The Very Best of Nicolette Larson On The Way

Every day, hundreds of singers stand behind music’s biggest stars and sing their hearts out as backup singers, never to be recognized for their true talents.

Of those hundreds of singers, one or two will eventually break out to be stars themselves. Artists like Darlene Love, Mary Clayton, Sheryl Crow and Melissa Manchester all toiled at the back of the stage before seeing their own stars rise.

The same goes for Nicolette Larson who spent the early and mid-70’s singing behind Hoyt Axton, Commander Cody, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Jesse Winchester, Jesse Colin Young, the Doobie Brothers and others. In 1977, she sang with Emmylou Harris on the song Hello Stranger on the album Luxury Liner leading to a friendship with Harris associate Linda Ronstadt.

In 1978, Larson released her debut album, Nicolette, which included the Neil Young written Lotta Love and that song is part of the title of the brand new compilation from Varese Sarabande’s Varese Vintage label Lotta Love: The Very Best of Nicolette Larson.

The album collects some of Larson’s greatest performances from the first half of her short career, including Hello Stranger with Emmylou Harris, the opening song of the album and her hits Lotta Love (1978 / #8 Pop / #1 Adult Contemporary), Let Me Go Love with Michael McDonald (1979 / #35 Pop / #9 AC) and I Only Want to Be With You (1982 / #53 Pop / #15 AC).

Interspersed are less successful singles and album tracks from her four Warner Brothers albums up through 1982’s All Dressed Up & No Place to Go along with a track from Steve Goodman’s High and Outside and another from the soundtrack of the movie Arthur.

Larson would leave Warner Brothers in 1982 to move to MCA Nashville and, later, other labels, recording four more studio albums but the cream of the crop comes from her output from ’78 to ’82.

Nicolette died on December 16, 1997 at the age of 45 from fluid in the brain caused by liver failure. We can only imagine the music that was yet to come from this extremely talented singer.

The track list:
Hello Stranger (Emmylou Harris with Nicolette Larson from the Harris album Luxury Liner, 1977)
Lotta Love (from the album Nicolette, 1978)
You Send Me (from the album Nicolette, 1978)
Rhumba Girl (from the album Nicolette, 1978)
Angels Rejoiced (from the album Nicolette, 1978)
Give A Little (from the album Nicolette, 1978)
The One That Got Away (Steve Goodman featuring Nicolette Larson from the Goodman album High & Dry, 1979)
Let Me Go, Love (Nicolette Larson with Michael McDonald) (from In the Nick of Time, 1979)
Dancin’ Jones (from In the Nick of Time, 1979)
Isn’t It Always Love (from In the Nick of Time, 1979)
Ooo-eee (from the album Radioland, 1979)
Radioland (from the album Radioland, 1979)
Tears, Tears, and More Tears (from the album Radioland, 1979)
Fool Me Again (from the soundtrack of the movie Arthur, 1981)
I Only Want To Be With You (from the album All Dressed Up & No Place to Go, 1982)
Two Trains (from the album All Dressed Up & No Place to Go, 1982)