CD Review
Georga Osborne - Now Available In Stores
1.
I Think I May Want To Remember / Can't Stop Talking 2.Fly On A Plane3. Sweet Kentucky Ham 4. How High The Moon 5.How Do You Want Me?
6. Here Comes The Ballad 7. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life 8. I've Done Enough Dying Today
9. All My Friends Are Havin' Babies 10. Jenny 11. Move On 12.This Little Light of Mine
Bonus Tracks recorded live at Don't Tell Mama: 13. "Gypsy" Medley
14. "Mrs Miller Saluted Broadway"
Original Cast OC6609 Produced By Christopher McGovern
Listen to all the other tracks and you hear the true Osborne talent unleashed on what must be just about the most eclectic mix of songs put together on a single CD: from opera to country, from jazz to operetta, almost every vocal style heard in the last century is presented with equal aplomb and assuredness. Osborne is one of those ‘crossover’ stars, from opera to cabaret, who, unlike certain others, succeeds in every repertoire because she knows how to complement not conquer the material.
Certain songs allow Georga Osborne to display the full range of her prodigious talent in one sitting: ‘Here Comes the Ballad’ and her ‘Gypsy’ Medley are particularly entertaining examples of the ease with which this fine singer can switch vocally between registers and repertoires. An entire album of such songs would wear thin, of course, which is why we can be grateful for the fact that when Ms Osborne lingers to delight us in ‘How High the Moon’ and ‘Sweet Kentucky Ham’, we can enjoy her rich, lustrous voice and scintillating top notes. In total contrast, yet equally adept, is Osborne’s rendition of Victor Herbert’s ‘Sweet Mystery of Life’, which faithfully reproduces a style of singing which it would be all too easy to parody but which comes alive and remains relevant, as all good songs do, when the interpretation is sincere and (lest we take it for granted) the singer’s technique is up to the challenge.
Osborne oozes good humour. Even the album cover has a mischievous look, and those looking for evidence of the artist’s wonderful sense of fun are far from disappointed. Her excellent diction helps us through the tricky ‘Can’t Stop Talking About Him’, whilst with the superb sense of timing and comic understatement she so abundantly possesses, ‘Fly On a Plane’ is brought to its inevitable and squishy end. It is a bonus to hear Melissa Manchester’s ‘Jenny’ sung so sincerely that it sounds deeply personal. Osborne brings warmth and tenderness to this song, bringing hope out of a sense of loss and regret, before embarking on a truly compelling treatment of Sondheim’s ‘Move On’. This track is a miniature masterpiece, in which Georga Osborne brings to the fore all her amazing talent, achieving moments of sublime vocal power and control.
Georga Osborne has rightly come to the attention of the cabaret world, winning acclaim and awards since her ‘discovery’ in 19.. Whilst this album could never recreate the exuberance and sheer fun of seeing her perform live, it does provide a faithful representation of someone from whom we hope we can look forward to hearing for years to come.