The First Songs

True to that title, these are the first tracks New York’s dynamic singer/songwriter Laura Nyro recorded in 1966. On “Wedding Bells Blues” and “Blowing Away,” later covered by The 5th Dimension, her soulful delivery of heartfelt lyrics about the vagaries of love is accompanied by parping horns and cooing harmonies. Her rib-rattling wail spars with rollicking piano and blasts of brass on “And When I Die”, while “Stoney End” perfectly pairs Motown bounce with gospel sentiments.