Album Review: No Longer On Standby, Julie Benko & Hubby Jason Yeager Are Singing & Playing Together HAND IN HAND

Heigh Ho, my lovely rainbow readers, Bobby Patrick, your rainbow CABARET reviewer, is back in CD-Land to offer another broken-down breakdown of a new music release. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

Well, my lambs, Julie Benko is certainly having a moment, ain't she? The Broadway triple threat that has been keeping the FUNNY GIRL revival running amidst the much-publicized drama and cast changes has captured hearts with her understudy-becomes-a-star performance as Fanny Brice, as well as her humble, positive-energy posts on her Instagram & TikTok profiles, throughout all of the ballyhoo that has landed her in the public eye. It's a fun and exciting moment for any artist to have, but for Benko the moment just got sweeter, with the release of her first duo album with adorable hubby Jason Yeager.

Now those in the know, know that Jason Yeager, a world-renowned jazz musician and composer, and Julie Benko, his musical theater actress wife, spent their quarantine making music together on their social media pages, and then they made some music in front of some microphones, and the result is HAND IN HAND. Released on Club44 Records, HAND IN HAND is an album that has been, quite literally, created by just these two people, with Yeager and Benko collaborating on the arrangements and playing all of the instruments themselves. The backstory on the creation of the album can be checked out in their YouTube video HERE but, in short, this is the album that Mr. and Mrs. Yeager have made - and it's a fine listening experience that might surprise some people expecting Julie's Broadway belt from her performances of little, unknown titles like I'M THE GREATEST STAR and DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE given out with such forceful power that audiences are gay gasping 8 shows a week.

But there is none of that on HAND IN HAND.

HAND IN HAND starts simply, with only Jason Yeager's fingers on the piano, in such a way that it sounds like you're about to hear a piece of classical music at a recital, and when Julie Benko comes in on the song (ALL I'VE EVER KNOWN from the Hella Hit Hadestown) with liquid-as-honey vocals in a straightforward and unpretentious placement, it occurs that you might be poised to listen to a Joni Mitchell album, circa 1974. Well, that's a surprise, for sure... but it isn't the last surprise of the album. For 50 minutes, in 13 songs, Benko and Yeager play music from varying genres, and always in a way that makes the song something new to the listener. The twosome's reimaginings of standards are fresh and inventive, like complex jazz treatments of IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING, or IF I WERE A BELL that don't just show off Yeager's skill as an arranger but as a virtuosic instrumentalist, as well. Since many standards like these come from musical theater and musical movies, the married couple does have a tendency on the album to lean into scores by such composers as Sondheim & Styne, Randy Newman, and Jason Robert Brown but because both Julie and Jason are artists and storytellers, there is a clear objective to tell these stories in new ways. Take the extraordinary new versions of PEOPLE and ANOTHER LIFE - the former presented with a distinctive bolero vibe, and the latter with an assertive samba feel that allows Benko layer upon layer of acting choices. As for Mr. Newman's GAINESVILLE - the famous Linda Ronstadt version of the song is lush with big vocals and full orchestra but Jason and Julie shook all that off and stripped it all down for one tiny, tender voice, and light fingers on keys, in order to make the intimate presentation as much like a beating heart as possible. The directive to tailor the storytelling to the Benko and Yeager chemistry is admirable and successful.

Especially enjoyable on the album are the tracks with personal connection to the husband and wife, who have an affinity for the city of New Orleans, which shows in both of their Louisiana-themed cuts - a fun LOUISIANA FAIRY TALE and a jaunty DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS? - but what could be more personal than performing and recording songs that are self-penned? Jason Yeager has given Julie Benko the gift of two original compositions that truly resonate for Little Bobby. The first is the song SWEET PEA which was written as a tribute to the great Billy Strayhorn, whose nickname provides the title, and the second is JUST BEGUN which Jason wrote for the couples' wedding day to play the future Mrs. Yeager down the aisle. On an album filled with lovely, individual presentations of musical storytelling, these Jason Yeager/Julie Benko collaborations are the standouts for yours truly.

HAND IN HAND is a sweet way for this musical partnership to round out what has been a whirlwind ride for their household but it is also a significant glimpse into what a show business partnership can look like, at the artistic vocabulary and conversation that a musical couple can originate and maintain while in the service of making art together. It's an impressive outing that came out of the pandemic, a wonderful kick-off for the Julie and Jason brand, and a smart move on the part of Club44 Records, who saw something and said something, making this dream a reality for two artists that will serve the CD listening community well.

Julie Benko & Jason Yeager HAND IN HAND is a 2022 release on the Club44 Records label. It is available on all digital platforms, with physical CDs available on the Club44 webbysite: HERE

Julie Benko has a webbysite: HERE

And

THIS is the Jason Yeager webbysite: HERE

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