|
Here we are again at the start of another year, which means it's time yet
again for that venerable and most cherished of traditions, the always
subjective list of the Best Albums of 2003, which has been split
once again into two categories: Best Theatrical Albums of 2003 and Best
Vocal Albums of 2003.
Before we go on, let's recap the criteria for inclusion on these lists.
First of all, the album has to be a new release, versus a reissuing of
previously recorded material (thus making roughly 70% of all theatrical
releases this year ineligible, a marked decrease from last year).
Secondly, the album had to have been released in 2003. The chief deciding
factor, however, is how often the album graced my CD player or IPod, or
better yet, how many times I forced others to listen to it. As last year
produced an especially large bumper crop of eligible theatrical albums,
this year's list was an especially difficult one to compile, but here
goes:
 The best theatrical album is, without a doubt, the cast album of
Avenue Q, which not-so-coincidently is also the best new musical on
Broadway, has the best cast to come down the pike in a long while, and
contains both the best new song ("There's a Fine, Fine Line") and the best
line from a song (which is from "The Internet is for Porn" and ends with
the words 'double click'; the rest is up to you to figure out).
 Were Wicked to be judged solely on its leading ladies, Kristin
Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, it would most decidedly be on this list.
However, it is also blessed with a score that contains tender numbers of
heartrending pathos ("I'm Not That Girl"), light comedy ("Popular") and
full-bore, rafter-raising intensity ("Defying Gravity" and "No Good
Deed"), making it one of the most powerful, albeit debated, theatrical CDs
of the year.
 William Finn is one of theater's greatest living storytellers, as is
amply evidenced in Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn. While
each of the numbers on the album deals with loss due to either actual or
perceived death, the songs serve to celebrate and illustrate life rather
than dwell on the tragedy of loss. The cast, which includes Betty Buckley
sounding and acting better than she has in years, is equally incredible
and indelible.
 A Man of No Importance amply displays why Stephen Flaherty is a
musical chameleon and why he and his writing partner Lynn Ahrens combine
to form a pair of today's top writers of musical theater. While the story is
slight and a tad dated, the score is anything but as it burrows under
one's skin and into one's heart with its deceptive simplicity and
emotional honesty.
 This has certainly been the year of the male movie star on Broadway,
with both Antonio Banderas and Hugh Jackman appearing in high-profile,
show-carrying parts. While both stars shone brightly on stage and on
disc, Banderas benefited mightily by having better material to sing in
Nine (not to mention getting to perform an actual emotional arc in
the show), and by having supporting characters that actually propel the
narrative. While the women's inconsistent Italian accents remain grating,
the material in general and Banderas' performance in particular make this
one of the best albums of 2003.
 Composer Maury Yeston was also well represented with a tribute album
devoted to his material: The Maury Yeston Songbook, which contains
numbers both familiar (Brian d'Arcy James' understated "Unusual Way" and
Liz Callaway's "Simple") and obscure (Alice Ripley's "Please Let's Not
Even Say Hello" and "Now and Then" with Laura Benanti).
 While the Broadway By the Year series put on by Scott and
Barbara Siegel at Town Hall is always as entertaining as it is
enlightening, the Broadway Musicals of 1964 recording provided the series' best album to
date, thanks to the pairing of incredible performers (especially Tom
Andersen, Barbara Fasano, Liz Callaway, Sharon McKnight and Craig Rubano)
with strong material from some of Broadway's biggest hits (Fiddler on
the Roof, Funny Girl,and Hello Dolly) as well as its more
intriguing misses (Anyone Can Whistle, High Spirits and What
Makes Sammy Run?).
 The new Broadway cast recording of Little Shop Of Horrors would
be a must-have album even if all it did was finally preserve the show in
its entirety. However, toss in a cast that is decidedly more than
serviceable and you have a wonderful recording of one of musical theater's
quirkiest and most enjoyable of shows.
 David Friedman's songs have long been a staple of cabaret shows and
recordings, and a two-disc live recording of an Off-Broadway show devoted
to his work entitled Listen to My Heart helps show why, especially
when performed by an incredible cast of singers that includes one of my
favorite voices, that of Anne Runolfsson. Incidentally, all but two of the songs
in the show are collected in a mammoth 526-page songbook that contains 63
of Friedman's songs. At $60 ($50 through his website, www.middermusic.com),
it rivals a fully published Broadway score for price but breaks down to
eleven cents per page, or less than a dollar per song.
 It is always interesting to listen to an artist's early work, for
therein usually lie seeds of what will develop in time. Such is the case
of Michael John LaChiusa's First Lady Suite, a musical about some
of the most overlooked (but highly influential) figures in American
history: the presidential wives. By turns dissonant and jazzy, and with
melodies that shift like a presidential promise, the album provides a
haunting and evocative listen.
-- Jonathan Frank
Make sure you check our list of Upcoming Releases.
|
|
