Sweet!!
How i miss the voice! Thank goodness we have these recordings to remember just how talented Nicolette really was!!

Brings Back Great Memories
This compilation of some of the best songs from the sadly short career of Nicolette Larson would be a good purchase for anyone into the LA country rock scene of the 1970's. Her songs include great production values, with much use of percussion and funky influences from the Little Feat contingent. But I would still recommend buying her first album too, as it's got some really good songs not included in the Rhino disk.

gotta lotta love for her
i always buy a 'best of' cd for one or two songs. 'lotta love' is a pop-disco classic that momentarily eclipsed linda ronstadt as the pop female vocalist of the late 70 and early 80s. and it made a pop diva out of its vocalist nicolette larson, a former backgrounder for ronstadt. but there couldn't have been much love lost--ronstadt is in the background for this record.

and this one song garners three of these four stars from me. and french waltz and let me go love are the other star.

Revered by other singers
Nicolette 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.

Eventually, 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.

Nicolette'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.

Changing 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.

Nicolette 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.

A Must have for any music library
An American treasure, this collection of Nicolette's work, a must have. We miss you.