The Maury Yeston Songbook
Despite racking up Tony nominations and/or box-office success withNine,Grand Hotel, andTitanic, Maury Yeston remains a relatively unknown Broadwayauteur. And yet, what a fabulous songwriter he is. Listen to "Home," for instance: This excerpt fromPhantom(theotheradaptation ofPhantom of the Opera) has great melodic hooks, along with natural sweep and unrestrained emotion. Like every song on this CD, it also has such dramatic drive that it easily stands on its own outside of its regular narrative frame. This collection of new recordings provides an excellent overview of Yeston's talent, juxtaposing numbers from his three best-known scores (though there's only one fromTitanic) with rarities and a generous selection from his 1991 song cycleDecember Songs. Christine Ebersole, Liz Callaway, and Betty Buckley turn in expectedly strong performances, but watch also for Laura Benanti (the star of the 2003 revival ofNine), Christine Andreas, and Foster Sutton, who completely make the material theirs.--Elisabeth Vincentelli