album · June 24, 2016

Eli and the Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

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Audio FidelitySee this day

singer-songwriterart popsoul

This 1968 debut, from a songwriter who would become a touchstone for confessional, boundary-pushing pop, gets a welcome reissue on the high-fidelity label Audio Fidelity.

• Eli and the Thirteenth Confession was produced by Terry Melcher, a producer who also worked with the Byrds and Doris Day.
• The album features a young Joe South on guitar, who would later have a hit with "Games People Play."
• In 2000, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" was ranked number 39 on the "Top 100 All-Time Albums" list by NME.

Laura Nyro was a singer-songwriter and pianist from New York known for her unique blend of jazz, gospel, folk, and soul. She penned hits for other artists, including "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoney End," before releasing her own albums. At the time of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, Nyro was establishing herself as a singular voice in a male-dominated scene, a confessional artist whose arrangements pushed pop boundaries.