''Nested'' is the seventh studio album by

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

-born singer, songwriter and pianist

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

, released in 1978 on Columbia Records. Following on from her extensive tour to promote 1976's ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

'', which resulted in the 1977 live album '' Season of Lights'', Nyro retreated to her new home in Danbury, Connecticut, where she lived after spending her time in the spotlight in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Nyro had a studio built at her home, and recorded the songs that comprised ''Nested'' there. The songs deal with themes such as

motherhood ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gesta ...

and

womanhood A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

, and it is a notably more relaxed Nyro that sings on the album. The instrumentation is laidback and smooth, similar to that of ''Smile'', but perhaps less

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

-inspired and more melodic. Nyro was assisted in production by Roscoe Harring, while Dale and Pop Ashby were chief engineers. Critics praised the album as a melodic return to form, and Nyro supported the album with a solo tour when she was heavily pregnant with her son Gil, who was born two months after the album was released. Despite acclaim and a melodic, arguably more commercial sound, ''Nested'' was not a commercial success and became Nyro's first album since her 1967 debut ''

More Than a New Discovery ''More Than a New Discovery'' is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded during 1966 and released early in following year on the Verve Folkways imprint of the Verve Records label. The name of th ...

'' to miss the ''Billboard'' 200, then known as the Pop Albums chart. Such was its commercial failure that for years it remained out of print, and is unquestionably Nyro's least-known and most rare studio album. After the birth of her son in August 1978, she retreated once again from the limelight after a three-year return to raise her son. She would not record for another five years, and her recording pattern became increasingly intermittent. ''Nested'' is recognised as one of her most underrated works. ''Nested'' was briefly released on CD in Japan only and was out of print for many years. On April 8, 2008, it was reissued on CD in the US in remastered form by Iconoclassic Records. Guitars were played by Vinnie Cusano, who later became the Guitarist for KISS from 1982 to 1984 under the name Vinnie Vincent.

Overview

''Nested'' is the first of two "maternal" Laura Nyro albums, and she appears to revel in her new domesticity. Her marriage had broken down, but she had found love again and the sound is notably more relaxed than before.

Felix Cavaliere Felix Cavaliere (born November 29, 1942) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Young Rascals. Although he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, known for ...

returns to play piano and organ on some songs, while Nyro produces with Roscoe Harring. The origins of Nyro's political and social explorations in her lyrics of the 1980s and '90s can be traced back to ''Nested''.

Track listing

All tracks composed by

. #"Mr. Blue (Song of Communications)" - 5:01 #"Rhythm and Blues" - 2:57 #"My Innocence" - 3:24 #"Crazy Love" - 4:18 #"American Dreamer" - 4:08 #"Springblown" - 4:24 #"The Sweet Sky" - 3:32 #"Light" - 2:53 #"Child in a Universe" - 4:09 #"The Nest" - 2:27

Personnel

*Laura Nyro -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

and

acoustic piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

church organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, strings *

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hoope ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Andy Newmark - drums * Vinnie Cusano - guitar *

John Tropea John Tropea (pronounced 'tro-pay'; born January 7, 1946) is an American guitarist. Career Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz guitar, harmo ...

- guitar *Nydia "Liberty" Mata -

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969harmonica *Cyril Cianflone - bass guitar on "Mr. Blue (The Song of Communications)" *

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...

- bass guitar on "American Dreamer" *

- electric piano on "The Sweet Sky", organ on "The Nest" ;Technical *Dale Ashby, Frank Koenig - engineer *Adger W. Cowans - photography

References

External links

Allmusic
*Michele Kort's biography ''Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro'' () {{Authority control 1978 albums Laura Nyro albums Columbia Records albums