The Alan Jay Lerner Album

Brent Barrett, Alan Jay Lerner | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 10, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00007E8KI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,081 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 10-DEC-2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Waiting For, December 22, 2002

By 

William F. Orr (Hempstead, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Alan Jay Lerner Album (Audio CD)

This album was recorded over a year ago, and Fynsworth Alley has been promising it for months, constantly pushing back the date. But now that it is finally out, it is more than worth the wait. If you have heard Barrett's previous Kander and Ebb Album, or heard him on the cast albums of Dance a Little Closer, Brigadoon, Grand Hotel, etc., you know already that he is one of the greatest theatre performs around. He sings and acts each song on this album to perfection. And the choice of songs will surprise anyone who knows Lerner only from Camelot and My Fair Lady. There are songs here with music by Kurt Weill, John Barry, Charles Strouse, and Burton Lane, as well as Friedrich Loewe. Two songs from the seldom-heard score to Lolita, My Love hilite the album, as well as a duet with Lauren Bacall that you will find yourself playing over and over. The first track is the best version of "Come Back to Me" from On a Clear Day that I have ever heard. Although Fynsworth Alley has been promising a bonus track if you buy from their website, it seems that all pressings contain all the tracks recorded. Let us hope that the label will continue in the direction set by this album and their earlier releases, rather than trying for the generic pop dance fans that they have been targeting with the Matt Zarley album. A Brent Barrett album a year would be good, if some other label doesn't snap him up after hearing this one.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, June 23, 2003

By 

Rusty Kransky "Rusty Kransky" (Greenport, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Alan Jay Lerner Album (Audio CD)

This CD serves Brent Barrett well, allowing him to move from soft and sensual to wild and hammy to pensively melodic. Most of the songs here you won't know, as Brent wisely eschews the well-known (no CAMELOT songs here) for the obscure songs just waiting to be discovered. Gems such as the jaunty-'til-it's-almost-over-the-top "Headin' for New Orleans" from the unproduced HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and the stunning songs "Anyone Who Loves" and "There's Always One You Can't Forget" (both from DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER) show a virtuoso at his peak, emotionally and musically.

Of course, the familiar are here too, with a blazing version of "They Call the Wind Mariah," and a delightful "I Remember it Well" with the legendary Lauren Bacall, combined with the sweet "You Haven't Changed at all."

Musically Brent is near perfection, but what amazes is the intelligence behind his approach to all this music (actually, not so amazing, as anyone who has seen Brent perform live knows.) This is certainly not a run-of-the-mill CD put out by someone with a cavalier approach to the music of Broadway (I won't name names here!) but a thoughtful, romantic and scintillating blend of lovely songs old and new.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alan Jay Lerner's Lyrics by a great Singer, April 14, 2004

By 

Janet Collins "Broadway Musical Lover" (Ewing, NJ) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Alan Jay Lerner Album (Audio CD)

Alan Jay Lerner wrote great lyrics that were more complex than most lyicist's. It is great to have a whole album sung by a great singer, Brett Barrett. One of my favorite songs is SHE WASN'T YOU from ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. I don't know why it did not become more popular. There are songs that did not make it to show albums. This is a very enjoyable and relaxing album.