Wendy Waldman - Love Has Got Me (1973 Reissue) (2005)

Those subscribing to the notion that an artist's first recording is his or her purest, freshest work will not be disabused of the opinion by Wendy Waldman's1973 debut. Already championed by Maria Muldaur, Waldman emerged with an arsenal of 12 potent, life-affirming songs, each dripping with youthful enthusiasm. With a staggering stylistic palette, Love Has Got Me runs the gamut from the giddy mariachi strains of "Gringo En Mexico" to the fretful singer/songwriter stylings of the title track. The cast of players included Muldaur, Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold and Russell Kunkel. So it can only be Waldman's track-by-track, genre-hopping antics that explain Love Has Got Me's resounding commercial failure; albums like this flummox hidebound radio programmers.