Search - Lauren Kennedy, Jason Robert Brown :: Songs of Jason Robert Brown

The most beautiful CD in the history of the world!

Gregor Dickson | Edinburgh, Scotland | 03/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This truly exquisite recording unites two of musical theatre's most gifted artistes: award-winning composer/lyricist/musical director/arranger/pianist Jason Robert Brown and multi-talented actress/singer/dancer Lauren Kennedy (leading lady of the London National Theatre's recent "South Pacific" and the Broadway production of "Les Misérables").The eleven distinctive tracks include at least one composition from each of Jason Robert Brown's three hit musicals: "Songs For A New World", "Parade" and "The Last 5 Years". Those owning the respective cast recordings are in for quite a surprise with this album, as no song is presented in its original theatrical form and often takes the experienced listener into unexpected territory.From "Songs Of A New World" there are three tracks. `Christmas Lullaby' gains a country feel, and particularly in the final verse Lauren superbly conveys the emotion and suffering which the lyrics suggest. Jason Robert Brown makes (as far as I am aware) his vocal recording debut in an incredibly passionate duet with Lauren in `I'd Give It All For You'. `Flying Home', meanwhile, features wonderfully strong vocals from Lauren, soaring above a gospel-style choir.One song is featured from "Parade" and it is almost unrecognisable from its show form. `Pretty Music', sung in the show by a Governor to his wife at a tea dance, sees its tempo slowed considerably to a New Orleans style, the introduction of tuba and banjo accompaniment, and more than half of its lyrics rewritten (e.g. the Governor's "I'm the lucky guy who gets to dance with you" is replaced by Lauren's mischievous "Look at what's standing in front of you") to superb effect.As a great admirer of "The Last 5 Years" in particular, I was initially unsure how I would take to the new arrangements of the three songs featured here. Such doubts were quickly dispelled, however. Here, `I Can Do Better Than That' is as strong as ever albeit with a slightly altered ending, and the major reworkings of the other two songs are amongst the many highlights of the album. In the show - both when Lauren originated the female role in Chicago and in its subsequent New York transfer - `When You Come Home To Me' is somewhat buried within `A Miracle Would Happen', as an audition number for the female character. Here it undergoes a rich orchestration and, complete with ten-piece string section playing at a leisurely tempo, it clearly demonstrates how adaptable and effective Jason Robert Brown's compositions can be. And I cannot imagine anyone other than Lauren making so much of the new, full version of `Goodbye Until Tomorrow' - as soon as one hears the new added percussion at the end of bar four, it is clear a treat is in store! Oh, and for those familiar with the song's context in the musical, prepare for a big surprise when the number reaches the show's "I called Elise to help me pack my bags" male character entry. Lauren takes the song in a totally different direction and leaves you breathless. All in all, it rocks!!!Then there are the four `premiere recording' tracks. Three of these, `And I Will Follow', `Letting You Go' and the hauntingly beautiful `If I Told You Now' have been performed by Lauren and/or Jason at recent concerts but never have they sounded better than here. `Letting You Go' again features a ten-piece string section, but also a highly effective sudden cut-out of a crescendo accompaniment during Lauren's last lines. As a complete contrast, `If I Told You Now' contains only simple piano accompaniment, in a recording so clear that one can hear Jason Robert Brown's pedal movements. Finally a brand new track recorded just before the album's release, `Dreaming, Wide Awake' which, together with `Letting You Go', confirms that Lauren has the most incredible vocal range and dexterity.The whole production is clearly a labour of love from start to finish and the immense quality shines through in every aspect. The twenty page booklet accompanying the CD is a joy to peruse, containing lengthy and entertaining introductions from the two artistes, together with full lyrics, individual track notes, over twenty photographs and a very insightful concluding note written by Trevor Nunn who directed Lauren at the National.All in all, this recording perfectly captures Lauren's truly unique vocal talents. I cannot think of a single performer whose solo album encompasses such a variety of styles: country, gospel, swing, art song and rock, and the vitality and expression she brings to every track is simply breathtaking. As Trevor Nunn suggests, Lauren Kennedy doesn't merely sing songs brilliantly - she inhabits them. In my opinion, she owns them too.For everyone who loves Jason Robert Brown's writings, and for everyone who has not discovered them yet (an exhaustive combination surely?), I cannot recommend the recording highly enough. The Amazon five-star scale is just not adequate in this case; this masterpiece requires at least a sixth. *Once this CD is in your player, you won't need to worry if the player's eject button ever breaks. You will have no further need for it."

Fans of Jason Robert Brown need this album.

Wayne Rossi | Mount Holly, NJ United States | 07/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm going to preface this by saying: as a rule, I don't care for musical theatre solo albums. They're generally full of crummy pop arrangements and songs that I don't like to begin with. But I made an exception for Lauren Kennedy's Songs of Jason Robert Brown, after overcoming some initial reluctance, in no small part because it contains four JRB songs that weren't available on CD before.The CD starts off with a bang, a very strong and lyrical "And I Will Follow" - one of the new songs and a great way to showcase Kennedy's unique voice. It follows it up with a good handful of fun in her rendition of "Pretty Music," from Brown's wonderful score for Parade. Next up is the haunting "Letting You Go," which according to the liner notes inspired The Last Five Years (my favorite JRB show). Possibly the strongest track on the album is an astounding "I Can Do Better Than That," which this album opened up my ears to in a completely new light. I hope that this will mean it becomes the most-performed of Cathy's songs from The Last Five Years. (As a side note, I'm really glad to have some of Kennedy's Cathy on record, since she originated the role in Chicago.)"Christmas Lullaby" is one of the songs that hooked me on JRB's music, and while I'm not the biggest fan of the new arrangement, Lauren brings some lovely emotion out of the song and presents it as completely her own. Then she duets with JRB himself on "I'd Give It All for You," and I must say it's a treat to hear them together. The composer, you see, is also a heck of a musician and a singer. I'm not too fond of the ballroom record style arrangement of "When You Come Home to Me," but it does convey a good context for a song written to sound kinda lousy when Cathy sings it in Last Five Years. I could well imagine this playing over a very lovely, tender scene in a film."Dreaming, Wide Awake" is reportedly from a new musical that JRB might write, and it's a very weird lyrical treat from the composer. I think he's growing as an artist, and it's thrilling to get to hear it on this beautiful album. "Goodbye Until Tomorrow" was a song that demanded to be recorded separately from its context in The Last Five Years - not because the context was bad, it was a wonderful finale, but because it's such a powerful song. And, again, I'm overjoyed that some of Lauren's Cathy is preserved. "If I Told You Now" is a bittersweet, beautiful song as only Jason Robert Brown can write, and it's great that material like this was recorded. And the album closes with a bang on a "Flying Home" as the composer originally intended it to be sung - not to say that it wasn't great in Songs for a New World, but it's even better to hear it this way.The album features Jason Robert Brown on the piano consistently. He is actually a remarkably distinctive pianist, and evidence of this can be found on all his albums. The whole disc is really a wonderful exploration of JRB's music by one performer who's now coming into her own, and I have a feeling that there are wonderful things lying ahead for both of them.For fans of the composer, this album isn't optional. Not only are the new songs beautiful, but a number of songs had never been performed this way before. It's more casually listenable than the cast albums for Parade and L5Y (great though both are), and I suspect a number of us were wearing our Songs for a New World CDs thin with play. If you like Lauren Kennedy's highly unique voice, it's also a great investment; you'll get eleven tracks that show her off in every way possible. It's a wonderful disc, and you won't be let down."

Best Cabaret/Theater CD of 2003 (thus far)

Richard Edgcomb | New Jersey/USA | 10/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply Put...This is an incredibly beautiful CD. With Robert Jason Brown's wonderful melodies and lyrics coupled with the most amazing voice of Lauren Kennedy, one can't go wrong with this new recording. Lauren hits all the right notes, her phrasing is impecible and her voice soars on most every cut. In my opinion, this is the BEST cabaret/theater CD thus far for 2003."