x close

Rent (1996 Original Broadway Cast)

Into Broadway's creative vacuum of revivals, movie adaptations, and Hollywood star vehicles comes Rent, the story of squatters, junkies, performance artists, struggling musicians, drag queens, aspiring filmmakers, and HIV-positives (and you thought Miss Saigon's helicopter landing was cool). Undoubtedly among the defining pop cultural events of 1996, Rent has already won four Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. More importantly, it threatens to bring substance back to the Great White Way.

Transposing Puccini's 100-year-old opera La Bohème into modern day Bohemia (19th-century Paris's Left Bank becomes late-20th-century New York's East Village where the scourge of tuberculosis becomes the plague of AIDS) Rent celebrates life among the young, sick, and unconventional. While Broadway shows are hardly the place for authentic portrayals of the latest marginalized hipsters, composer Jonathan Larson (who died at age 36, days before his musical opened) managed to sculpt vivid characters and scenes that bring Avenue A as close as it will ever come to 42nd Street. And by telling a socially relevant story of living without the guarantee of a future (renting, that is), Larson does his own little bit to define an X'ed generation. At worst, Rent is the Hair of the '90s.

For the majority of us who won't be seeing Rent anytime soon, the Original Cast Recording is more than just an after-show souvenir. Well-packaged with a complete libretto, the two-CD set is a worthwhile album separate of live performance. Full of songs that are funny and catchy, inspiring and touching, smart and hip and not overly sentimental, Rent mixes showtune pop with elements of rock, R&B, dance, gospel, and tango to make one of the best albums of the year--certainly the best rock opera in decades. La vie bohème, indeed. --Roni Sarig

---

Futures

Cast Recording;

---

Customer Review:

Soundtrack - next best thing to a front row seat

Beautifully packaged, great soundtrack. My 9 year old and I love this - we play it and play it. Brings back great memories of seeing it on stage at the Fox in St. Louis.

Perfect before or after the show...

Unbelievable

This soundtrack has some great songs on it, and the show itself is a masterpiece and deserves its Pulitzer. The music in this soundtrack is very touching, and the singers themselves are perfect for the parts that they sing.

The Five Best Tracks In My Opinion

Without You
I'll Cover You
Take Me Or Leave Me
Seasons Of Love
One Song Glory

"RENT" Overated

Don't get me worng I think RENT is a good piece of musical theatre but I mean come on there are only a few stand out songs in the show and the rest are just ok and some songs are just plain awful! I have seen RENT and yes it was worth the time and money but what some people say about this show blows my mind... This Show is not amazing! It is just good. I really dont understand how people love every track on the CD because some you couldnt pay me to listen to! Don't buy the CD unless you have seen the show and know that you will like majority of the music! All in All RENT tries but comes up a tad short.

---

Keywords: Cast Recordings; Music Theater; Musical Theater; Pop; Showtunes / B'way;

---

---

x close

Celtic Woman, Vol. 2

Although featuring some of the same singers who made Celtic Woman, vol. 1 so memorable (notably, Rita Connolly, Marian Bradfield, and Áine Furey), the overall tone of this second volume is at once more amorphous and less positive. New Age wall-of-sound close harmonies abound, and there are occasional nods to the Celtic electronica scene. But the tracks that make the strongest impressions are still those where the voice reigns supreme. Among the latter is The Fallen Angels' stunning a cappella version of She Moved Through The Fair, a tale of thwarted love that is surely Ireland's most chilling ghost story. Altan, led by Mairéad ni Mhaonaigh's girlish soprano, tells how easily an idealistic lover can become a embittered rake. Áine Uí Cheallaigh, accompanied only by a bodhrán, is uncommonly eloquent despite adhering to an old-style lack of histrionics. On the opposite extreme, Capercaillie's Scottish beats-and-puirt-a-beul (mouth music)-laced Hebridean Hale-Bopp is a jaunty, cutting-edge treat. --Christina Roden

---

Customer Review:

Wonderful Music

I bought this cd for my husband for his birhtday. We really like celtic and irish music. This cd is very good. We would buy another one in this series.

Not the quality of the first

I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of this CD, it took three weeks between the order and the time it arrived. Was it worth the wait? Yes, but I was still a little disappointed. It wasn't the CD that I was expecting. Celtic Women 1 was an amazing CD. This was still good, but not great.

Still, the CD features some return visitors from the first and a few great songs amongst them. Aine Furey makes a triumphant return with the song Vanities child, which highlights her haunting voice. I anxiously await the release of her band, Bohinta's new CD.

Highlights are:
Rita Connolly - Valparaiso
Fiona Joyce - Lifting the veil
Aine Furey - Vanity Child

If you don't have the first one, buy it first. Followed by the Faire Celts CD which is another tremendous display of the female Celtic voice.

worth the coin

skip vol. 1 and buy this 2nd volume. It will keep you interested for more than one spin.

---

Keywords: British Folk; Celtic; Celtic Fusion; Celtic New Age; Celtic/Irish; Contemporary Celtic; Int'l & World Music; Irish Folk; Pop; Traditional Celtic;

---

---

x close

The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Like a shimmering pearl, The Light in the Piazza emerged from a sea of revivals, rehashings, and movie adaptations to secure 11 2005 Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Based on an Elizabeth Spencer novella (which was also made into a 1962 film), it follows a mother, Margaret (Victoria Clark), and her daughter, Clara (Kelli O'Hara), as they take a vacation to Italy. There, Clara and a young Italian (Matthew Morrison) fall in love, but Margaret is determined to keep them apart.

The Light in the Piazza doesn't fit the model of most Broadway scores, with a splashy opener here, a swing number there, then the big ballad. The score is more of a unified whole, sometimes jarring, sometimes following the patterns of speech, and sometimes unfolding in glorious sheens of sound. (Heck, some of it's even in Italian!) In that sense, it's similar to another unconventional American musical set in Italy, Stephen Sondheim's Passion, which is more chamber opera than musical, and composer-lyricist Adam Guettel (song of Mary Rodgers, grandson of Richard Rodgers) seems the most likely heir apparent to Sondheim in the current generation of musical theater creators. O'Hara's voice soars in the score's most beautiful moments ("Say It Somehow," the title song), but Clark enjoys two exquisitely lyrical moments with "Dividing Day" and "Let's Walk." She was one of the show's six Tony winners (for Leading Actress), along with Guettel's score and the orchestrations, scenice design, lighting, and costumes, while O'Hara (for Featured Actress), Morrison, Craig Lucas's book, and Bartlett Sher's direction were also nominated. --David Horiuchi

---

Customer Review:

An amazing musical!

This musical is a breath of fresh air for many after seeing many of the recent things coming out on Broadway. Nominated for 11 Tonys (winning 6 of them), The Light in the Piazza, is truly an amazing musical! I stumbled upon this CD after looking up Matthew Morrison (created the role of Link Larkin in Hairspray) recent theatre credits. I am very glad that I did since this musical is simply a beautifully done piece. I recomend this to anyone who is a fan of musicals from the 1980s. The sound is similar to Sondheim's "Passion" and is sung beatuifully all over. If you only buy one musical CD this year, this is definately the one to go for!

Beautiful...

I have always love Guettel's works, but this one is so outstandingly brilliant that I cannot stop listening to it! Thank you so much for writting such breathtaking music!

The Light In the Piazza Burns Clear

Having listened to the music but not having the privilege of seeing the Tony winning musical, I have to say I was caught up in the lovely, light music and the crystal clear voices of the performers. It took a good 3 "listenings" to help me to decide that I did really like this musical. Although the music is not as memorable as some, it has it's moments and I have enjoyed listening to it over and over. I was a bit disappointed not to learn of the secret of Clara in the libretto but I still enjoyed the overall performances and voices.

---

Keywords: Cast Recordings; Country-Pop; Int'l & World Music; Music Theater; Musical Theater; Pop; Showtunes / B'way;

---

---

x close

Zucchero & Co.

---

Customer Review:

A must for any Zucchero fan!

Please note this review is pertaining to the IMPORT (not Italian) version of this CD which has 18 tracks. Of the four extra songs not on this CD, only one of them is a 'skipper,' (the Tom Jones duet that I mention below). Otherwise, it's worth the few extra dollars (I think) to get the longer, IMPORTED version. If not, get this one! You have got to give Zucchero a try if you haven't already. I also highly recommend his "BLUE" CD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I adore this CD. It's worth the price just for the Macy Gray (Jeff Beck) duet in "Like The Sun" which is my favorite, if I was pressed.
If you already have 'SHAKE', you will recognize the John Lee Hooker duet from that cd; but you can't hear that tune too many times, either.
"Blue" from the BLUE cd is made fresh with the Sheryl Crow addition. I don't know who "Mousse T." is, but the "Mama Get Real" duet is a toe tapping winner.

I only have to skip past a couple of unfortunate songs here: the duet with Tom Jones (!!) being one of them. But there is Lots to love here like I said before-well worth the price for any Zucchero fan.

regards,
Laurie in Alaska

Come Sweet Soul of Mine, I Lay Down With The Angels

John Lee Hooker sings with his soulful voice and mellow tones with Zucchero's rustic, Italian pop and blues, "I Lay Down". This song was recorded in 2001, and John Lee Hooker died in a month's time. When you hear this tune, you will play it over and over in your mind.

"Come sweet soul of mine
I lay down with the angel
I lay down with an angel

I lay down
With an angel
I lay down
With an angel
'cause she treat me kind sometimes
Vieni in me
Portami via
Ali d'oro"

Zucchero which means Sugar, whose real name is Adelmo Fornaciari, was born in Roncocesi, Italy. He learned to play the organ at church, and was eventually introduced to Black Spirituals by a visiting American. He formed his first band known as "Le nuove luci", The New Lights. He traveled Italy playing his music. In 1994 he played at Woodstock Festival with Eric Clapton and Lucianno Pavorotti. But this is one of the first times his music has been played in the US. This CD is climbing the charts quickly. Zucchero has joined many talented musicians and has produced a CD of magnificence.

The most magnificent of these tunes is "I Lay Down" with John Lee Hooker. I forecast this as a top ten hit. This is followed by "Blue" sung with Sheryl Crow, with her lovely, lilting voice. They performed "Blue" first in 1998 in another album. The lyrics are written by Bono of U2. This song will catch you and lift you into the stratosphere.

Former Cranberries singer, Dolores O"Riordan, sings "Pure Love" with Zucchero, a memorable performance. She has a particularly lovely accent.

Miles Davis heard the song "Dunne Mosse" "Dune of Mercy" on the radio while he was touring in Italy, and he performed it with Zucchero first in 2001 and then in 2003. Gravelly voice and catchy rhythm.

Sting asked Zucchero if he could write lyrics to "Muoio per te", "Mad About You."and this is the final version. This is Sting at his finest.

"Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime" with Vanessa Carlton is one of the newer tracks on this CD. Vanessa Carlton plays the piano and Haylie Ecker plays the violin. You will recognize the lovely melody and sing along.

I have not been a fan of Macy Gray, but she sings "Like The Sun" with feeling and style. Macy Gray sings and Jeff Beck added a guitar solo

"Wonderful World", Eric Clapton met Zucchero in 1989 and they started singing together whenever their tours coincided. Eric Clapton at his best,sounds like his earlier style.

"Diavolo In Me" (Devil in me) with Solomon Burke is a treasure. Zucchero and Burke met in the 80's on several tours and festivals. Their styles click and this song is sweet. Higher and higher as the notes and their vocies swell, the sweeter the song.

"Miserere" with Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli was written by Zucchero and Bono. Pavarotti recorded it first, and Bocelli recorded the studio version. Bocelli as an unknown is now a known entity.

This is a masterpiece of an album. The Italian pop and blues of Zucchero mixed with the talented voices of BB King, Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Sting, Sheryl Crow, John Lee Hooker and others have given us a mix of a soulful, resounding memory. Highly Recommended. prisrob

Raspy, Sexy---Fresh

Zucchero is a true talent. His Joe Cocker-like voice fills your ears with emotion, pain, exhileration. The songs are fabulous, the arrangements intriguing. He is the real deal. I especially like the songs adapted by Frank Musker, but all are great. He is a master in his prime.

---

Keywords: Int'l & World Music; Italian Pop; Italy; Latin Pop/Rock; Modern Electric Blues; Political Folk; Pop;

---

---