Wonderland - Concept Recording now AVAILABLE & Shipped!- Page 3

[philly03]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 9:31pm

I don't know if this will be the final orchestrations & sounds luckily...considering it sounds like a lot of synth. A song like Don't Wanna Fall in Love Again would sound much better if it sounded more like Love Begins (which it runs into anyway). Also love the melody of One Knight...but the boy-band thing isn't working for me.

The reason the music sounds like it belongs in different shows is because the intention is to give each character in wonderland a different type of music; ie: Mad Hatter: Big band, Caterpillar: Blues-y, etc.

While some of the lyrics are stupid, some of it makes sense - I think one of the main aims was to have lots of quick short rhymes...


Pgenre...what can I say. I really like the melodies but some of sounds too weirdly orchestrated or sung TOO pop-y. The thing I've always liked about Wildhorn is while it is pop-y, it's never a flat-out pop song. I think that's my problem with it. I don't like the Cheshire Cat songs...ironically I don't think anyone liked that song from the demo anyway!

BTW - There was a demo from about 2-3 years ago, most of it on Jack Murphy's website; the only demo from 10 years ago was ONE song - "Anything Can Happen" from Linda Eder's album "It's No Secret Anymore." Last I heard, it's still in the show.
Updated On: 11/9/09 at 09:31 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 9:57pm

I agree about the lyrics needing work, but all of Frank's shows that haven't been written by Nan Knighton need lyric work. "Worst Day of My Life" even breaks the Curtains rule about not mentioning your life of you'll have to say "cuts like a knife". Updated On: 11/9/09 at 09:57 PM

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 9:57pm

Finished listening through.

Darren Ritchie's voice reminds me of Adam Pascal's, nice, but very whiny. "One Knight" sounds like something that should be released as a boy band's single, the lyrics are cheesy enough.

Overall it reminded me of Next to Normal; the music was good but the lyrics were, for the most part, a mess. Sometimes I think I would rather things not rhyme than have to suffer through something contrived.

Most of the female songs were a lot catchier than they should have been, and the male ones were completely forgettable.

And I looooooove "Worst Day of My Life," which might actually be my favorite song on the entire recording... it is just too dang catchy!
Updated On: 11/9/09 at 09:57 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 10:51pm

I just wish people didn't always go with the first rhyme they come up with.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 11:03pm

Here's my question, though. Does Wildhorn usually collaborate with the same lyricist for his terrible material? I'm really asking.

If so, I do blame him. He needs to wake up and find a new partner or whatever - someone who can write actual substance through the song's lyrics. Seriously.

Is it just a "coincidence" that he happens to work with awful lyricists, consistently? It really is a shame.

[binau]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 11:25pm

""Worst Day of My Life" even breaks the Curtains rule about not mentioning your life of you'll have to say "cuts like a knife"."

What is this 'rule'? (A parody in a show or something? {probably showing ignorance}) And does Sondheim break it? (A love that, like a knife, has cut into a life)

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 11:29pm

It's just a funny lyric at the begging of "I Miss the Music" where the lyricist warns not to talk about love or you'll have to say "fits like a glove" or life because you'll have to say "cuts like a knife". I guess there aren't a lot of rhymes for either of those words.

[philly03]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 11:38pm

"Here's my question, though. Does Wildhorn usually collaborate with the same lyricist for his terrible material? I'm really asking.

If so, I do blame him. He needs to wake up and find a new partner or whatever - someone who can write actual substance through the song's lyrics. Seriously.

Is it just a "coincidence" that he happens to work with awful lyricists, consistently? It really is a shame."

Jack Murphy has been a LONG time lyricist to Eder as well, and previous projects; not to mention most of Wildhorn's ideas have been stemming from him.

Leslie Briscusse (Jekyll & HYDE and Cyrano de Bergerac) isn't a bad lyricist - just VERY basic-y. I actually like his lyrics...

Nan's an incredible lyricist...!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/9/09 at 11:55pm

I agree. Nan has been Frank's best collaborator. She delivered some of the best lyrics for his music in both The Scarlet Pimpernel and Camille Claudel. Jekyll and Hyde is okay most of the time, and better with some of the revisions made to the lyrics on Broadway that didn't cross over to the licensed script for some reason, and Cyrano de Bergerac is even better -- not to mention one of Frank's best and most period appropriate scores.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 11/10/09 at 12:28am

Wildhorn's collaborators break a thousand rhyming & lyric rules all the time.

Is no one on this board familiar with the reputation of Wildhorn's mediocre pop music being accompanied by terrible, cringe-worthy lyrics??? I must be the only one. Oh well!

[Basely Tearful]

Posted: 11/10/09 at 12:43am

Is calling the gift shop the only way to order this?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/10/09 at 1:42am

It's the only way that I'm aware of.

[jovie27]

Posted: 11/10/09 at 2:24am

Does anyone have it yet? Want to know what people think of it, before I order it!

Thanks in advance!

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/10/09 at 2:37am

Does anyone have it yet? Want to know what people think of it, before I order it!

Thanks in advance!

Did you even read the thread?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 10:26pm

I got this a few days ago and "One Knight" DOES sound like a boy-band single. I would be shocked if that song actually fits well in the show.

That being said, I am enjoying Janet Decal's voice (though I still wish Brandi was attached to this project - what happened with that?) and I am also loving Nikki Snelson's songs.

Are there plans to bring this show to New York or tour it after its Florida run?

[philly03]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 10:33pm

WAT:

"I got this a few days ago and "One Knight" DOES sound like a boy-band single. I would be shocked if that song actually fits well in the show. "

The song is INTENDED to sound like this. The role of "The White Knight" is supposed to be him with a back-up boy band. It will mostly stay in the show like this. The White Knight always has his boyband to follow him. I still think its OVERKILL-ed on the recording, but I like the idea.


"That being said, I am enjoying Janet Decal's voice (though I still wish Brandi was attached to this project - what happened with that?) and I am also loving Nikki Snelson's songs.

Are there plans to bring this show to New York or tour it after its Florida run?"

Brandi is no longer engaged to Frank Wildhorn, so obviously that would hinder upon it a little. However, the two came together over the summer to work on A TALE of TWO CITIES, as the song wsa written FOR Brandi.

Also remember, the role has mostly been pushed for LAUREN KENNEDY. She's been attached to the project for a long while now;

this brings to the next point: The show will be going to HOUSTON, TX to the Alley THeatre from January 10th until FEBRUARY 14.

It is unknown, pending reviews, if a tour will continue or if they will go straight to Broadway.Personally, I think they'll try to tour and try to mimic Jekyll & HYDE's path to Broadway!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 10:38pm

When did Brandi and Frank break up? What happened?

What is Brandi working on right now? I really enjoyed her in TALE and MAMMA MIA and look forward to seeing her in her next project.

[philly03]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 10:49pm

"hen did Brandi and Frank break up? What happened?

What is Brandi working on right now? I really enjoyed her in TALE and MAMMA MIA and look forward to seeing her in her next project."

They broke up maybe a year ago. Right around the time of Tale's closing. No one knows what happened, and that's obviously getting personal. The two seem like they'd still work together, but working on a brand new project is different than a song or two or his helping with Tale.

I'm not sure what Brandi's upto at the moment - she's in or was in a reading with Robert Cucioli in NYC, but who knows, she used to live in LA; perhaps she's trying to do TV work or something of the sort!