Search - Jason Graae, Sally Mayes, Liz Larsen :: Prime Time Musicals (Studio Cast Re-recordings)

Underappreciated music gets recognition

Thomas Payne | Norwich, VT | 04/15/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The best reason to own this CD is that you will not find many of these songs anywhere else. Some have been recorded on an album for the first time here. Others are only available on very rare LPs.The difficulty in enjoying an album like this is that songs from musicals are often very contextual--if you haven't seen the show it's hard to relate. Because this is a collection of unrelated cuts and not an entire show, some of the songs seem orphaned. The best tracks are those songs with more or less universal themes--songs not dependent on a storyline to give them depth. A couple examples of this type are "Listen To Your Heart," "One Day At A Time" and "Who Needs To Dream."The performances are hit and miss--a few lack any conviction ("Man Wanted" is a sassy tune but this rendition is flat). Other songs are simply beautiful ("It Doesn't Matter Anymore," "You're So Right For Me"). Hurray for producer Bruce Kimmel for collecting and gathering these little gems."