Customer Reviews

Broadway Love Story

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The concept of this cd - taking Bway standards and weaving them into a musical storyline - initally seemed, well, a bit pushed. Sure, I loved some of the songs, but would I like A Girl Could Use A Dog on the same cd as 24 Hours of Loving?

Well, I did - I do. Christiane's voice not only has purity of sound, it has expression and interpretation - a combination that is quite rare in todays megamusical-plug-in-the-one-that-fits-the-dress-and-sounds-exactly-the-same-as-the-last-eighty-who played-it world we, unfortunately, live in today.

What we are seeing, and hearing, in this work is an artist who can make you feel like YOU are the best friend listening to the elation and depression as it occurs, it is a personal story told to another PERSON. NOT a random belt- your- brains- out- so- we- all -know- you- can- sing- loud - NO..a witty, empathic, portrayal that speaks as an individual, TO an individual.

Can she be loud? Yes. Can she be funny? Undoubtedly. Sexy? Almost embarrassingly so. Is this a cd to pass by? Definitely not. It is an absolute must for those who consider themselves Broadway elitists, as well as for those who long for a good cry followed by a giggle.

Christiane Noll is a force that we have not heard the last from, and we will never hear enough of.

Let me start out by saying that I absolutely love Christiane Noll. I first heard her, and then saw her, in the Broadway performance of "Jekyll and Hyde". I actually bought this CD when it first came out. Like the shows that she appears in, this CD tells a story and each song is a story within a story as it describes, in music, a lady's journey from the end of one relationship to the end of another. And yet the songs are diverse and are not all "girl" songs - guys can relate to them as well. My favorites were "Now when the rain falls" and "The next time it happens", although she obviously has the most fun singing "24 hours of loving". This is a great album by a young "singer's singer". You'll find that you will end up seeking some of the soundtracks of the shows that many of these songs come from. And that is high praise indeed.

14 Scenes - One Spectacular Show

After hearing Christiane's performance in Jekyll and Hyde, I picked up a couple of other discs, Sondheim at the Movies, which featured Ms. Noll performing a song entitled Sand and another recording, The Burt Bacharach Album in which she sings One Less Bell to Answer. As a result of her exceptional vocals on all three recordings, I anxiously awaited her solo debut.

What impressed me most about her CD A Broadway Love Story, is that it is a compilation of songs, all from Broadway shows, that tell the story of a love affair - from start to finish and back to wiser beginnings.

Some of the reviews I've read indicate that many of the songs are not particularly noteworthy. It seems clear to me that choosing songs from Broadway productions to tell a love story would be a challenging task and if some don't happen to come from popular Broadway shows, well...

And while the shows may not be familiar to many, I'd hardly call Stephen Sondheim, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, Rodgers and Hammerstein, John Kander and Fred Ebb, and Marvin Hamlisch "unknown" composers.

I love this CD. And I love what Christiane has done with these marvelous songs. It takes more than a pretty voice to carry this kind of project; it takes an ability to act as well. Each song is like a mini-show all its own and combined they tell a complete story. And quite frankly, isn't that what a Broadway musical sets out to achieve?

I highly recommend this terrific CD produced by Bruce Kimmel, who also produced Sondheim at the Movies and The Burt Bacharach Album.

Christiane Noll's "A Broadway Love Story," is exactly that, a collection of songs designed to give the impression of a woman going from one failed romance into another. The songs, collected from contemporary musicals as well as old familiar favorites, and lesser known shows such as "Pipe Dream," give a colorful portrayal of the pains one human, man or woman, can go through when in love. It is a story, with a very unique character, a character that as the piece continues on, we hear develop and mature. Through her handling of each part of her romance as well as accepting herself, Ms. Noll plays this character exceptionally well.

That being said, there is some harshness that one normally does not associate with Ms. Noll, if you are familiar with her work in "Jekyll and Hyde." The beautiful soaring soprano demonstrated there is traded for a brassier belty voice. There are shades of a deeper, nuanced performance, particularly on the track "Now When The Rain Falls," yet those fall too far and few between the belty arrangements. Still, to hear her sing "Twenty Four Hours of Lovin'" you know she was having fun in the recording studio.

This would be a good piece for Christiane Noll, or another Broadway performer to actually perform in a nightclub setting, as a one woman show. There are many different levels to work with, and as long as we as listeners remember this is a character piece, I don't think we would ever be disappointed.

As I've read in this pages, some people did not like "A Broadway Love Story". Not only do i find these excuses cheap, but I also notice that not one of these make Christiane Noll justice; that's why I think that as a performer I have something to say on the matter. Her voice just takes to to heaven and back, and she puts such expression, enthusiasm and emotion in them that it just makes you believe. SHE IS A SINGER, and a high quality one. And as a great singer she can sing anything and can sing in several diferent styles. Usually, people who like musicals can stand pop voices. In this recording you'll find many pop interpretations and, it's true, she doesn't sound at all like Emma from "jekyll and hyde". Is that wrong? Is that a reason to express and write such merciless things about her singing? Absolutely no way. I think that in Jekyll and Hyde she sounds great, but personally; I think she sounds like many other Broadway performers. In this album she shows all she's capable of. Bottom line, don't let other people's bad comments mislead you. You'll absolutely love her!

When I bought the CD, I anticipated to hear the same sweet voice from J&H. Not only did I get to hear her wonderful voice, she presents a well-rounded performance. She demonstrates the versatility of her voice as well as her convincing interpretation of the material. She really takes you through every emotion of a love relationship. My favorite cut is the duet with herself, "You're Just In Love". This is a MUST BUY for Broadway lovers!

Thanks to a great friend with a great internship, I got to see Christiane perform this entire album at a small concert space in 1999. As you can hear, she is a wonderful singer. My personal favorites are "Unexpected Song" and "Now When the Rain Falls." A must have album for Broadway lovers!

After watching my first ever Broadway musical last October, I vowed to listen to as many theatre-trained singers because of the special way they imbue the most trite of songs. Noll did not disappoint. Aside from being strikingly tall and beautiful, Noll can sing jazz, cabaret and theatre with ease. This concept album tells of a musical love story using Broadway songs to push the narrative. Joni Mitchell has done this already via her "Both Sides Now" album, but Noll showed her impeccable taste in choosing songs that will tell the arc of a love affair. It has some Gershwin, some Sondheim and other songs from forgotten musicals. Very beautifully sung. Check out her ultra-sexy rendition of "Twenty-Four Hours of Lovin'", or the hushed beauty of two Andrew Lloyd Webber songs: "Unexpected Song" and "The Last Man in My Life". Hair-raising.

Christiane Noll has a voice that can encompass a little of everything. Belt, mix, legit...take your pick. An amazing talent, and an amazing CD.

The songs were well chosen, and performed even better. "Tonight at Eight" is not the strongest number on the CD, but it fits perfectly into the story she and producer Bruce Kimmel are trying to tell. The arrangements are a little trite, but are redeemed by the ingenious overlapping of "No More" with "The Next Time It Happens." Now, THAT'S inspiration!

To those who say that she's portraying all the different characters from the different shows represented, I say you are mistaken. I recently saw Ms. Noll perform this program in Milwaukee as a live cabaret act with just piano as accompaniment. Trust me, folks, she knows exactly what she's doing. One character, growth through a relationship. Her performance was astounding. And there weren't any "recording tricks" played when she made the CD...she sounded the same live. Ms. Noll is a talented performer who I hope graces us with many more CDs in the future. Get her other CDs as well! (NOTE: For all you "diva" fans, she is the real thing. A warm, funny, touching stage presence gives way to an icy distance and a cold smile off the stage. She's got the voice down...let's hope she works on her people skills.)

Not since Liz Callaway has a Broadway actress really made the "mix" voice sound thrilling to me. Christiane Noll is the heir apparent to the musical theatre ingenue for the next several years. WIth a glorious soprano voice capable of gliding downward into a powerful mix/belt, Noll demonstrates her vocal prowess on some wonderful songs. Not every arrangement on this recording is a winner, but Ms. Nolls' voice, smooth as silk one moment, broad and brassy the next, irons out the wrinkles and manages to come out a winner in just about every way. Her voice is incredibly versatile and it is sometimes amazing to hear the "vocal pyrotechnics" she is capable of. Sometimes this gets in the way of the song's interpretation, but it is always easy to appreciate what she is capable of doing with a song.