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cxbx SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplenden

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010


Starting with a sparkling “Overture,” and the hanky-panky of the harmonica beginning the first vocal track, this cast recording does just about everything just right. The syncopation and sibilance of every single syllable surround us as “This Time of the Year” gets going, and it is rare to hear a chorus this well-mixed and marvelous, whether on a cast album or in the theatre itself. Kate Baldwin is an instant-win with her establishing number, one of the most famous and well-worn songs in all of musical theatre, “How Are Things In Glocca Morra?” Following up that gem is the nearly equally famous and well-known “Look To The Rainbow” and the results are winsome and winning. We are treated to a complete recording of the dance break, as well, and the overall comprehensiveness of this recording is one of many myriad reasons why this album is so momentous and instantly memorable. Cheyenne Jackson, currently on NBC’S 30 ROCK but having established himself as one of the foremost male performers of the 21st century musical theatre, is immediately likeable with the most famous song in a score full of fabulous, famous standards, “Old Devil Moon”. The subtle phrasing and slight homage to a 1940s Broadway delivery were certainly not lost on this attentive listener. The chemistry between Jackson and Baldwin is tangible, even on record, and one hopes to see them pair-up again in the near future, hopefully on a duets album like Jackson’s current collaboration with standards master Michael Feinstein, THE POWER OF TWO. “Something Sort of Grandish” is one of the best examples of Harburg’s wicked and wonderful way with words, and the reprise is equally winning and even more riotously hilarious. In “If This Isn’t Love” Jackson pays homage to the vocal inflections of John Raitt and the results are resplendent, with the chorus members providing expert assistance, both comically and vocally. Even the kiss sound effect is perfect.



“The Diabolical” represents the point at which the central relationship begins to show signs of dissolution and the depravedness and decadence of the rock stars starts to show its effects on their romance. “Little Bit of Love” is conversational, but pulsating and painfully punishing, and ultimately a pretty perfect performance of a dramatic moment that is, pardon the pun, pregnant with the dramatic and emotional themes that have amassed by this point in the drama. The counterpoint and hushed conversation that the song ends with is ravishing. “Fear of Flying”, which is reminiscent of “Odeon” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, is a propulsive patter song with particularly effective sound effects, though subtlety is certainly nowhere present here, whether in Kreeger‘s performance or the album’s production. Nor should it be. “Happiness” is heartbreaking and brings to mind the material meant for the mother character in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, as well as that show’s “Kindness” so memorably recorded by Sherie Rene Scott on the Sh-K-Boom concept album. “When I’m not with him I’m drowning,” perfectly illustrates the female side of this relationship and exhibits Goodman’s deftness with a common phrase meaning so much more in the context of the drama, particularly since the lyrics are so often focused on alcoholism and liquid allusions – and for good reason. “Clean” is my favorite track on the album and the jaunty riff upon which the melody is based is winning – “The rhythm of the alcohol, keeps kickin’,” indeed. Few composers have musicalized the demons of addiction more expertly or evocatively than Goodman both here and in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, which is largely concerned with cocaine addiction. The reprises of “Rooms” and “Steps” are very sad and somber, totally appropriate given the subject matter. “My Choice” could have been insufferably maudlin and sentimental, but due both to the performers and the production it is not, and, in the end, actually brings to mind the best of Sondheim in its style and tender yet tenacious turn-of-phrase. “My choice. Done./ We have a son.” is about as simply elegant as you can get in musical theatre. “Each minor chord, a major test” is another excellent lyric in this equally tear-filled and tender, and tough, song. “A New Song For Scotland” is as patriotic as we are led to expect given the title, and given what has just occurred in the drama leading up to it, is a breath of fresh, clean air. And so is this score, evident, of course, in the “Finale” – and everywhere else.

SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplendent

This week we are taking a listen to the new Off-Broadway rock musical ROOMS: A Rock Romance and the revival cast recording of FINIAN’S RAINBOW. From Scotland to Ireland, and back to Broadway, we, quite joyfully, jaunt…

Sitting In My Room, Nothing Is Missing

Character accents are one of the most treacherous treks actors must traverse, as previously alluded to above in the discussion of ROOMS, and it is to the credit of the cast of FINIAN’S RAINBOW that they pull off the Irish brogue so well, rarely over-doing it as is so commonplace in community theatre productions of the show. “Introduction To Necessity” is another fine example of the expert mixing and mastering of the choral work on this album, and though there is a slight echo here and elsewhere it seems as if that is entirely intentional and meant to bring to mind the classic Godard Lieberson-produced albums of the Golden Age. “Necessity” seems slightly old-fashioned and quaint when compared to blues songs and scatting in the scores of today, but given the time-frame in which the show was written it shows how boundary-pushing Lane was trying to be with this score. Lane, by way of this wonderful revival cast, ends the act on a rollicking and raucous note with “That Great ‘Come-and-Get-It’ Day”. But these marvelous moments are merely half the hues of this remarkable RAINBOW.

Time-Life also provide us with a fun, if frivolous, bonus track called “Click”, and it is quite clear why it was cut, but it is, indeed, just a little bit more of a very good thing. The recording is also so successful in large part due to the sterling work done by producer Rob Sher, whose contributions cannot be overestimated. Speaking of good, Goodman had the misfortune of premiering (and, at that point, performing in) BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY around the same time as Jonathan Larson’s RENT and was subsequently overshadowed by that work and its author. Similarly, ROOMS ended up off-Broadway in the same season as NEXT TO NORMAL. With the immeasurable loss of Larson, Goodman proves with BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY and, now, ROOMS, that he is the current master of the rock musical. Then again, I am one of those who feel BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is just as good as RENT, and now if forced to compare would prefer ROOMS to NEXT TO NORMAL – BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is certainly more inventive and more innovative in its style, structure and the substance of the characters than RENT, while comparisons between ROOMS and NEXT TO NORMAL are less useful. ROOMS rocks and Goodman is the rock n roll king of musical theatre – on Broadway or off as he proves with this score that certainly had me, to use a discarded phrase from NEXT TO NORMAL, feeling electric.

Paul Scott Goodman, along with bookwriter Miriam Gordon, has created another rock score worthy of respect and reverence with his work for the semi-autobiographical ROOMS: A Rock Romance, this coming more than ten years after his last effort, the arresting and alarmingly inventive BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY which was based on the classic 80s second-person stream-of-conciousness novel by Jay McInerney. While ROOMS lacks the dramatic weight and engaging, esoteric storytelling style of BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, it makes up for it in the enthusiasm and energy exhibited by the excellent leads, Leslie Kritzer and Doug Kreeger. The Scottish brogue explicitly evocative of the composer/lyricist himself (and his then girlfriend, upon whom the Kritzer role is based) is brought off with adept aplomb by the leads. Kreeger and Kritzer are both positively wonderful. Track-by-track, and hit-by-hit, the score traverses musical styles as varied and various as one would come to expect from Goodman, who always keeps one foot firmly planted in world of rock. Where the other foot may fall is anyone’s guess.

The album begins with two themes that are reprised repeatedly, each time with more layers of lust, love and lyricism, both on the part of the characters and the actual composer himself. “Rooms” and “Steps” are arresting recurring themes that bring to mind the elusive elegance and eeriness of “Coma Baby” from BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, starting off the memory play in a memorable manner. As the reprises pile on, one is immediately struck by the subtle strength of Goodman in making the seemingly innocuous, such as a simple set of stairs, so interesting and involving. “Bring the Future Faster” rocks hard and Kritzer navigates the high-belting with assuredness and the result is really quite riveting. “Friday Night Dress”, with its Biblical allusions, showcases the strength of the simultaneous storytelling in an entertaining and inventive fashion. By its title alone, “Scottish Jewish Princess” purports to be funnier than it turns out to actually be, but the beginning Bossa Nova beat, which creeps into a few numbers, compounded by the intricate vocal line and patter song sibilance ultimately proves successful. The rhyme of “Uncle Georgy” and “orgy” is certainly an unexpected and funny rhyme and, in the end, the song serves a similar function to “I Hate The French” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY. “I Love You For All Time” at first brings to mind Sting & The Police and given the 80s time-setting of the piece, it is totally appropriate to the period. As the song builds, we become increasingly floored by the fierce and furious electricity ignited by Kritzer and Kreeger’s performances. It is at this point that I came to the conclusion that even if the material were weaker, the leads would raise it up a few levels through sheer will. “Let’s Go To London” contains some high-belting on the order of “A New Argentina” from EVITA and Kritzer’s favorable comparisons to Patti LuPone, having played LuPone herself in a tribute show off-Broadway a few seasons ago, are justly justified. “All I Want Is Everything” is Goodman’s expert musical evocation of everything 80s, and it is, in the words of Wayne & Garth from WAYNE’S WORLD, excellent, totally. “Let’s Leave London” left me a little bit cold and, given that it is the turning point of the story, one wishes for a bit more from the lyrics than “two punks in love”, but every song can’t be a knock-out, I suppose. “NYC Forever!” contains the weakest lyrics of all and it is at this point that the ground upon which this score stands starts getting shaky, but it soon gets back on track with the next half of the show. That being said, the theme for “Pour more booze” in “NYC Forever!” hasn’t left my head since I first heard the album, so, if nothing else, this track is catchy, though some re-writes are in definitely in order.

The “Entr’Acte”, much like the “Overture” before it, beginning with that spine-tingling and classic “Old Devil Moon” cue, makes excellent use of the full-bodied orchestra, the mere presence of the thirty plus musicians an anomaly due to the crippling economics on Broadway today which, more often than not, renders the classic scores of yore anemic and antiseptic sounding in the cripplingly reduced orchestrations that plague far too many productions these days. It is rare to hear so much care and attention paid to every single second of a cast recording and the work by Tommy Krasker and company at PS Classics cannot be applauded enough. “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” starts Act Two off endearingly, and the delicate orchestrations of the dance sections are carried off with utmost care and precision, making it a truly multi-layered and mellifluous moment for both the superb cast and sumptuous orchestra. “Dance of the Golden Crock” is notable if only for the enticing harmonica playing and audible hoofing comically included on the track. On a less comprehensive and considered recording, dance tracks like this would undoubtedly be left by the wayside. “The Begat”, the second act answer to “Necessity”, is a fun, if innocuous, blues number, though the second act does seem to contain a bit of filler – but, in comparison to the irreproachable first act song stack, that was bound to be the case. The reprises of both “Old Devil Moon” and “Look To The Rainbow” are appropriate and accentuated with slight nuances by Jackson and Baldwin not evident in the full versions of the songs that came previously. Again, they are positively perfect in these roles, both separately and together, and more of their performances are always a welcome addition on this recording. “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” is the last of the big, famous standards in this score and it is performed well by Broadway regular Christopher Fitzgerald. The “Finale Ultimo” is the perfect ending to a perfect recording of a nearly perfect score, and leaves the listener wanting to go right back to the base of the rainbow and replay the album again and again. The attention to detail – of each shade and hue of every single, solitary color, both dramatic and musical – is what makes this RAINBOW an absolute winner. A true pot o’ gold.

SCORE: 7.5/10

SCORE: 8/10

Things Are Great In Glocca Mora

While the Broadway revival of FINIAN’S RAINBOW may not have had the luck of a four-leaf clover, the masterfully produced and performed cast album is the true gold pot at the end of the titular rainbow. Forget Gene Kelly, Petula Clark, or any of their Broadway counterparts – this is the recording of FINIAN’S for the ages. It is rare that a show that produced quite so many standards as this one – I can count four off-hand – and it is to the credit of Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg that this score shines so brightly more than fifty years following its Broadway premiere. While it may not be the most complex or innovative score of that decade, or even that year, one would be hard pressed to find a more lovely way to spend an hour in Ireland without leaving the comforts of home. Even the album art and production photos, beautifully showcased in the elegant album design, makes my heart flutter a bit. This is classic Broadway at its best.

Posted in Liningblog | 1 Comment »

Alme SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplenden

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010

Character accents are one of the most treacherous treks actors must traverse, as previously alluded to above in the discussion of ROOMS, and it is to the credit of the cast of FINIAN’S RAINBOW that they pull off the Irish brogue so well, rarely over-doing it as is so commonplace in community theatre productions of the show. “Introduction To Necessity” is another fine example of the expert mixing and mastering of the choral work on this album, and though there is a slight echo here and elsewhere it seems as if that is entirely intentional and meant to bring to mind the classic Godard Lieberson-produced albums of the Golden Age. “Necessity” seems slightly old-fashioned and quaint when compared to blues songs and scatting in the scores of today, but given the time-frame in which the show was written it shows how boundary-pushing Lane was trying to be with this score. Lane, by way of this wonderful revival cast, ends the act on a rollicking and raucous note with “That Great ‘Come-and-Get-It’ Day”. But these marvelous moments are merely half the hues of this remarkable RAINBOW.

Time-Life also provide us with a fun, if frivolous, bonus track called “Click”, and it is quite clear why it was cut, but it is, indeed, just a little bit more of a very good thing. The recording is also so successful in large part due to the sterling work done by producer Rob Sher, whose contributions cannot be overestimated. Speaking of good, Goodman had the misfortune of premiering (and, at that point, performing in) BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY around the same time as Jonathan Larson’s RENT and was subsequently overshadowed by that work and its author. Similarly, ROOMS ended up off-Broadway in the same season as NEXT TO NORMAL. With the immeasurable loss of Larson, Goodman proves with BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY and, now, ROOMS, that he is the current master of the rock musical. Then again, I am one of those who feel BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is just as good as RENT, and now if forced to compare would prefer ROOMS to NEXT TO NORMAL – BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is certainly more inventive and more innovative in its style, structure and the substance of the characters than RENT, while comparisons between ROOMS and NEXT TO NORMAL are less useful. ROOMS rocks and Goodman is the rock n roll king of musical theatre – on Broadway or off as he proves with this score that certainly had me, to use a discarded phrase from NEXT TO NORMAL, feeling electric.

The “Entr’Acte”, much like the “Overture” before it, beginning with that spine-tingling and classic “Old Devil Moon” cue, makes excellent use of the full-bodied orchestra, the mere presence of the thirty plus musicians an anomaly due to the crippling economics on Broadway today which, more often than not, renders the classic scores of yore anemic and antiseptic sounding in the cripplingly reduced orchestrations that plague far too many productions these days. It is rare to hear so much care and attention paid to every single second of a cast recording and the work by Tommy Krasker and company at PS Classics cannot be applauded enough. “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” starts Act Two off endearingly, and the delicate orchestrations of the dance sections are carried off with utmost care and precision, making it a truly multi-layered and mellifluous moment for both the superb cast and sumptuous orchestra. “Dance of the Golden Crock” is notable if only for the enticing harmonica playing and audible hoofing comically included on the track. On a less comprehensive and considered recording, dance tracks like this would undoubtedly be left by the wayside. “The Begat”, the second act answer to “Necessity”, is a fun, if innocuous, blues number, though the second act does seem to contain a bit of filler – but, in comparison to the irreproachable first act song stack, that was bound to be the case. The reprises of both “Old Devil Moon” and “Look To The Rainbow” are appropriate and accentuated with slight nuances by Jackson and Baldwin not evident in the full versions of the songs that came previously. Again, they are positively perfect in these roles, both separately and together, and more of their performances are always a welcome addition on this recording. “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” is the last of the big, famous standards in this score and it is performed well by Broadway regular Christopher Fitzgerald. The “Finale Ultimo” is the perfect ending to a perfect recording of a nearly perfect score, and leaves the listener wanting to go right back to the base of the rainbow and replay the album again and again. The attention to detail – of each shade and hue of every single, solitary color, both dramatic and musical – is what makes this RAINBOW an absolute winner. A true pot o’ gold.

SCORE: 7.5/10


Paul Scott Goodman, along with bookwriter Miriam Gordon, has created another rock score worthy of respect and reverence with his work for the semi-autobiographical ROOMS: A Rock Romance, this coming more than ten years after his last effort, the arresting and alarmingly inventive BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY which was based on the classic 80s second-person stream-of-conciousness novel by Jay McInerney. While ROOMS lacks the dramatic weight and engaging, esoteric storytelling style of BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, it makes up for it in the enthusiasm and energy exhibited by the excellent leads, Leslie Kritzer and Doug Kreeger. The Scottish brogue explicitly evocative of the composer/lyricist himself (and his then girlfriend, upon whom the Kritzer role is based) is brought off with adept aplomb by the leads. Kreeger and Kritzer are both positively wonderful. Track-by-track, and hit-by-hit, the score traverses musical styles as varied and various as one would come to expect from Goodman, who always keeps one foot firmly planted in world of rock. Where the other foot may fall is anyone’s guess.

The album begins with two themes that are reprised repeatedly, each time with more layers of lust, love and lyricism, both on the part of the characters and the actual composer himself. “Rooms” and “Steps” are arresting recurring themes that bring to mind the elusive elegance and eeriness of “Coma Baby” from BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, starting off the memory play in a memorable manner. As the reprises pile on, one is immediately struck by the subtle strength of Goodman in making the seemingly innocuous, such as a simple set of stairs, so interesting and involving. “Bring the Future Faster” rocks hard and Kritzer navigates the high-belting with assuredness and the result is really quite riveting. “Friday Night Dress”, with its Biblical allusions, showcases the strength of the simultaneous storytelling in an entertaining and inventive fashion. By its title alone, “Scottish Jewish Princess” purports to be funnier than it turns out to actually be, but the beginning Bossa Nova beat, which creeps into a few numbers, compounded by the intricate vocal line and patter song sibilance ultimately proves successful. The rhyme of “Uncle Georgy” and “orgy” is certainly an unexpected and funny rhyme and, in the end, the song serves a similar function to “I Hate The French” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY. “I Love You For All Time” at first brings to mind Sting & The Police and given the 80s time-setting of the piece, it is totally appropriate to the period. As the song builds, we become increasingly floored by the fierce and furious electricity ignited by Kritzer and Kreeger’s performances. It is at this point that I came to the conclusion that even if the material were weaker, the leads would raise it up a few levels through sheer will. “Let’s Go To London” contains some high-belting on the order of “A New Argentina” from EVITA and Kritzer’s favorable comparisons to Patti LuPone, having played LuPone herself in a tribute show off-Broadway a few seasons ago, are justly justified. “All I Want Is Everything” is Goodman’s expert musical evocation of everything 80s, and it is, in the words of Wayne & Garth from WAYNE’S WORLD, excellent, totally. “Let’s Leave London” left me a little bit cold and, given that it is the turning point of the story, one wishes for a bit more from the lyrics than “two punks in love”, but every song can’t be a knock-out, I suppose. “NYC Forever!” contains the weakest lyrics of all and it is at this point that the ground upon which this score stands starts getting shaky, but it soon gets back on track with the next half of the show. That being said, the theme for “Pour more booze” in “NYC Forever!” hasn’t left my head since I first heard the album, so, if nothing else, this track is catchy, though some re-writes are in definitely in order.

SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplendent

This week we are taking a listen to the new Off-Broadway rock musical ROOMS: A Rock Romance and the revival cast recording of FINIAN’S RAINBOW. From Scotland to Ireland, and back to Broadway, we, quite joyfully, jaunt…

Sitting In My Room, Nothing Is Missing

“The Diabolical” represents the point at which the central relationship begins to show signs of dissolution and the depravedness and decadence of the rock stars starts to show its effects on their romance. “Little Bit of Love” is conversational, but pulsating and painfully punishing, and ultimately a pretty perfect performance of a dramatic moment that is, pardon the pun, pregnant with the dramatic and emotional themes that have amassed by this point in the drama. The counterpoint and hushed conversation that the song ends with is ravishing. “Fear of Flying”, which is reminiscent of “Odeon” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, is a propulsive patter song with particularly effective sound effects, though subtlety is certainly nowhere present here, whether in Kreeger‘s performance or the album’s production. Nor should it be. “Happiness” is heartbreaking and brings to mind the material meant for the mother character in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, as well as that show’s “Kindness” so memorably recorded by Sherie Rene Scott on the Sh-K-Boom concept album. “When I’m not with him I’m drowning,” perfectly illustrates the female side of this relationship and exhibits Goodman’s deftness with a common phrase meaning so much more in the context of the drama, particularly since the lyrics are so often focused on alcoholism and liquid allusions – and for good reason. “Clean” is my favorite track on the album and the jaunty riff upon which the melody is based is winning – “The rhythm of the alcohol, keeps kickin’,” indeed. Few composers have musicalized the demons of addiction more expertly or evocatively than Goodman both here and in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, which is largely concerned with cocaine addiction. The reprises of “Rooms” and “Steps” are very sad and somber, totally appropriate given the subject matter. “My Choice” could have been insufferably maudlin and sentimental, but due both to the performers and the production it is not, and, in the end, actually brings to mind the best of Sondheim in its style and tender yet tenacious turn-of-phrase. “My choice. Done./ We have a son.” is about as simply elegant as you can get in musical theatre. “Each minor chord, a major test” is another excellent lyric in this equally tear-filled and tender, and tough, song. “A New Song For Scotland” is as patriotic as we are led to expect given the title, and given what has just occurred in the drama leading up to it, is a breath of fresh, clean air. And so is this score, evident, of course, in the “Finale” – and everywhere else.

Starting with a sparkling “Overture,” and the hanky-panky of the harmonica beginning the first vocal track, this cast recording does just about everything just right. The syncopation and sibilance of every single syllable surround us as “This Time of the Year” gets going, and it is rare to hear a chorus this well-mixed and marvelous, whether on a cast album or in the theatre itself. Kate Baldwin is an instant-win with her establishing number, one of the most famous and well-worn songs in all of musical theatre, “How Are Things In Glocca Morra?” Following up that gem is the nearly equally famous and well-known “Look To The Rainbow” and the results are winsome and winning. We are treated to a complete recording of the dance break, as well, and the overall comprehensiveness of this recording is one of many myriad reasons why this album is so momentous and instantly memorable. Cheyenne Jackson, currently on NBC’S 30 ROCK but having established himself as one of the foremost male performers of the 21st century musical theatre, is immediately likeable with the most famous song in a score full of fabulous, famous standards, “Old Devil Moon”. The subtle phrasing and slight homage to a 1940s Broadway delivery were certainly not lost on this attentive listener. The chemistry between Jackson and Baldwin is tangible, even on record, and one hopes to see them pair-up again in the near future, hopefully on a duets album like Jackson’s current collaboration with standards master Michael Feinstein, THE POWER OF TWO. “Something Sort of Grandish” is one of the best examples of Harburg’s wicked and wonderful way with words, and the reprise is equally winning and even more riotously hilarious. In “If This Isn’t Love” Jackson pays homage to the vocal inflections of John Raitt and the results are resplendent, with the chorus members providing expert assistance, both comically and vocally. Even the kiss sound effect is perfect.

SCORE: 8/10

Things Are Great In Glocca Mora

While the Broadway revival of FINIAN’S RAINBOW may not have had the luck of a four-leaf clover, the masterfully produced and performed cast album is the true gold pot at the end of the titular rainbow. Forget Gene Kelly, Petula Clark, or any of their Broadway counterparts – this is the recording of FINIAN’S for the ages. It is rare that a show that produced quite so many standards as this one – I can count four off-hand – and it is to the credit of Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg that this score shines so brightly more than fifty years following its Broadway premiere. While it may not be the most complex or innovative score of that decade, or even that year, one would be hard pressed to find a more lovely way to spend an hour in Ireland without leaving the comforts of home. Even the album art and production photos, beautifully showcased in the elegant album design, makes my heart flutter a bit. This is classic Broadway at its best.



Posted in Liningblog | No Comments »

Euca SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplenden

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010 
SOUND OFF! ROOMS Rocks, RAINBOW is Resplendent

This week we are taking a listen to the new Off-Broadway rock musical ROOMS: A Rock Romance and the revival cast recording of FINIAN’S RAINBOW. From Scotland to Ireland, and back to Broadway, we, quite joyfully, jaunt…

Sitting In My Room, Nothing Is Missing

Time-Life also provide us with a fun, if frivolous, bonus track called “Click”, and it is quite clear why it was cut, but it is, indeed, just a little bit more of a very good thing. The recording is also so successful in large part due to the sterling work done by producer Rob Sher, whose contributions cannot be overestimated. Speaking of good, Goodman had the misfortune of premiering (and, at that point, performing in) BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY around the same time as Jonathan Larson’s RENT and was subsequently overshadowed by that work and its author. Similarly, ROOMS ended up off-Broadway in the same season as NEXT TO NORMAL. With the immeasurable loss of Larson, Goodman proves with BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY and, now, ROOMS, that he is the current master of the rock musical. Then again, I am one of those who feel BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is just as good as RENT, and now if forced to compare would prefer ROOMS to NEXT TO NORMAL – BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY is certainly more inventive and more innovative in its style, structure and the substance of the characters than RENT, while comparisons between ROOMS and NEXT TO NORMAL are less useful. ROOMS rocks and Goodman is the rock n roll king of musical theatre – on Broadway or off as he proves with this score that certainly had me, to use a discarded phrase from NEXT TO NORMAL, feeling electric.


SCORE: 8/10

Things Are Great In Glocca Mora

While the Broadway revival of FINIAN’S RAINBOW may not have had the luck of a four-leaf clover, the masterfully produced and performed cast album is the true gold pot at the end of the titular rainbow. Forget Gene Kelly, Petula Clark, or any of their Broadway counterparts – this is the recording of FINIAN’S for the ages. It is rare that a show that produced quite so many standards as this one – I can count four off-hand – and it is to the credit of Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg that this score shines so brightly more than fifty years following its Broadway premiere. While it may not be the most complex or innovative score of that decade, or even that year, one would be hard pressed to find a more lovely way to spend an hour in Ireland without leaving the comforts of home. Even the album art and production photos, beautifully showcased in the elegant album design, makes my heart flutter a bit. This is classic Broadway at its best.



Character accents are one of the most treacherous treks actors must traverse, as previously alluded to above in the discussion of ROOMS, and it is to the credit of the cast of FINIAN’S RAINBOW that they pull off the Irish brogue so well, rarely over-doing it as is so commonplace in community theatre productions of the show. “Introduction To Necessity” is another fine example of the expert mixing and mastering of the choral work on this album, and though there is a slight echo here and elsewhere it seems as if that is entirely intentional and meant to bring to mind the classic Godard Lieberson-produced albums of the Golden Age. “Necessity” seems slightly old-fashioned and quaint when compared to blues songs and scatting in the scores of today, but given the time-frame in which the show was written it shows how boundary-pushing Lane was trying to be with this score. Lane, by way of this wonderful revival cast, ends the act on a rollicking and raucous note with “That Great ‘Come-and-Get-It’ Day”. But these marvelous moments are merely half the hues of this remarkable RAINBOW.

“The Diabolical” represents the point at which the central relationship begins to show signs of dissolution and the depravedness and decadence of the rock stars starts to show its effects on their romance. “Little Bit of Love” is conversational, but pulsating and painfully punishing, and ultimately a pretty perfect performance of a dramatic moment that is, pardon the pun, pregnant with the dramatic and emotional themes that have amassed by this point in the drama. The counterpoint and hushed conversation that the song ends with is ravishing. “Fear of Flying”, which is reminiscent of “Odeon” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, is a propulsive patter song with particularly effective sound effects, though subtlety is certainly nowhere present here, whether in Kreeger‘s performance or the album’s production. Nor should it be. “Happiness” is heartbreaking and brings to mind the material meant for the mother character in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, as well as that show’s “Kindness” so memorably recorded by Sherie Rene Scott on the Sh-K-Boom concept album. “When I’m not with him I’m drowning,” perfectly illustrates the female side of this relationship and exhibits Goodman’s deftness with a common phrase meaning so much more in the context of the drama, particularly since the lyrics are so often focused on alcoholism and liquid allusions – and for good reason. “Clean” is my favorite track on the album and the jaunty riff upon which the melody is based is winning – “The rhythm of the alcohol, keeps kickin’,” indeed. Few composers have musicalized the demons of addiction more expertly or evocatively than Goodman both here and in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, which is largely concerned with cocaine addiction. The reprises of “Rooms” and “Steps” are very sad and somber, totally appropriate given the subject matter. “My Choice” could have been insufferably maudlin and sentimental, but due both to the performers and the production it is not, and, in the end, actually brings to mind the best of Sondheim in its style and tender yet tenacious turn-of-phrase. “My choice. Done./ We have a son.” is about as simply elegant as you can get in musical theatre. “Each minor chord, a major test” is another excellent lyric in this equally tear-filled and tender, and tough, song. “A New Song For Scotland” is as patriotic as we are led to expect given the title, and given what has just occurred in the drama leading up to it, is a breath of fresh, clean air. And so is this score, evident, of course, in the “Finale” – and everywhere else.

Paul Scott Goodman, along with bookwriter Miriam Gordon, has created another rock score worthy of respect and reverence with his work for the semi-autobiographical ROOMS: A Rock Romance, this coming more than ten years after his last effort, the arresting and alarmingly inventive BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY which was based on the classic 80s second-person stream-of-conciousness novel by Jay McInerney. While ROOMS lacks the dramatic weight and engaging, esoteric storytelling style of BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, it makes up for it in the enthusiasm and energy exhibited by the excellent leads, Leslie Kritzer and Doug Kreeger. The Scottish brogue explicitly evocative of the composer/lyricist himself (and his then girlfriend, upon whom the Kritzer role is based) is brought off with adept aplomb by the leads. Kreeger and Kritzer are both positively wonderful. Track-by-track, and hit-by-hit, the score traverses musical styles as varied and various as one would come to expect from Goodman, who always keeps one foot firmly planted in world of rock. Where the other foot may fall is anyone’s guess.

The album begins with two themes that are reprised repeatedly, each time with more layers of lust, love and lyricism, both on the part of the characters and the actual composer himself. “Rooms” and “Steps” are arresting recurring themes that bring to mind the elusive elegance and eeriness of “Coma Baby” from BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, starting off the memory play in a memorable manner. As the reprises pile on, one is immediately struck by the subtle strength of Goodman in making the seemingly innocuous, such as a simple set of stairs, so interesting and involving. “Bring the Future Faster” rocks hard and Kritzer navigates the high-belting with assuredness and the result is really quite riveting. “Friday Night Dress”, with its Biblical allusions, showcases the strength of the simultaneous storytelling in an entertaining and inventive fashion. By its title alone, “Scottish Jewish Princess” purports to be funnier than it turns out to actually be, but the beginning Bossa Nova beat, which creeps into a few numbers, compounded by the intricate vocal line and patter song sibilance ultimately proves successful. The rhyme of “Uncle Georgy” and “orgy” is certainly an unexpected and funny rhyme and, in the end, the song serves a similar function to “I Hate The French” in BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY. “I Love You For All Time” at first brings to mind Sting & The Police and given the 80s time-setting of the piece, it is totally appropriate to the period. As the song builds, we become increasingly floored by the fierce and furious electricity ignited by Kritzer and Kreeger’s performances. It is at this point that I came to the conclusion that even if the material were weaker, the leads would raise it up a few levels through sheer will. “Let’s Go To London” contains some high-belting on the order of “A New Argentina” from EVITA and Kritzer’s favorable comparisons to Patti LuPone, having played LuPone herself in a tribute show off-Broadway a few seasons ago, are justly justified. “All I Want Is Everything” is Goodman’s expert musical evocation of everything 80s, and it is, in the words of Wayne & Garth from WAYNE’S WORLD, excellent, totally. “Let’s Leave London” left me a little bit cold and, given that it is the turning point of the story, one wishes for a bit more from the lyrics than “two punks in love”, but every song can’t be a knock-out, I suppose. “NYC Forever!” contains the weakest lyrics of all and it is at this point that the ground upon which this score stands starts getting shaky, but it soon gets back on track with the next half of the show. That being said, the theme for “Pour more booze” in “NYC Forever!” hasn’t left my head since I first heard the album, so, if nothing else, this track is catchy, though some re-writes are in definitely in order.

The “Entr’Acte”, much like the “Overture” before it, beginning with that spine-tingling and classic “Old Devil Moon” cue, makes excellent use of the full-bodied orchestra, the mere presence of the thirty plus musicians an anomaly due to the crippling economics on Broadway today which, more often than not, renders the classic scores of yore anemic and antiseptic sounding in the cripplingly reduced orchestrations that plague far too many productions these days. It is rare to hear so much care and attention paid to every single second of a cast recording and the work by Tommy Krasker and company at PS Classics cannot be applauded enough. “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” starts Act Two off endearingly, and the delicate orchestrations of the dance sections are carried off with utmost care and precision, making it a truly multi-layered and mellifluous moment for both the superb cast and sumptuous orchestra. “Dance of the Golden Crock” is notable if only for the enticing harmonica playing and audible hoofing comically included on the track. On a less comprehensive and considered recording, dance tracks like this would undoubtedly be left by the wayside. “The Begat”, the second act answer to “Necessity”, is a fun, if innocuous, blues number, though the second act does seem to contain a bit of filler – but, in comparison to the irreproachable first act song stack, that was bound to be the case. The reprises of both “Old Devil Moon” and “Look To The Rainbow” are appropriate and accentuated with slight nuances by Jackson and Baldwin not evident in the full versions of the songs that came previously. Again, they are positively perfect in these roles, both separately and together, and more of their performances are always a welcome addition on this recording. “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” is the last of the big, famous standards in this score and it is performed well by Broadway regular Christopher Fitzgerald. The “Finale Ultimo” is the perfect ending to a perfect recording of a nearly perfect score, and leaves the listener wanting to go right back to the base of the rainbow and replay the album again and again. The attention to detail – of each shade and hue of every single, solitary color, both dramatic and musical – is what makes this RAINBOW an absolute winner. A true pot o’ gold.

SCORE: 7.5/10

Starting with a sparkling “Overture,” and the hanky-panky of the harmonica beginning the first vocal track, this cast recording does just about everything just right. The syncopation and sibilance of every single syllable surround us as “This Time of the Year” gets going, and it is rare to hear a chorus this well-mixed and marvelous, whether on a cast album or in the theatre itself. Kate Baldwin is an instant-win with her establishing number, one of the most famous and well-worn songs in all of musical theatre, “How Are Things In Glocca Morra?” Following up that gem is the nearly equally famous and well-known “Look To The Rainbow” and the results are winsome and winning. We are treated to a complete recording of the dance break, as well, and the overall comprehensiveness of this recording is one of many myriad reasons why this album is so momentous and instantly memorable. Cheyenne Jackson, currently on NBC’S 30 ROCK but having established himself as one of the foremost male performers of the 21st century musical theatre, is immediately likeable with the most famous song in a score full of fabulous, famous standards, “Old Devil Moon”. The subtle phrasing and slight homage to a 1940s Broadway delivery were certainly not lost on this attentive listener. The chemistry between Jackson and Baldwin is tangible, even on record, and one hopes to see them pair-up again in the near future, hopefully on a duets album like Jackson’s current collaboration with standards master Michael Feinstein, THE POWER OF TWO. “Something Sort of Grandish” is one of the best examples of Harburg’s wicked and wonderful way with words, and the reprise is equally winning and even more riotously hilarious. In “If This Isn’t Love” Jackson pays homage to the vocal inflections of John Raitt and the results are resplendent, with the chorus members providing expert assistance, both comically and vocally. Even the kiss sound effect is perfect.

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7kbe Sony unveils new high-end Reader Daily Editio

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010

We’ll have full hands-on reviews of the Pocket Edition and Touch Edition Readers as soon as they arrive at the office (should be in the next week or two). In the meantime: what do you think? Do these new products and features add up to a Kindle killer? Is $199 still too expensive for an e-book reader? Or are you still waiting for better screens and cheaper titles? Share your thoughts below.

Sony on Tuesday announced its first e-book reader with built-in wireless capability. The new Reader Daily Edition offers an integrated 3G wireless connection, allowing it to access Sony’s online bookstore as well as yet-to-be-announced newspaper and magazine subscriptions. The unit–which boasts a 7-inch touch screen (displayable in portrait or landscape mode)–will sell for $399 when it debuts in December. Wireless service is provided by AT&T with no direct charge to the customer.

Also of note is the launch of version 3.0 of Sony’s eBook Library software, which now offers support for Macs (as well as Windows). The software is used to move purchased files (as well as other supported content, such as a PDF and Epub files) from the computer to the Reader. (While supported, the PC step won’t be required for the Reader Daily Edition, which can access online content directly.)

The following products mentioned are available.

On Sale Now: $268.00 – $299.99

View the latest prices for Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC (black)

On Sale Now: $399.99

View the latest prices for Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-900BC

The Reader Daily Edition joins the already announced Touch Edition PRS-600 ($299) and Pocket Edition PRS-300 ($199), both of which should be available within the next couple of weeks. With the exception of the wireless connection and larger screen, the specs of the Reader Daily Edition are otherwise in line with that of the Touch Edition: it offers an E Ink Vizplex electronic paper screen with 16 shades of gray.

The built-in wireless access of the Daily Edition, meanwhile, brings Sony onto a features parity with the Kindle. But even with the touch screen (which the Kindle doesn’t have), the extra $100 versus the Kindle’s current $299 pricetag might be a hard sell to recession-addled shoppers.

Sony unveils new high-end Reader Daily Edition, expanded library partnership

The Sony Reader Daily Edition is coming in December.

On Sale Now: $174.67 – $199.99

View the latest prices for Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 (silver)

The trio of Sony Reader products reinforces the fact that Sony is not ceding the market to Amazon. Indeed, the company is offering some nice alternatives: a wallet-friendly $200 price point on the entry-level unit and wider file compatibility. Even more enticing to many will be the wealth of free content not available on the Kindle: the Sony Readers can access the hundreds of thousands of public domain Google Books, plus the free library loaners. The library loans are compelling, to be sure, but Epub collections are not comprehensive. On the New York Public Library site, we found notable titles such as Twilight and Freakonomics, but not a lot of other top 10 selections.

John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He’s been writing for CNET since 2002.




Sony used the launch event at the New York Public Library to highlight some notable new features of its e-book platform. Most notable is the expansion of support for library loans to the Sony Readers. If your local library supports electronic lending, members will be able to download the borrowed books and transfer them to the Reader for 21 days (after which the files expire). Sony is partnering with Overdrive.com to make it easier to search for available books at participating libraries.

Sony also highlighted its new “open” Epub format, which the company is moving to from its former proprietary BBeB format. While the Epub books at Sony’s store will still be encoded with DRM, it will allow the Sony Reader to also work with files purchased from BooksOnBoard, NetGalley, Powells.com, and any other retailer that adopts the Adobe-backed standard. (Notably, that does not include Amazon (which has its own proprietary Kindle standard) nor Barnes & Noble (which is working on its own Epub flavor for its forthcoming Plastic Logic reader).

(Credit:Sony)

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6tjm Sony Reader Touch Edition Fills a Niche_141

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010


With the Touch Edition, Sony removes the backlight completely. Instead, it sells a book cover with an integrated book light for $55. Sony also jettisoned the stylish leather cover that came with previous Readers. It’s too bad you now have to pay at least $30 extra for what came standard previously, but Sony at least includes a neoprene slipcase that offers some protection for the fragile glass screen. Amazon.com’s Kindle 2 and Kindle DX come with no case at all.

Two other applications on the home screen also take advantage of touch. With Text Memo, you can store notes such as books you might later want to check out at the library or even grocery lists and contacts. Sony uses a virtual keyboard that appears on screen as needed, instead of the physical iterations seen on Kindle readers. It’s an aesthetic choice that especially helps the black version of the Touch Edition look more elegant. The device is also available in a red or silver finish.

The biggest reason to opt for the Touch Edition is, you guessed it, the touchscreen. Simply swipe a finger across the screen to move forward or back a page. You can set it to recognize a finger swipe left or right, depending on your preference. These aren’t exactly the same gestures you’d use to turn pages of a regular book, but they come close enough. Yet, you must have a firm touch on the middle two-thirds of the screen for the software to detect your gesture.

Sony Reader Touch Edition Fills a Niche

When Sony announced three new digital book readers in August, pundits quickly surmised that the mid-tier model, the Sony Reader Touch Edition, might find few takers. Their concern was that the $299 version might get lost between the lower-priced $199 Reader Pocket Edition, with its obvious appeal to budget-minded readers, and the high-end touch-equipped $399 Reader Daily Edition, which is due later this year and is expected to boast wireless access.

But after testing the Touch Edition over the past few weeks, it’s easy to see why Sony (SNE) opted to include it in the lineup. The touchscreen and other features are a step up for users of the current Sony Reader. And new users who aren’t holding out for a wireless version will no doubt like the intuitive feel. Its features are far easier to master than those of the rival Amazon (AMZN) Kindle family of readers.

Another application, Handwriting, lets you use your finger or a stylus to take notes. Both text and handwriting notes appear under "Notepad" in the desktop software. You can view them but you can’t edit or export unless you highlight them and transfer into a Microsoft (MSFT) Word file.



There’s more to touch than turning pages. You can double-tap a word to look it up in the newly built-in New Oxford American Dictionary and double-tap the corner of a page to create or remove a bookmark. By tapping on an Options button on the lower part of the device, an on-screen menu appears on top that lets you choose from a digital highlighter or drawing tool that will store your selections in notes that can later be downloaded to a PC or Mac.

This isn’t Sony’s first touchscreen Reader. But the new Reader Touch Edition is a vast improvement over the previous iteration, the PRS-700, introduced in 2008. The now-discontinued earlier version suffered from the inclusion of a well-intentioned but poorly executed feature. Most e-readers are virtually impossible to read in poor lighting. To address that, Sony included a backlight. But to accommodate the light, Sony had to install another layer on top of the digital e-ink used to render images. Contrast was so poor in normal lighting situations, and glare so strong, that users needed to keep the backlight on all the time. That drained the battery within a couple of days instead of the two weeks without a charge that other readers boasted.

Touchscreen Features

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0lnc Sri Lanka president triumphant after win_92

星期四, 03月 11th, 2010

Sri Lanka’s president says his re-election is a perfect response to those who have criticised his handling of the war against Tamil rebels, even as his defeated rival rejects the result.

“The people of Sri Lanka, democratically and very clearly, have shown that they are now free of threats, free of fear, free of terrorism – and they have shown they support the measures which have freed them.”

The United States said it was withholding judgment on the election, which was followed by a day of high drama with Fonseka spending much of Wednesday holed up in a luxury hotel in central Colombo surrounded by armed troops.

Rajapakse had called the election two years early, riding on his popularity after he and Fonseka eliminated the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland since 1972.

The Sri Lankan government and military have vehemently denied charges of indiscriminate heavy shelling of civilian areas, as well as extra-judicial killings.



Sri Lanka increasingly distanced itself from the West as it came under fire for its human rights record. It has built ties with China and Iran and last year hosted Burma’s reclusive military leader Than Shwe.

“The victory has been taken away from us by election-rigging and the violation of electoral laws,” the 59-year-old former military commander told reporters soon after the results were announced.

The European Union and the United States have led calls for an investigation into possible war crimes arising from the final stages of the fighting, when the UN says around 7,000 civilians were killed.

“I truly hope that all sides will see the wisdom of acting with restraint and responsibility in the interest of the nation. This would bode well for future elections and national harmony,” he said.

The 64-year-old president took a swipe at those “in Sri Lanka and abroad” who had condemned his handling of the final military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels that ended the island’s decades-old civil war in May.

But he also suggested he might have to flee abroad because the government had stripped him of his security, which he said was a deliberate ploy to leave him vulnerable to assassination by militants or government loyalists.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced relief that the presidential polls had been “relatively peaceful” despite some election-day bombings, and urged the opposing forces to abide by the official results.

“The overwhelming mandate given in this election has given the answer to these critics,” he said in a statement.

“Most of our misunderstandings were due to the fighting. It is over now. I am on my second term and we can work together to address any outstanding issues,” he said.

Fonseka said that he and the assorted coalition of opposition parties that backed him would challenge the election verdict, making their next step the filing of a petition at the Supreme Court.

But a question mark remains over Rajapakse’s victory given the stand taken by Fonseka, who said he feared for his life during the hotel standoff before slipping out late Wednesday to head for a safe house in the Sri Lankan capital.

Mahinda Rajapakse swept back into a second term after results from Tuesday’s bitterly fought election gave him 57.9 per cent of the popular vote, trouncing the challenge from his former army chief, Sarath Fonseka, who got 40.1 per cent.

“We’re obviously aware that there have been claims of victory and counterclaims,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters, ruling out further comment for now.

But Rajapakse said: “I want to reach out to the Tamil people even if they did not vote for me this time.

But speaking to reporters on Wednesday night in the glow of his election win, Rajapakse also sought to build some bridges with his Western critics.


“We can sit and talk with them. See what their problems are. We can work together.”

Like Fonseka, Rajapakse is a member of Sri Lanka’s dominant Sinhalese community. As an unabashed nationalist, the president is viewed with deep suspicion by minority Tamils.

Sri Lanka president triumphant after win
January 27, 2010

AFP

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Ncoi Obama admits ‘mistake’ after shock election l

星期一, 03月 8th, 2010

Obama’s aides meanwhile insisted his historic health reform drive was not dead, after Massachusetts voters handed the late Edward Kennedy’s former Senate seat to Republicans, casting deep doubt over the president’s sweeping agenda.

“I think the president has to come down off the mountain a bit and help us sell to the American people these changes we’re trying to make.

In his interview, Obama cautioned that Democrats should not try to “jam” the legislation through in the short period before Republican senator-elect Scott Brown can get to Washington.

Republicans, however, styled their triumph as a clear sign that Americans wanted Obama to put the brakes on his reform drive, and to ditch the effort to remake US health care and begin again.

As he absorbed the stinging blow from voters, which sent shock waves through the Democratic Party in a key election year, Obama admitted that his need to tackle a flurry of crises had weakened his bond with US voters.

“This was in many ways a national referendum principally on the major issue we’re wrestling with here in the Congress,” said Senate Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell.

Obama’s admission was a far cry from the euphoria of his inauguration exactly one year ago, which drew a crowd of several million people, and the nationwide feeling of hope and change sparked by his 2008 election victory.

It followed two stinging Democratic defeats in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia where Obama won big in 2008, and comes as his personal approval ratings dip below 50 percent.

Several leading Democrats, including Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey said it was time for a “breath” to consider options on health care.

“They?re tired of bailouts. They?re tired of the government spending more than ever at a time when most people are spending less. And they don?t want the government taking over health care.”

The shifting congressional mathematics, cast doubt over whether Obama will be able to enact big ticket items like global warming legislation, financial regulatory reform and immigration reform this year.

“It’s not an option simply to walk away from a problem that’s only going to get worse,” he told MSNBC.



New York Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner,fake ugg, meanwhile, said Democrats had no choice but to heed the message delivered by voters in Massachusetts.

The president said that he had assumed that if he concentrated on making good policy decisions, voters would understand them, but instead they had become consumed by a “feeling of remoteness and detachment” from Washington.

“The American people have made it abundantly clear that they?re more interested in shrinking unemployment than expanding government.

McConnell also saw the election as vindication for his party’s strategy of branding Obama as a traditional big-spending liberal who wants to expand the size of government.

“If we’re having a problem in … Massachusetts, we’re going to have problems all over the country,” Weiner said on Fox Business channel.

Obama admits 'mistake' after shock election loss
STEPHEN COLLINSON January 21, 2010

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he had mistakenly neglected his direct connection to the American people, after a stunning Republican election win shifted the balance of power in Washington.

The special election upset in liberal Massachusetts on Tuesday was seen by some observers, and Republicans, as a referendum on Obama’s first year and his embattled effort to pass historic health care reform.

The Massachusetts result made for a dismaying first anniversary of Obama’s first year in office.

“If there’s one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people,” Obama told ABC News.

That task became suddenly much harder when the Republicans snatched away the Democrats 60th Senate seat,ghd usa, allowing them to mount delaying tactics to slow and thwart White House bills.

“That I do think is a mistake of mine,” Obama said, diagnosing a mood of anger and frustration in the United States over the grinding and lingering impact of the worst recession for decades.

David Axelrod, Obama’s top political advisor, said that despite the election shock,uggs on sale, the president believed middle class Americans were hobbled by a crisis in health care, and would not give up the reform fight.


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1ats Obama seeks freeze on discretionary spending_

星期一, 03月 8th, 2010

The official said Obama will make the announcement in his crucial State of the Union address, one that is being seen as a chance to reorient his presidency amid a fierce political storm.



The freeze will cap total discretionary spending in the budget not related to national security, though the money individual government departments will be permitted to spend can go up and down beneath that top line figure.

Obama seeks freeze on discretionary spending
January 26, 2010

US President Barack Obama will Wednesday unveil a plan for a three-year freeze on non-security optional government spending, taking aim at the huge deficit in a bid to save 250 billion US dollars in 10 years,ugg on sale, a senior official said.

“The savings from the three-year freeze will amount to 250 billion US dollars over the next decade, compared to the base line in which the base level of funding is just inflated out over time,ugg boots usa,” the official said.


“We are proposing a hard freeze in non-security discretionary spending in 2011,Cheap North Face Coat, and then continuing that freeze in 2012 and 2013,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

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9apo Obama makes commitment to job creation_88

星期一, 03月 8th, 2010

A Wall Street Journal poll on Wednesday found that 51 per cent of Americans believe Obama has devoted too little attention to the economy, and 44 per cent think he has spent too much time on health care.

Obama turned towards foreign policy only towards the end of an address dominated by economic challenges, warning Iran would face “growing consequences” if it did not halt its nuclear program.

The president also promised to redirect $US30 billion ($A33.56 billion) from a Wall Street bailout fund to help small businesses still reeling from the crisis.

He said that North Korea was growing ever more isolated as a result of its pursuit of nuclear arms.

“They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.”

Obama’s ambitious reform agenda took a huge hit when Republicans seized a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts last week, and the president is under intense pressure to show leadership and to restore his authority.

Given the poisoned political climate in the run-up to mid-term congressional polls in November, and some panic in Obama’s Democratic Party, prospects for Obama’s laundry list of initiatives look uncertain.

“And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed, but the devastation remains,” he said.

Obama vowed that he would not “walk away” from his stalled effort to pass comprehensive health care reform and said his administration’s early actions last year had staved off a repeat of the 1930s Great Depression.

One year into his presidency, Obama’s political brand seems to have lost its lustre, as has the notion that a fresh face with new ideas could steer the US ship of state in a new direction.

Obama also hit out at the corrosive influence of lobbyists on Washington’s poisoned politics, and condemned a Supreme Court decision lifting curbs on corporations openly backing candidates in elections.

“I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, and worse,ugg store uk, by foreign entities.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to make job creation his top priority in 2010, in a bid to restore America’s faith in his change crusade after a first year in office soured by economic misery.

He said he would encourage small businesses to invest in the work force, announcing more stimulus money for job-rich infrastructure projects and tout his clean energy and green economy initiatives.


Obama demanded Congress pass a jobs bill and send it to his desk “without delay,” and warned that if lawmakers did not maintain the strength of his bid to crack down on Wall Street he would veto their bill.

With unemployment at 10 per cent, a government deficit at $US1.4 trillion ($A1.57 trillion), and his aspirations for a transformative administration threatened by Washington partisanship, Obama focused mostly on the middle class.



His promise to seek bipartisan solutions has foundered, partly due to a strategy of total opposition on behalf of Republicans.

In his debut State of the Union address on Wednesday, Obama vowed to battle a host of “big and difficult” challenges which dragged down his administration and demanded unity from Congress to pull the United States out of the mire.

“We face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope what they deserve — is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics,” the president said.

The president sent a signal to Americans worried about government debt being piled up for future generations, by promising a three-year freeze on non-discretionary spending.

Polls show that Obama remains popular among Americans — but confidence in his policies is fading: the president’s approval ratings are at 50 or below in most opinion surveys.

Obama’s speech in the House of Representatives was seen as a chance to restore the hopeful promise of his 2008 election campaign,uggs on sale, which has soured amid economic blight and partisan warfare.

“I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit,” We don’t allow fear or division to break our spirit.”

Obama makes commitment to job creation
January 28, 2010

AFP

Haiti’s ambassador to the United States Raymond Joseph was one of First Lady Michelle Obama’s guests in her box in the House, along with Kimberly Munley,ugg sale, the policewoman who took down Major Nidal Hasan, who is charged with the Fort Hood massacre last November.

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ghtm Obama ‘confident’ of repeat Fed term for Bern

星期一, 03月 8th, 2010

“Chairman Bernanke was in charge when we hit the iceberg,” McCain told CBS program “Face the Nation.”

But analysts have warned that tossing out Bernanke could trigger renewed turmoil in financial markets.

Senator John McCain, Obama’s Republican rival in the 2008 presidential race, said he was “leaning against” supporting Bernanke, claiming that “his policies were partially responsible for the meltdown that we experienced.”



“The president is very confident that the chairman will be confirmed,” said adviser David Axelrod, who praised Bernanke’s handling of the global economic meltdown.

President Barack Obama’s administration has been scrambling to save his beleaguered Fed nominee — first installed by Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush in February 2006 — in the face of opposition from members his own Democratic party.

Ramped up Democratic opposition to a second term for Bernanke underscores a major populist shift in the political landscape since Republicans won a stunning upset last week in the Massachusetts election for a US Senate seat, ending the 60-seat Democratic supermajority in the chamber.


Two senior Senate Democrats, Barbara Boxer and Russell Feingold, announced Friday they would vote against Bernanke after his first term ends on January 31. All told, as many as 10 senators are thought to oppose Bernanke,mbt shoes chapa, criticizing him for being too closely allied with Wall Street.

Time magazine named Bernanke its 2009 “Person of the Year” in December, crediting him with helping guide the United States through financial turmoil.

The White House aide voiced praise of Bernanke’s stewardship of US monetary policy and said he needs another term as the country’s banker to ensure that a nascent economic recovery continues on track.

“Chairman Bernanke offered very strong and steady leadership during this crisis,Discount North Face Shoes, without which we… may have slipped into the abyss. And we are still in a fragile state, although the economy is growing,Mens North Face Down Vest,” Axelrod told CNN’s “State of the Union” television program.

“There is a great deal of concern relative to the financial sector. And understand that we need his leadership,” Axelrod said.

Obama 'confident' of repeat Fed term for Bernanke
January 25, 2010

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will garner enough votes to win US Senate confirmation for a second term despite opposition from key Democrats, President Barack Obama’s top adviser said Sunday.

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