Free Streaming of Book of Mormon Cast Album

[lull89]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 12:56am

The entirety of The Book of Mormon cast album is up for streaming at NPR music. Enjoy!
First Listen: Cast Recording, 'The Book Of Mormon'

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:04am

Hasa Diga Eebowai!!!!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:14am

Just listened to "Hasa Diga Eebowai" and "Sal Tlay Ka Siti." (love the spelling of that song)

Both fabulous!

[willep]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:19am

Ahh yes! Thanks for posting!

[JP2]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:43am

Magic.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:51am

I am just finishing act 1 and it sounds so fantastic! I cannot wait for Joseph Smith American Moses!

[willep]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 1:58am

Ugh this is totally keeping me from sleeping and/or studying for my art history midterm! But it's so worth it!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:00am

And now I will be distracted from my school work forever.

[littlegreen2]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:00am

Thank you for posting!

[ace33]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:05am

Perfect! I can stream just enough, for me to get my fix so i dont have to buy the Cast Recording...

...PSHH YEAH RIGHT!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:08am

Add me to the chorus of those who are now not studying due to the brilliance of this.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:10am

^Same here. Listening to Turn it Off now, love it!

[JP2]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:12am

Weeping. So much joy.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:15am

Studying is now nonexistent. "Man Up" is even better then I remembered.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:20am

BWAYTDAY I too forgot how great of a number Man Up is. The last line cracks me up everytime

[othell]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:32am

I just listened to all of it -- it is now so late! Love the music and performances-- I can see it getting best score now that I hear it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:41am

It had better. This show is perfect.

[willep]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:52am

On the last song now! Would just love to echo a few sentiments...first, I agree about how wonderful Man Up is. I love that song. Second, it better win best score!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 2:54am

I love when James come back in with the 'Sal Tlay Ka Siti' melody in 'Man Up'

I'd pick a favorite track, but they just get better and better. But 'Turn it Off' has some of the best lyrics.

[willep]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 3:05am

It is definitely verrrrrry hard to pick a favorite. Mine MIGHT be Man Up, but I can't say for sure...they are all just so good!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 3:09am

Just pre-ordered my cast recording! Hopefully they ship early, per usual.

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 5:51am

Incredible. If this doesn't win Best Score, something has gone badly wrong.

[goldenstate5]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 8:12am

I haven't seen Book of Mormon, and since pretty much zero video/audio has been released until now, this is all fresh and new. (I'm aware of the plot synopsis though)

It's very interesting to listen to, as it's very funny, but at the same time surprisingly dramatic and heartfelt. The difference between the usual musical works of the duo (along with Lopez added) is crystal clear. The fact that this had years and years of work is right there, proving that if these guys can pull off something great within a short amount of time, given much longer they can easily create a masterpiece. It's far less traditional than I imagined it would be, but nevertheless catchy and a breeze to listen to.

The highlight of the CD, surprisingly, is Josh Gad. He's freaking fantastic, and while I imagine Andrew Rannells is great as well, his character comes across as more sympathetic, sad yet charming than I've heard in reviews, and just through listening I was far more attached to songs with Cunningham than I was with Price. Of course, it may be far different in the show itself, but that's how it came across in the cast album.

"Joseph Smith American Moses" offers a great payoff to the wonderfully complex second act opening "Making Things Up Again", and I was instantly reminded of "Avenue Q" when that moment came. The reason it won so many critics over is because the comedy, unlike the musical comedies debuting around it, it kept the audience in hysterics while constantly being extremely charming and sweet with complex characters and many dramatic moments. In fact, "The Book of Mormon" was shockingly even more, not sure if this is the right word, dark than Avenue Q, but then again I must remind that I did not see the actual show yet. Q had less dramatic songs, but kept that charming edge. BOM had the same dramatic-yet-funny song aspect, yet they seemed to be more plentiful. It's not a bad thing at all, and only makes me want to see the musical more. Of course, this was ironically a weakness for Avenue Q, that while Jeff Whitty's book had its moments, the main attraction were the songs already heard on the cast albums. BOM feels as if there's still a great amount of the hysterics onstage.

Anyways, really only one song doesn't work for me, and that's "Baptize Me", which robbed of the probably gut-busting visuals, is diluted to a basic "baptizing = losing virginity" joke that goes on and on for three long minutes. Nikki and Josh of course make it worth listening to, but otherwise this song must be more enjoyable seeing it live onstage. '

Otherwise, I can't wait for this to come out a week from tomorrow. I'm going to treasure this album for ages.
Updated On: 5/9/11 at 08:12 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 8:17am

>the fact that Gad did not even garner a single Tony nom is a bit upsetting.<

Josh Gad is indeed a Tony nominee for Best Actor in a Musical.

[goldenstate5]

Posted: 5/9/11 at 8:24am

Ah, I recall that comment then (I only skimmed the nominee list). Good, he really deserves it.