Pop Weekend : Nyro Returns to Public Eye With Artistry Intact

Few in the audience were surprised Friday night at the Mayfair Theatre in Santa Monica by the standing ovation Laura Nyro received when she walked on stage.

Nyro, best-known as the composer of such hits as “And When I Die” and “Wedding Bell Blues,” was one of the ultimate cult artists of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s--and this was her first local appearance in 10 years.

Even some of the East Coast singer-songwriter’s longtime admirers, however, must have been surprised by how quickly Nyro re-established her artistry and command.

In a field where record companies and musicians are conditioned to imitate any sound or style that is successful, pop audiences are accustomed to hearing everyone’s approach copied--from the Beatles and Stones to Prince and Madonna.

However, Nyro’s performance at the Mayfair--where she concludes a sold out eight-show, four-night engagement on Wednesday--was a reminder of just how unique her musical vision remains, even after all this time.

Nyro arrived on the pop scene in 1966--at age 18--with a collection of songs that mixed gospel, soul and jazz elements with almost breathtaking originality and craft.

The music itself combined a Broadway brightness and an urban sensuality, while the lyrics explored questions of desire and doubt with such maturity that they seemed out of place in the pop arena.

Though four of her songs became Top-10 hits for such artists as Barbra Streisand and Blood, Sweat & Tears, Nyro herself never achieved broad commercial success. Some observers felt her own recordings were too intimate and sophisticated for the mass market, but her priorities were also different from many pop artists.

When she seemed on the verge of a breakthrough in the early ‘70s, Nyro took the first in a series of sabbaticals--periods of “renewal” between albums. The latest had lasted so long that some fans had discounted ever seeing her again.

Nyro’s decision to play the small, 335-seat Mayfair rather than go to a larger venue underscores the low-key nature of her tour.

Backed by a four-piece group that sometimes drowned out her vocals in the small room, Nyro accompanied herself on electric piano as she sang a few of the old songs--including “Wedding Bell Blues”--but concentrated on new songs that will presumably be on an album due early next year.

While the new songs share many stylistic similarities to her early material, there was a slight shift in attitude. Instead of the questioning, introspective edge of those days, Nyro now tends to deal lyrically with finding comfort and harmony in a world overloaded by indifference.

But the biggest change is Nyro’s manner. Once painfully shy, at 40 she seems far more comfortable on stage. She’s still no Bette Midler doing one-liners and taking bows, but she relates to the audience rather than retreats from it.

In all the emphasis on her songwriting, it’s sometimes easy to overlook Nyro’s abilities as a singer who uses sudden shifts along her vocal range and velvet-like whispers to accent nuances in the material.

Because there is such a smooth interlocking of voice and material on her songs, it’s often easier to appreciate Nyro’s vocal skills when she is doing other people’s songs. On Friday, she was equally engaging on a playfully aggressive rendition of the old rocker, “Hi-Heel Sneakers” and on a sweet, dreamy version of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s “Up on the Roof.”

The new album will tell us whether Nyro, this time around, will finally reach the wider audience her music deserves, but the Mayfair show left little doubt that she remains one of the most gifted and affecting figures of the modern pop era.