LAURA NYRO: New York Tendaberry. Have Gone to Pieces; Teardrops on Laura Nyro, vocals and piano; Jimmie Your Letter; five more.) Elektra EKS J Haskell, arr. and cond. (Gibsom Street; 74050. $4.98. Save the Country; Sweet Lovin' Baby; LONNIE MACK: Glad I'm in the Band. eight more.) Columbia KCS 9737, Lonnie Mack, vocals and guitar; in- $5.98. Tape: WO HC 1122, 33/4 ips, f strumental accompaniment. (Why; Save $6.98; 40 1810 0692, $6.98. Your Money; Old House; Too Much Trouble; Let Them Talk; Roberta; five Singer /pianist /composer Laura Nyro is more.) Elektra EKS 74040, $4.98. not a product of rock, though she exists within it. She is a product of nothing I didn't review Glad I'm in the Band except her own incredible intensity and when it was first released. Although I the one deepest talents played the of the you'll ever album constantly, I couldn't hear. Once the music is studied, it's decide whether my reaction was just a lighter difficult to believe she's in her early quirk -it might have touched some per- twenties. She has what is called "an old sonal chord -or whether the record de- soul." served all the praise I heaped on it when Technique is the least of Miss Nyro's friends asked, "Heard anything good side pertinence, yet it's quite sound in an lately ?" I knew Mack to be an excellent unlikely way. Most people don't realize guitarist, but I was afraid that I might how powerfully she plays piano, but be responding too strongly to the dra- she can hold a large audience breathless matic qualities of his singing and not reviewed by all by herself on stage. Her wide, clean, paying sufficient attention to his vocal- true voice never wavers on its journey. izing as music. Finally, I procrastinated MORGAN AMES Miss Nyro's new album is more faith- past deadline and the whole question be- ful to her message than the previous came academic. ROYAL S. BROWN two albums- stunning as they were. A few weeks later when Mack ap- R. D. DARRELL Orchestrations have been pared back out peared second on a bill at Fillmore East of the way, often providing little more (with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), JOHN GABREE than a closing chord. No one could I became convinced that my original GENE LEES have donc it better than did Jimmie estimation was correct: Lonnie Mack is Haskell. an extraordinary performer of pop music, JOHN S. WILSON This is not an album you'll get into both as a guitarist and as a vocalist. His quickly, but study time becomes its guitar playing is clean, inventive, and own end. Miss Nyro is a sequential fiery in attack. His singing is aggressive writer. Her phrases change color quickly, but controlled; his range is wide and he completely, hitting home here, making can convey any message that his material no sense there. The glue is in her demands. Essentially he is a country mu- ferocious conviction and the gripping sician who has absorbed a great steal of sound of her voice. The songs are sad, black music. It's a much abused term, even the happy ones. New York sad, but he really has soul. Midnight Cowboy sad: "Mister, I got The first album has been joined by a symbol denotes drawn- blinds blues" ( You Don't Love second, Whatever's Rig /n, my excuse for * Me When I Cry); "Once I lived under alerting you to both records. Both albums recording an exceptional the city in my sweet July" (Mercy on contain first -rate material, both originals Broadway). Or love: "When I touch and pop standards. l'nt Glad I'm in the the man, Lord, I rise to rooftops in Band includes the instrumental version his eyes . cause he's The Man Who of Memphis, Tennessee, a hit single in Sends Me Home." Or sorrow: "So Jesus 1964. Each has an excellent song written was an angel and mankind broke his by Mack; She Don't Come Ilere Any- wing" (Time and Love). Miss Nyro's more on the first LP, Gotta Be an An- wild, random images become another swer on the second. The back -up group kind of song form. is everything we've come to expect from Laura Nyro is what is meant by new- records made in Memphis; keyboardist generation phrases such as "into some- David Byrd is especially good -he de- thing" and "heavy." If you respond to serves an album of his own. her. you'll understand much more about I regret I didn't tell you about Lonnie what's happening in music today than Mack sooner. It means you've missed a you did before. But the true measure couple of months of great listening. of her meaning is that her highly per- Sorry. J.G. sonal talent is not dependent upon the often desperate culture from which it is flung. M.A. BUZZ CLIFFORD: See Your Way Clear. Buzz Clifford, lead vocals; Bob Klimes, Dave Roberts, others, arr. (Angeline; Hawg Frog; Echo Park; eight more.) Dot DLP 25965, $4.98. Something interesting (and unpromoted) LONNIE MACK: Whatever's Right. is going on at Dot. It has to do with Lonnie Mack, vocals and guitar; in- producer Richard Delvy and a lot of strumental accompaniment. (Untouched fine rock musicians and singers. This by Human Love; I Found a Love; Things is the second Delvy- produced album 13(1 CIRCLE 8 ON READER -SERVICE CARD -I. www.americanradiohistory.com.