|
 |
ON THE RECORD: Jerome Kern's "The Cabaret Girl" and Sutton Foster's "Wish"
By Steven Suskin
15 Mar 2009
*
SUTTON FOSTER: Wish [Ghostlight 8-3316]
Sutton Foster calls her new CD "Wish," taking the title from a phrase in "Up on the Roof" — where you "just have to wish to make it so" — and that word aptly describes the happy, hopeful collection of songs featured in her first solo album. Things start out with "I'm Beginning to See the Light," from Duke Ellington (and collaborators), and the listener will surely begin to feel the light radiating from the singer. Foster and her music man Michael Rafter follow this, unexpectedly, with Frank Loesser's "Warm All Over." When was the last time you heard this sung apart from a cast album of The Most Happy Fella ? But what a fine choice. Ms. Foster is, indeed, "Warm All Over."
This is not a show tune album, however. There are some old pop songs like Carole King's "Up on the Roof" and John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders," both of which sound exceptionally good. There are some contemporary songs by current-day writers, including Christine Lavin's "Air Conditioner" and Jeff Blumenkrantz's "My Heart Was Set on You." Jeanine Tesori provides "On My Way," from Violet, with which Foster does remarkably well. From Craig Carnelia comes "Flight," a duet with Megan McGinnis which sits near the top of the CD's delights. There is also an offbeat, flatnote version of "Oklahoma!" which is highly amusing. Foster is at her finest, perhaps, with Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' "Once Upon a Time" from All American. Just perfect.
Mr. Rafter provides arrangements, Doug Besterman provides the orchestrations, and the band is hot. Foster sang most of the numbers at a recent Lincoln Center American Songbook concert; readers in New York be advised that Ms. Foster — whose full-time occupation at present is Shrek The Musical — will be again be performing selections from the album on April 6 and April 20 at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency.
(Steven Suskin is author of the new book "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations" [Oxford] as well as "Second Act Trouble," "Show Tunes," and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com)
*
To learn more about Steven Suskin's new book, "The Sound of Broadway Music," click here.
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2009 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|