LAURA NYRO - Live in Japan (1994-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This ten-track budget-priced collection, excerpted and resequenced from a longer version released in Japan, presents Laura Nyro at the piano along with a female vocal trio, performing a combination of the hit songs she penned, some 1950s and '60s hits of others she loved, and some of her newer material of the early 1990s. Four rock & roll oldies, the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love," the Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby," Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By," and the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me," are interrupted by three of Nyro's own oldies, "And When I Die," "Save the Country," and "Wedding Bell Blues." This abbreviated version of the set then concludes with three then-recent songs, "Light a Flame (The Animal Rights Song)," "Louise's Church," and "Woman of the World," songs that continue to seem more preachy and less personal than her earlier work. But in this intimate context, with the singer and her piano presenting each song directly and with a calm confidence, the material holds together well. Fans without access to the far more expensive import might want to pick up this minor but pleasing addition to their Nyro collections. William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist :
1     Dedicated to the One I Love 3:28
Ralph Bass / Lowman Pauling
2     Ooh Baby Baby 2:16
Warren "Pete" Moore
3     And When I Die 2:41
Laura Nyro
4     Save the Country 2:53
Laura Nyro    
5     Wedding Bell Blues 2:17
Laura Nyro
6     Walk on By 2:19
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
7     Let It Be Me 2:55
Gilbert Bécaud / Sonny Curtis / Pierre Delanoë
8     Light a Flame (The Animal Rights Song) 3:32
Laura Nyro     
9     Louise's Church 3:23
Laura Nyro
10     Woman of the World 4:33