Review: RACHEL TUCKER: ON THE ROAD

Rachel Tucker's second solo album certainly opens swingin'. The first track is "Miss Otis Regrets", and while the song isn't one of my favourites there's no denying that Tucker sings it very well.

Next up is another jazz-style number with "The Candy Man" (Sammy Davis Jr rather than Christina Aguilera), and I thought that this was setting the pace for a jazz-infused album.

Strangely not, though. Next up we have "Waving Through A Window" from Dear Evan Hansen. Tucker definitely seems to have fun singing it but, unfortunately, seems to be straining too hard vocally towards the end.

As Tucker is arguably best known for playing Elphaba in Wicked, "No Good Deed" from the show is always a firm favourite. However, the song doesn't stand up too well outside of the context of the musical, and the arrangement of the track is very odd.

The selection of songs just doesn't flow very well. The album feels quite rushed, but also seems to be overproduced on some tracks. What I personally would have preferred was an album recorded live, without the polish. These songs don't sit well together on a CD, but it would perhaps be different if they were performed and recorded in a concert setting with an introduction.

A highlight for musical theatre fans might be the duet with Lee Mead, but for two talented performers they just don't seem to gel. On "You Matter To Me" from Waitress, the pair seem to be just singing over each other and it becomes a bit chaotic.

On The Road will definitely be a fan favourite for those who have attended Rachel Tucker's live shows and will associate the recording with hearing it in person, but listening to it as a CD alone the song placement is too disjointed and it doesn't do her voice justice.

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