CD OF THE WEEK: FINIAN’S RAINBOW

This new cast recording of FINIAN’S RAINBOW it’s the third rendition of the score that becomes part of my CD library. Did I need another one? Probably not, but when a score is as delightful as this one, there’s always time to listen to new interpretations of these old songs.

This is probably the more complete version of the score, including lots of dance music, which I believe was previously unrecorded (“Dance of the Golden Crock” for example) and a winning cast.

I confess I’m not crazy about Kate Baldwin’s Sharon (I prefer Melissa Errico in the Irish Repertory Theatre recording), who delivers her songs with gusto. I think her voice is sometimes too strident for my taste, I prefer when she sings with a lower voice. At her side, Cheyenne Jackson sounds perfect as Woody (he beautifully sings “Old Devil Moon”) and Christopher Fitzgerald has a good time as Og. It’s him who sings my all time favorite song of the score, “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love”.

But there’s more, Terri White strongly leads the company with “Necessity” and Chuck Cooper with the help of Bernard Dotson, James Stovall and Devin Richards, gives us an exciting “The Begat”.

Of the three recordings of this classic Burton Lane and Yip Harburg’s score, this is my favorite one and there’s always time to know “How Are Things in Glocca Morra” and to have “That Great ‘Come-and-Get-It’ Day”.