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
