BWW Reviews: COLLABORATIONS - The Songs of Elliot Davis

Collaborations - The Songs of Elliot Davis is the latest offering from SimG Records, who are at the forefront of championing new musical theatre. This album features songs from the Olivier-nominated 'Loserville', 'Out There' and 'Best Friends and Butterflies' and are written by the aforementioNed Davis with assistance from other esteemed writers such as his 'Loserville' partner James Bourne, Anthony Drewe, Adam Bard and Sam Kenyon.

Not only is this album a wonderful showcase of new songs but it is for an extremely worthy cause, the Teenage Cancer Trust. The charity devotes their time to improving the lives of young people living with the disease and ALL of the profits made from this recording will contribute towards the work that the trust currently do. So not only are you getting a limited edition 13-track album featuring some of the best musical theatre stars that the industry can offer; but you will also be helping cancer sufferers by purchasing the album.

The album kicks off with an excellent pop number which is co-written and sung by James Bourne and featured in the recent West End hit 'Loserville'. The show may not have had a massively long run but the feedback from the theatre-going audience was fantastic and this song is a snapshot of that success.

Having reviewed a fair few of SimG records over the past year or so, this is the best one - a bold statement bearing in mind I've enjoyed all of them! There is a clear thread that ties all of the numbers together, thus being Davis' evident style. Bourne features heavily throughout and rightly so judging by the songs he provides. His talent writing lyrics and composition is phenomenal and he will no doubt become a leading contributor to musical theatre in the years to come. He demonstrates his versatility across the three songs and here's hoping that 'Out There' gets a proper outing soon.

Other highlights include 'Still' and 'Lifetime of Love' both performed by Kirsty Hoiles; beautifully delivered. 'How About Love' sung by the North by North West Choir has a very sentimental feel with stunning harmonies and is a fitting contribution to the recording. The famous vocals of Julie Atherton dazzle as always in 'Miss The Future'; a woman in demand who always finds the time to perform new work.

The ultimate highlight for me though has to be '24/7', a song with an almost Eurovision feel but in the greatest possible sense. It is a great feel-good number and is performed impeccably by Caroline Sheen, Scarlett Strallen and Melissa Jacques.

SimG Records has produced yet another wonderful album and Elliot Davis' music is simply superb. I would urge everyone to buy a copy - brilliant tunes for you to enjoy and giving to charity in the same breath.

To post a comment, you must register and login.