Having chosen the right name for their new group, The Leading Ladies have released ‘Songs From the Stage’ an album of musical theatre powerhouse songs, performed by three superstars of the stage. Amber Riley, about to finish an award-winning run in Dreamgirls, along with Cassidy Janson and Beverley Knight, have clearly put a great deal of thought and attention in to this new album.
The Leading Ladies have curated fourteen songs, made famous by musical theatre and given them their own twist. The songs remain recognisable but the blending of the three voices adds a deeper element and allows us to hear these well-known songs in a new light.
There is at least one song from each of the Leading Ladies own musicals; ‘One Night Only’ from Dreamgirls, ‘I’m Every Woman’ from The Bodyguard, and ‘You Make Me Feel Like – A Natural Woman’ from Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. They take their respective leads in their own songs, but are supported by beautiful harmonies from the other two.
In selecting songs, the Leading Ladies have spread the net far and wide, giving the album a fantastic mix of styles. As you would expect there are hauntingly beautiful ballads such as ‘Wind Beneath my Wings’, or their gorgeous interpretation of ‘Falling Slowly’ from Once. Then, quite unexpectedly, there comes the heady Latin beat of ‘Raise The Roof’ from Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party.
Songs From The Stage succeeds in mixing classics with the modern, the 1964 ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ from Funny Girl, sits alongside the act one favourite from Hamilton, ‘Helpless’. Neither sound old nor new, they just sound wonderful when sung in the Leading Ladies inimitable style.
Songs From The Stage is a tour de force album that will delight musical theatre lovers. It would have been very easy for these West End stars to have churned out an album of common theatre songs, or indulged in their own catalogue, instead they have brought together a very impressive mix of genres and performed them with incredible creativity and technique.
Songs From The Stage is Released November 17th – Pre-order or Buy Here.
Read our Interview with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson Here.
after seeing this advertised on tv i thought they sounded fantastic, i think i must have got the wrong cd i personally think it is awful, just a load of screeching no tone . the only voice that is good is a deeper voice, which one of the ladies it is i have no idea.such a dissapointment . even the backing singers are better than two of the leading ladies. sorry to be so negative but that is my opinion of the album.