Search - Steven Lutvak :: The Time It Takes

Buy it.

David Rigano | NY, NY | 10/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steven Lutvak is one of the most insightful and fun composers of our time. As many of the people quotes on the inside cover of this cd say, he is the new voice of Broadway.



The cd is a collection of his cabaret work leading up to this point. The title is "The Time It Takes" and the album reflects that title, using the music he has written in his carreer as a cabaret performer leading up to the recording of this cd. The styles and subjects vary, and while some arrangements are (as another reviewer put it) "schmaltzy," the music itself is far from it. Anyone who has seen him live when it's just him and a piano can attest to the sincerity of his music.



A definite must-have."

Broad survey of a significant talent

Eric D. Tooley | San Jose, CA USA | 06/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I attended Mr. Lutvak's live cabaret show in San Jose, California in May, 2004, and enjoyed him so much that I purchased this recording on the spot. After living with this album for a couple of weeks (with repeated listenings), I wanted to share my enthusiam for this artist along with my opinion of this particular release.Steve Lutvak has made a good impression on many of the right people: blurbs from Stephen Schwartz, Michael Feinstein, and Rosemary Clooney grace the liner notes. The fifteen songs on this recording showcase Mr. Lutvak's considerable range of talents as a composer (music and/or lyrics) and performer (vocals and piano). Musically, this collection is hard to fault, and offers something for anyone with a taste for the genre. However, the variety, while indicative of Mr. Lutvak's range, makes "The Time it Takes" feel more like a musical resume than a cohesive album.Nevertheless, each song provides ample evidence of inventive songcraft, and Mr. Lutvak's vocal performances should inspire voice students and aspiring actors everywhere. My favorite arrangements were also the most simple, such as the lovely closer, "The House that I Grew Up In". On the downside, otherwise good songs such as "I Just Wanted You to Know," "Debbie & Teddy & Me," and "The Time it Takes" are burdened with a "broadway-rock" sound that seems a bit schmaltzy to me.Only one track feels jarring here: the salsa-inflected "25th St", which producer Joseph Baker placed as the third cut. This is a prime position on any pop album, and should be reserved for a strong single, or at least a representative selection. Baker might also have reigned in Lutvak's baroque tendencies in "Beware the Anger of Soft Spoken Men," where excellent lyrics take a back seat to multi-layered vocals and a fussy arrangement that shows off (but perhaps over-indulges) Mr. Lutvak's harmonic sensibilities and baritone-to-falsetto range.As a live performer, Mr. Lutvak brings terrific presence and humor to the stage, and as noted earlier, his vocals and keyboarding are top-notch. While Amazon didn't include song samples at the time of this review, you can find some on www.stevenlutvak.com.Anyone who has heard Mr. Lutvak perform will enjoy much of this recording and should buy it without hesitation."