I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD: A CD Review

Original Cast Recording – 1978 / Music by Nancy Ford and Lyrics by Gretchen Cyrer

Starring: Gretchen Cryer, Margot Rose, Betty Aberlin, Don Scardino

Rate: 3 (from 1 to 10)

Review: This show opened Off-Broadway in 1978 and, although, it had a difficult start, it became a hit. I don’t know why, but I always thought this was a hard rock score, but it isn’t. In fact, this is a very quiet pop score, that it’s very dated in its 70s pop style songs and orchestrations.

One of its creators, Gretchen Cryer plays the lead role and sings her songs with feeling and conviction, with nice vocal support by Margot Rose and Betty Aberlin. The problem is I have a difficult time connecting with this kind of songs. I love traditional Broadway musicals and this isn’t that kind of score. I’m not the right person to say if these songs are good or bad, they sound a little depressing to me.

I know there’s an audience for this kind of musicals and the songs don’t hurt my ears. For me the best one is “Smile”, “Strong Woman Number” is interesting and “Dear Tom” has a nice melody. I’m curious how it will sound with less dated orchestrations. But I guess this is a true son of the 70s.

SID AND MARTY KROFFT’S LES POUPÉES DE PARIS: A CD Review

World’s Fair Original Cast Recording – 1964 / Music by James Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Starring: Annie Fargé, Janine Forman, Cyd Charisse, Bing Crosby, Crista Speck, Gene Kelly, Pearl Bailey, Joey Forman, Guy Marks, Loretta Young, Paul Frees, Milton Berle, Jane Kean, Liberace, Jayne Mansfield, Lance Legault, Edie Adams, Merry Wiiliams, Phil Silvers, Pop Com, Cotton Candy and the Balloons

Rate: 6 (from 1 to 10)

Review: I never heard of this show before, but when I saw the names attached to it I became very curious about it.

To begin with, this puppet musical revue is musically kind of strange. The numbers go from really good (“Love is a Bore”) to the weird (“A Night of Horror”), but the end result is quite entertaining. 

There’s Gene Kelly charming “Don’t Say Paris, Say Paree”. Pearl Bailey is great with “You Can’t Make It Anywhere” and “Love is a Bore”; two songs that deserve to have a life beyond this show and are reason enough to buy this recording. “It’s a Living” is a funny song and the melodious “The Ice Skater (On the Wings of Romance”) would easily fit on a soundtrack of a musical or comedy of the 50s.

Like I said before, “A Night of Horror” is kind of strange and the numbers “The Opera Singer” and “The Circus” aren’t my cup of tea. For me, the worst is the rock sound “Sadie Fats”, that seems to belong to some other score.

But, in the whole, I think lovers of the musical will enjoy this score and there’s more than a couple of good songs in it.

CAFÉ SOCIETY: A CD Review

Original Movie Soundtrack – 2016 / Songs by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart and others

Starring: Vince Girodano & The Nighthawks, Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, Count Basie & His Orchestra

Rate: 7 (from 1 to 10)

Review: Not all Woody Allen’s movies are good, but they always have great music and this CAFÉ SOCIETY is no exception.

This time around, almost all the songs are by Rodgers & Hart, one of my favorite musical teams. Besides the usual old recordings, there are new jazzy ones by Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, that are perfect to create a nostalgic mood that I love; Kate Edmonson join this guys for a nice rendition of “Mountain Greenery”.

It’s always a pleasure to listen to the likes of Rodgers & Hart’s “The Lady is a Tramp”, “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”, “This Can’t Be Love”, “Manhattan” or “There’s a Small Hotel”. And there’s also other terrific songs like “Pick Yourself Up” by Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields, “I Only Have Eyes for You” by Harry Warren & Al Dubin or “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” by James F. Hanley.

So lovers of great music will surely enjoy this new soundtrack, I sure do! There’s no doubt, he may fail on some of his movies, but Woody Allen’s music taste is irreprehensible!