Essra Mohawk by Essra Mohawk (1974)
#7
Just a great work of blue-eyed soul from the 70’s that my partner discovered! On the album, Essra sings a lot about change and reincarnation/rebirth, starting from the very first track “New Skins for Old.” All the while, she dons distinct, powerful vocals that any Laura Nyro fan would enjoy, while being grounded by arrangements that feel right at home with other piano-driven songwriting greats of this time period, like Carole King.
Even with some more traditional instrumentation, though, Essra Mohawk’s approach shines through as being particularly vivid and wiley. She covers Gershwin’s “Summertime” frenetically and with a lot of interest, and brings a lot of jazzy energy and bliss to the album’s other original tracks - whether it’s funky tracks like “Back in the Spirit,” more heavy and experimental ones like “Song to an Unborn Soul,” or ballads like “I Can Not Forget.”