Meredith Braun To Release New Album 'When Love Is Gone'

Stage Door Records has just announced the release of West End performer Meredith Braun's new solo album 'When Love Is Gone' on November 10th, 2017 (available on CD / Download / Streaming).

Five years following the release of Meredith Braun's critically acclaimed debut album 'Someone Else's Story', Meredith returns with her new solo album, 'When Love Is Gone'. The title for the release comes from the Paul Williams song Meredith performed in the iconic film 'The Muppet Christmas Carol', which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Meredith's new 2017 recording of 'When Love Is Gone' marks the first time she has performed the song since recording the original version for the 1992 film soundtrack.

'When Love Is Gone' takes the form of a narrative song cycle, based around both specially selected material and original songs. The material featured ranges from musical theatre to singer-songwriter ballads, brought together by Meredith's own self-penned and elegantly crafted musical arrangements. Written and recorded between November 2016 and July 2017, the album highlights Braun's musicality, not just as a performer but also as a musician and writer as she embraces a wide range of musical styles and genres across the recording. Meredith is accompanied on the cello by her son, 13 year-old Tiger Braun-White, a student at the Royal Academy of Music and holder of both the Leverhulme and ABRSM scholarships. Speaking about the new album, Meredith commented:

"Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought." - Yip Harburg.

"When Love Is Gone" encompasses all the elements of music theatre that I love. 15 years ago I performed a one-woman play with songs at the National Theatre Studio - 'Cordelia'. It was written for me by the award-winning playwright and lyricist Stephen Clark. I have taken this concept of a narrative song cycle into "When Love Is Gone". Primarily, it is the story of an 'Everywoman' who is living through a painful and difficult relationship. The narrative is driven by both the excerpts and the lyric but the music and the arrangements expand and heighten the experience and, I hope, elucidate the issues."

Songs featured include a heart-rending interpretation of Stephen Sondheim's 'With So Little To Be Sure Of', a rare and unique cover of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'There's Me' (from the original production of 'Starlight Express', arr. James McConnel) Barry Manilow's evocatively tragic composition 'Sandra' and the premiere studio recording of Agnetha Fältskog's powerful and passionate solo ABBA song 'I'm Still Alive'. New material is represented by two compositions written by Meredith ('Hold Me' and 'Everything That's Me') and 'The Rules', a hauntingly dramatic original song written especially for the album by musical theatre writers Stephen Keeling and Shaun McKenna.

The release of 'When Love Is Gone' begins a new chapter in Meredith Braun's performing career. As a leading West End performer since 1990, Meredith's illustrious theatre credits include originating such roles as 'Betty Schaeffer' in 'Sunset Boulevard', 'Lily' in the RSC's 'The Secret Garden' and playing both 'Eponine' in 'Les Misérables' and 'Christine' in 'The Phantom of the Opera'.

TRACK LISTING
1. REAL EMOTIONAL GIRL (Randy Newman)
2. THERE'S ME (Andrew Lloyd Webber / Richard Stilgoe) (from 'Starlight Express')
3. THAT'S THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE (Carly Simon / Jacob Brackman)
4. WITH SO LITTLE TO BE SURE OF (Stephen Sondheim) (from 'Anyone Can Whistle')
5. THE RULES (Stephen Keeling / Shaun McKenna)
6. IF LOVE WERE ALL (Noel Coward) (from 'Bitter Sweet')
7. SANDRA (Barry Manilow / Enoch Anderson)
8. HOLD ME (Meredith Braun)
9. TRY TO REMEMBER / NO MORE (Tom Jones / Harvey Schmidt / Stephen Sonhdeim) (from 'The Fantasticks' / 'Into The Woods')
10. WHEN LOVE IS GONE (Paul Williams) (from 'The Muppet Christmas Carol')
11. EVERYTHING THAT'S ME (Meredith Braun)
12. I'M STILL ALIVE (Agnetha Fältskog / Björn Ulvaeus)
13. OLD FRIEND (Nancy Ford / Gretchen Cryer) (from 'I'm Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road')
14. COME THE WILD, WILD WEATHER (Noel Coward) (from 'Waiting In The Wings')

For more information on Meredith visit: http://www.meredithbraun.co.uk.
For more information on 'When Love Is Gone' visit: http://www.stagedoorrecords.com/stage9053.html.

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