Customer Reviews

Jekyll & Hyde Resurrection

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Simply put, this new "Jekyll & Hyde" recording pales in comparison to the two other major ones: the 1994 2-disc set and the 1997 Broadway version, both of which I enjoy, especially the '94 one.

"Jekyll & Hyde" has always been slighted as a "pop opera," but the one thing that was too often overlooked about Frank Wildhorn's unabashedly radio-friendly score is that, yes it's pop music, but most of the numbers happen to be GOOD pop songs. Certainly, there is a definite difference between shows that use pop music to solid effect and ones that completely muck it up ("Brooklyn," anyone?).

So I have always been a big fan of the 2-disc set that represented the show in one of many, many stages. The leads on the recording-- Anthony Warlow, Linda Eder, and Carolee Carmello-- are phenomenal, and in my mind, the definitive three. After a long tour, the show finally made it to Broadway, with a new book, new staging, bad cuts, a million reprises of the number "Façade" and, worst of all, "Broadway" style orchestrations that somehow never felt right. Still, the Broadway recording has its merits-- especially a really strong Robert Cuccioli as Jekyll/Hyde. Christiane Noll took over for Carolee Carmello (with the character renamed Emma, instead of Lisa-- more Victorian-sounding, I guess), Linda Eder was still on hand as the prostitute Lucy, and the trio served the songs well again.(If only Cuccioli and Eder were documented on DVD instead of David Hasselhoff!)

So with at least two recordings-- each with three leads singing the heck out of the songs, this new recording has a lot to live up to. The first thing "Jekkies" will notice is the abundance of wailing electric guitars throughout the cd. This in itself is not a bad thing, except Rob Evan as Jekyll/ Hyde is far too traditional Broadway-sounding to get into the rock spirit that this cd tries for on many occasions. Overall, the songs are reorchestrated in a way that sounds less theatrical and more like a concept album of a new show (okay, maybe a show from the 80s).

The other major changes are the elimination of ensemble songs-- no "Board of Governors," "Façade," "Murder, Murder," etc. For some, this may be a good thing. It does sort of damage the storytelling, though, placing the focus squarely on the songs of the three leads. I do like that this recording restores "The Girls of the Night," probably the best song that was cut for Broadway. Unfortunately, it's turned into a duet for Lucy and Emma, which doesn't make dramatic sense (Emma is a "girl of the night"--a prostitute? wh wh what?!). Gone is Broadway's overly-symbolic "Good and Evil" and back is "Bring on the Men,"-- good choice, but the tempo is way, waaaaay too slow.

Overall, the feeling of this recording is sort of the reverse of the previous recordings-- it feels like a work in progress, a show that is just being figured out-- not a definitive final version, as I expected it would be. The performances, too, feel unpolished-- it's like showing up to the theater and being stuck with the understudies in ALL THREE lead performances.

I've had this CD (Korean Version) for more than a month already, and I listen to it almost every day. At first I was aprehensive about listening to it, because it was an "amped-up" version of the beloved musical, but I was immediately impressed by the quality of the performers and the new arrangements of the music. It's not just guitars and keyboards, there's an orchestra providing the musical backup too. Though sometimes the modern feel doesn't work out (only on "Dangerous Game", really), I love how the songs sound so unmusical-like. You can imagine some of the more popular numbers like "Someone Like You" "This is the Moment" "In His Eyes" and "A New Life" being performed on the radio or in a concert setting. "Girls of the Night" is a favorite of mine that I'm extremely glad they added on. And with "Bring On the Men" and the new song "If You Only Knew" on the album too, that should be enough reasons to buy it.

The best part of the album are the singers. They are perfect, and sound great; I love their interpretations of the music. At least two of them (Rob and Kate) were involved in the Broadway version as well. Terrific-sounding album that you won't regret purchasing.

This cd is a very different approach to a great score. Rob Evan is by far the reason to buy this cd. He is the quintisential Jekyll & Hyde. Brandi and Kate bring their own spin to this work as well. This cd is worth buying just for Rob's this is the moment. The rest of the cd is a bonus!

After listening to this cd for the first time I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be thinking. Many of my initial reactions were
"What was that?!" "No they didn't!" "How could they?!"
After listening to it again I really enjoyed it. For the Jekyll and Hyde purists out there, you'll hate it! For anyone open to new ideas and new interpretations, you'll love it! Robert Evan is a voice from the Broadway show itself (I saw him as Jekyll), and both woman have powerful voices that, in my opinion, do all of the songs justice. The only thing I couldn't handle was "The World Has Gone Insane." I think they took that one a little too far with the heavy metal! But aside from that, there are a lot of embellishments and guitar riffs, but it's a good cd!

I saw the U.S. concert tour version of Jekyll & Hyde with this cast in Las Vegas in 2005. I have to say that though I enjoyed the performance. It didn't stand out as the best concert ever. However, when the album came out, I bought it anyway hoping to have a souvenir of that particular concert.

The album consists of 3 main singers: Rob Evan as Jekyll/Hyde, Former Miss America Kate Shindel as Lucy and Brandi Burkhardt as Emma. All the cast are very talented and performed their hearts out but what is wrong here is probably the arrangement of the songs.

I have read somewhere that Frank Wildhorn, the show's composer, wanted J&H to be more of a rock musical. And that's why this concert version happened, to newly arrange all the song in a more rock 'n roll way. The feeling that I got from this CD is that this doesn't sound like a cast recording and it doesn't give you any feel of the musical or the characters they portrayed.

On the contrary, this is more like a compilation album of pop singers trying to sing J&H songs in their own styles. Still, most of the time the music overshadows the singer's voice especially the annoying sound of electric guitar. And the balance in music seems to never find its place.

For Broadway lovers, some of the changes here might be weird for you. "In His Eyes" changed from the Broadway showstopping duet to a pop-ish ballad with a soft ending, not the belting one. Emma became "Girls of the Night"?!?!?! That's kinda weird. "The Way Back" is weirdly out of tune with all the drums and electric guitars in the background. The rest range from mediocre to bad in terms of musical arrangement, at least to my opinion.

For the concert tour, a new song is added which is "If You Only Knew" sung by Emma. This comes out as a pop-ish kind of soliloquy which is fine but not outstanding. The newly arranged epilogue which is a reprise of "Once upon a Dream" sung by all 3 characters is fine and seem to be the nice ending for the production since there are only 3 characters in this version.

The booklet includes notes from the show composer and lyricist, thank you notes from the cast and producers, the lyrics to the new "If You Only Knew" along with some headshot photos of the lead singers.

This is definitely NOT a definitive recording of J&H. Get it if you want to try something new but don't put your hopes up too high. If you can't handle rock music, don't buy it at all. It will get on your nerves. Some of them did get on mine. If you have no idea about the show but interesting in getting a recording, I'd recommend either the Original Broadway Cast with Rob Cuccioli or the Complete Recording with Anthony Warlow. Observe that the Broadway cast is better polished as a whole with better Female leads but Anthony Warlow is the best Jekyll and Hyde and the complete version is, of course, more complete.

Without a doubt, the new cd of J&H is wonderful. Rob Evan continues to be amazing with his clear voice and delivery. He can sing any version of these songs and still remain the true character. You'll not be disappointed in this fine performance from a gentleman and a strong leading man. The world needs to hear more from Rob!

Initially, I wasn't optimistic about this recording, and was also hoping for a new score to be the first release by Wildhorn on this label. However, don't be fooled; listening to the cd in its entirety was a purely joyful experience. Rob Evan, who has played the role on stage over 600 times, gives a truly electrifying performance as the dual characters. Brandi Burkhardt is also very impressive as Emma. Kate Shindle, though not as thrilling as the other two vocalists, possesses a pleasant voice that treats the score respectfully. Many of the new orchestrations by Jeremy Roberts are first-rate and truly beautiful.

I look forward to future releases by Wildhorn and Roberts, especially the long-awaited Dracula concept album.

I am an avid J&H fan and have followed the show for years. I actually worked at the musical on Broadway and this CD was a sad disappointment. The tracks seem out of place and the electric guitar just doesn't work for me. It sounds like they tried to go more toward the dual CD with Linda Eder and Anthony Warlow in styling and song choice. I know they were supposedly updating the music, but the tracks sound more out of date and over-produced than ever. The "Lucy" vocals do NOT compare to Linda Eder and the phrasing and interpretation is overly dramatic, at points in a comical, or nauseating way. The new added Emma song - which I think could be good it a TOTAL rip off from another Frank Wildhorn show - Svengali. The song isn't the same, but it reeks of that style and there are some thematic moments that might be a direct copy. The Emma vocals are pretty good, but nothing so over the top and excellent that it demanded yet another recording. It seems that Mr. Wildhorn was just looking for yet again another cash cow in creating this CD - just to keep milking his most successful show....It seemed desperate to me. I think he is better than that....There is, however, 1 exception, which I think makes the CD worth purchasing. The Jekyll and Hyde vocals are outstanding. Rob Evan is enormously talented and has been part of this show for years, never, I believe, receiving the true adulation he deserves. Just to be able to hear him put down vocals for the record makes this CD worth it. His rendition of "This is the Moment" has always been amazing and even though I am not crazy about the tracks, his voice is still stellar. I wish he had more varied work of late and additional recordings to purchase because I feel he continues to be under appreciated. 5 stars for Rob Evan, but the CD was a true disappointment.

This recording is not quite what I had hoped it would be in listening to the preview samples on the label's website and on Amazon. When I heard from the samples that the new arrangements would be using electric guitar, I thought it would add an interesting edge to the show, and to some extent that strategy worked. Unfortunately, there are also times when it is distracting, particularly when there are unnecessary guitar solos or when there's just too much guitar noise going on and taking away from the musical quality.

The guy who plays Jekyll/Hyde is actually very good, and I was impressed with him. He has a great voice, and he brought the right level of energy to the part. The women, while passable, are not quite impressive.

This recording mostly returns the show to the "Complete Recording" state rather than what appeared on the Broadway cast recording. Fortunately, unlike the Complete Recording, this recording is well-paced and has very few boring moments in it. It also brings back the songs "I Need to Know" and "Bring on the Men", which is a far superior song to "Good and Evil" that appears on the Broadway recording. This recording also mixes the earlier versions of "Dangerous Game" to one that would easily be the best one yet if it weren't for a few cheesy effects.

The new song, "If You Only Knew", is good but not anything to get overly excited about. Of course, the biggest moment of any Jekyll & Hyde recording is the Confrontation. As with much of this recording, I'm somewhat ambivalent about it. While there's a lot of good things going on in it, the climactic point of the song is a bit anti-climactic in that it lacks a choral backing and the Jekyll and Hyde parts were recorded separately, so "forever" overlaps "No!" (though the Complete Recording did the same thing, "forevNo!er" just isn't as interesting as "forever! No!").

All in all, I think this is a good recording of Jekyll & Hyde, and I probably would recommend it to Jekyll & Hyde fans, but I will qualify that by saying don't set your expectations TOO high or you will be disappointed. The orchestrations are a pretty big departure from the previous recordings. Sometimes that's very very good, and sometimes that's very, very bad.

Jekyll and Hyde the Musical has been recorded umpteen times in the US and abroad. If you're a fan of the stage show, you know why. The music is simply riveting. The stage show is often referred to as a pop musical, but this new recording makes it easy to imagine the show as a bonafied rock opera. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, 'Jekyll & Hyde Resurrection' provides a listening experience any music lover can thoroughly enjoy. This version takes the piece to new and exciting places, where we get to hear some new and unbelievably talented musicians. Not only do the three leads sing the snot out of the score, but also we are treated to some amazing individuals who stand out playing the electric guitar, violin, cello and percussion. Kudos to the creative team for their vision and for their production values. Awesome!