LaBelle: Nightbirds (Epic, Import); The Pointer Sisters: Live At The Opera House (Blue Thumb)

AN IRRATIONAL prejudice: Given a choice between the sound of New York and the sound of New Orleans, I'd always go for the former. If it's Laura Nyro's airy, night-time spaciousness versus Dr. John's claustrophobic serenades for a tripped-out siesta in the local swamp, I'll take the lady any-day.