BWW Album Review: SHE IS RISEN: VOLUME TWO is a True Superstar

We asked for it, and 2020 delivered! Last month, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the musical, the All Female Cast of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR dropped their highly anticipated second EP. We're happy to report that it's just as captivating and phenomenal as the first. The evocative SHE IS RISEN: VOLUME TWO features the vocal talents of Cynthia Erivo, Shoshana Bean, Morgan James, Debbie Gravitte, Bryonha Marie Parham, Ann Harada, Tamika Lawrence, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Bridget Everett, Eden Espinosa, and Marva Hicks, and features a youth choir from A Broader Way.

The new collection begins with Erivo as Mary, Bean as Judas, and James as Jesus on one of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR's most catchy tracks, "Everything's Alright." Just as they did on the first volume, each of these stellar women infuses the track with tangible emotions. This allows the listener to viscerally experience the highs of Erivo's Mary's love and concern for Jesus, Bean's Judas' distrust of Mary and anger towards Jesus for allowing Mary into their inner circle, and James' Jesus' weariness and emotional exhaustion.

"This Jesus Must Die," which until recently I personally felt couldn't be effective without a deep, rattling bass voice, is perfectly performed. Gravitte's lower register as Caiaphas is delightfully ominous and Marie Parham's sycophantic Annas is supremely entertaining and dangerous. As the chorus of Disciples, Harada, Lawrence, and Marsh's voices blend pristinely to create an ethereal and disembodied counterpoint that adds a powerfully vibrant stress to the texture of this piece.

Alt-cabaret superstar and legend in her own right, Everrett proves that the best stunt casting for King Herod must include a talent that knows how to make megalomania equally appealing and revolting at the same time. With spellbinding charisma, Everett masterfully makes her "King Herod's Song" a true gem. In fact, I'd wager that any diehard fan of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR who has made their own "Dream Cast" compilation of the musical by mixing and matching different performances from different recordings of the score will likely be replacing whatever previous iteration of this piece they have on their playlist with Everett's take going forward.

As one of the most beautiful ballads written for this score, Espinosa and Hicks had large shoes to fill with their version of "Could We Start Again, Please?." Luckily, their quietly stirring take on the song doesn't disappoint in the slightest. It is a tender, sumptuous beauty. The inclusion of a youth choir from A Broader Way only adds to the emotionally effectiveness of the tune.

The album closes with a truly spectacular rendition of "Superstar," performed with gusto by Bean and company. This track is just as impossible to resist as Bean's cover of "Heaven on Their Minds" on SHE IS RISEN: VOLUME ONE. Bean's spirited take on the role of Judas is absolutely remarkable and makes her one of the best Judas' we've had the pleasure of hearing.

SHE IS RISEN: VOLUME TWO is available now on Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, and elsewhere music is sold and streamed. For more information about the project, please visit https://www.she-is-risen.net/. And, if you're like me, you're already hoping that a volume three is forthcoming and will feature Bean performing "Damned For All Time / Blood Money," James and cast on "The Temple," and the cast on "The Last Supper."

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