Nick Drake – Bryter Layter

Nick Drake, as they say, was “one of the very best” and Bryter Layer from 1971 is my personal favorite of the marvelous trio of albums he made before his premature death in 1974.

Bryter Layter is fantastic and often warm, bright and jazzy compared to his more pensive debut ‘Five Leaves Left’ and stark solo introversion of his final album ‘Pink Moon’. The upbeat mood is obvious from the album title, gaudy cover colours and Nick’s snazzy shoes, but also musically with Richard Thompson’s lead guitar on the bustling opener ’Hazey Jane 2’ and the lovely ‘At The Chime of a City Clock’ with swirling strings and tasty sax behind Nick’s acoustic picking and sweetly sad vocal. ‘One of These Things First’ is another winner with its insistent hollow rhythm guitar, crisp drums, rolling piano and Nick’s sweetly sublime vocal.

Side two has more magic in the shape of ‘Fly’ with its lovely descending guitar figure, John Cale’s emotive viola and another great vocal. “Poor Boy’ swings in on a jazzy guitar lick ed by a vamping piano and snappy drums and rides off with stridently soulful backing vocals and a wailing late night sax. Which brings us to the penultimate majesty of ‘Northern Sky’; one of Nick’s sweetest melodies, surrounded by twinkling celeste, bright guitar strums and a beautifully optimistic vocal.