Ghostlight Records recently recorded a new cast album of Cole Porter's 1930 musical The New Yorkers, based on the 2017 production from New York City Center Encores! Inspired by legendary cartoonist, Peter Arno's work for The New Yorker, this upbeat and dazzling soundtrack captures the hustling energy of New York, from the second you press play. The listener then has the opportunity to bask in the hilarity, romance, wit, and admiration used to express affection for a city celebrated by its unique cast of characters.

If we're being honest, we can probably count on one hand the number of viewers who went to see Tom Hooper's ill-advised movie version of Cats for the music. Andrew Lloyd Webber's music has never really been the appeal of Cats; it's always been the visuals and the brand more than anything that allowed it to become an iconic piece of theatre pop culture. As you probably expect, the soundtrack for the movie does very little new, but dutifully recreates the score with a talented all-star cast.

Two-time Tony Award-winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell, recently released his third solo album, PLAYS WITH MUSIC, that features a stunning orchestra, including his own arrangements and orchestrations. With a dynamic voice and elegant sound, Mitchell not only provides an enjoyable listening experience, but tells a vivid story with every song. Listeners will go on an emotional journey through longing, love, insecurity, human shortcomings, and more over the course of the album.

Our album critics have gone through all of the amazing recordings released this year and painstakingly chosen their favorites. From Broadway to West End, big screen to small, we've got a full list to keep you listening to the best of the best!

Tyrell, a new concept album, imagines what three supporting characters were up to during the early days of Game of Thrones. The concept is interesting on its own, but the skillful execution by the writer and performers on the album elevate it to something sure to have appeal outside of Thrones die-hards.

Historically, superhero concepts and musical theater don't tend to mix well. The off-Broadway musical Superhero, with a score by Tom Kitt, fares somewhat better. It's not breaking new ground, but it's a pleasant album with a big heart.

So many of us remember exactly where we were when we first heard Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. I tapped into the excitement experienced by my ten-year-old self gleefully ripping the shrink wrap off and popping the CD into his portable Aiwa CD Player when downloading my review copy of JAGGED LITTLE PILL (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Sadly, I was met by streams of disappointment and infuriating rage listening to it.

If you're looking for a traditional show, Octet isn't it, but if you're looking for a smart, often witty meditation on technology in the modern world, this definitely is it.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who won Oscars for their work on the original Frozen, return with a new batch of songs that are a little more melancholy and a little more mature, but also lack a little bit of the sparkle that set the original apart. Sequels are always hard, and the Frozen 2 soundtrack proves that true.

Prolific theatrical songwriter Micheal Friedman died at age 41 from AIDS related complications in 2017, leaving many bereft as the theater community recognized his vibrant creativity was snuffed out too soon. To preserve his legacy and work, Ghostlight Records is partnering with The Civilians to record nine albums of Friedman's previously unrecorded music for THE MICHAEL FRIEDMAN COLLECTION. This past October, the first trio of albums was released.

Pairing Michael Ball and Alfie Boe together for an album of standards seems so intuitive, it's no wonder this is their third album together. Back Together reunites the two stars for an album and a concert tour, covering everything from mid-century standards to contemporary pop-Broadway hybrids. There's little in the way of surprise on this album, but in some ways, that's perfectly fine a?" Ball and Boe know what works for them (and for us), and they lean into it.

Beau, a new musical by Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar, has a sound that combines country, folk, and funk sounds and a sweetly internal story. It's a refreshing change of pace that's sure to enter your music rotation.

It's pretty much a rite of passage for vocalists to put together a holiday album, and this year, it's Lea Michele's turn, with Christmas in the City. For the most part, it's a perfectly lovely addition to the Christmas genre.

Every now and then, there's a bright new piece of theatre that finds a way to be innovative and fresh while still embracing some of the exquisite structure that's come before. That's definitely one way to describe Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop.

Kristin Chenoweth's latest album, For the Girls, is, just as its name suggests, a celebration of songs by, about, and for women. Chenoweth croons her way through a selection of standards, occasionally with the help of some other incredible female vocalists. It's a lovely album with plenty of top-notch performances; the only flaw is a little bit too much same-ness.

The Long Haul is Tony nominee Norbert Leo Butz's first original album. Butz has always been one of the more unconventional, versatile voices in contemporary musical theatre, and this album gives him a new chance to shine as both a singer and as a songwriter. It's a pleasant, bluegrass and country-tinged set of songs that doesn't break new ground but is a perfectly enjoyable album overall.

The album revamps the 2001 film's famously pop-laden score to incorporate even more greatest hits of the last two decades, and every single track is packed to the brim with excess that Harold Zigler would be proud of. The downside to this approach, unfortunately, is that the story's sweet, sad, beating heart is nearly buried under all the glitz.

Luckily for fans of Waitress, the creative team has released What's Not Inside, a delightful mini-album of songs that were scrapped on the road to Broadway. It's a charming addition to one of the 21st century's surprise smash hits.

Ramin Karimloo's FROM NOW ON is a gorgeous love letter to his a?oebroadgrassa?? music. The album is a collection of 12 songs that are sure to get toes tapping while listeners thrill at hearing Karimloo sing some of the best known hits from the contemporary musical repertoire.

Based loosely on a true story, Half Time tells a classic fish-out-of-water story: a group of senior citizen dancers who audition to be halftime dancers, only to panic when they learn they have to dance hip-hop. The musical, which includes some of the last songs written by theatre legend Marvin Hamlisch, is certainly charming, but it never quite transcends the cheesiness of its material.

If we already know how the story ends, why do we come back again and again? That's the question at the heart of Hadestown, 2019's Tony-winning best musical, whose full Broadway cast recording is out now. With a score by Anais Mitchell that's alternately jazzy, ethereal, and devastating, it makes you believe that music really could change the world.

While The Lion King's updated soundtrack doesn't quite roar to life, it does manage to pull off most of the iconic music and take its place in the story's own circle of life.

TOOTSIE, a stage adaptation of the well-know 1982 Dustin Hoffman vehicle, missed its opportunity to engage in poignant conversations on gender, feminism, and trans identities. Instead, David Yazbek's lyrics and music stay stuck in the bygone era of the early 1980s, leaning heavily on the tired and inherently transphobic a?oeman in a dressa?? gag and a rather generic sounding Broadway score rooted firmly in the most rudimentary basics of musical writing.

With a score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, the cast recording of 'Alice By Heart' is a little uneven in parts but still manages to hit the gut-punch of emotion when it counts.

The cast recording for this revival of Oklahoma is unusual, unexpected, and, occasionally, shocking, giving modern audiences an analogue for how the original shocked audiences in 1943.