ON DISC

Some folks love show music. Some not. And some folks love Broadway voices, while others (like Simon Cowell) witheringly use the term when critiquing young "idol-wannabes." Of course, there are many diffent kinds of singers--Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo, James Taylor, Billy Joel, just to name a few. Who's to say one is a better singer than the other, given such a wide array of skills and vocal qualities? Crossover from one type of music to another is often tricky--obviously, not all voices have the ability to shift, and not all artistic temperments have the ability to excel in all styles. So while devoted Broadway fans have long admired the gifts of Brian Stokes Mitchell, whose rich, smokey baritone has moved audiences in such musicals as Ragtime, Kiss Me, Kate (Tony award), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Man of La Mancha and the recent TV concert version of South Pacific (opposite a perfectly-cast Reba McIntire), he is hardly a household name. (Sure, he was a regular in his youth on TV's Trapper John, M.D.,and played Frasier's snooty neighbor, Cal, but that's hardly going to get you recognized in Gary, Indiana.) Basically, he's been one of Broadway's hidden treasures, an authentic example of a great leading man. Still, it was quite a pleasant and startling surprise to find that his first solo album, self-titled Brian Stokes Mitchell, displays an amazing versatility: a voice that can go light, lyrical, big or bluesy. It's not some big voice trying to "get down," but rather, an authentic, connected sound with amazing assurance in any genre. The song list is not far off the Broadway path--most numbers are indeed of Broadway pedigree. But while Mitchell could easily have done them "straight" (as he is one of the best classic baritones around), the arrangements are mostly a mix of jazz and r&b, thoroughly fresh takes on old favorites. It is the amazing suppleness of Mitchell's work, beautifully shaded and phrased, that constantly takes one's breath away. Old standards yield brand new discoveries: one very clever hybrid features a mix of the Duke Ellington classic, "Take the 'A' Train," with Sondheim's "Another Hundred People" from Company, while West Side Story's "Something's Coming" (a song many a theater afficionado can sing in their sleep)becomes an actual and exciting promise--something really is likely to happen, maybe tonight! And the sensuous "Lazy Afternoon," from The Golden Apple, long a staple of the female repertoire (see Kaye Ballard and Barbra Streisand, for starters) becomes a hot, sinewy song of longing and seduction--and indisputably male. Mitchell has it all--the looks, the intelligence, the control and, apparently, an instrument that knows no bounds. The disc, which kicks off Playbill Records, is a treasure, but you don't have to love show music to appreciate it. You merely need to love good music, expertly sung. (Available at Playbill Online and at local record stores.)