BWW CD Review: Dan and Laura Curtis's 'Overture' Showcases Talent of Broadway and West End

On October 24, Dan and Laura Curtis will release their second studio album called, "Overture." The composers and musicians known for their album, "Love on 42nd Street," have returned with twenty four beautiful new songs performed by the stars of Broadway and the West End.

Laura Curtis said, "The name Overture represents both the dramatical context of the album, which is a sweeping journey through a number of common experiences we share in life, but the title also represents the style and structure of the album, we wanted this to feel like a soundtrack for a show."

The album certainly does feel like a cast album for a show, with beautiful ballads interspaced with more upbeat happy numbers. The songs cover topics from love to loss to hope for the future. The blend of Broadway and West End stars also gives the album a unique feel with many recognizable names. I also love the mix of more established actors like Earl Carpenter with younger names like Adam Kaplan.

There are certainly songs that stand out, though it would be hard to name one that wasn't wonderful. The orchestrations of the songs themselves are beautiful. "Grimaldi's Solo" sung by Bryce Pinkham stands out for his beautiful accompaniment on violin by Florian Rago.

One of my personal favorites is "Three Quarter Time," sung by Samantha Hill. I was so happy to see her on the album because I adored her as Cosette on Broadway. She brings the same charm that she brought to that role to her song, a love tune that I could easily imagine within a show. It has a beautiful melody that reminds me of more traditional "Golden Era" Broadway songs.

Another favorite of mine is "Amelia's Song," sung by Courtney Reed who is currently portraying Jasmine in Aladdin on Broadway. Reed's voice is perfectly suited to this lovely song about following dreams. It has an almost Alan Menken Disney feel to it, in the best of ways.

Another Aladdin star, James Monroe Iglehart sings the bouncy "Crazy King of Love." The song definitely has some jazz-y elements and showcases what Iglehart does best.

Will Swenson, who played Javert in the original cast of the most recent Les Miserables revival on Broadway, sings a song called "Stand." Though I saw Swenson in Les Mis, I've never heard him sing anything like this lovely song that's almost reminiscent of a (good) country ballad. It seems so perfectly suited to his voice and the song itself is very inspiring.

"When the Curtain Falls," sung by Natalie Weiss, reminds me of something that you might hear on SMASH. In it, an actress questions the fate of her career and if anyone will remember her. While brilliantly sung, what truly sets the song apart is its unique subject matter. Weiss certainly pulls all of the possible emotion out of it and I found myself wanting to know what would happen to the character singing it.

Jason Forbach, Hannah Elless, Kara Lily Hayworth, and Adam Kaplan sing "Show Me Your Dream" together, one of the few non-solos on the album. Their voices blend beautifully in this sweet song which manages to showcase each of the performers, before a chorus of children joining in with them. It's definitely one that I'll be listening to more.

What sets the album apart in my opinion is how it uses a blend of types of music while still creating a cohesive sound. The tunes truly feel like they have come from shows and with many of them, I wanted to know the rest of the story! I highly recommend this album which showcases its performers' best abilities and is simply lovely to listen to. It will be available for purchase October 24.

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