Essential Musicals

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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0602517097896 Label: UMTV Manufacturer: UMTV Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: UMTV Release Date: 2006-10-23 Running Time: 47 Studio: UMTV
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Beautiful songs, wonderful singer! Comment: At first glance I did not get too excited at the track listing of this new recording. It seemed mainly to be songs that have been recorded a hundred times before, and it almost seemed that I must have old CDs with Elaine Paige singing the same songs. Well, I was wrong. These are all new recordings with Elaine in fine voice.The arrangements are fresh and modern while paying respect to the originals. It really brings musical theatre to the 21st century. If like me you have some doubts, dont hesitate.......buy this cd!. Customer Rating: Summary: Awesome. Comment: Elaine Paige does such a wonderful job on these songs. I appreciate her understated, GORGEOUS version of "Bring Him Home" most of all, with "You Must Love Me" and "Someone Else's Story" coming in as close seconds. Elaine's voice is rich and her interpretations are more subtle on this collection than on previous CDs, reminiscent of recent recordings by Barbra Streisand in demonstrating how a fine voice ages with time. Terrific. Customer Rating: Summary: Breathing fresh life into classic showtunes Comment: This CD is effective in showcasing Elaine Paige's deftness of touch when it comes to musical theatre, although her usually powerhouse vocals take a back seat to a softer approach than one might expect based on previous output. As well as popular classics such as "All I Ask Of You" and "Something's Coming", she tackles some interesting rarities for the first time - notably "Someone Else's Story" which was written for the Broadway version of Chess (and didn't appear the UK version in which she starred) and "You Must Love Me" from Alan Parker's film of Evita (Paige created the role on the West End Stage some twenty years earlier). These last two numbers will thrill her fans, and will no doubt earn her some new ones along the way. Although the CD could do with some more upbeat numbers to balance out the ballads, and the production on some numbers feels a bit "lite" ("Hopelessly Devoted To You" falls far short of the towering heights of Olivia Newton-John's torchy original, and the overtly 'pop' production on "Edelweiss" would have the Von Trapp Family Singers spinning in their graves) the collection is, overall, very satisfying - particularly in its original and interesting choice of material. Good stuff - which would have been even better had a richer orchestration been in evidence, along with a more confident approach taken to Ms. Paige's vocals - both by the singer and producer! Nonetheless - it's good to have her back making new music. Customer Rating: Summary: UNFORTUNATELY, DULL AND VOID... Comment: Few people would deny Elaine Paige's multiple talents: she has been West End's leading lady for more than 30 years, creating and playing many memorable roles: Evita, Grizabella in `Cats', Florence in `Chess', Reno Sweeney in `Anything goes', Norma Desmond in `Sunset Boulevard', to name just few. Her strong stage presence and good vocals insured her durability in the world of the musical theatre and at the same time she managed to make good pop albums. The fruits of her rich career can be heard in her latest excellent 2-disc compilation released two years ago, `Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige'. After that, Elaine got her own radio show on BBC 2, presenting to the listeners some of the most memorable tunes from the past and present of the musical theatre. After the voting for the best British musicals of all time finished, Elaine decided to record this new album, by selecting the songs from the ones that found their way to the top according to the voters. Since the selection of the musicals in question boasts with the titles like `Oliver!', `West Side Story', `Grease', `Sound of Music', `Evita', `The Phantom of the Opera', `Sunset Boulevard' and many more, this should have been an excellent album. Regrettably, that is not the case. There are several problems one notices after giving it a full listen. One of the major ones is the orchestrations. Each of these musical numbers is given a new and different orchestration than the ones they had within their parent musical. Not necessarily a bad thing by itself, but here some of the numbers are barely recognizable, `Aquarius' from `Hair' being a good example. Not only that, for the most part they are produced in such a self-important manner that Elaine's voice becomes lost and unnoticeable amidst their sound. The effect could have been much bigger on a smaller and a toned down scale in this respect. Elaine's vocals are not on the plus side on this album either. She delivers this whole set of songs in a totally lackluster manner, sounding predictable and as if doing all this out of pure habit. This is why Elaine's take on these songs leaves you feeling no emotion at all after hearing them. The only exception is a somewhat playful rendition of `I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair' from `South Pacific'. Unfortunately, one song does not make an album. It's really a shame, since some of these songs, like `You must love me' from the movie version of `Evita' or `Someone else's story' from `Chess', were an opportunity for Elaine to revisit some of the characters she played in the past. This whole CD therefore comes as disappointment from someone who set her standards considerably higher during the past years. [...] Customer Rating: Summary: Essentially Enchanting Comment: It's very easy to see why Elaine Paige is classed as Britain's first lady of musical theatre when you listen to this album because every track is a gem. As a regular listener to her BBC radio 2 show I was delighted when the listeners were invited to vote for their own essentials musicals and it was no surprise to me when the results were in and Elaine herself had stared in over a third of the top twenty. This album has something for everyone and you'll be singing right along side her, including a unique rendition of "Edelweiss" from the Sound of Music to the almost jazzy interpretation of South Pacific's "I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair" But my favourite song of the whole album is "You Must love me" From Evita and when listening to this song it's very easy to see why Elaine Paige is considered to have created the definitive Eva Peron for the performance itself is absolutely heart-breaking If you like musical theatre this album is a must have and I would recommend it to anyone. More Reviews