Eric Michel Gillett: Careless Rhapsody: The Heart of Lorenz Hart
Eric Michel Gillett
Careless Rhapsody: The Heart of Lorenz Hart
July 9, 2015
Reviewed by Richard Edgcomb for Cabaret Scenes
In the cabaret world, tribute CDs seem to be a dime a dozen, but few ever truly shine as brightly as Eric Michael Gillett’s Careless Rhapsody: The Heart of Lorenz Hart. This, his third solo CD, is his most accomplished. The brilliance of Larry Hart’s incredible lyrics, along with mostly Richard Rodgers’s music, makes this recording soar. Filled with some of the Great American Songbook’s greatest hits previously sung by some of its greatest singers, these songs take off again in this collection.
Wonderful and sometimes unexpected pairings, like “My Romance” with “My Funny Valentine,” are heartfelt and direct. Here, the combination of these two songs is magical. Other tracks are less familiar gems from the musicals of Rodgers and Hart. The title track, from By Jupiter, is sung with longing and hope for times yet to come. Some selections stand alone with simple and straightforward interpretations, while other are emotional and beautiful. The medley of “Have You Met Miss Jones?”/“Wait Till You See Her”/“The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” is a beautiful love story—sad, sweet, romantic and sung to perfection. In fact, love flows through most every selection on this recording. “Sing for Your Supper” is one of those where love is never mentioned, but it can be felt though Gillett’s impeccable phrasing and his gentle caressing of the lyrics—“…just sing and you’ll be fed.”
The simple arrangements by Don Rebic, along with Gillett’s magnificent vocals, shine throughout this collection. It is hard to pick my favorite out of the fourteen tracks, as each is more enthralling than the previous.
Having hosted a radio show devoted to cabaret and jazz for 17 years on WDVR-FM in New Jersey, I have listened to many new recordings, but Careless Rhapsody: The Heart of Lorenz Hart is one of the most thrilling albums dedicated to a single artist I have heard in a long time. Bravo.
Category: Music, Music Reviews, New York City Music Reviews
