"Mother's Spiritual" is the eighth studio album by New York City-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro, and her ninth original album in total, including the 1977 live album Season of Lights. The album was released in early 1984, following a difficult and expensive year-long recording process. It marked Nyro's return to the music scene after more than five years since her previous album, Nested, which, despite critical praise, had not been a commercial success. The buzz surrounding Nyro’s return to the spotlight helped Mother's Spiritual reach #182 on the Billboard 200, making it her last album to chart in the United States.
Musically, Mother's Spiritual is considered the most serene and easygoing of all Nyro's albums. Its calm, laid-back nature led to some criticism, particularly from fans and critics who were used to the more adventurous, experimental sounds of her earlier work, such as Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry. Some detractors felt that Nyro had shifted too far into a "sedate" and "maternal" space, with an album that seemed more concerned with introspection and domesticity than the raw passion and bold experimentation that characterized her previous albums.
Thematically, the album marks a clear shift in Nyro’s concerns. Where her earlier albums had explored intense emotions, love, and personal struggle, Mother's Spiritual addresses more political and sociological issues, including environmentalism, feminism, and motherhood. This change in focus led some critics to accuse Nyro of becoming too preachy or "tree-hugger" in her approach. The album’s softer, more reflective tone and its political undercurrent met with mixed reactions—some saw it as a natural evolution of Nyro’s artistry, while others viewed it as a departure from the passionate intensity of her earlier work.
The album's recording process was fraught with difficulties. Initially, Nyro had planned to record the album at her Danbury home, just as she had done with Nested. She laid down solo demos of the songs as early as the spring of 1982. Afterward, she spent several weeks recording at The Boogie Hotel, a studio in Long Island, New York, working with producer Joe Wissert and engineer Jeffrey Kawalek. However, Nyro was dissatisfied with the results and decided to abandon those sessions.
In response, she spent between $150,000 and $200,000 to build a proper studio at her home, moving the recording process back to her more familiar environment. Roscoe Harring, who had co-produced Nested, was brought in as co-producer for Mother's Spiritual. Despite the new setup, the album’s sound was a difficult balance for Nyro. She desired a soft, wistful quality to the arrangements, but also wanted the songs to carry a bit more fire and energy. This tension ultimately contributed to the struggles during the album’s creation.
One notable point in the production of Mother's Spiritual was Nyro's collaboration with Todd Rundgren. He was initially brought in as a producer but soon abandoned the project, citing Nyro’s indecisive and somewhat languid approach to the songs as the reasons for his departure.
Despite these challenges, Mother's Spiritual was eventually completed and released. Although it was met with mixed reviews, the album is notable for being Nyro’s sole original output during the 1980s, a decade during which she largely focused on raising her son, Gil, who was born in 1978. It was also her last studio album for nearly a decade, with her next release, Angel in the Dark, not arriving until 1993.
Mother's Spiritual was out of print in the U.S. for many years, but in 2009, it was reissued on CD, allowing a new generation of listeners to discover Nyro's final album of the 1980s. While the album’s commercial performance was lackluster and it did not meet the high expectations of some of her fans, it remains a deeply personal and introspective work that reflects Nyro’s ongoing exploration of motherhood, spirituality, and societal issues.
