Ah Men! The Boys Of Broadway [Soundtrack]

This is a review from Christopher Bush that was posted on Betty Buckley's Facebook page. I saw the concert live a few months ago. So excited she's released it on CD. Here goes:

"What did Ella and Sinatra have in common? Besides the fact that both are considered to be two of the most popular and recognizable voices of not only an entire generation, but of an entire genre- they each possessed an unparalleled ability to interpret a lyric. Each could stand alone on stage or in...a recording studio and sing a song you had heard performed by dozens of others and make you feel like you were hearing it not only for the first time, but with the author's true intent. Why do I bring this up? Because today marks the new release of another member of that exclusive club- Betty Buckley.

With "Ah Men, The Boys Of Broadway" we get our first new studio album from Ms. Buckley since 2008. This new album reflects her last engagement at the soon to be closed Feinstein's, a show made up of songs written for male voices but given Ms. Buckley's one of a kind touch. While "Broadway Backwards" is not a new gimmick, Ms. Buckley somehow once again does the impossible- she erases any memory you might have of what you thought these songs sounded like before. Highlights include her take on Jerry Herman's "Song On The Sand", a suite of songs from "Sweeney Todd" and the little gem that is William Finn's "Venice".

What makes this album such a momentous occasion for fans of not only Ms. Buckley's but of musical theater songs in general, is that ability to put her unique stamp on just about anything she chooses to sing. At a stage in her career when her peers in the world of singing actresses voices have thinned or lost a bit of that ability to belt it out- Buckley is in fine voice here. As in previous studio recordings or her sadly out of print live albums, her range of song selection and depth of emotion takes your breath away.

With subtle yet beautiful arrangements mixed with that undeniable voice, this album will take those who were lucky enough to see Ms. Buckley live last fall on a magic trip back to that wonderful room on the Upper East Side. For those who have never experienced Betty Buckley live, this album is a great start as it captures a magical brand of story telling from arguably one of the finest voices to ever emerge from the Musical Theater. The thing that matters most is that whether in a whisper of a voice or in full belt, she still manages to stimulate every nerve and stir your emotions like only a very select few can. We can only hope that this new collaboration with Palmetto Records will be the first of many to come."

"Ah Men, The Boys Of Broadway" is available from Amazon.com, retailers nationwide and can be downloaded via iTunes. Betty Buckley's finale Feinstein's engagement "The Other Woman, The Vixens Of Broadway" kicks off October 2nd and runs through the 27th.

Everything about Betty Buckley's new CD...Ah,Men! The Boys of Broadway is over-the-top gorgeous and brilliant!...in the grand tradition of the British Music Hall's "male impersonators", Betty brings us her superb interpretations of an amazing array of male-centric songs from the musical theatre canon, and "owns" every one as if each had been written just for her...instead of for all those boys! Not only is her musical virtuosity and stylistic intensity so brilliantly embodied in these sparkling gems of testosterone, but the arrangements of Christian Jacob, his lyrical piano artistry on these songs, the fabulous photographs inside, and Betty's very own liner notes for each song...make this CD collection a musical bonanza for all lovers of legendary Broadway music.As Betty says in her virtuoso A Hymn to Her...as a guy...she kicks ass!

I truly don't understand the negative reviews for this album. This is Betty at her most intimate, sincere, and perhaps even soulful. Add some playful into the mix, and you have an exceptional rendering of pieces reserved for male singers. I also appreciate that she only minimally changed the lyrics so they are "re-gendered" as so many cross-over singers are wont to do, making the original songs seem stilted in the conversion.