Customer Reviews

Inside the Music

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

 

 

I don't know what the other reviewer's are talking about. I found this CD exciting and very enjoyable to listen to. The excerpts of Ms. McKechnie's dialogue are fun and interesting tidbits about her life and allow the listener to get a feeling for who she is. The songs are arranged in such a way that the listener is never bored by too many slow songs or to exhausted by too many fast songs. Donna Mckechnie truely shines in several songs on this CD, particularly when she hits the high notes of Inside the Music. I recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys musical theatre.

From the first time I listened to the cast album of Company, then on to A Chorus Line, I've always enjoyed Donna McKechnie. She always delivers a spectacular performance (especially on the great Follies album) and I was thrilled to hear that she'd be releasing a solo disc. I was especially looking forward to it because it would be on the Fynsworth Alley label, who'd released such great live recordings of Elegis for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens, and their Jason Graae cd. However, when I was finally able to listen to Donna McKechnie's Inside the Music, I found her sounding tired and ragged. The whole thing seems to be mixed improperly... Too much of her talking is cut and the listener is left feeling out of the loop. I just can't figure out how a cd with such a great performer could be so unpleasent to listen to. If you want my advice, buy some cast albums featuring Ms. McKechnie and leave this one on the shelf.

Don't get me wrong. I am a big Donna McKechnie fan. I have seen her in several productions starting with "Promises,Promises" leading up to her bravura performance in "A Chorus Line".
I guess I thought this CD would be a recreation of those moments I saw. Unfortunately it is not. She acquits herself very well, but the material comes across very flat. There is nothing to excite the listener. I think one of the problems lies in the fact that McKechnie is an actor who needs a role. CD's like this are best in the hands of cabaret singers or entertainers.
Performed before a small audience in a New York recording studio, it is autobiographical which is interesting. Christopher Durang wrote the script but it doesn't develop into anything.
I was so hoping I would spend hours listening to it but unfortunately I won't.

I don't know what the other reviewer's are talking about. I found this CD exciting and very enjoyable to listen to. The excerpts of Ms. McKechnie's dialogue are fun and interesting tidbits about her life and allow the listener to get a feeling for who she is. The songs are arranged in such a way that the listener is never bored by too many slow songs or to exhausted by too many fast songs. Donna Mckechnie truely shines in several songs on this CD, particularly when she hits the high notes of Inside the Music. I recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys musical theatre.