LEADING LADIES: SONGS FROM THE STAGE – Beverley Knight, Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson (East West/Warner Records – B075FQ4CL8)
Coming up to Christmas and I guess you are all wondering what to get that musical theatre buff in your life – well, you could do a lot worse than buy them this album released on 17 November by East West/Warner Records.
Beverley Knight, Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson all became friends while they were appearing in different shows in London’s West End. That friendship blossomed into ‘Why don’t we make a record?’ And that is exactly what they have done. We have three styles that blend beautifully (for the most part) on this album full of tracks that they have either sung on stage or are favourites from other shows or, as opposed to the title of the album, film (Beaches)!
Some of the tracks fell a bit flat with me. For instance, ‘Wind Beneath Your Wings’ and ‘Memory’ have been covered so often by other artists and, if you are going to include them, then maybe something original in the orchestrations or arrangements would have given them more impact and ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ sounds as if Janson has been asked to deliver a Streisand copy.
However, there are 14 tracks in all and the majority of them show off the powerhouse voices of these outstanding musical theatre leading ladies at their best. The harmonising is superb and the voices slot into one another effortlessly and to great effect. I also need to mention here that the production values on the album are terrific thanks to Grammy Award-winning Brian Rawling.
Tracks are: ‘One Night Only’, ‘Seasons of Love’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman’, ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, ‘Helpless’, ‘Memory’, ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Falling Slowly’, ‘Love Will Stand’, ‘Raise the Roof’, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’, ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.
I think there will be a lot of Christmas stockings with this album sticking out the top on 25 December! And deservedly so.
Nick Wakeham
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – Cassidy Janson teams up with Leading Ladies Amber Riley and Beverley Knight for new album
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