me. I like her covers of r&b songs on those last records – which brings me back to “Gonna Take a Miracle” which is all covers of sixties soul songs with background vocals by Patti Labelle and Labelle. Laura grew up singing these songs accapella with her friends on the streets and in the subways of New York.   Making this record must have been a labor of love. Sadly, she died in 1997 at only 49 years old.

(43 votes, average: 3.88 out of 5)

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