This is quite possibly one of my favourite CD's ever. Steph has a voice that just touches a deep part of you and once you've felt it you're hooked. She not only is a belter, but her voice can go from powerhouse to lullaby in 0.3 seconds. My favorite song on here is 'Gotta Start Small'. Its absolutely beautiful; she starts out in that soft, sweet head voice of hers. She gradually builds up to the climatic belt, then finishes off in that soft melodic head voice. Despite her 'Broadway' persona, there are only two tracks on here that could be considered musical theatre: Making Good, a song that was originally written in the Wicked workshop but then cut and replaced with 'The Wizard and I' and Because I am A Wife, a song that was featured in previews for The Pirate Queen then replaced with 'Woman'. The rest of the album features composers such as Scott Alan, Andrew Lippa, and Stephan Flaherty to name a few. I highly recommend this one, not just because I'm a quote 'Blockhead' but because I truly think that its a brilliant CD that anyone could enjoy. You can check it out here.
If you adore Broadway songs old and new, then this my friends is a really good find. Christiane Noll has one of the most versatile voices I've heard, plus she's another lady with a rather impressive belt (sue me, I love my belters). This CD really showcases her versatility, with songs like 'Johnny One Note', 'I Could have Danced All Night' and 'My Personal Property'. One minute you're hearing a beautiful soprano voice and the next you have a spunky musical theatre vebratto. Sadly, this came out a while before her debut as Mother in RAGTIME so there's no 'Back to Before' on there, but if you're looking for something with a little spunk and class then you've definitely found it. You can preview it here.
I'm a jazz fan (Sorry Rach ;]). Ashley Brown caught my eye--er..ear rather...when she was playing Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. She's currently staring in the title role in the MARY POPPINS national tour, but somehow between cities she managed to produce this little gem. Its all classic jazz standards that are incredibly soothing after a long day. With favorites like 'If I were a Bell', 'As Time Goes By' (one of my all-time favourites), 'My Funny Valentine' and 'How Long has this Been Going On' how can this not be a must have for jazz lovers? Plus Ashley's beautiful soprano voice is just mezmerizing. Yes, I'm a fan of sopranos and belters. Just in case you didn't notice. You can listen to sample tracks here.
Sutton Foster is known for her comedic roles, as well as her amazing performance as Jo in LITTLE WOMEN and the title role in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Sutton brings some of her favorite influences and inspirations to this album, she not only showcases her taste in music but her versatility that not a lot of people know she has. Classics like 'Up on the Roof', 'Nobody's Cryin', and 'Sunshine on My Shoulders' will make this a fun one to listen to with your parents. You won't have to deal with the whole 'You call this music?!' crap. Check it out here.Okay so I saved Linda for last...mainly because the woman has about eleven albums out...I own six of them. So I picked three of my favourites, lets start with Broadway: My Way.
Yes I know, its another CD of good ole' Broadway standards. I can't help it, I adore musical theatre. The great thing about this album is that Linda didn't pick songs that everyone knew. Sure there are some familiar ones on there (such as 'Edelweiss', 'On the Street Where you Live' and 'Don't Rain on My Parade'. Which by the way is AMAZING. Not because the woman can belt, but because she makes the song her own without trying to emulate Barbra), but she picked a few that not a lot of people know about; songs such as 'The Impossible Dream', 'What Kind of Fool?', and 'Man of La Mancha' aren't usually the first to come to mind when one thinks musical theatre. This album is a great way to expand your Broadway repertoire, you can find it here.
Most people get a little persnickity when it comes to people re-doing the songs that 'icons' do. I can assure you that that will change once you hear this album. Judy Garland is probably one of the most iconic performers of our time, and this album pays homage to that. I can't think of anyone better to do a tribute album honestly, Judy had a unique voice that most people would recognize as her own; Linda is the same way. The album has classics like 'The Trolly Song', 'Almost Like Being in Love', 'The Boy Next Door', 'Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart' and (of course) 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Linda, again, manages to add her own personal touch to the songs without disrespecting or emulating Judy. This is a definite must have for any Judy Garland fan and anyone who's thinking of giving Linda a try. Check it out here.
This is by far (again), one of my favourite CD's. Some critics described it sounding like 'Linda's going down a country road', well we all know that most critics have their head so far up their ass that they wouldn't know a good album if it--nevermind. The reason I like this one so much is because you really get a peak into Linda's minds eye. She wrote most of the songs on this album and they are very personally-charged. She delivers incredible renditions of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and "Ghost" by Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls. This is probably the CD I would recommend to someone who's not into the whole Broadway scene, but enjoys the whole indie/acoustic genre. You can find 'The Other Side of Me' here. Oh and just a little sidenote, she sings this AMAZING song called 'Vienna' and I think its worth checking out.So that's a glimpse into my vast iTunes library. Keep reading for the next one! After all, I do have over 3600 songs so there's a lot to talk about ;]
Hmmm. Interesting.
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