JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT – Various Artists (Ghostlight Records – download or physical CD at ghostlightrecords.com)
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I have to admit that I am no huge fan of Rent. I saw it in America and also in London and I was not exactly blown away by it. However, my partner is a Rent maniac and watches the DVDs of the show and the film almost every week – I’m usually in the office typing out these reviews while that is happening! So, when I was asked to review this album, I approached it with great trepidation and, guess what? I LOVE it.
There are 16 tracks on the album of which 12 of them are receiving their recording debuts. The tracks have a wide range of genres and are performed magnificently by a small cast and a five-piece band. The voices are: Nick Blaemire, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez and George Salazar with the band under the direction of Charlie Rosen.
Tracks include: ‘Greene Street’; ‘One of These Days’; ‘Break Out the Booze’; ‘Out of My Dreams’; ‘Valentine’s Day’; ‘White Male World’; ‘La Di Da Rap’; ‘Iron Mike’; ‘Find the Key’; ‘Hosing the Furniture’; ‘Pura Vida’; ‘The Truth is a Lie’; ‘Rhapsody’; ‘SOS’; ‘Love Heals’; ‘Piano’ and a bonus track of ‘Greene Street’ sung by Larson himself.
Larson was a brilliant, groundbreaking creator of musical theatre who died tragically at the age of 35, before seeing the worldwide acclaim his work would receive. I am positive he would have been over the moon with this album – it truly showcases his talents for writing in many styles.
The album is available at the moment for download and a physical CD package is going to be available as a limited edition with a collectible 40-page hardbound book containing previously unreleased artist archival materials, including photos and images of original lyric and music sheets, scripts, notebook pages, and much more. Also included are song lyrics, song annotations, and production and recording studio photos, along with liner notes from director Jennifer Ashley Tepper, who conceived the project.
Obviously this will be snatched up by every Larson fan but I do have to say that, if you are like me and not all that much of a fan of Rent, don’t let that put you off – you are going to be pleasantly surprised!
Nick Wakeham
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