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: on the fence . . . or uh reef . . . that is
Hit: 4 Stars
i have been interested in this production since it was nothing more than an online rumor that alan menken might turn his acadamy award winning musical into a broadway stage musical. i followed this production through its original demo, casting anouncements, delays and reviews. although i have never seen the show, i did buy the cast album as soon as possible. one reason that i wanted this so badly is because i feel that although the little mermaid is not alan menken's greatest work (that would go to beauty and the beast) the little mermaid is the most consistantly strong piece that he has produced. so how do i feel about this new recording?
PERFORMERS
with material that's already been recorded and loved the world over, it is essential that the performers bring something new and worth while to the production. this is especially true of a disney film from almost 20 years ago. so how do the performers do here? for the most part, many of them sound like they are just impersonating the original cast. eddie korbich as scuttle is a nearly perfect impression of buddy hacket. this could really hinder the creativity of the piece, but for the most part, the cast works well
sierra boggess as ariel is quite good, she's not jodie benson, but she still does nicely, especially on the songs that benson never sang (the world above, beyond my wildest dreams, and if only) these songs all shine and boggess' voice is beautiful. however, on part of your world, something just isn't quite there. don't get me wrong she does give a great performance, but it's just not the same.
sean palmer is increadable as prince eric. his biggest strength is that all of his songs are new to the score (her voice, one step closer, and if only) his voice is emotional and his songs are subtley beautiful. he and boggess do a great job in their respective leads.
titus burgess is great as sebastian and brings the cool sound of the carribean regaee that makes all of his songs great.
and now there's sherie renee scott. my biggest complaint comes here. she doesn't try to impersenate pat carroll which is nice, but she also lacks the cool sultry quality that carroll brought to poor unfortunate souls. her other song (i want the good times back) doesn't work well either. scott's jazzy and brassy voice is great, but seems misfit here and she doesn't seem consistant in either her character or dialect.
overall, most of the cast does well, especially when they get to sing songs that no one has heard.
PERFORMERS 4 out of 5
SONGS
alan menken said that he used his original academy award winning score to produce the new music for these songs. that in itself works well, when he actually sticks to that. the songs are obviously rooted in the original score (the world above, her voice, sweet child, beyond my wildest dreams, one step closer, and if only) sound great and are some of my favorites. but the songs that leave me scratching my head are the ones that seem completely out of left field with little or no connection to the original score (human stuff, i want the good times back, she's in love and posituvity) the orignal songs all shine just as brilliantly as ever, and for the most part this is a wonderfully cohesive musical.
SONGS 4 out of 5
overall, this is a strong fun musical that doesn't really aspire to as much as say beauty and the beast. that in itself is obvious in just the original scores. i still love beauty and the beast, but overall i do feel that mermaid's cast is better, wheras the new songs are not up to same quality as beast's were. but this is a good musical for fans of the broadway form and especially anyone who loves alan menken or disny.
OVERALL 4 out of 5
Free Music Review: Entertaining and Fresh
Hit: 4 Stars
I love that this recording has new songs to expand the storyline in areas that I was always curious about. True, some of them sound too familiar, such as "Les Poissons", and others don't exactly fit the original feel of what we think of Little Mermaid as sounding like. Poor Scuttle is stuck with truly forgettable songs, and I lament the fact that one of my favorite parts of the film -- the sound of Ariel's voice being pulled into Ursula's shell, haunting and echoing -- was left out.
As Ariel, Sierra Boggess is truly inspired casting. She has a beautiful, shimmering soprano that really sounds like what a mermaid would seduce a sailor with, and a clear belt that gives me chills. I must say that I'm dismayed when I hear people say that she's not quite Ariel, or even Jodi Benson. Of course Jodi will always be the voice that people judge other Ariels by, but this isn't fair: when you eat lemon pie, you can't say, "Hmm, this is close to lime pie, but I like lime pie better because it just taste really lime-y". Whatever your first exposure to something is, you will remember it, and the ones that follow in its footsteps need to be greeted with an open mind. If Sierra didn't sound the part, it would be a different story; but she does, and that is young, spunky, curious, and golden-voiced. It's delightful to hear her go even farther than Jodi with her range, power, and ability to sing brilliantly with both her legit and belt voice.
I must agree with other reviewers who are disappointed with this new version of Ursula. I feel like Sherie Renee Scott's Ursula is cruel and ill-intentioned but never truly EVIL.
The singing is generally better than the performances, with Norm Lewis fairly flat and put-on as Triton, Sierra falling a little too much into sounding innocent and sweet all the time, and Sherie holding back from getting really wicked in parts you want her to.
Still, I try to uphold my lemon-lime theory. This version is very close to the film, so enjoy the changes with an open mind and rejoice in the gorgeous singing and more detailed story.
Free Music Review: Reviews of the show aside...
Hit: 4 Stars
How disappointing that "The Little Mermaid" got ripped to shreds by Broadway critics! As the album proves, there really isn't anything wrong with the superb score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater. To be fair, critics seemed to be most off put by the staging and design, not the music. I suppose an underwater world is difficult to pull off convincingly on stage. At least they didn't go the same dopey route as the "Little Mermaid" show in Disney World, which places Ariel smiling on a rock, virtually immobile, except for a flopping tail (If memory serves correctly).
Anyway, this is a review for the cast recording, not the show-- and this is a highly enjoyable disc. Some of the songs-- the ones from the movie that marked a renaissance in Disney animation in 1989-- are lodged in my memory, and have been swirling in my mind again after being reawakened by this recording. Seriously-- once entering your ears, "Part of Your World" and "Kiss the Girl" will not be going anywhere for days.
The show also incorporates new songs, all of which fit in easily, though I could probably do without the ones assigned to Ariel's gull friend Scuttle ("Human Stuff" and "Posititoovity"), which are probably best enjoyed by the under-10 set. But "She's In Love" is a catchy addition, and I like Prince Eric's "Her Voice," which effectively echoes Ariel's "Part of Your World." The cast throughout is fine, though Sherie Rene Scott's interpretation of the villain Ursula required a listen or two for me to make up my mind about (The verdict: campy, but I like it, especially when she's belting out the memorable "Poor Unfortunate Souls".). I do wish Norm Lewis had a big song of his own as King Triton (How do you not give Norm Lewis a big song?), but that's a minor quibble.
So don't be turned off by the negative reviews of the show (doesn't seem like audiences have been, anyway). This ranks up with "Beauty and The Beast" as the best of the Disney cast recordings.
Free Music Review: I Miss Howard...
Hit: 4 Stars
I've never seen the Broadway musical, so this is strictly commentary on the music. I've been a die-hard fan of The Little Mermaid since the movie was first released in 1989, in part because of Alan Menken's unforgettable score and Howard Ashman's genius lyrics that speak to the heart, especially Part of Your World. I like new recordings of the music from the movie, including the country-ized versions that have been released over the years, so when I stumbled across this CD, I snapped it up.
For new recordings of old favorites, this album is mostly a winner. While no one can ever replace Jodie Benson for me, Sierra Boggess captures Ariel's youth and innocence very well, and most of the other characters are well-cast. I have a hard time with Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula; her songs sound like someone just singing songs from the show/film rather than Ursula.
New songs leave something to be desired-- the lyrics lack something that's hard for me to pin down in a review. Glenn Slater does outstanding work, but there is something off about the lyrics here. They're appropriate for the story, but they simply lack heart. They're Broadway tunes and nothing more. Disney lost a very special kind of magic in its musical productions with the passing of Howard Ashman, and without even looking at the credits, it's easy to know which ones are Howard and which ones are not. Lest anyone think I am being too hard on Glenn Slater, he comes really close with Eric's song "Her Voice," and from me that's a high compliment.
Broadway fans, Disney enthusiasts, and most fans of the movie will find this a five-star addition to their music collections. Those who know what I'm talking about with Howard should be aware that while it's easy to sing along with the newer tunes, they'll never touch your heart the way Howard did. The vast majority of people will love this CD for yourselves and your children.
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.