Customer Reviews

Goldrich and Heisler - Songbook, Volume 1 (P/V/G Composer Collection)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this music. This new team of Goldrich & Heisler is just wonderful. Continuing in the Kander & Ebb tradition of good vocal writing, interesting music, acting skills required, and often hilarious lyrics, these songs are a joy to sing. I am so glad that they are being published. My only complaint is that I had to have the book rebound within one week - the first time I opened it enough to be able to play the songs on the piano (in other words, broke the spine), pages fell out!! But, take it to your local copy store, have the covers laminated and have the book spiral bound - you'll never have to worry about the spine again and the music will continue to inspire you!

I got this book mainly for Taylor the Latte Boy, but have since found many wonderful songs (funny, and serious) that are easy to relate to and therefore, easy to find places to use them. I am glad I purchased this album.

This songwriting team is a real find, particularly for female performers. The lyrics are witty, poignant and very *real*. The accompaniments are interesting and fun to play, and in most cases, support the melodic line without doubling it (thank you, Zina!). This songbook has been a goldmine for performer friends of mine who are always on the lookout for fresh, new material. There is a fantastic mix of ballads and comic numbers, the latter of which can be hard to find, particularly for women. The book is labeled Volume 1, so I hope a Volume 2 is on the way!

These two can write and sing. I love this song book. I bought it for Taylor the Latte Boy but have sung many of the songs out of the book for my voice coach and for fun. I recommend this book for any alto - mezzo who likes to sing funny songs.

This contains many great cabaret songs. I sang "Taylor the Latté Boy" at show choir competitions, and the audience (and judges) found it very memorable. Goldrich and Heisler have done a great job!

Full disclosure here, I'm a classically trained singing teacher who has done some cabaret and musicals. My heart belongs to Gershwin, Berlin, Rodgers & Hart or Hammerstein, Harry Warren, the old dead guys. This anthology was touted as a good source of teaching repertoire in the Journal of Singing, the house organ for members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. So I bought it. Played through a bunch of them. The words are cute and edgy and steeped in hip irony, and the tunes are sort of blah, and also set in keys much too low for most students to sing. I think they are even too low to sing in belt mode. They tend to hunker down in the talking range only, which is annoying when you are trying to convince beginning students that there is a second floor in their voice that they haven't visited. Also many of the pieces are too darn long, and get less verbally witty as they ramble on. I know broadway composers write more extended pieces in this century, but an extended piece demands strong musical material to hold a listener's interest. (Sondheim's longer songs hold my interest, Weber's don't) Take some tips from the old 32-bar song form, gals, it got the job done 'cause the tunes were strong. So I wouldn't recommend these songs for voice students, unless the teacher can transpose them up out of growly range so singers can develop the courage and energy to use their power notes.