File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:40
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front
(1:02) 1. Theatreland
(5:49) 2. Take Me Back to the Theatre
(5:37) 3. Cabaret
(5:03) 4. Lost in The Stars
(4:18) 5. Does Anybody Have a Map
(4:54) 6. Mr Matcham
(5:42) 7. The King's New Clothes
(5:31) 8. The King's New Clothes
(6:22) 9. No More Not While I’m Around Children Will Listen
(4:30) 10. Gonna Build a Mountain
(5:48) 11. Bring Down The Curtain
(4:59) 12. Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats
Stilgoe’s ninth album, now on Westway Records, is a tribute to the theatre or, to be precise, to the great songwriters through the years (plus three new songs written by Stilgoe himself). Simon Callow appears on one of the new songs, a tribute to Frank Matcham who designed many theatres round Britain, and he is not the only theatrical guest on the album. Stilgoe is joined by a star-studded theatrical line-up of special guests: Anna-Jane Casey, Louise Dearman, recent Olivier nominee Omari Douglas, Hadley Fraser, Le Gateau Chocolat, Jason Manford, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Jamie Parker and Rebecca Trehearn. Tom Richards conducts and appears as a guest playing soprano saxophone on the beautiful ‘Lost in the Stars’.
Listening to the track ‘Overture’ I was, at once, glued to the speaker with its lush orchestration, followed by a track called ‘Take Me Back to the Theatre’ which is a lovely tribute to the reopening of the theatres after the pandemic. Then the tracks get a bit hit or miss for me. ‘Cabaret’ goes through so many genres of music that it becomes a bit of a mess. I understand what he and the arranger were trying to achieve but I think what it ends up as is a cacophony of sounds. ‘Lost in the Stars’ is a beautiful number and, thankfully, is given the treatment it deserves with a wonderful saxophone solo. ‘Anybody Have a Map’ from Dear Evan Hansen is given a jazzy arrangement, which is not really to my taste.
We then have one of the new numbers called ‘Mr Matcham’, a tribute to the great theatre designer Frank Matcham. As a tribute it works, with a soliloquy halfway through by Callow. After listening to it you will know a bit more about the great man Matcham not Callow! ‘On Broadway’ follows with a bit of a hokey intro but, once it gets going, it is an absolutely brilliant arrangement, featuring great orchestral and fantastic vocals from Stilgoe. For some reason, I suppose for some humour, the next track is ‘The King’s New Clothes’ which is not from the theatre but from film (being pedantic, I know) a track the album could have done without.
Sondheim is next with a medley, ‘No More, Not While I’m Around, Children Will Listen’, beautifully orchestrated and showing Stilgoe’s voice off beautifully. One of my favourite tracks on the album. ‘Gonna Build a Mountain’ goes for the jazzy feel again, but this time it does work in its favour. Another of the new songs, ‘Bring Down the Curtain’, tells the listener that you may very well be able to bring down the curtain on the theatre but you will never be able to stop the show. Theatre will go on no matter what! Then, for another reason known only to himself, Stilgoe finishes the album with ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats’. Apart from being taken from my least favourite musical in the world, it is just a strange song to end an album with.
Overall, this is a very entertaining album with little surprises along the way. Stilgoe is obviously a great talent and, with his arrangers Tom Richards, Callum Au, Evan Jolly and Andrew Cottee, have come up with some interesting ideas. The Metropole Orkest must also get a special mention as they bring those aforementioned arrangements to life.~ Nick Wakehamhttps://musicaltheatrereview.com/cd-review-theatre-joe-stilgoe/
Listening to the track ‘Overture’ I was, at once, glued to the speaker with its lush orchestration, followed by a track called ‘Take Me Back to the Theatre’ which is a lovely tribute to the reopening of the theatres after the pandemic. Then the tracks get a bit hit or miss for me. ‘Cabaret’ goes through so many genres of music that it becomes a bit of a mess. I understand what he and the arranger were trying to achieve but I think what it ends up as is a cacophony of sounds. ‘Lost in the Stars’ is a beautiful number and, thankfully, is given the treatment it deserves with a wonderful saxophone solo. ‘Anybody Have a Map’ from Dear Evan Hansen is given a jazzy arrangement, which is not really to my taste.
We then have one of the new numbers called ‘Mr Matcham’, a tribute to the great theatre designer Frank Matcham. As a tribute it works, with a soliloquy halfway through by Callow. After listening to it you will know a bit more about the great man Matcham not Callow! ‘On Broadway’ follows with a bit of a hokey intro but, once it gets going, it is an absolutely brilliant arrangement, featuring great orchestral and fantastic vocals from Stilgoe. For some reason, I suppose for some humour, the next track is ‘The King’s New Clothes’ which is not from the theatre but from film (being pedantic, I know) a track the album could have done without.
Sondheim is next with a medley, ‘No More, Not While I’m Around, Children Will Listen’, beautifully orchestrated and showing Stilgoe’s voice off beautifully. One of my favourite tracks on the album. ‘Gonna Build a Mountain’ goes for the jazzy feel again, but this time it does work in its favour. Another of the new songs, ‘Bring Down the Curtain’, tells the listener that you may very well be able to bring down the curtain on the theatre but you will never be able to stop the show. Theatre will go on no matter what! Then, for another reason known only to himself, Stilgoe finishes the album with ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats’. Apart from being taken from my least favourite musical in the world, it is just a strange song to end an album with.
Overall, this is a very entertaining album with little surprises along the way. Stilgoe is obviously a great talent and, with his arrangers Tom Richards, Callum Au, Evan Jolly and Andrew Cottee, have come up with some interesting ideas. The Metropole Orkest must also get a special mention as they bring those aforementioned arrangements to life.~ Nick Wakehamhttps://musicaltheatrereview.com/cd-review-theatre-joe-stilgoe/
Theatre
