From the brilliant, tongue-twisting opener ‘Everybody Says Don't’ to a shatteringly personal take on Somewhere, Ian Shaw's feel for the music of the inimitable Stephen Sondheim melts the heart. Singing with beguiling purity throughout his range, the magnificent No One Is Alone from Into the Woods sees Shaw delivering the penultimate line in a beautiful falsetto.
Written for the 1966 television musical Evening Primrose, Take Me To The World, explores themes of isolation and the need for connection with devastating emotional power. Marry Me A Little, originally written for the original 1970 production of Company but ultimately cut, captures the sentiment of wanting something dearly while being consumed with doubt.
Green’s undulant, iridescent accompaniment here is utterly beguiling. The duo’s unerringly moving take on I Remember captures the gentle ache of a past that grows ever more elusive. Other highlights include gorgeous versions of the showstopping Being Alive (also from Company) plus one of Sondheim’s finest, Good Thing Going from Merrily We Roll Along. The musical rapport between Shaw and Green has been forged over many years of collaboration, and their subtle interplay is one of the album’s many delights. Musically, lyrically, creatively, on every count this is a remarkable album – a standout entry in Shaw's formidable body of work.
www.jazzwise.com/review/ian-shaw-stephensong-ian-shaw-sings-stephen-sondheim
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