Nicolette Larson: The Very Best of Nicolette Larson CD Track Listing

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Nicolette Larson The Very Best of Nicolette Larson (1999)
The Very Best of Nicolette Larson\n1999 Rhino / Warner Bros. Records, Inc.\n\nOriginally Released August 17, 1999\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Nicolette Larson was a staple of California pop and soft rock in the '70s, not only as a solo artist, but as a backing vocalist for artists as diverse as Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Van Halen, and Neil Young. As a matter of fact, Young gave Larson her breakthrough hit, "Lotta Love." The song turned out to be the peak of her popularity, climbing into the Top Ten in early 1979. She never had that kind of widespread popularity again, even if she had a few smaller pop hits to her credit, along with some success on the country charts. The charts may have changed, but the music really didn't -- she always walked the line separating country-pop and Californian soft rock. Throughout it all, her sweet voice was continually engaging, even when she worked with material that wasn't always convincing. That much is evident from Rhino's definitive retrospective, The Very Best of Nicolette Larson. Spanning her entire solo career, from her 1978 debut to her 1994 children's album, the 16-song collection contains all the major highlights, but its momentum sort of sags toward the end of the disc, as her material grew weaker and her productions became too clean. Nevertheless, this is an accurate portrait of her career. If The Very Best Of isn't quite as cohesive as her first few albums, so be it -- it charts the ups and downs of her career quite well, and in doing so, it offers a definitive, warts-and-all summary. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nMontana-born, honey-voiced singer Nicolette Larson headed west in 1974 and quickly became a member of the '70s California rock scene. She sang backup with Hoyt Axton and Commander Cody, did sessions with Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Neil Young, and landed a solo deal with Warner Bros., which, in late 1978, released her first single, "Lotta Love" (penned by her mentor Young). It went Top 10, spurred her debut album Nicolette to gold, and launched a promising career. She cut four albums for Warner Bros. and guested on records by others ranging from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to Van Halen. In Nashville, Larson starred in the musical Pump Boys And Dinettes and cut the album Say When, proving she was adept at country too. Sadly, Nicolette passed away in December 1997 of complications arising from cerebral edema; she was just 45. Now Rhino is proud to bring you the only collection devoted to this underappreciated artist's best solo recordings, The Very Best Of Nicolette Larson. Featuring the hit singles and key tracks from her nine albums released on Warner Bros., MCA, and Sony Wonder, it also includes previously unreleased live versions of "French Waltz" and "Baby, Don't You Do It." \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRevered by other singers, May 26, 2005\nReviewer: P D Harris "Pete the music and horse racing fan" (Leicester England) \nNicolette never captured the public imagination as a solo singer despite having a superb voice and an outgoing personality. She was very popular with other singers, many of whom employed her as a backing singer on their records. You'll find her name in the credits of albums by Guy Clark, Commander Cody, Neil Young, Christopher Cross, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Rita Coolidge, Linda Ronstadt, John Stewart and many others.\n\nEventually, a record company gave her a recording contract and her first single (Lotta love - a Neil Young song) made the American top ten. It seemed that Nicolette was set for a long and glittering career but nothing else she ever did came close to matching the success of Lotta love.\n\nNicolette's second single (Rhumba girl - a Jesse Winchester song) became a minor American hit. One later single (Let me go love - a duet with Michael McDonald) made the American top forty. Among the failed singles was a cover of I only want to be with you, originally a hit for Dusty Springfield in the sixties. Nicolette's version is almost as good as Dusty's and far superior to many other versions I've heard. Nicolette never charted in Britain, but although some of her albums were released in the UK, I'm not sure that any effort was made to promote them.\n\nChanging musical trends caused Nicolette to change directions. She recorded a couple of country albums (Say when, Rose of my heart). I never heard the first but I bought the second on vinyl and it's outstanding. It yielded a top ten country hit (That's how you know when love's right, a duet with Steve Wariner) but any hopes that Nicolette would establish herself as a country star faded. Nicolette eventually married and settled for motherhood, only rarely returning to the recording studio. A lullaby album marked the end of her career.\n\nNicolette died in her mid-forties following liver failure. She was not a prolific solo recording artist but this compilation is a fitting tribute to a brilliant singer.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\na well-thought retrospective of a great voice..., August 31, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nBest known for her late 70's hit "Lotta Love", this long overdue retrospective collects some of the singer's finest moments, hitting on all aspects of her career. The songs have held up amazingly well. This is a great collection for fans and a great starting point for those unfamiliar with the bulk of her work. Most of her albums are unavailable at this time.\n\nHalf.com Details\nContributing artists:\tAlbert Lee, Andrew Gold, Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald, Steve Wariner, Vince Gill\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel includes: Nicolette Larson, Michael McDonald, Steve Wariner, Andrew Gold, Vince Gill, Linda Ronstadt, Albert Lee.\nCompilation producers: John O'Regan, Ted Myers.\nIncludes liner notes by Robert K. Oermann.\nDigitally remastered by Andrew Garver & Bill Inglot (A&M Mastering). YEAR: 1999
This rock cd contains 16 tracks and runs 56min 29sec.
Freedb: fc0d3b10
Buy: from Amazon.com

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