The music of Andrew Lloyd Webber has traveled the world over, proving that language and culture is no boundary for the songs that comprise his musicals. The disc Andrew Lloyd Webber Divas is a nice compilation for completist fans, but the music is really a motley mix.
All of the songs on this album come from pre-exisitng recordings released in one form or another, whether it be Patti LuPone’s cloying “Buenos Aires” from the stage version of Evita or Madonna’s successful rendition of “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina from the 1996 movie version. Most of the songs are Webber’s heavy hitters. Yvonne Elliman’s great “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” (from Jesus Christ Superstar ) is already a classic, and Betty Buckley’s definitive “Memory” (Cats ) is one of the most haunting songs recorded in any genre, period. But I would advise fans to opt for the Cats soundtrack instead. Barbra Streisand also makes an appearance, with her version of the wonderful “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Blvd. delighting the ear.
The Phantom of the Opera , the longest-running Broadway musical of all time, makes a few appearances on Divas , but they are to be skipped. Katharine Jenkins’ “The Music of the Night” is an overlong, shrill affair, and Shirley Bassey destroys the beautiful “All I Ask of You” as though she were trying to retro-fit it as another James Bond theme.
There are several less well-known gems on this disc that are definitely worth discovering, however. Barbara Dickson’s “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” is a perfect representation of Evita and Marti Webb’s “Tell Me on a Sunday” should make one want to look into Song and Dance .
Like any mix, some songs on Divas are better than others. But for the most part, this retread should be avoided, and the highlights sought out in their original form.
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