Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "Now listen, both a yiz" - William Bolcom - A View from the Bridge (Opera)
Short transitionary bit of recicative.

2. "Home" - Alan Menken and Time Rice - Beauty and the Beast (Original Broadway Cast)
One of the new songs written for the stage production, sung directly after the Beast strikes the deal with Belle and leaves her in her room. A very pretty, belty-Broadway ballad, actually.

3. "One Tree Hill" - U2 - The Joshua Tree
One of those forgotten cuts that makes you smile whenever you hear it. I love the distorted, rough sounds that the band started playing with on Achtung Baby, but the crisp, clean sound here is just great.

4. "I'm Old Fashioned" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
A gently, but easily and slightly cockily swinging rendition.

5. "Loompa Land" - Danny Elfman - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Elfman indulging some of his old Oingo Boingo muscles.

6. "In the Southern Clime" - William Bolcom - Songs of Innocence and Experience
This choral piece from Bolcom's eclectic work has some of the bouncy feel of some of Britten's stuff.

7. "Avenue Q Theme" - Marx and Lopez - Avenue Q (Original Broadway Cast)
The Sesame Street pastiche is SO well done. These guys are writing a musical episode for Scrubs this year - I can't wait.

8. "Something's Coming/Tonight" - Stephen Sondheim (sung by Malcolm Gets and Barbara Cook) - Mostly Sondheim
As great as Cook is, I have to admit to not liking some of these piano-drum-bass cabaret-style arrangements.

9. "Raunchy" - Schmidt & Jones - 110 in the Shade (1999 Studio Cast)
Mousy Lizzie threatens some pretty tame "raunchy actions" ("Sippin' Dr. Pepper mixed with booze/burning like a fuse/shaking' my caboose.")

10. "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings the Cole Porter Songbook
A practically perfect take on the classic tune, languid, sparkling, and teased with jus tthe right amount of sex.

Until Whenever