5 comments about The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast).

1. What a change from the stock-standard Broadway musical! A unique concept, with the two characters travelling chronologically opposing paths over the same 5 year relationship, and some clever, catchy and at times complex music creates a compelling show. It bears listening and re-listening repeatedly, with new details emerging with each encounter. Fabulous characterization by these two talented leads also. Bravo!



2. Of all of Jason Robert Brown's works, this one must rank as the first. I loved how the recording works as if you are watching it on stage, with one song blending into the next. The songs range from hilarious (Shiksa Goddess, Summer in Ohio, Climbing Uphill) to heart breaking (If I Didn't Believe in You, Nobody Needs to Know). Although the story seems as simple as it gets(the relationship between two people), the music lifts it up over most typical love stories. JRB also explores all aspects of falling in love, from infatuation to resentment. Norbert Leo Butz (goodness, he's incredible) and Sherie Rene Scott are amazing. The one thing that bothered me was the random cuss words that seemed to be there just to take up space. However, they are few and far between and overall the lyrics are incredibly clever. After hearing it, I only wish I could've found out about this musical in time to watch it.



3. Brilliant musical by Jason Robert Brown. The music is lively and touching, and the lyrics are great.
   
   Highly recommended!



4. Norbert Leo Butz (Fiyero in Wicked, Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scounderls, this fall's Is He Dead?, etc.) & Sherie Rene Scott (Aida, Rent, Dirty Rotten Scounderls, this fall's Little Mermaid, etc.) are so tender together that you loose yourself in the recording and you actully feel like your right there with them as Jamie (Norbert) explains the relationship from the start and Katy (Sherie) from the end. I just love it beyond words and highly recommend it to fand of modern musical theatre.



5. If you like Sondheim, you will like Jason Robert Brown. His music is more sophisticated than Jonathan Larson, and yet still akin to popular music for our generation! I feel this musical is his best-to-date, but I can't wait to see the new pieces in store. If you liked "Songs for a New World", you will not be disappointed in this work. It is a little more like a traditional musical with a plot that weaves between two parts of a couple, and how they move through their relationship together (the trick is, he is going backwards in time, she forwards--they meet at the wedding.)

5 comments about Guys & Dolls: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Recording (1950 Original Broadway Cast).

1. One of the greatest American musicals of all time. Sadly, this recording is difficult to listen to due to the recording techniques of the period. Still, it has the incomparable Vivian Blaine as Adelaide and Stubby Kaye singing Sit Down Your Rockin the Boat. But get the Nathan Lane revival, terrific performances all around, and sounds infinetly better than this original.



2. I am a local actor and purchased this to help with rehearsing a local production of the musical. It is VERY close to the material you rent from the licensor (the new revived version is WAY off). Although the sound quality is VERY tinny for today's standards, it is a good rendition of the ORIGINAL version of the musical. Wish the ensemble was a little stronger, though. (The added few BONUS tracks from the movie version are cute, but you have to wonder "why?"...)



3. I attempted to watch GUYS & DOLLS, with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, and I couldn't bare it. I'll tell you why. My mind kept drifting back to the Original Broadway Cast recording. For me, it was like watching stand-ins for the real thing. The problem was, the "real thing" never arrived in the film.
   
   GUYS & DOLLS is the story of petty criminals and gamblers, and the women who love them. While Skye Masterson (Robert Alda) is a high roller with a penchant for playing craps games, Nathan Detroit (Sam Levene) runs an illegal "floating craps game" and has been engaged to his fiancee, Miss Adelaide (the wonderful Vivian Blaine) for fourteen years. Adelaide is a burlesque dancer at the Cat Trap (I think the name is self-explanatory). Skye makes a deal with Nathan to snag a "doll" and take her to Havana, the craps game. He finds Sarah Brown (Isabel Bigley), sargaent of the Save-A-Soul mission, and agrees to bring her a dozen sinners, in exchange for a date.
   
   Some of the best music by Frank Loesser is here. My personal favorite songs include "I'll Know," "A Bushel and Peck," "Adelaide's Lament," and "Luck Be a Lady." The cast is marvelous and charismatic. Vivian Blaine is hilarious as the long-suffering fiancee. She plays Adelaide as a beautiful, wonderfully comedic pin-up girl to the hilt. You hear anyone else playing this role, and you just can't shake Blaine's incomparable performance. The singing is strong and the story is filled with shenanigans that will definitely hold your attention through to the end of the album. Classic!



4. I bought this because I wanted to get the soundtrack from the movie with Marlon Brando, and Jean Simmons. This cd was the closest thing I could find; it has the broadway version but also some songs from the movie. The music is wonderful, and the cd is great!



5. What a pleasure to hear the original Broadway cast recording of this musical comedy classic! The CD contains what they call "Bonus Tracks" taken from the movie version. I heartily recommend skipping these altogether - why listen to Marlon Brando whisper his way through "Luck Be a Lady" when you can hear Robert Alda deliver it the way it was meant to sung?

5 comments about Songs For A New World (1996 Original New York Cast).

1. Great CD. What a fantastic composer. Love his music. Can't wait for new broadway musical CD to come out.



2. I bought this to replace a copy that a friend walked off with last year. Christmas just isn't Christmas for me without several airings of Surabaya Santa.
   
   I'd like to think that Jason Robert Brown will move past his demonstrable facility with pastiche to do some unique work. Certainly, he's demonstrated on this CD that he understands his predecessors. I eagerly await what he can do as himself.



3. The show, Songs For A World has been the "under ground" hit for musical theater for years. More recently has the muscial come up to be more and more well known (when in 2003 lyrisit/composer Jason Robert Brown's newer show, The Last 5 Years grew widely accomplished).
   
   Songs For A New World first showed off-Broadway in 1995. Jason Robert Brown delivered what is now one of muscial theaters hidden treasurs.
   
   Any true musical theater fan who is tired of the new lack luster shows or revival after revival clustering their shelfs will find this cd a new favorite.
   
   Ironically, all these songs have been selected from differnt shows written by Jason Robert Brown, yet have a noticeable connection. Even Jason Robert Brown wrote, "No one tried to weave these songs together. Yet when the show was completed we couldn't help but notice how many of these characters and songs could be portrayed as the same individual."
   
   For myself, each and every song can be a personel favorite. But of coarse certain numbers clearly rise above the rest.
   
   The New World- Truely one of my favorite songs of all times, from the lyrics, the vocals and the message.
   
   Just One Step - A hilarious and briliant song. You will be humming this hugely catching the first moment you hear it.
   
   Stars and the Moon - A haunting and truely significant song. Any theater fan will appriciate this song for its soluful lyrics and heart warming message.
   
   King of the World - Quite simply, one of the most brilliant vocal performances you will ever hear.
   
   Each actor gives each and every song meaning and heart. And when all four are put together (The New World, The River Won't Flow, Hear My Song) produce awesome results.
   
   This is a MUST HAVE for muscial theater fans who miss shows you can actually listen through entirely! I highly recommend this to be added to your collection!



4. Jason Robert Brown has really hit the mark with this show. Heartwarming, thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable.



5. Already a classic, will bookend a fantastic musical career

5 comments about Nipper's Greatest Hits - The 20's.

1. At twenty songs, this is a decent sized compilation into the popular music of the decade that roared. Some of these songs are familiar (Rhapsody in Blue) and other songs you'll be surprised to find familiar, having never known their name before.
   
   Now, the 1920s is a bit before my time. I love this music though. This, aside from the movies, was really my introduction to it.



2. I recognized so many songs from movies and cartoons I've seen, and who knows where else. For some reason I just love this music. I bought something from the forties, at the same time, and it was a big disappointment - but this made up for it. I was so surprised at how great it sounds and the music is really the "bees knees", as someone else mentions. Even though the Charleston craze was way before my time, I wanted to jump up and dance. Everything is good, but even if you only like a few, "Rhapsody In Blue" will make you swoon and be glad you bought it. Now I am looking for more music like this. I hope the Archeophone ones are as good. I looked them up at [...] and, as someone commented on Amazon, they have samples. I listened to the music and it did sound wonderful plus it comes with a lot of historical background. I just bought two C.D.'s by them on Amazon and will let you know. I can't wait to hear the songs from the prohibition era where they sing about their pal Al (Alcohol) and the moon shining on moonshine, etc. I love the play on words.



3. Suffice to say, Nipper has great taste in selecting the greatest hits of the 1920s! "Collegiate" can bring a laugh and a smile to every listener, and "My Blue Heaven" never grows old. This is a must-have!



4. Great music from the twenties, Shared it with my Lindy dance troupe and now we use it in our skit for nursing homes and church. Great fun!! The sound is good, original productions. I recommend it.



5. I bought this cd initally for a laugh, as my family are holding a birthday party themed *gangsters and molls* for my dad. I was browsing and found this fantastic soundtrack to the 20's, and I fell in love with the music!! I love it!!

5 comments about Higher Ground.

1. As a student of music, and particularly of the female voice, I own a wide range of music that I study, simply to understand the appeal of various styles and sounds. This is one that was recommended, and I bought it (cheap & used, thank God) to study.
   
   Personally, Barbara's voice drives me up the wall. Her forced, unnatural vibrato that is produced in the back of her throat, her melodramatic emphasis of every stinking line, and her miserable attempt at Sinatra-esque phrasing (hesitating a moment before coming in on the phrase). She has some of the most predictable phrasing and ornaments ever known to womankind.
   
   I actually love several of these songs, including "On Holy Ground", and I am annoyed that she tried to recreate this track. Barbara, only the "alternative" lifestyles like you! And those who like fake, contrived emotions.
   
   YUCK! She only avoided a "1" because she has somehow managed to make a name for herself, and that deserves some credit.



2. This album is the best album from Barabara in YEARS. Inspirational, and depply spiritual, it will be uplift you in a way that few albums can. Barabara is in her element here, and it shows



3. Released in 1997 just in time for Christmas, this was actually Barbra Streisand's most successful proper album since the Broadway Album. It debuted at #1, and went triple platinum. However, I cannot honestly say this is one of her best albums. Yes, it did very well, but that can easily be contributed to her teaming with Celine Dion on a song, as she was the most popular singer in the world at that time, as well as appearing on the highly popular Oprah and Rosie O'Donnell talk shows to promote it.
   
   The beginning of the album isn't too terrible, with not only the true highlight, "Tell Him," (one of the only songs I listen to on this album) being in the mix, but also lovely songs such as "At the Same Time," "On Holy Ground," and "Higher Ground" being played in the process. Many of the songs also have a feeling of uplift in them, so that if you listen at a time you're down or worried about something, you'll feel at least a little better afterwards.
   
   However, there are plenty of flaws to add to the mix as well. First off, like her 70s album Lazy Afternoon, the songs, while pleasant to the ears, all sound the same, making the tracks forgettable music that just blends in the background. Second, her voice was not at its greatest on here, which is truly evident on "Tell Him." Celine is actually singing over her at many times in the song. Finally, "Tell Him" aside, this is not music that will appeal to everyone, since there are many people out there not religious or spiritual who can be put off by this stuff.
   
   In short, this is more for the hardcore Barbra Streisand fans than the general public or those curious about her music. If you want the "Tell Him" song only, you'd probably be happier with a greatest hits or Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love album, released around the same time. At her worst, Barbra's better than many at their best, and while she's done worst than this, it doesn't make it much more appetizing.



4. Higher Ground has some of the most inspirational, thought provoking songs that has aided in my growth and development as a young woman. This is my first piece of Barbra Streisand's and I look forward to purchasing more of her music.



5. I bought this CD when it first came out 10 years ago and I still love it. First class Barbra.

5 comments about A New Day...Live In Las Vegas w/Bonus DVD.

1. i like celindion cd a new day i just wish she would put more songs from her las vegas show in the cd like she did in the dvd. but it's still worth your while to purchase it. enjoy



2. Mu husband and I have watched this video many times. We love the bonus backstage dvd. We saw Celine live and were so excited to finally own this dvd. If you like Celine you will love this dvd.



3. They sing the same song "FEVER" and you can see like balck and white. Try litsen to Buble "Fever" in his Live show "CAUGHT IN THE ACT" and you will HEAR THE DIFFERENCE.
   I compare both LIVE shows so nobody can say it is because they mix things in the studio. They are both LIVE!



4. REALLY ENJOYED IT AND IT BROUGHT BACK PLEASANT MEMORIES OF SEEING MS DION IN LAS VEGAS WITH FRIENDS FROM ENGLAND.



5. This was a pathetic attempt for her first live English language album. Most of the songs on the CD are covers, songs that were made famous YEARS before Celine came along.
   
   The included DVD is a teaser about the show.
   
   On the plus side, the full Vegas show will be released on DVD December 11th, 2007, FINALLY!!!

5 comments about Arrival.

1. "Arrival" is rife with great songs, performances and instrumentation. If you're new to Abba, start with this album. From the concert hall sound of "Dancing Queen" to the instrumental closer "Arrival", this album plays effortlessly through the whole pop spectrum . Benny and Bjorns music will continue to enthrall and entertain new audinces for years to come. For my money they were the Swedish Lennon/McCartney.



2. I was an ABBA fan from the beginning and remain so to this day. When Arrival hit the States in 1977, I was proud to see them turning up on juke boxes in places like the Pizza Hutt in Lebanon, Tennessee. Dancing Queen was the big hit, a song in which a young girl gets out for some innocent fun. ABBA was at the root of the disco-mania of the 1970s even if this fact is not generally recognized in America. Besides being the biggest act western Europe has ever seen, their music penetrated and had a liberalizing effect on the countries of the Soviet bloc. ABBA music is here to stay!



3. This is one of the best pop music albums ever produced on this planet. The music of this band is uplifting yet serious at the same time. The vocals are top notch and the song writing is some of the very best. This is ABBA at their prime.



4. Everybody knows the hits "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and "When I Kissed Teacher"...well at least should know. This album has all those four hits! ABBA, two girls and two men sing very good. The girls are lead singers...especially Agnetha but also Ann-Frida is singing lead parts...like in "Money Money Money". I guess this includes the most important ABBA songs excluding "Waterloo" and "Super Trouper". I have always loved this album. Most of the songs are familiar to me. My favourite song is "My Love My Life" which is so touching that sometimes I begin to cry. "Money Money Money" is a dark song, at least lyrically..."If I Could Find Me a Weathy Man...I wouldn't have to work at all...". "Dancing Queen" is maybe the best-known dance pop song ever. I like also the funny "Dum Dum Diddle". It is so great. "Tiger" is so great too..."What If I Eat You...I am the Tiger". "Arrival" is an instrumental song.
   Stars: My Love, My Life, Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money



5. This album is thirty years old when I am writing this review. It is, if possible, the best ABBA's proper original album to choose when you want just one (but why should you?). And although, being a kid of the 1980's, I was listening to a slightly different version here in Slovakia ("Intermezzo No. 1" instead of "Dancing Queen" and of course no tracks 11 and 12), this still has probably the most palpable ABBA magic in it. In fact, two big hits, "Knowing me, Knowing You" and "Money Money Money" are more than matched by all other tracks here, notably "My Love, My Life" -- one of the most BEAUTIFUL ABBA songs and "Arrival", so profoundly enhanced by Scottish pipes in so great a way to finish an album. Only "Dum Dum Diddle" and "Tiger" are just a little little bit weaker (that's why it's only 9 points for me out of ten). And personally I prefer "Super Trouper" as the most mature and finest of ABBA's. Yet "Arrival" remains the standard by which all melodic hit pop music can be measured. All the more now, when it seems that nothing good and new is going to appear soon.

5 comments about You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Revival Cast).

1. I can be rather picky when it comes to Broadway musicals, but You're a Good Man Charlie Brown is at the top of my list along with Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. Mix great vocalists and performers with funny lyrics and catchy tunes, you've got You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. A light-hearted show, I would recommend this musical to anyone who loves Peanuts, Broadway, or hilarious and entertaining songs.



2. Broadway revival cast albums are a tricky thing -- how do you make something fresh, while not copying the original, and not making a mess of it, either?
   
   This 1999 revival cast of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN is fairly decent. The arrangements have life, the performances are enthusiastic, and the humor is simple and clear.
   
   Anthony Rapp, Roger Bart, and the fabulous Kristin Chenoweth do a great job. A little silly, a little cartoonish, and perfectly suited for the material.
   
   Unfortunately, a few of the other performers aren't well-suited for this music. Ilana Levine is a little TOO over-the-top and comes across as inauthentic, and B.D. Wong just has too much vibrato to be playing a young boy.
   
   If you're looking for only one recording of this terrific musical, I'd suggest you go with the original Broadway cast. But if you're a fan of the musical (or of any of these performers), this is a good addition to your collection.



3. I was a little suprised to get a CD not in original case...but it played



4. "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" is a classic Broadway musical. This CD is wonderfully well-done and brings back fond memories of when I saw it on stage as a little girl. This is the revival cast including Kristin Chenoweth as Sally Brown who won the Tony for her performance. All of the cast members sing their hearts out and do a superb job. This CD is great for ALL ages...young or old. It can be a great introduction to musicals for your little ones. Highly recommended!!



5. This is a very fun musical. My children, ages 3 and 6, love it and sing along!

5 comments about 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Connie Francis.

1. There were only two women in my life at the age of 16; Patsy Cline and Connie Francis. But for them I might not have ever found such a love of music, and particularly country music. It's always difficult to find a quality album with so many great songs from your favourite artist. This one is gold. Connie sings pretty much her best sad songs here that will make you cry. If "Breaking in a brand new broken heart" doesn't raise the goosebumps you will never understand country music, yet this album crosses over time and time again. Country, pop, blues ... I don't know. I just know it doesn't get much better than this.



2. This is what got her started and it a must for all Connie Francis lovers



3. Great, tight collection of some of Connie's best classics. Sit back, relax & enjoy!!!!!



4. Love Connie, Love this CD. Any fan of Connie Francis needs these songs in their collection.



5. OK. What "seasoned" person does NOT remember Connie Francis? Come on. Step right up. Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, an Italian girl born in 1938, and from Newark, NJ BLASTED her way through the late 50s and early 60s with that powerful and very beautiful voice and a string of hits. She has some gorgeous songs on this album, 12 tracks in all, totaling somewhere around 30 minutes--not very long but great songs.
   
   A very beautiful song is "Mama," sung in Italian and then in English. If it doesn't make you cry, you need sensitivity training. This song alone is worth having the album for.
   
   Of course, there is "Where The Boys Are," from the movie of the same name. The song brings back memories of Ft Lauderdale, Florida during Spring vacation. Fortunately, I had a cousin down there so I went down when I was 17 and spent about 2 weeks with her. I remember I kept looking for that club with the big fish tank from the movie and nobody down there knew anything about it--must have been Hollywood BS. Yes, the place was MOBBED with people and No, I did not get into any trouble. Anyway, the point is that I had fun and this music brings back fond memories like that. Many of us danced to "Who's Sorry Now" and "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" in school dances, when we were not dancing to the Temptations and the big-brass groups. "Stupid Cupid," "Lipstick on Your Collar" and "Vacation" were cute songs, too. Other great songs were "My Happiness," "Among My Souvenirs," "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own," and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart".
   
   I had to grab this CD back from my 34 year old son long enough to rip it to my Gizmo (MP3). Even he likes it. He has the same broad-based love of music as his Momma.
   
   This is a beautiful CD and a "STROLL" down Memory Lane. (OK. Who remembers the dance "The STROLL" and will ADMIT it?--for the young whippersnappers, that was in the same time period as this CD.)

5 comments about One Heart.

1. I'm a huge Celine Dion fan. I just love her voice and the way she uses it. For me, this is my favorite album of hers. I love every song on it except for one... and that doesn't happen very often with any artist or album for me.



2. I love Celine Dion's music and this is no exception. I love almost every single track on here, I know the words to every single song and I play it at least once a week. My fiance is sick of it, but I adore her and never get tired of listening to her. Her voice certainly has no changed and is still as powerful and beautiful. I would definetely recommend adding this to the collection.



3. As usual Celine displays wonderful vocal ability but the material isn't that exciting. This is my least favorite recording by her.



4. This is a good upbeat cd.
   1) I Drove All night-Pop/dance song, really good. Her vocals really shine. Excellent.
   
   2)Love is All we Need-Pop song, kind of sounds like a Britney Spears song but with better vocal work. Good.
   
   3)Faith-Pop song, upbeat with a slower tempo. It's ok.
   
   4)In His Touch-A slow ballad song. Kind of boring I skip it.
   
   5)One Heart-A dance/pop song. Very upbeat.
   
   6)Stand By Your Side-A ballad song. Kind of boring I skip it.
   
   7)Naked-Upbeat pop song. Very beautiful lyrics.
   
   8)Sorry For Love- A re-hash from 2002. It's a slower verison of the song but well done.
   
   9)Have You ever been in Love-A re-hash of 2002. The same version. Still a great song.
   
   10)Reveal-Dance song. I love this song. Beautiful lyrics, and a great beat.
   
   11)Coulda Woulda Shoulda-A pop song it's ok but I usually skip it.
   
   12)Forget me Not-A ballad song, it's kind of catchy.
   
   13)I know What Love is- A ballad song, kind of boring but her vocals are good I usually listen to it.
   
   All in all a good cd. I wasn't surprised at all because it was a change for Celine (not all ballads). All a follower of Celine for a over a decade I wish they didn't repeat 2 songs from the other Cd. It isn't her best but pretty good.



5. I love every single Celine Dion album, but this one has a special place in my heart, tied with the previous album. She taps into such amazing songwriters and lyricists that none of her songs could be confused with any previous song she's sung. Each song is a new, fresh, unique experience. After loving her from her French albums to her very first English release to her most recent endeavors, she doesn't disappoint and knows how to keep the music fresh and relevent. Her music doesn't become dated or tired. This album, in my opinion, is very much under-rated, and I'm surprised it hasn't had more attention. It certainly deserves airtime on the radio much more than some of the tripe that's out there right now.