Laura Nyro-Smile (1976)

 


Artist: Laura Nyro

Title: Smile

Label: Columbia

Format: LP

Catalog Number: PC 33912

Year of Release: 1976

Country and Year of Edition: US 1976 Pitman Pressing

Sell Price: $9.49

Sell Date: 8/17/26

Condition: VG/G 

Discogs Last Sold: 8/31/26 VG+/G cover has moderate peeling on front and back OG inner $2.09

Low: $0.99 4/15/25 VG+/VG

Median: $6.38

Average: $9.55

High: $35.22 M/M 12/14/25

Current low price: $2.00 VG/VG

Curren Number on Sale at Discogs: 82

Have/Want: 1506/187

Where Sold: Greensboro, NC

Time It Took To Sell: 3 years

Where and When Bought: whatnot vinyl lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B

Sad To See It Go: No

Although it was often dismissed as bland mid-70's singer-songwriter fare, I sort've prefer Nyro's Joni-Mitchell vocal stylings of this period in comparison with the showtune assault that I wrote about the other day.  Smile seems musically adventurous for that realm, much like Joni, Laura Nyro is such an "artist" and had enough commercial success at the point that she could do what she wanted and the record still sold fairly well, peaking at #60 on the Billboard 200 on a 14 week chart run in 1976. 

Although I played the album when it sold, had it on random shuffle and giving it a closeout spin or two, the songs here don't stick as much as the style.  This is a little different than Eli and the 13th Confession, whose songs and style were memorable, but sound, in a way, like a completely different artist.  8 years and 3 albums (including a duet album with Labelle) separate the two.

The best track on here is the grand finale, "Smile (with Mars at the end)" has an unexpected straight jazz foray after some more standout guitar and vocal vibrato.  The instrumentation was there the whole record, but it seems congas, flute, sax, vibes, koto (!) all do their thing here the best and so does Laura.

Nyro has some style, that's for sure!

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Eli and the 13th Confession (1968)



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