FEATURE Nine CDs for the New Year
Reports on the NINE soundtrack; Glee, Vol. 2; Memphis cast recording; new discs from Donna Lynne Champlin, Ashley Brown, and Regis and Joy Philbin and more…
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This new musical from Chicago (and due on Broadway later this season) is a high-octane exploration of a 1956 recording session that brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis together. The CD is filled with some remarkably powerful covers of these legends' biggest hits.
Wonderland Concept Recording (www.wonderlandthemusical.org)
Frank Wildhorn's diverse, toe-tapping tunes for this update to Lewis Carroll's classic stories are delivered with vocal flair by a host of Broadway veterans, notably Janet Dacal, Karen Mason, Nikki Snelson, and Jose Llana.
Ashley Brown, Speak Low
Broadway's original Mary Poppins breaks out in surprising and generally satisfying ways with a variety of show tunes and pop classics. Her jazzy "My Funny Valentine" and a lushly robust "If I Were a Bell" are particularly enjoyable.
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Donna Lynne Champlin, Old Friends (www.donnalynnechamplin.com)The musical theater vetran tackles a plethora of material from some of today's most gifted musical theater writers with delicacy and often heartbreaking intensity on a disc that's a testament to her talent as both songstress and producer.
Regis & Joy Philbin, Just You, Just Me
This famous couple's enjoyment of one another -- and the romantic standards they croon -- is infectious on this charming disc that brings a more innocent era to life with genial aplomb.
Glory Days
This score for this short-lived Broadway show about four high school friends reuniting during their college break has a little more substance than one might imagine. Indeed, its youthful verve should ultimately make it a staple in colleges for years to come.