Christmas & the Beads of Sweat

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is the fourth LP by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. - The album was released on the Columbia Records label in November 1970 after Nyro had recorded it in the early summer with producers Felix Cavaliere and Arif Mardin. Whilst Nyro had handed over production reins, she was still in control of the project and arranged her compositions. - The album is seen as the closing part of a Laura Nyro trilogy that also comprises 1968's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and 1969's New York Tendaberry. Musically, the album is a bridge between the two, balancing the lighter and more joyful tones of Eli with the dark, sensual, and piano-dominated Tendaberry. - Nyro had by this time built up a strong reputation as a songwriter, and the album features star turns from Duane Allman, who adds a guitar solo to the driving "Beads of Sweat," and Alice Coltrane, who adds harp to a number of the more mystical compositions. - Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is regarded by many to be in the same league as it's two predecessors, the three being the artist's main legacy.