BWW Album Review: Karen Mason's IT'S ABOUT TIME is Vibrant and Heartfelt

Broadway veteran and twelve-time MAC Award winner, Karen Mason released IT'S ABOUT TIME, earlier this month. The lovely, yet understated, record perfectly captures the vibrancy of Mason's instrument. Despite being recorded in a studio, IT'S ABOUT TIME captures the magic of live cabaret performance and offers it as something listeners can experience anywhere in the world.

Produced by Paul Rolnick, the album makes the listener feel as if they are in one of New York City's intimate cabaret venues listening to her sing just for them. As Mason's voice drifts into your ears, it is easy to close your eyes and find yourself sitting at a table in Birdland. The stress and cacophony of New York City melts away as Mason envelops listeners in a warm, mellow embrace.

The album opens with "It's About Time" (Rolnick / Shelly Markham), a charming new song that honors the marriage equality victory in the United States. The cheerful and sweet love song celebrates romantic love in its truest form, making it a delightful song about love that anyone getting married can enjoy and appreciate. "Once Upon a Dream Come True" (Rolnick), another original song on the album, is a lush ballad that stirs the heart with its lovely melody and heartrending lyrics about the loss of the kind of love you dream about.

The remainder of the album is tried and true classics from the musical cannon. In homage to her recent performance in CHASING RAINBOWS, Mason peppers delightful renditions of songs made famous by Judy Garland across the album. "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" (James Hanley), "The Man That Got Away" (Harold Arlen / Ira Gershwin), and "Over the Rainbow" (Harold Arlen / E.Y. Harburg) are all heartfelt and sure to bring a smile to the face of listeners. Also, Mason offers a decadent rendition of "Finding Wonderland" (Frank Wildhorn / Jack Murphy), performing the song apt sentimentality.

For me, the true treasures on the album are her covers of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (Jule Styne / Stephen Sondheim), "Somewhere / The Impossible Dream" (Leonard Bernstein / Sondheim - Mitch Leigh / Joe Darion), and "A House is Not a Home" (Burt Bacharach / Hal David). On each of these tracks, Mason's instrument is faultless in its control and power. For "Everything's Coming Up Roses" her bright belt conveys the hope, wonderment, and ambition that is inherent in that track. Likewise, on "Somewhere / The Impossible Dream" she also conveys a sense of hope. Her "Somewhere" is restrained, but she displays a true need and urgency to keep fighting for that place where we belong. Her "The Impossible Dream" picks up in that place and builds, showing that the need is there and that her need is fueled by indefatigable passion. Then, with "A House is Not a Home," she sings with a tangible heartbreak that makes her version both resplendent and effective.

For IT'S ABOUT TIME, Mason and Rolnick have put together a study album of standards and favorites that masterfully shows off Mason's gift. Each piece is arranged perfectly for her voice, and she sings each track with undeniable mastery. As a husband and wife duo, they clearly understand each other's strengths and use that knowledge to their advantage.

IT'S ABOUT TIME was released by Zevely Records Inc. on March 3, 2017. It can be purchased from Karen Mason's webstore, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. You can also find Mason duetting with Rolnick on his latest album SHOOT THE MOON, which is available on Amazon and CD Baby.

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