Original Cast Recording - Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: STAGE ADAPTATION SHOULD DELIGHT "LITTLE MERMAID" FANS
Hit: 4 Stars
This CD arrived today from Amazon, and I am delighted with the speedy delivery. I haven't seen the stage show, but it sounds as though the 1989 Disney animated classic has made a reasonably faithful and successful transfer to the Broadway stage. "Little Mermaid" aficionados should be delighted.
Eddie Korbich as Scuttle stands out in his comedy numbers "Human Stuff" and "Positoovity." Tituss Burgess plays Sebastian the Crab, and therefore gets to sing the memorable showstopper "Under The Sea." Sierra Boggess sounds virtually identical to Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original animated film. Sean Palmer makes a very sexy, strong-voiced, and determined Prince Eric, who sings a beautiful new ballad titled "Her Voice." The best new ballad is a quartet titled "If Only." Sherie Rene Scott as Sea Witch Ursula practically steals the show, of course, with her numbers "I Want The Good Times Back"
and "Poor Unfortunate Souls."
I listened to this CD TWICE today and enjoyed it very much!
Free Music Review: A delightful listening experience
Hit: 4 Stars
The Broadway version of Alan Menken's masterful score is simply brilliant. It seems to me that Mr Menken, very much aware that the score he composed some years ago is already an established classic, has enjoyed this task immensely and the results are more than satisfactory. I shouldn't forget here the great job done by Glenn Slater, the lyricist of the new songs added for the show. His lyrics have succeeded admirably in catching the style and tone of the late Howard Ashman's brilliant text in a way many other lyricists would have failed easily. Kudos for Mr Slater. However there are two reasons I don't give this CD the five stars it surely deserves as a composition. First the low volume at which the recording has been made. The CD having been produced by Mr menken himself, I don't fully understand why it was recorded at such a low volume so much so that if you want to listen carefully to the wonderful new version of Menken's masterpiece "Under the Sea" you will have to turn up the volume of your music system real high. The other reason is the abrupt ending of the musical. I'm sure there must be some song missing in the CD because we go from one song in which Ursula has her brother Triton under her tentacles at last to the final song in which Ariel and prine Eric are already getting married!! Even the sounstrack contained this transition since it had the music in we all associated to the moment when Ursula is finally defeated. It's a serious drawback in this otherwise spotless wonder of a musical. I just want to add that the new arrangements of the old songs will surprise you in a vey "poositive" way.
As usual the Disney packing is excellent with full lyrics and lavishly illustrated libretto.
Free Music Review: A Stirring and Thoroughly Unforgettable Delight
Hit: 5 Stars
Disney's "The Little Mermaid" has always been my favorite of the Disney cannon. Therefore, I was so excited when I heard a Broadway musical was being made of this delightful fairy tale! Imagine my surprise, then, when I read some shocking reviews which said the show was "Syrupy" and uninspiring. However, I was willing to give the music a chance! I am certainly glad I did. From the opening notes of the overture, I was "Hooked!"
The primise of this musical concerns a mermaid, (Ariel), who feels out of place in her undersea world. She constantly travels to the surface of the ocean and searches for "human artifacts" much to the anger of her father, King Triton. Ariel longs to be a part of the human world, and eventually falls in love with a human prince, Prince Erric, whom she rescues from a hurricane. Ariel tries to fulfill her dreams but is harshly thwarted by her overprotective father. As a result, she strikes a bargain with her malevolent aunt Ursula, the Sea-Witch. Ursula is an embittered squid who vows revenge after her brother, King Triton, banishes her for performing evil magic and abusing her power. The rest of the plot revolves around Ariel's quest for love and the fulfilment of her desires.
The entire cast on this album is superb! Sierra Boggis shines as Ariel. Her bell-like voice allows us all to envision a young woman coming to terms with adulthood. Her fears and joy are reminescent of our own. The new song, "World Above" beautifully depicts her feelings of being home. Shawn Palmer is unsurpassable as Prince Erric. His rendition of "Her Voice" will bring you to tears. Tittus Burgess is very good as Sebastian the self-absorbed crab who grows to care for others as he assists Ariel on her quest. Sherrie Rene Scott steals the show as Ursula. I am still torn between her portrayal and that of Pat Carroll's original. The portrayals are so vastly different. "I Want the Good Times Back" is a jazzy number that tells of Ursula's vow for revenge. Scott's voice is capable of changing from syrupy tones to a nasally sinister quality. When her voice changes to the nasal quality you know that Ursula means business! A special mention is needed for Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin who portray Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's charasmatic and malevolent minions. The song, "Sweet Child," is a song of temptation and the two performers, with their smooth, honey sweet melodies and words lure Ariel into making her dangerous bargain. The song is later sung in a mocking tone which gives me chills!
The songs on this CD are unforgettable. "Her Voice" and "If Only" are two of my favorite new numbers, and the original numbers are enhanced an more vibrant than ever.
Please give this album a chance. The beautiful true themes of growing up, parenthood, love, and redemption are unforgettable and universal. These themes transcend all genres, even a delightful musical speaks to so many people. You will not be disappointed. Happy listening!
Free Music Review: Finally here-and not disappointed! :D
Hit: 5 Stars
Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008 Original Broadway Cast)
Well, I have been waiting for this soundtrack to come out ever since I found out about the musical back in 2006. And when I finally got it, I was not disappointed.
First off, Alan Menken, the film's original composer, has written 10 new songs with new lyricist Glen Slater, and they blend great. There is "The World Above" sung by Ariel as she describes her love for this "bright new world", which sounds so lovely. "Human Stuff" is the monologue Scuttle gives to Ariel as he brags about his expertise at being a "human expert"; you can't help but giggle as you listen to it. Ursula sings the fantastically campy "I Want The Good Times Back" as she plots her brother's demise. The sisters and Flounder diagnose Ariel's lovesickness in the delightful 50-ish number "She's In Love". Eric wonders where his rescuer could be in the souful "Her Voice". Flotsam & Jetsam entice our heroine to make a deak with Ursula with the slinky tune "Sweet Child".
In the second act, Scuttle and his friends tell Ariel that she can learn to be human if she uses "Positoovity", a very bouncy tune that will have you tapping your fins...er, feet. "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" is Ariel's wondrous thoughts of exploring her new world. In "One Step Closer", Eric and Ariel have a little bonding time as he teaches her to dance in a romantic melody. "If Only" is a quartet sung by Ariel, Eric, Sebastian, and Triton almost in the style of "Tonight" from West Side Story. All in all the new songs are amazing!
And, of course, there are the old songs. "Fathoms Below", the opening number, becomes the rousing sea shanty that the filmakers originally planned it to be. "Daughters of Triton" has more breadth to it, as does "Les Poissons", sung by the gleeful John Treacy Egan (Chef Louie). Sherie Renee Scott is marvelous as Ursula, and her rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is awesome; I still love Pat Caroll's orginal. Sean Palmer as Eric is great, as is Norm Lewis's formidable yet vunerable King Triton and Jonathan Freeman's stuffy Grimsby (he was the original voice of Jafar in Aladdin). Brian D'Arrio is Flounder, and sounds so cute! Eddie Korbich brings a wonderful zaniness to Scuttle, and Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin are wicked as Flotsam & Jetsam respectively.
I grew up with Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, and he will always be Sebastian in my mind. But Tituss Andress is magnificent as everyone's favorite singing crab; his rendition of Oscar nominated (and winning)tunes of "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" are great fun to listen and dance to.
In my mind, Jodi Benson will always be Ariel, but Sierra Boggess is AMAZING! Her wonderful version of "Part of Your World" will make your heart soar, and when she sings the "Part of Your World Reprise", there's one part where she sounds just like Ariel in the film(no joke)!
The new songs blend with the old just beautifully. If you're a fan of the original film and have been waiting for this to happen for a long time since Beauty & the Beast and Lion King, a Broadway fan, a Disney fan (I'm a mix of all three), or a music lover, this is one cd you should add to your collection!
Free Music Review: A Wonderful New Musical - Critics are Clueless
Hit: 5 Stars
I was a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast and several other works by Alan Menken, so naturaly I was thrilled to find out The Little Mermaid was going to become a stage musical. I bought the original soundtrack to the movie and rediscovered a classic. I fell in love with the songs all over again and could not wait to get hold of the original cast recording. But when the reviews for the show came out, I was very disappointed that it wasn't more of a success. Most of the critics blasted sets and costumes and said the songs weren't anything special. Since Alan Menken and bad music in no way go together, I figured the lack of Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz, or Tim Rice would result in lyrics that were sub par and less than witty.
But the day I bought the recording, I was pleasantly surprised with the music and found that most of the new lyrics were pretty clever (although the abundance of fish and sea references were a tad annoying). Most of the new songs sound very Menkeny, like "She's In Love" which sounds like it came straight out of "Little Shop of Horrors", "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" which begins and ends almost exactly like "Belle", and when "Les Poissons" is sped up, it sounds curiosly like "Be Our Guest". I love it. I would agree that the old songs are the best. The fresh orchestrations bring out new, beautiful harmonies that make the whole CD worth it. (particularly on "Kiss the Girl"). I was slightly disappointed that "Poor Unfortunate Souls" was not a bigger, darker number than in the movie. Menken kept the orchestra down during the last verse, and for me it made the song less powerful and not nearly as intimidating. Which brings me to Sherie Rene Scott.
Most of the performers do very well at their parts, they bring new elements to thier charecters and stay true to old ones. But Sherie Rene Scott has completely reshaped Ursula into a charecter that I don't particularly care for. Instead of a voluptuous, cruel, and bitter sea-witch, she is presented as a comical diva, comparable to Streisand. I feel robbed of the second most evil Disney Villan (the most evil would go to Jafar who was pure evil, but Ursula is not far behind). I find nothing wrong with her singing voice and am well aware of how famous and talented she is, but she has ruined a great charecter and that is my biggest complaint about the musical.
Yes, I gave it Five Stars, but I'm not yet conviced it deserves all of them. But I still listen to it all the time and enjoy it very much. This CD is not without its flaws, but I can look over them when I hear John Treacy Egan's outrageous take on "Les Poissons". You can't see costumes, sets, and choreography when you listen to a recording, so just sit back, ignore the critics, and enjoy some beautiful music.