Amazon's review of BRKLYN CD right on!

I couldn't agree more, esp. with regards to Eden.

Amazon.com says:

When Brookyn the Musical landed on Broadway, many reviewers said that the American Idol sound had come along with it. It¹s hard to disagree, especially when Eden Espinosa, playing the title character, opens her mouth. Espinosa, who learned the performing ropes in California theme parks, is an unfocused belter who mistakes grandstanding melisma for emotion. And overemoting is the last thing you want to do when you have to deliver lines such as "This weight in my heart/This ache in my soul/This yearning in my heart just keeps on going on/There's a voice deep inside/And it cries and it cries." Unfortunately, the tunes (mixing rock, gospel and R&B, and recorded in front of a live studio audience) don't make much of an impact. Newcomers Mark Shoenfeld and Barri McPherson have come up with a well-meaning show that brims with enthusiastic naïveté but ultimately fails to convince. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Updated On: 12/21/04 at 11:57 AM

The woman is a fool: There is not one note of "melisma" in her entire performance. In fact, whether you like the sound or not - it is near pitch perfect and does not meander around the notes a lick. If you want a full dose of melisma, listen to any cut of Beyonce Knowles or Jessica Simpson and get an aching earful. And, to finally set the record straight - hopefully for once and for all - "Brooklyn" (and most of the music in it) was written 12 years ago way before anyone had ever heard of 'American Idol.' So, all the negative references that have been drawn, including the "sing-off" between Brooklyn and Paradice, while timely, are not really relevant (unless you want to consider the writers clairvoyant).

Matt, Brooklyn threads and only Brooklyn threads... and Ustadance is probably thinking what show this reviewer either wrote, scored, starred in, choreographed or whatever, in order to be informed enough to state an opinion... otherwise it doesn't matter...

i'd like to know, other than Brooklyn, what show, if any, Used-To-Dance starred in or whatever...

"It was a well thought out point."

to who's point are you referring?

Updated On: 12/21/04 at 12:56 PM

Not yours.

Usta, isn't my asking that question to you the exact same as you doing that to me? So....in a way you're my stalker.

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usta, i'll agree with you one one thing and that is "Let those of us who enjoy it enjoy it"... but you have to agree to let people have their valid opinions as well, without YOUR bashing of them...

so enjoy it... any bashing i've done is done... but i won't "get lost"...

Updated On: 12/21/04 at 01:06 PM

I think it's just one of those guilty pleasures where you can go, "Hey, listen to this girl. She's ridiculous." But that's really the only reason.

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Oh, Matt I love it when you argue. Meow.

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Well, this review just goes to show that people should agree to disagree. If you look at any show or film, you never get great reviews across the board. There will be one or two critics who go against the grain. Everything, in my opinion, gets "mixed" reviews...with more positive or negative, but they're all mixed. Look at "Wicked," or "Caroline, or Change" of films like "Lost in Translation" to "Titanic." Many people loved them, many people hated them, many people didn't give a frog's fat ass. I, however, enjoy "Brooklyn." It's not the best thing ever written, not by any stretch is it even great. However, Eden's voice is wonderful. I heard her sing "On My Own" while at Seth's Chatterbox, and it was wonderful. She can do great things with her voice, that high belt, her seemingly effortless transition from belty chest voice to head voice, her tone. However, that's just my opinion, and many others share it. Many others disagree 100%. Maybe if she had a puppet on her arm, they would feel differently?

-Vincent

Okay, okay...I admit. I did enjoy some of, not all, of the music in Brooklyn when I saw it a few weekends ago. However, I find the cast recording to be flat and boring. The vocals on that disc are a poor reprentation of what's being sung nightly at the Plymouth.

Oh, you!

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