More Than a New Discovery, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, and New York Tendaberry established Laura Nyro as one of the early 1970s' brightest and most uncompromising singer-songwriters. But just as the budding success of 1969's Tendaberry seemed to establish her persona in the public's mind, Nyro reached back to the beloved Brill Building pop, doo-wop, and '50s R&B for inspiration, extended a hand in partnership to then-down-on-their-luck soul vets LaBelle, and tossed off this loving blast from the past. Producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (who would later formulate the vaunted Philly soul sound) were ostensibly in charge, though the voices of Nyro and LaBelle carry the day. Whether the bare-bones production harked back to the mindset of Nyro's moody Tendaberry or (as Amy Linden's new liner notes suggest) they simply ran out of time and had to finish the project, there's a sense of immediacy to the recordings that outstrips even some of the originals. Tracks like "Jimmy Mack" and "I Met Him on a Sunday" feel like they spontaneously came together around an upright piano, their rhythm section a chorus of joyous hand claps. Others, like "Desiree" and "The Wind," have a haunting, ethereal sense that's pure Nyro. This is one of the oddest collections of Nyro's career, but also one of the most joyously heartfelt. This reissue features four live bonus tracks, soulful solo covers of "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "O-o-h Child," and "Up on the Roof," that fit the theme of the studio album to a T. --Jerry McCulley