In 1976, the revolutionary singer-songwriter LAURA NYRO returned from self-imposed exile. But her comeback confounded expectations, shifting away from the impassioned intimacies of her early albums to embrace more radical perspectives. Fifty years on, Nyro’s collaborators revisit her striking second act. “She was a hip American from the Bronx,” one friend and producer tells Rob Hughes. “But her soul was old.”

Works by Offenbach Véronique Gens (soprano); Chœur et Orchestre National des Pays de La Loire/Hervé Niquet Alpha Classics ALPHA1168 55:49 mins This is not for the po-faced. If you enjoy charming and i

From The Bottom Of An Old Grandfather Clock (reissue, 2004) DEAD OCEANS

It was a cruel midwinter in January 1985 when Fra Lippo Lippi stepped into ABBA’s Polar Studios to record their third album, Songs. Flamboyantly named after Robert Browning’s poem about 15th century p

It’s a rare thing to meet someone with true panache, but it’s the quality I see immediately when I meet Francine Raymond on a cool autumn day. The acclaimed gardener, fowl fancier, designer and writer

This month…