HOLMES! - While only clocking in at around 30 minutes, this concept CD is impressive in terms of the quality of performances and writing. Holmes! The Musical is currently being developed at the Disney Institute in Florida and has grown from a single song to a full-scale performance with costumes and sets. Dealing with the struggle between Holmes and Moriarty, the musical also introduces a love interest for Holmes and an orphan. Here, the concept CD would benefit in having a little more information on the story in the liner notes rather than just promorional material. Notably absent from the music is Watson, and the second act really isn't fully comprehensible with only the music provided. Still, from the opening toll of the clock bells, Brett Nicholson and Hans Vollrath have crafted musical themes that perfectly evoke the melodrama and romance of Victorian London at the turn of the century. Kevin Vaughn as Holmes and Gary R. Life as Moriarty provide wonderful contrast in their voices, and both project the same unwavering resolve that locks the two combatants into battle of epic proportions and personal consequences.
 
 
 

HEADING EAST - "Heading East" uses the unique American format of the musical to focus on a quintessential American subject: the immigrants who built this country. Although dealing with main characters who are Chinese or representatives of other Asian countries, both the music and story are familiar and easy to relate to.

There are just enough exotic touches to the beginning songs to remind the listener of the foreign origins of the characters, but the musical soon becomes Americanized with ballads and ragtime mixed in. Paolo Montalban, as the main male lead, provides "Heading East"  with impressive vocals that run the gamut of emotional ranges as he journeys on a personal and societal odyssey.

The liner notes of this CD do an outstanding job of telling the entire story from the overture to the curtain calls. Although printed in a miniscule size, the summary imparts as much narrative that is possible without seeing the musical in person. In dealing with the prejudice and obstacles facing immigrants, "Heading East" showcases the  homesickness and fear, but most of all, the hope and dreams involved in becoming part of the American Dream.
 
 

LITTLE BY LITTLE - Initially, I purchased this CD because of my fondness for one of principal performers, Christiane Noll. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable  the other performers, the story and the music was. Darrin Baker and Liz Larsen join Noll as the only cast members on the entire album and do an admirable job both with their singing and their acting.

Of  note is how the plot of this musical is engaging and endearing without having the epic sweep of many of today's top productions. Instead, this intimate story deals with the classic love triangle between a man in love with one woman while the other pines for him in silence. While this is hardly a novel idea, the strong personalities of the performers and the witty and evocative songs transform this musical into a fresh and modern tale that has broad appeal.

One detraction lies with the nomenclature of the characters. They explain as the musical opens that in order to make the story more universal, they don't use names to refer to each other but have the appelations of "Man", "Woman 1" and "Woman 2", making the characters unnecessarily generic. On a more practical note, Larson and Noll have similar vocal qualities which makes disntinguishing between them difficult at times, especially during the first few times listening to the CD and without the visuals of the performers on stage.

Still, this is an immensely enjoyable musical for those who like the idea of a story dealing with human relationships and their evolution through life. "Little by Little" boasts a cast of impressive vocal and thespian caliber, but the music is equally laudable. These smart, expressive and well-constructed songs easily tell the tale without spoken words or any other information. All these elements work in perfect unison to produce a production where the audience can identify and resonate with the exhilaration and confusion of friendship and love.
 
 

JAMES DARREN: THIS ONE'S FROM THE HEART - Creating the role of Las Vegas lounge singer Vic Fontaine on the TV show "Deep Space Nine", James Darren starred in some of the most successful episodes of the entire series. It's fitting that his vocal talents were highlighted to great effect with his renditions of "Come Fly With Me", "It's Only A Paper Moon" and "The Best Is Yet To Come". Indeed, Darren's singing gave those episodes an extra bit of emotion and warmth that the regular orchestral soundtrack could not match. His charm and charisma are evident in his new album, with a swinging big band orchestra and snazzy jazz band backing him up. One can almost see the spring in his step and the twinkle in his eye when listening to James Darren epitomizing the timeless image of the crooner.
 
 
 

CHRISTIANE NOLL: A BROADWAY LOVE STORY - Christiane Noll does an admirable job in her first solo album of narrating a complete love story using songs culled from various Broadway musicals. The order of the tracks leads the listener through a gamut of emotions, including anger, resignation, anxiety, elation, rapture, despair and finally a sense of wistful hopefulness as the cyclical nature of love runs its course. Ms. Noll is perfectly suited to this task with her chameleon-like ability to infuse each song with empathic emotion, as well as the powerful presence and vocal and acting range that she brings to this work. It becomes very easy to become absorbed into the music and relive the joys and sorrows of romance.
 
 
 

 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT SOUNDTRACK - While I would've enjoyed more sustained musical numbers in a libretto format (a la "Les Miserables") where most of the story is in song, I still found the music stirring on this CD. Knowing the basics of the Moses story was enough for me to understand and empathize with the basic human drama that underlies the tale, and the music did an admirable job of capturing the emotions and moods of the key moments. The songs have a Middle-Eastern flavor which lends an exotic air to the music, although the common humanity of the characters stills rings true.
 
 
 

ANTHONY WARLOW - Anthony Warlow first attracted my attention in his riveting performance as both Jekyll and Hyde in the "Jekyll and Hyde" musical. On a trip to Australia, I managed to buy a solo album of his in which he performs various Broadway showtunes. His powerful voice is matched by his ability to vocally act and portray radically different people, moods and emotions. Addionally, his renditions of "Anthem" and "You're Nothing Without Me" prompted me to seek out what are now another two of my favorite musicals, "Chess" and "The City of Angels", respectively.
 
 
 
 

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - This musical chronicles the exploits of one Sir Percival Blakeney, a.k.a. The Scarlet Pimpernel, who undertakes daring missions into revolutionary France to rescue those innocents who have been wrongly accused and sentenced to the guillotine. To disguise his identity, he submerges his true personality and aquires the persona of a fashion-obsessed fop and dandy. His French wife cannot understand the transformation that has overcome her husband, but is herself trapped by a web of blackmail and lies by her former lover, Chauvelin, as he arrives in England to eliminate that enemy of the revolution - The Scarlet Pimpernel! While containing elements of the swashbuckling tales of yore, this musical focuses on the deceptions, mistrust and uncertainty that creep into every relationship. Some of the best scenes showcase Douglas Sills' abilities to both portray an effite and useless aristocrat, as well as a passionate and determined hero.  Douglas Sills, Christine Andreas and Terrance Mann.
 
 
 

LES MISERABLES - A multifaceted representation of various archetypes which manages to comment on deeper human emotions as well as retaining the touching human experience. Redemption, obsession, selflessness are all part of this stirring work. Colm Wilkinson, Phillip Quast, Lea Salonga, Michael Ball, Michael Maguire and Judy Kuhn.
 
 

JEKYLL AND HYDE - A stirring musical investigating the division of "good" and "evil" inherent in each individual and the constant struggle that the two sides are locked in. Anthony Warlow, Linda Eder and Carolee Carmello.
 
 

CAMELOT - A lyrical and poignant re-telling of the King Arthur fable which emphasizes the mortal greatness and the human frailties of each character, caught in a tragic situation which no one can control. Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet.
 
 

MY FAIR LADY - A bittersweet comedy showcasing the struggle between the equally strong wills of linguist and teacher Henry Higgins and a street flower girl named Eliza Doolittle. Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews.
 
 

Also:
Michael Feinstein
Peter Cetera
Tears For Fears
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk)
John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws)
Jerry Goldsmith(Star Trek - The Motion Picture, The Shadow)
Basil Poledouris (Robocop, Starship Troopers)
Michael Kamen (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Mr. Holland's Opus)
Alan Silvestri (Judge Dredd, The Abyss)
James Horner (Star Trek II, The Rocketeer)
Alexander Courage (Star Trek - "The Naked Time")
Gerald Fried (Star Trek - "Amok Time")
Sol Kaplan (Star Trek - The Doomsday Machine)
Laurence Rosenthal (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles)
Joel McNeely (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire, Radioland Murders)
Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams (The Rock)
Mark Knoppler (Local Hero)
Ennio Morricone (The Untouchables)
Dave Grusin and Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys)