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Friday, October 14, 2011

The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman

The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman
2009, New West Records
Cy Coleman, née Seymour Kaufman found success in the classical and jazz worlds before finding his true calling - Broadway. He didn't let being late to the game stop him from having a stellar career, however, garnering 5 Tony Awards, 3 Emmy Awards and 2 Grammys before his untimely death in 2004. Coleman gave birth to the scores and songs of such shows as Sweet Charity, City Of Angels, The Life, The Will Rogers Follies, and Barnum. In the process, Coleman, created songs and shows that continues to have an impact on Broadway even today. It's not surprising, then, that Coleman would be honored with a compilation such as The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman.

The voices here might surprise you. Artists as diverse as Patty Griffin, Madeleine Peyroux, Sam Phillips, Fiona Apple, Nikka Costa and Jill Sobule offer up their talents in a stunning, stealthy collection that will take you by surprise. Griffin surprises with a wonderful sultry and soulful take on "The Best Is Yet To Come", while Fiona Apple lights up the night with "Why Try To Change Me Now" and "I Walk A Little Faster", showing off an impressive upper range in the latter that you might not suspect from her more alt-pop oriented originals. Madeleine Peyroux and Sam Phillips turn in solid outings on "I Live My Life" and "You Fascinate Me So", respectively, and Nikka Costa is a pleasant surprise on "The Rules Of The Road".

The true gems here, however, are the ones you don't see coming. Julianna Raye brings an amazingly earthy and tonally buoyant voice to "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life", while Sarabeth Tucek hits all the right notes on "Where Am I Going?” Even Jill Sobule shows a surprising versatility on "I've Got Your Number". The highlight of the disc, however, is the closing performance of "(I'm) In Love Again" by Missy Higgins.

Cy Coleman left an indelible mark on American Musical Theater. The songs presented on The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman, are the proof in the pudding. This is perhaps one of the most inspired composer collections to emanate from Broadway in some time.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Cy Coleman at Notable Music.

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