Search - Judy Kuhn :: Serious Playground: The Songs of Laura Nyro (Snys)

HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE I THINK IT'S DUE

Tucson Damon | Tucson, AZ USA | 12/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's no doubt this is a controversial CD/project. It seems that people come at it from two "camps" so to speak: those like myself who have known virtually nothing about Judy Kuhn but are great and long-time Laura Nyro fans, and vice versa, and that is going to color everything for us. In my personal, subjective opinion, it's virtually a given that no one can match Laura singing Laura, or even come close, but just the fact that Judy Kuhn is a very talented singer performer who loves Laura enough to record an entire CD of her music, including some very surprising and unexpected choices of material, such as Blackpatch, To A Child and Mother's Spiritual, rates very high in my book. I know I'll be giving it many more listens, and I think it's respectable. Like some other reviewers, my biggest hope, however, is that it will help give Laura's original music even a bit more exposure that is so lacking. For me it feels like there are literally generations of listeners now who would love to discover one of our era's most amazing talents (in my humble opinion!).

"

A different perspective here....this CD is brilliant....

Gregory Mitchell | New York City | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I coudn't disagree more with these other reviews; perhaps that's because I saw Kuhn do this set at Lincoln Center and then three times at Joe's Pub. Judy Kuhn and Laura Nyro are the perfect match between singer and songwriter, and I'm an enormous fan of both. After Kuhn's Lincoln Center set, I had put together (of Nyro singing) the lineup of Kuhn's set. I recently went back into that playlist, and (don't throw rocks at me) but Kuhn often surpasses the originals -- especially, with Stoney End and Been On A Train. I about fell off my chair when I first heard Kuhn sing Been On A Train, and on that big note (you know, or you'll know which one when you hear it), Nyro sounds, well, kinda meager by comparison. Kuhn totally rethinks Stoney End, and it's now actually about something rather than just an on-the-beat pop/rock song.



So many other delights to be found here as well -- Blackpatch, Captain St. Lucifer, Mother's Spiritual, Lonely Women, Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp, and Buy and Sell, in particular. While Luckie doesn't begin to match Nyro's original (and Luckie was the one song which Kuhn and her crackerjack musicians had some trouble with -- that tempo change on "dig those potatoes" is a hard one....), it's perfectly respectable. I'm not super-crazy about Save The Country (save the message of it).



The vast majority of the arrangements are respectful of Nyro, and gorgeous in their own way (and I'm not a kneejerk Kuhn recording lover as the frequently bizarre arrangements on her Jule Styne/Just In Time CD just jettison that whole project). The trumpeter on Stoned Soul Picnic just nails it, and the cellist offer superb support on many tracks.



All this is said with tremendous respect and admiration for Nyro -- Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, for me, being one of the best albums ever. I've been astonished at the number of people who simply don't have a clue of who Laura Nyro was, and this wonderful CD by Kuhn will indeed direct listeners back (and rightly so) to the originals.



Highest recommendation."

Much better than I expected

DVD buff | Austin, TX USA | 01/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm one of those rare people who is a big fan of both Laura Nyro and Judy Kuhn. I saw Judy Kuhn in CHESS on Broadway 20 years ago and have been a fan ever since, and I've been a Laura Nyro fanatic for decades.



And, usually, I feel that no one can perform Laura Nyro's songs like Laura Nyro herself. Most artists who interpret the material seem to bleed all the energy out of it.



But this CD is a rare case of a great voice singing great songs with great production. After reading some of the online reviews, I was a bit apprehensive about what I would hear when I bought this CD. There was definitely no need for me to be apprehensive -- this CD is just plain good.



Judy Kuhn has the energy and passion in her voice to carry off this sometimes tricky material. The arrangements help keep that level of energy up, which is where this album really shines.



I hesitate to give this CD five stars, though, because I don't feel it's the greatest vocal performance of Ms. Kuhn's career, nor is it the best collection of Laura Nyro songs ever assembled. But it's awfully darned good and well worth a listen for any fan of Judy Kuhn or Laura Nyro."