BWW CD Review: Telly Leung's I'LL COVER YOU and SONGS FOR YOU Make For A Great Musical Double Feature

After seeing Telly Leung in each of his appearances on the Broadway stage, I sat down to listen to his first CD, "I'll Cover You," which I enjoyed so much that I just dove right in and played his second album, "Songs For You." It turns out that a Telly Leung double album is an incredibly pleasant way to pass a couple of hours with a pot of tea... so the question became: which one should I write about? Neither disc is a new release, but being in quarantine has been a great opportunity to explore the music of the cabaret artists of Manhattan (and an even better chance to remind the world that their music is out there, waiting to be enjoyed). The choice was obvious: tell the world about both CDs, as both are wonderful expressions of an artist who has made it clear that he hears music in a way that is all his own, and he's going to give it to the world in all the originality with which it presents itself to him.

Mr. Leung's freshman outing, I'll Cover You is where he announces himself as an interpreter of song. This isn't a disc of a Broadway actor singing the songs he has sung on stage, as he sang them on stage when he was playing a character. This man is a musical raconteur, a writer telling stories in rhythms that match the typewriter keys in his head, and the clackety-clack of those keys translate to that of a train on railroad tracks, taking the listener on journeys wild and wonderful, all of them made rich by the cavernous forward sound of Leung's unmistakable voice. In simply turning on the CD the listener learns a little of what lies beneath the cool exterior of that sideways smile and puckish, glimmering eyes, starting with the jazz-infused melodic and joyful "Knocks Me Off My Feet," followed by twelve more tracks emboldened by affirmative arrangements perfectly suited to Leung's voice and style. For nearly fifty minutes Telly provides an album of surprises, all of which this writer appreciated and was happy to go along with, though some listeners may not be quite so pliable.

I'll Cover You has a double meaning here because fans of the musical Rent will recognize it as a song title from that play, but the album is also one upon which Telly is singing covers of some of his favorite tunes from throughout his life, ranging from the Broadway music that has made him a household name among theater buffs to the pop music he has enjoyed from other artists. He has a natural gift at sliding between the genres, presenting exciting new points of view on tunes like "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Firework" or classics like "Before the Parade Passes By" (particularly special) and "Children Will Listen." The upbeat, optimistic Jimmy Webb number is full of sunny riffs, and the Jerry Herman anthem stands out in Leung's defiantly exuberant new treatment - the young man is, indeed, fortunate in his arrangers and musicians; they find the right ways to showcase his artistic vision without ever getting in the way. He is lifted up in his performances, not overshadowed, making it a true pleasure to hear him take famous songs to a new place, as he does with his intimate, slow roll on the famed Katy Perry hit and his solo version of the Rent duet.

There are times in the performing arts when an actor playing a role made famous by someone else tries so hard to get out of the shadow of that actor's performance that their choices work against them. This is not the case with the CD I'll Cover You - the impression here is that the song treatments are authentic to what is in Telly Leung's being, heart and mind, and bold choices are not always apt to be accepted. When recording Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," Leung takes the pop hit out of the box and deconstructs it, then recreates it with a dramatic, theatrical vibe reminiscent of West Side Story, complete with original pronouns intact. It's a daring choice that this writer is crazy for but predicts others may need some time to settle into - hopefully naysayers will come around and hear the music in Telly's head, because it's fascinating, like all the tracks on the album, even if what makes them interesting is Leung's choice to leave them alone, as he does with a fairly traditional (and effective) "In My Life." Of course, he follows The Beatles tune up with an impressive "I Believe in You And Me" that relies, solely, on his voice and interpretive skills, as he brings it down with just him and a piano... and a live damn audience. That's style. That's Telly.

If, with "I'll Cover You," Telly Leung announced himself as an interpreter of song, in his follow-up CD "Songs For You," he asserts himself. Listeners thinking that the quality of the freshman outing might be beginner's luck will find themselves pleasantly pleased to learn that Leung has staying power in the recording medium, as evidenced by his inventive approach to the music, melding the pop sound of his youthfulness, the bright and bold vibe of his work as a Broadway performer, and the pelvis-centric balance of his jazz stylings. Perhaps that last part should be further explained. There is a well-known story that, during one of her masterclasses, the legendary Barbara Cook asked a student what the song they were singing was about. Their answer prompted Ms. Cook to reply, "No - it's about sex. EVERY song is about sex." Not having been in the room, this writer can only say that this is an unsubstantiated story... but it's a good one, and it has a valid message. Every song is about sex; and when Telly Leung styles jazz, the center of gravity goes right to the groin - it is all about sex. Listen to his music and you'll find yourself nodding along... and thanking Barbara Cook for pointing it out.

Songs For You is an exciting album. It's like taking a look right inside of the head of an upstart genius and getting a view of the inner workings that make him what he is. Taking on the likes of Oleta Adams and John Denver, Stephen Schwartz and Jerry Herman, Whitney and Michael, Mr. Leung proves that he is musically fearless; and by reinventing their works in what will come to be known as The Leung Style, he declares that he is fierce. How else could he have the temerity to reimagine "New York State of Mind" as a sassy, sexy paean to Manhattan, only speaking for a new generation of New Yorkers with a faster, driven attitude, to say nothing of the insanely effective and audacious mash-up of "I Am What I Am" and "I Have Nothing," that had this writer actually saying "Oh no, he DIDN'T!" Yeah. He did. And it's stunning.

Following Leung down the rabbit hole of genres is like having musical multiple personality disorder, as he and his team give out the drama, with "Dreamscape" pawing at your heart, begging to be let in, and then raise the spirits with a "Make Your Own Kind of Music" that turns the song from a 70s hippie anthem about living free to a 2020 anthem about being true to yourself. And, oh, the divine experience of Telly Leung picking up a forgotten hit by Des'ree and breathing new life into it as an homage to the diva that is Des'ree and the divo that is Telly.

Continuing on the quest to reinvent the famous songs, Telly goes full-force into the John Denver ballad, "Leaving On a Jet Plane," complicating it with all the layers and nuances of an actor of his caliber. Clearly, there are aspects to this story we had never considered, maybe even John Denver had never considered - but if those rooms are places within Telly's emotional experience inside of the song, then they are rooms audiences should want to visit, the same ones present in his stellar "Being Alive." Even in the most famous of Sondheim songs, Leung finds a new point of view, bringing out a body of emotion that explores the conflict, the agony, the yearning of the protagonist in ways yet uncovered by other artists. From start to finish "Songs For You" is a dramatic and intoxicating CD that demands your attention and then makes you happy you came along for the ride, right down to the final notes of "A Song For You," this writer's personal favorite on the album, in which Telly Leung leaves you wanting more by doing it his own, perfect, original way.

I'll Cover You is a 2012 release on the Yellow Sound Label produced by Michael Croiter and co-produced by Gary Adler. Adler is featured on piano along with Mary Ann McSweeney on bass, Michael Croiter on drums, Brian Koonin on guitar, Entcho Todorov on violin and viola, and Clay Ruede on cello.

Songs For You is a 2015 release on the Yellow Sound Label produced by Michael Croiter with arrangements by Gary Adler, Mary Ann McSweeney, Jesse Vargas, and Telly Leung.

Both CDS are now represented by Broadway Records and are available on Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube Music and at the Broadway Records Website HERE

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