2003-04-04
The Detroit News
Eric Henrickson
Jason Robert Brown is one of the hot songwriters in theater circles these days, but this CD gives the distinct impression he could make a mint as a pop writer if he was so inclined. It almost doesn’t matter who the singer is, but he’s lucky to get Lauren Kennedy for this CD.
Her smooth voice easily moves between moods and injects meaning into Brown’s lyrics.
He wrote two songs specifically for Kennedy, “If I Told You Now” and “Dreaming, Wide Awake,” and they’re among the best of the bunch.
“I Can Do Better Than That,” from “The Last Five Years,” is a fun song about finding love (“You don’t have to leave the seat down”).
“Letting You Go,” another premiere recording, is a touching song about losing love. And it all comes to a strong finish with “Flying Home,” one of the “Songs for a New World.”
Let’s hope we’ll hear much more from both of these talents.
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