Bryter Layter
Following the poor commercial showing of his 1969 debut Five Leaves Left, Nick Drake entered the studio with his heart set on making a hit. Aided by string arranger Roger Kirby, Bryter Layter may have lightened some of its predecessors’ darker shades, but it dampened none of Drake’s artistry. Songs such as “Fly”’s ornate flourishes; the jazzy, gently self-mocking “Poor Boy” or “Northern Sky”’s sublime beauty elevated Drake’s songwriting to the heavens. That the album failed to connect with contemporary audiences sent Drake into a down-spin from which he tragically never recovered, yet Bryter Layter is arguably his masterpiece.