At Broadway.com, John Simon reviewed XANADU and found "Kerry Butler utterly charming, Cheyenne Jackson both innocent and forceful,” noting, “The new CD has a wink in every measure. You will find yourself amicably winking back." Matthew Murray at Broadway Stars found the album “Invigorating – one of the few current cast recordings that's as great for parties as for solo listening!" In the Bay Area Reporter, Gregg Shapiro hailed, “Fun, funny, and frothy, XANADU is delightful!” And at Talkin’ Broadway, Rob Lester boldly predicted, “This will be the guilty pleasure of the year for show albums.”

Four other reviewers took note of TAKE FLIGHT. At Playbill.com, Steven Suskin raved that “the composer and lyricist of Baby are in fine form,” adding that the “fine and highly listenable CD reveals a strong and enjoyable score with perhaps the finest lyrics [Richard] Maltby has given us.” In the Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff echoed Matthew Murray’s description of XANADU, calling TAKE FLIGHT “invigorating.” At Potomac Stages, Brad Hathaway praised it as “intellectually challenging, emotionally involving, musically fulfilling and lyrically delightful,” while at Edge Magazine, J. Peter Bergman proclaimed, “Take Flight’s original cast recording proves conclusively that this is an innovative, daring and oddly infectious musical.”

Meanwhile, we hadn’t intended to go on sale with Maltby & Shire’s TAKE FLIGHT until after the first, but our plant just called to say product would be here later this week, so if all goes well, we’ll have TAKE FLIGHT on sale exclusively here at PS Classics by week’s end.

And at Playbill.com, Steven Suskin devoted a column to all three “equally enjoyable CDs,” which he tagged as "something of a holiday present to listeners," labeling Victoria’s CD “46 minutes of joy,” Lauren’s performances “pure delight,” and Andréa “superb on all counts.”

This Monday evening, November 5th, two of the ladies whose new CD’s street the very next day will be offering performances: at 7 PM, the dynamic Lauren Kennedy will be at Birdland (www.birdlandjazz.com) to launch her new CD, HERE AND NOW; later that evening, at 9:30 PM, the dazzling Andrea Burns will be at Joe’s Pub (www.joespub.com) to celebrate the release of her debut album, A DEEPER SHADE OF RED.

The following day, we kick off three consecutive days of performances and CD signings at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway. On Tuesday, November 6th, Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark will offer 30 minutes from her new album FIFTEEN SECONDS OF GRACE, then stick around to sign CD’s; the following day, November 7th, Andrea Burns will take the stage, and the day after that, November 8th, Lauren Kennedy will be headlining. Performances begin each day at 5:30 PM.

One week later, on November 13th, Jessica Molaskey will devote two performances at Birdland to her latest album, SITTING IN LIMBO. Show times are 8:30 PM & 11:00 PM. The New York Times called SITTING IN LIMBO “a profound pop-jazz album that connects traditional American pop with the present in a way that has never been done before,” and trust us, it's worth seeing Jessica in person if you have the chance! She’ll be backed up by a band that includes husband-guitararist John Pizzarelli.

Ten days later, and further downtown, Luba Mason brings her COLLAGE tour to New York (with The Ed Alstrom Trio) with performances at The Metropolitan Room (www.metropolitanroom.com) at 34 West 22nd St. Performances are November 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th, at 10:00 PM.

And finally, on the evening of November 26th, Victoria Clark will devote two full-length shows at the Kaplan Penthouse to FIFTEEN SECONDS OF GRACE. Ticketing details and show times are still being set; we’ll post more here as we know it!

Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham’s new musical I LOVE YOU BECAUSE caught on like that last year. This year, it’s THIS ORDINARY THURSDAY: The Songs of Georgia Stitt. A stream of glowing reviews have been pouring in since last April; just last Sunday, Steven Suskin gave it a rave at Playbill.com, hailing, “The songs are rich and deep and intelligent, demanding instant repeat listening. Musically, Stitt holds her own with an original voice and a sometimes surprising turn of melody; her lyrics are personal, intricate and rewarding. Among the best of the best is Carolee Carmello's ‘Life Is Not a Camera’ (which is in the same rarefied class with ‘Finishing the Hat’ and ‘My Husband Makes Movies’), Faith Prince's ‘I Get to Show You the Ocean,’ and Susan Egan's ‘This Ordinary Thursday.’ Everybody gives especially good performances, the songs glimmer and shine. THIS ORDINARY THURSDAY contains 12 songs, and leaves you wanting not only more songs but a Georgia Stitt musical as well.”

Meanwhile, the wonderful Luba Mason, whose debut album COLLAGE, was another of our albums to emerge with little fanfare, but to inspire a loyal and vocal following, is currently touring the country with “The Collage Concert,” to great acclaim. We caught up with Luba between engagements in LA and Chicago; you can read the interview, and learn more about her concert and upcoming dates, on Luba’s home page.

Of its star, Simon wrote, “Audra McDonald gives a performance as perfect histrionically as it is vocally. She rides the rollercoaster of Lizzie's budding and dashed hopes, of her shattering despair and shining transformation with the assurance of the consummate artist, with vocal coloring and emotional penetrancy to elicit our tears of compassion and ultimate joy with equally unfussy truthfulness. And she gets exemplary support from Steve Kazee's swaggering yet sensitive Starbuck, Christopher Innvar's slowly simmering File, and the incomparable John Cullum's understatedly heartwarming H.C.

All the others, directed by Lonny Price, make flawless contributions. Backed up by Jonathan Tunick's masterly orchestrations, expertly played under Paul Gemignani's unerring baton, this 110 IN THE SHADE emerges as one of those rare discs that repeated rehearings can only, inexhaustibly, enhance."

Meanwhile, speaking of Playbill.com, they were the first to break the story that we’ve begun recording the first solo album by Tony Award-winning actress and singer Victoria Clark. The first sessions were yesterday, and she was – needless to say – extraordinary. Look for a fall release, and more details as we have them.

And speaking of releases, look for our new recording of 110 IN THE SHADE to begin websales here at PS Classics on Tuesday. The Tony nominations found 110 IN THE SHADE the most honored musical revival of the season; we think our new recording – with its splendid cast and gorgeous orchestrations -- will tell you why!

“The 12-song CD spotlights Georgia Stitt's various talents, meaning not just her music and/or lyrics, but also her work as arranger or conductor on some tracks, and more often than not as pianist. There is talent and attention to detail everywhere, with lots of details to attend to - these aren't simple little ditties. Character songs that paint emotional pictures, most are lyrically and musically dense, some telling stories. The material is intrinsically powerful and dramatic and doesn't need to be oversold, but I can imagine that much here will prove popular in concerts and cabaret acts now that they are out on CD to hear.

“The charming and upbeat 'I Get to Show You the Ocean' was written for baby daughter, Molly, to describe the pleasures of being in the water. This sunny number is brought to life with bounciness and glee by Faith Prince. With the long but very satisfying title song, Susan Egan shows immense warmth and captures an appreciation for life's big and small moments. Veteran arranger Don Sebesky contributes a rich tapestry of sounds for 'Life Is Not a Camera,' and Carolee Carmello is a marvel here, turning in a masterfully moving performance of a wife whose obsession with the art of his work - he's a photographer - comes at a cost. This excellent song so well executed brings the same kind of pathos and anguish felt by characters in musicals such as Nine and Sunday in the Park with George.

"Kelli O'Hara, Sara Ramirez, Lauren Kennedy, Matthew Morrison, Andréa Burns, Jenn Colella, Will Chase, Cheyenne Jackson and Tituss Burgess ... sounds like a fair chunk of recent names on musical theater posters or the discussions on All That Chat. They're all here sounding strong with strong material."

The other two reviews in so far were more brief, but no less enthusiastic. At Midwest Records, Chris Spector raved, “Writing with the stage sensibility but the accessibility of the 70's femme singer/songwriters, Stitt and her pals offer a juicy experience for fans worried about the future of the American songbag and whether it will be in good hands or not. A solid set that offers new vistas of songwriting to last.” And at Next Magazine, David Hurst chimed in, “Georgia Stitt writes songs that are beautifully crafted gems about life, love and the normalcy of everyday things. It’s an auspicious debut.”

Speaking of debuts, one of our best-received debut albums, from 2004, was Luba Mason’s COLLAGE. In Time Out New York, James Gavin raved, "Luba Mason, the sultry ice-blond costar of The Capeman and Jekyll & Hyde, is as alluring on her new CD as she is on Broadway. Born of Slovak parents, Mason has a tart, muscular voice with a brain behind it, and a lot of bristling Eastern European passion. She brings out the edge in both Tom Waits’s tender apology ‘Take Me Home,’ and in an unsentimental country-rock arrangement of ‘Mr. Bojangles.’ In Mason’s hands, [Ruben] Blades’s Spanish translation of ‘The Look of Love’ sounds even sexier than the original.” Luba has now decided to take COLLAGE on tour, with dates beginning in San Francisco (at The Exit Theatre, at 156 Eddy Street) on June 21-23, at 8 PM. Tickets are available at www.TicketWeb.com, or call (866) 468-3401. We’ll continue to update this site as Luba’s tour unfolds.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to preorder now, we can direct you to CDUniverse.com and to Amazon.com.

In the meantime, Jessica Molaskey’s newest CD, SITTING IN LIMBO, hits stores on May 8th, but it’s now on sale here at PS Classics. Last Friday, in The New York Times, Stephen Holden called it “a profound pop-jazz album that connects traditional American pop with the present in a way that has never been done before.” We also think it’s a pretty extraordinary album. Jessica and her husband, John Pizzarelli, are performing during the month of May at the Café Carlyle in New York; they’ll also be celebrating the CD release with a special performance and signing at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway in Manhattan on May 23rd at 6 PM.

“Director John Doyle's revival of Stephen Sondheim's forever-timely 1970 musical not only strips the staging practically bare, it also does away with the orchestration, putting individual instruments in the hands of the actors instead. Think of it as Broadway unplugged. The blueprint worked for last year's revival of another Sondheim classic, Sweeney Todd, and for its Grammy Award-nominated cast album. Sweeney producer Tommy Krasker returns for COMPANY, with similarly spare yet intense results that question whether Sondheim material ever needs grandiose treatment to soar. Raúl Esparza is a suave, big-voiced Bobby, the single New Yorker looking for inspiration to commit in the lives of his "good and crazy" married friends. When he sinks to the piano and alternately plunks and belts out show closer "Being Alive," possibly the bitterest and sweetest cataloging of monogamy ever penned, the lean formula feels even meatier than the traditional alternative.”

Meanwhile, we’ve begun websales for both our new Broadway cast recording of COMPANY, and the new GrooveLily CD, A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, from the creators of STRIKING 12. COMPANY hits stores on February 20th; as for A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, you’ll have to wait a touch longer to buy it in stores, till April 10th, so why not just get it here?

And speaking of stores, we’re following our memorable instore performance and signing for GREY GARDENS at Barnes & Noble last month with two Barnes & Noble instores this month. On Wednesday, February 21st, at 6 PM, at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway in Manhattan, Charlotte Rae will be performing selections from her newly re-released SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER, answering questions, and signing CD’s. Two days later, on Friday, the 23rd, at 5:30 PM, the cast of COMPANY will be at the same store to perform and sign.

Meanwhile, the next GrooveLily CD, A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, will go on sale exclusively at our website next Tuesday, February 6th. It’s a melodic treasure-trove – and an absolute original, drawn from songs and suites the smart-pop trio created for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream last year. The album won’t hit stores till April, but come February 6th, you can get it here!

And finally, we’re looking to make our new cast recording of COMPANY available here on February 6th as well. Because it’s a co-production with our colleagues at Nonesuch, the manufacturing and distribution is being handled on their end, so we can’t yet say with certainty when the CD will be arriving in our offices. If it looks like there’ll be a day or two delay, we’ll be sure to post that as soon as we know. The album will hit stores nationwide on February 13th; it’s 18 tracks, and 66 minutes, and we’re extremely proud of it.

Meanwhile, the first reviews in for Charlotte Rae’s SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER have been as enthusiastic as we were when Charlotte brought the project to us. Mark Lowry’s review in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram especially tickled us: “The invaluable PS Classicslabel, which chronicles American popular song, has reissued this 1955 album (its first time on CD) from the great cabaret singer who later became known as Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life. Consisting of mostly comedic songs, some of which were written specifically for her by the likes of Sheldon Harnick (‘Backer's Audition’) and Marc Blitzstein (‘Modest Maid’), Songs is a must for those who love that performance era that predates the oversinging that weighs down a lot of Broadway vocalists. Highlights such as Cole Porter's ‘When I Was a Little Cuckoo’ and Vernon Duke's ‘The Sea-Gull and the Ea-Gull’ are delightful enough to make Tootie, Natalie and even Jo grin." Just last week, Rob Lester penned this marvelous interview with Charlotte at Talkin’ Broadway; it’s worth a look.

Finally, in the spirit of holiday cheer, two years ago we had the fun of unveiling the new GrooveLily CD, STRIKING 12, in time for the holidays. We’re now readying the next GrooveLily release, and although we’ll miss the holidays by a month, we thought we’d sing its praises here. Entitled A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, it consists of original songs and suites from the unique production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in which GrooveLily co-starred last spring at Paper Mill Playhouse and the McCarter Theatre. The CD will get an early web release here at the PS Classics website in February 2007 (to coincide with a GrooveLily concert at the McCarter) and be available in stores the second week of April. Brendan Milburn of GrooveLily described the CD at one point as “some of the most lyrical, lovely, groovy, rhythmically complex and unfettered music we've ever made"; we’ve heard it, and he’s not being immodest – just accurate! It’s a unique, magical treat that we’re proud to be unveiling here at PS Classics.

Meanwhile, in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle, Robert Hurwitt had this to say about I LOVE YOU BECAUSE: "Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman's recent off-Broadway musical is a loose take on Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice,' reconfigured as a tuneful, witty love story for New Yorkers of the post-'Sex and the City' age. It's a promising debut, an NYU graduate thesis project brought to life by a remarkably upbeat, melodious cast. Salzman and Cunningham's wit percolates engagingly through an impressive variety of pop, blues and ballads, including a hilarious patter song on the actuarial tables of love, loss and dating on the rebound and a 'Sesame Street'-style charmer on friends with benefits." I LOVE YOU BECAUSE has proven one of our best-received CD's; if haven't yet picked up a copy, maybe the other glowing notices on our What's New page will convince you.

In addition, we’re proud to announce that STRIKING 12, by the smart-pop trio GrooveLily, opened off-Broadway yesterday, and in today’s New York Times, Charles Isherwood noted, “The most important ingredient for a successful musical, it has long been acknowledged, is a first-rate score, and this one is terrific. The lyrics are alive with wit and humor, and they don’t shy away from surging emotion either. The music is rhythmic pop founded on a rich vein of melody." He found the show “more artfully crafted and engaging than virtually all the standard-mold musicals coming our way these days.” If you haven’t gotten down to the Daryl Roth Theatre yet, there are less than seven weeks left till (as the song goes) “The Last Day of the Year.” And if you still haven’t picked up the CD, our biggest webseller, you can do so here.

At Q Media, Shawn Revelle implored, “Believe in the power of true love again with I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, the wonderfully romantic, new off-Broadway musical. Salzman and Cunningham’s delightful score is both beautifully melodic and lyrically original.” And at Broadway’s Biggest Hits, Chris Curcio gave it an “A,” cheering, “What a refreshing listen I LOVE YOU BECAUSE is. The cast is bright and talented, adding meaning and gusto to the wonderful songs by Joshua Salzman with lyrics by Ryan Cunningham. Look for this talented team to be a major new voice in the contemporary musical theater scene."

“A major new voice in the contemporary musical theatre scene” is what might have been (and no doubt was) said over forty-five years ago about Charles Strouse when his first show, Bye Bye Birdie, landed on Broadway. We’re delighted to announce that the next edition in our ongoing Songwriter Series (co-produced with the Library of Congress) will be CHARLES SINGS STROUSE. Drawn primarily from demo tapes and live appearances, the CD will include several signature tunes (“Put On a Happy Face,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “Tomorrow”) by the Tony Award-winning composer of Birdie, Applause and Annie, but will also include rare selections from such little-known works as Bojangles, Pound in Your Pocket, Hunky-Dory, Lady for a Day and Marty. Charlotte Rae’s SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER, our songwriter tribute IF I SING, and CHARLES SINGS STROUSE will all go on sale here at PS Classics on November 14th.

STRIKING 12 embraces old-fashioned romanticism with a healthy dose of modern-day cynicism. The same could be said for our latest release, I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, which got a rave today from Matthew Murray at Broadway Stars. Calling it “a sparkling comedy, on par with the best Broadway has offered in the last couple of decades,” he cheered, “Now that PS Classics has released the show's wonderful cast recording, more people will hopefully be exposed to this delightful modern romance, which introduced to theatregoers the songwriting gifts of Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham.” Matthew likened the show (in “style, originality, and pure cunning”) to “On the Town, Guys and Dolls, and Wonderful Town, those quintessential musical comedies as much about the passionate love of New York City as about the passionate love between people.” He concluded, “It's hard to imagine I LOVE YOU BECAUSE being better than it is.”

“This 1984 musical paints with sound, re-creating Georges Seurat's painstakingly dotted canvases in pulsing, quivering melodies. It seems fitting, then, that a fresh recording should capture new colors and textures. The album emerged from a London production that moved recently to the West End. Presented on two discs, the recording is more complete than the original Broadway cast album, delivering more dialogue and longer sections of several musical scenes. What truly distinguishes the effort, though, is the depth of emotion each performer reveals in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's meditation on the frustrations, sacrifices and hard-won triumphs of artistic life.

Daniel Evans' baritone buzzes with intensity as Seurat plunges ever deeper into the world of his monumental painting ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte,’ while Jenna Russell's amber-hued soprano conveys the conflicted frustration and admiration of the artist's model and girlfriend. The production uses reduced orchestrations for five players, expanded to eight for the recording. Spare yet precise, these pointillist daubs of piano, strings and woodwinds fill in the aural canvas.”

(At the signing, cast members will autograph GREY GARDENS CD’s only. Those attending may bring copies of the CD they’ve already purchased, or they can buy them on site for $20 each, cash only.)

GREY GARDENS hits stores on Tuesday, August 22nd, although it’s already available here at PS Classics. The CD features 23 tracks and a 36-page booklet with complete lyrics, full-color photos and an interview with the show’s three authors. The award-winning musical, which concluded its sold-out world premiere production at Playwrights Horizons in April, will open on Broadway this fall with performances beginning October 3 at The Walter Kerr Theatre.

His colleague in the Bay Area, Chad Jones in the Oakland Tribune, called it “a must” that “brings new focus to the characters and to the genius of Sondheim's lyrics.” Heading East, Ron Wynn in the Nashville City Paper noted that “the play’s juggling of 19th and 20th century conventions is once more brilliantly executed in this version,” and concluded, “it’s a first-rate cast recording, one that’s bolstered by Evans’ vocal authority.” Further South, Hap Erstein in The Palm Beach Post echoed Mr. Jones, finding it “a must-have,” and like Mr. Wynn, singled out Mr. Evans, who “sings with authority, intensity and urgency.” Much further South, in the Weekend Australian, Deborah Jones gave it four stars, praising it as “vivid, intimate and dazzling.” And online at Broadway’s Biggest Hits, Chris Curcio hailed it as “a masterpiece. With two discs, it preserves almost the entire score and the cast is perfection ... This version is original and definitive, a wonderful addition to Sondheim's legacy.”

The cast of I Love You Because includes Farah Alvin, David A. Austin, Tony Award nominee Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Colin Hanlon, with Jordan Leeds and Courtney Balan. The orchestrations are by Larry Hochman, a good pal and one of Broadway's best. We don't often get to sing the praises of orchestrators here, but aside from his indelible contributions to such shows as Jane Eyre and Spamalot, Larry's contributions to PS Classics have been invaluable. Some of his most delectable charts include "Windflowers" for Alice Ripley on Windflowers: The Songs of Jerome Moross, "By the River" for Christine Andreas on The Maury Yeston Songbook, "You've Come Home" for Philip Chaffin on Warm Spring Night, and the "Harold Arlen Songs" for Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley on Opposite You. Larry is, to quote the title of one of his Broadway shows, a class act.

Meanwhile, because we realize we haven't announced it officially yet, our cast recording of GREY GARDENS, starring Christine Ebersole & Mary Louise Wilson, will hit stores on August 22nd. We'll start shipping directly from PS Classics on August 8th. We're not set up to accept preorders here, but check back then, because that’s the date we'll be on sale. Or if you prefer, it's available for preorder at Amazon, where they’ll begin shipping on August 22nd.

In an expansive piece at Edge Magazine, Adam Hetrick raved about the Sunday stars: “As Seurat’s lover and muse Dot, Jenna Russell is appealing and sumptuous. She remarkably captures the character’s earthy passions, and gives a performance that both enlightens the role and measures up to her Broadway predecessor’s. George is warmer here than before, rarely cold - a man enrapt in his work and painfully divided in his longing for Dot. Daniel Evan’s rich tenor is coupled with a solid interpretation which thrives on disc.” He observed, “With room to breathe on two discs, Sunday in the Park with George has a relationship at its center which is more alive than ever. Thankfully, the original Broadway cast was preserved on film, but the original cast recording only gives a glimpse of the nature of George and Dot’s relationship. PS Classics has given the characters at the center a chance to speak, sing, and develop along with the score - so that a more rounded and effecting experience takes place.”

At Playbill.com, Steven Suskin (who called us “the adventurous independent label from Bronxville” – thank you, Steven) admitted “I find this new CD more enjoyable than the Grammy Award-winning original cast album,” predicting , “I already foresee the Evans-Russell Sunday becoming my Sunday of choice, and I am glad to pass on an unqualified recommendation.” In the Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff was most succinct: “Show-tune fans should relish it,” he wrote, and gave it an “A.”

Turning to our other album, Brian Scott Lipton at Theatermania.com wrote, “Let's all be grateful for It's Only Life, which not only provides an outlet for the breadth of John Bucchino's singular songwriting but doubles as a great vocal showcase for Brooks Ashmanskas, Andrea Burns, Gavin Creel, Jessica Molaskey, and Billy Porter.” And at Talkin’ Broadway, Rob Lester marveled, “Like Sondheim, John writes both music and words with a pen that can pierce the heart and fills the page and stage with dense but precise lyrics. They also share that rare talent of writing with specificity and detail that often ends up capturing the universal.” He concluded, “This is a life-affirming, thought-provoking collection. Applause all around.”

But some of the nicest things we’ve read have been E-mails from customers. In six years, we’ve rarely received the kind of warm, supportive and enthusiastic notes we’ve gotten over the last month. Coincidentally, in an expansive piece in today’s New York Times, Stephen Holden included several very kind mentions of PS Classics (thank you, Stephen), plugging Sunday in the Park With George, our upcoming cast album of Grey Gardens, and several other recordings. He found our catalog "flourishing" and our work here “invaluable,” a kind sentiment that’s been echoed by a lot of the mail we’ve received recently. We try to respond to each and every E-mail personally, but in case a few have slipped by, thanks to all who’ve written in, and for all your kind words.

When Darius first performed his Strayhorn show in March of 2001, Stephen Holden in The New York Times wrote, "This extraordinary program has to be recorded." The resulting CD prompted our first reviews from the regional music critics, and they were ecstatic. The LA Times applauded the many “remarkable” cuts, noting, “De Haas' interpretations are driven by an astonishingly versatile voice.” The Chicago Tribune hailed, “Offering sometimes radical reappraisals of jazz standards by composer Billy Strayhorn, De Haas proves fearless in recasting these tunes in original, distinctive ways.” And Jazz Times called it "one of the finest Strayhorn salutes ever captured on disc.” On Sunday, June 18th, at 7:30 PM, at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York, Darius offers his first-ever retrospective of the many composers and songs with which he's long been associated.

Jessica’s Pentimento was the first of three CD’s she’s done with us, and our customers found it pure pleasure. Pentimento is defined as "an underlying image," and here, Jessica took some of the greatest pop songs of the '20s and '30s and revealed their full emotional range. Alternately joyous, sly, and bittersweet, she and the extraordinary musicians who joined her (including husband singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli) brought new life to old favorites like “Oh, You Beautiful Doll,” “Ain’t We Got Fun,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” and “What’ll I Do?” Jonathan Schwartz of National Public Radio called Jessica's performances "droll, understated and heartbreaking,” and found the album "a singular work of art." Jessica is at the famed Algonquin Hotel Oak Room in New York City for three weeks beginning Tuesday, June 13th.

Meanwhile, there’s one other nominee we’d like to mention: our friend Patti LuPone (Best Actress nominated for Sweeney Todd) has a wonderful album out from our colleagues at Ghostlight, Lady With a Torch. And since we haven’t done a “CD’s we like” column in a while, there are two others from Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight of which we're especially fond: Julia Murney’s I’m Not Waiting, and the cast album of Michael John LaChiusa’s See What I Wanna See, both of them striking in very different ways. And then – welcome to the 21st century – there’s something splendid worth checking out not on CD, but online: Jeff Blumenkrantz’s Podcast, with some amazing artists performing the gifted composer’s best material.

As for the title of this column, a line from “Tonight” (and not from Most Happy Fella: that would have been “Joey, Joey”), we’ve looked for a while, but we don’t seem to have a rendition of that Bernstein/Sondheim classic anywhere on our label. But for Bernstein buffs, we’d like to recommend “Lonely Town,” from Jeff Harnar’s Dancing in the Dark; and if you’re searching for Sondheim, there are four cast albums and various solo performances (among them, Jessica Molaskey’s “So Many People,” Philip Chaffin’s “Silly People,” and Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie’s five-song “Sondheim Suite”) scattered throughout our catalog.

Also available now: John Bucchino's wonderful new musical revue, IT'S ONLY LIFE, with Brooks Ashmanskas, Andrea Burns, Gavin Creel, Jessica Molaskey & Billy Porter.

Meanwhile, we have pages up for our two-CD set of the London production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and for John Bucchino's new revue IT'S ONLY LIFE, including full track listing and description. Both CD's receive early webreleases here on May 10th.

Meanwhile, while we were in London recording Sunday in the Park With George, our new recording of DECEMBER SONGS hit stores, and the first review in was from Richard Ouzounian, theatre critic for the Toronto Star, who wrote, “Composer-lyricist Maury Yeston is best known for his work on shows like Nine and Titanic, but he also has a deft and haunting way with an art song. This cycle of 11 songs, drenched in wintry longing and loss, is sung both in English and French by Isabelle Georges, with a beauty of tone and poignancy of intonation that is heart-rending. Selections like ‘Please Let's Not Even Say Hello’ and ‘I Had a Dream About You’ have a lyrical and musical pathos that is guaranteed to stir your heart.”

For those in the New York area, Rebecca Luker (of LEAVING HOME) will be bringing her acclaimed one-woman show back to Feinstein’s at the Regency from May 9-20. Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie will perform OPPOSITE YOU at Fe