CAROUSEL revival cast album to be released 7/13; tracklisting and cover — Page 2

The cuts in the bench scene are jarring. I didn't hear Billy say, "You're a funny kid" nor the beautiful music and dialogue after Julie finishes singing "If I Loved You" ("Anyways you don't love me...". These are what, 30 seconds, and were in the show. Wish they would have left them.

Still, the recording is gorgeous 3 tracks in. I love hearing those small details (is that a flute making those sounds at 6:01 in the bench scene?!).

There's a lot to like about this recording (the singing is certainly better than the '94 revival), but have to question the new orchestrations from Tunick. It's not that they're atrocious, it's just that they're not, well, all that necessary. They weren't written to cut down on the size of the orchestra, and there's really nothing wrong with the original Don Walker orchestrations, nor with the '94 revival's by Bill Brohn. Obviously the new dance arrangements in this revival had to be orchestrated, but apart from that, what was the point? They mostly stay very similar to the original, and most of the deviations I notice have less character than the originals. This is kind of how I felt about the 2016 revival of She Loves Me... like, the new orchestrations aren't necessarily bad, but they're not as good as the originals, and as long as you're paying a full orchestra, what's the point of hearing a new and slightly less good version?

That said, this production fares much better on disc, where one can't look at the ugly sets and sloppy staging, nor hear the dialogue awkwardly delivered. And Fleming is the first Nettie Fowler I find intelligible. Mendez, whom I have liked in the past, gets on my nerves by playing the role too broadly. Too bad Fleming seems to have little chance at winning the Tony, hers was really my favorite performance in that category this year.

broadwayboy223 said: "Did anyone else find the tempo on If I Loved You a little rushed?"

Tempos were generally faster than my liking, but that was also the case live in the theatre. Caesuras and fermatas were also really moved through on this recording. It feels like they are really struggling to fit all the music on one disc, though it's not as much a problem as the crazy Stratford cast album.

broadwayboy223 said: "Did anyone else find the tempo on If I Loved You a little rushed?"

Yes, I agree.

In the You'll Never Walk Alone Reprise... isn't there supposed to be here-and-theres of Billy talking? All I heard was the "Know that I loved you" in the beginning

Just gave this a listen. Very little that I loved actually I wouldn't put this at the top of my list of favorite "Carousel" recordings by any means. I put it far behind the OBC, the 1965 with John Raitt and the movie soundtrack and the TV soundtrack. Not to mention a true favorite of mine, the Command recording with Drake, Peters, Treigle and Venora.

The worst offender is the awful "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the end. They make it sound like Gounod's "Faust." Obvious choice made to give Mme. Fleming more to do. Ditto the "What's the Use of Wonderin." But the finale with the "now I sing, now you sing," just didn't work for me.

I thought the tempos were so fast at times it almost sounded like the speed of the recording was wrong. Just listen to "Blow High Blow Low" and elsewhere.

And oddly as I have heard such great things about Fleming in the theater, I found her solo version of "Never Walk Alone" to be pretty bland (but at least free from most of the mannerisms that affects a lot of her pop work) It was well sung but didn't tear my heart out, like Patricia Neway on the TV soundtrack for example. She is issuing a Broadway cd in the fall. I want someone to sound like the "earth mother" of all time in this music!

I liked Joshua Henry although his accent while singing seems to come and go. But I thought he was really involved. And his voice was gorgeous.

I liked Lindsay Mendez's singing but that accent! Yikes. Should have been toned down for the recording.

I found Gemignani to be very brassy and also with an overdone accent. And so little of him on the recording.

I like Jesse Mueller, always a beautiful singer.

I didn't care for the re-orchestrated "Carousel Waltz" The original will do quite nicely thank you!

My nomination is for the superb "My Fair Lady" to get the Grammy! Now that is an exciting CD!

Updated On: 6/8/18 at 12:29 PM

Some string parts in the overture were replaced with trumpets. It just sounds odd when listening to it.