This is the debut
album of composer/lyricist Michael Mott and for it he was able to attract a
talented cast that includes more than a couple of Broadway stars. Until now I
didn’t knew who he was and I believe I never heard any of his songs before, but
this is an interesting showcase of his work.
There’s a lit bit
of everything in it and no one can say this is a monotonous recording, far from
that. One fact is clear, Mott doesn’t have a particular style yet and it’s easy
to find out some of his influences. One of the most obvious is the work of Alan
Menken for Disney, just listen to Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan sing “Dare to
Dream” and you’ll see what I mean, and the same can be said of “Sky”, the last
song in this album sung by Mott himself. There’s a bit of Andrew Lloyd Weber
too, with “Her Embrace” to which Josh Young lends his “Phantom” strong voice. This
song and “Dare to Dream” are both from his musical FAUSTUS. There’s also a song
from MOB WIFE, another musical he wrote, call “Let You Go”; this one is pure
contemporary Broadway and it’s sung with gusto by Jacqueline Petroccia.
The main style is
pop and the song that opens the album, “Just Like Me” is a nice one sung by Justin
Guarini. Jeremy Jordan delivers a sad but pretty ballad, “Try” and Orpeh don’t
go wrong with “Hold Me Tight”. “Gone”, sung by Ben Frankhauser, is an
inconsequent ballad. I’m sure pop fans will enjoy this songs more than I. Surprisingly,
“Don’ Stop Dancing” has a disco beat and Bryan Terrell Clark sings like he is
having fun with it.
For me the best
songs are the jazzier ones. Zachary Levi swings with style with “The Left Side
of the Moon” and Sierra Boggess’ voice takes us to a decadent nightclub with
the best song of the album, “The Devil”. These two songs, like almost all the
others, have good orchestrations by Kim Scharnberg.
Near the end,
Michael Mott himself sings a simple medley of his songs and does it with
pleasure.
Rate: 5 (from 1
to 10)
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