STAGE DOOR JOHNNY slyly reinvents a dozen Broadway standards, finding a James Taylor charm in "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" and a smooth Latin beat in "Real Live Girl" (on which he channels Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto). "Secret Love," the sole track from a film score, sizzles with a jazz and funk-inspired arrange-ment, while "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" - accompanied by a lush string orchestra - is enhanced by crystalline country harmony. John has taken his fluency in every musical vernacular, and 30+ years waiting in the Broadway wings, and forged something special. Look for a September 30th release!

Our new three-CD set of THE GRAPES OF WRATH, recorded live during the opera's world premiere performances, was produced by Grammy Award-winner Steven Epstein. The recording – complete with 96-page booklet that includes essay, synopsis, bios, full libretto and production photographs – will go on sale here at PS Classics, in stores and at online retailers on August 26, and will be available for digital download on November 4.

Also on August 26, excerpts from the opera will be presented by Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark, Elizabeth Futral, Jesse Blumberg, Kelly Markgraf, Stephen Powell, Robert Orth and Mary Phillips, in a performance and signing at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble beginning at 5:30 PM. Korie and Gordon will host the event, which will feature Timothy Long and Gordon on piano.

The Songwriter Series albums – drawn primarily from private “demo” recordings – have included such songwriters as Hugh Martin, Charles Strouse and Jonathan Larson performing their own work. The series is produced in conjunction with the Library of Congress, under the supervision of producer Steve Nelson; Howard Sings Ashman is being prepared with the assistance and cooperation of Ashman's sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie, and his life-partner, Bill Lauch. Expect selections from Ashman’s most famous scores (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin), his lesser-known shows (including God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and Smile), as well as several unknown songs from unproduced works.

First, acclaimed poet and author Nikki Giovanni will fly up from her home in Virginia to join vocalist Capathia Jenkins and songwriter Louis Rosen for two appearances celebrating the release of their acclaimed new CD, ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI SONGS. On Tuesday, July 8th, at 7 PM, the trio will make a special appearance at the Community Bookstore in Brooklyn, located at 143 7th Avenue, between Carroll & Garfield in Park Slope. Call (718) 783-3075 for more information. Then, on Wednesday, July 9th at 6 PM, they will come to Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center at 1972 Broadway at 66th Street. Both events will feature a reading by Giovanni, plus a performance by Jenkins and Rosen of selections from the new disc, followed by a signing.

Then, on Thursday, July 17th, at 5:30 PM, the full cast and band from ADDING MACHINE will perform 30 minutes from the show at the same Barnes & Noble (Lincoln Square Triangle, Broadway & 66th Street), followed by a CD signing, in a special program hosted by Austin Pendleton. As Mrs. Zero would say, “Don’t miss it!”

Together, they weave a spell, pure and simple. ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH combines Capathia’s sultry voice with Louis’s inspired melodies and arrangements, in a thirteen-song cycle set to the words of Nikki Giovanni, the Grammy-nominated poet recently chosen as one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Living Legends.” If you want to experience the magic, we have soundclips up at our website, for your listening pleasure; if you want the thrill of hearing them live, they’ll be appearing at Joe’s Pub for four performances this month, beginning Monday, May 12th, at 7 PM. (The other performances are May 18, 19 and 26, all at 7 PM.) And if you like what you hear, and want to purchase a CD, ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH is on sale here at our website, and in stores beginning Tuesday.

At Broadway.com, John Simon reviewed XANADU and found "Kerry Butler utterly charming, Cheyenne Jackson both innocent and forceful,” noting, “The new CD has a wink in every measure. You will find yourself amicably winking back." Matthew Murray at Broadway Stars found the album “Invigorating – one of the few current cast recordings that's as great for parties as for solo listening!" In the Bay Area Reporter, Gregg Shapiro hailed, “Fun, funny, and frothy, XANADU is delightful!” And at Talkin’ Broadway, Rob Lester boldly predicted, “This will be the guilty pleasure of the year for show albums.”

Four other reviewers took note of TAKE FLIGHT. At Playbill.com, Steven Suskin raved that “the composer and lyricist of Baby are in fine form,” adding that the “fine and highly listenable CD reveals a strong and enjoyable score with perhaps the finest lyrics [Richard] Maltby has given us.” In the Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff echoed Matthew Murray’s description of XANADU, calling TAKE FLIGHT “invigorating.” At Potomac Stages, Brad Hathaway praised it as “intellectually challenging, emotionally involving, musically fulfilling and lyrically delightful,” while at Edge Magazine, J. Peter Bergman proclaimed, “Take Flight’s original cast recording proves conclusively that this is an innovative, daring and oddly infectious musical.”

Meanwhile, we hadn’t intended to go on sale with Maltby & Shire’s TAKE FLIGHT until after the first, but our plant just called to say product would be here later this week, so if all goes well, we’ll have TAKE FLIGHT on sale exclusively here at PS Classics by week’s end.

And at Playbill.com, Steven Suskin devoted a column to all three “equally enjoyable CDs,” which he tagged as "something of a holiday present to listeners," labeling Victoria’s CD “46 minutes of joy,” Lauren’s performances “pure delight,” and Andréa “superb on all counts.” He was even so kind as to note, “They are running a three-fer special on their website just now, which in my book makes a wise purchase indeed.” Who are we to argue?

This Monday evening, November 5th, two of the ladies whose new CD’s street the very next day will be offering performances: at 7 PM, the dynamic Lauren Kennedy will be at Birdland (www.birdlandjazz.com) to launch her new CD, HERE AND NOW; later that evening, at 9:30 PM, the dazzling Andrea Burns will be at Joe’s Pub (www.joespub.com) to celebrate the release of her debut album, A DEEPER SHADE OF RED.

The following day, we kick off three consecutive days of performances and CD signings at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway. On Tuesday, November 6th, Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark will offer 30 minutes from her new album FIFTEEN SECONDS OF GRACE, then stick around to sign CD’s; the following day, November 7th, Andrea Burns will take the stage, and the day after that, November 8th, Lauren Kennedy will be headlining. Performances begin each day at 5:30 PM.

One week later, on November 13th, Jessica Molaskey will devote two performances at Birdland to her latest album, SITTING IN LIMBO. Show times are 8:30 PM & 11:00 PM. The New York Times called SITTING IN LIMBO “a profound pop-jazz album that connects traditional American pop with the present in a way that has never been done before,” and trust us, it's worth seeing Jessica in person if you have the chance! She’ll be backed up by a band that includes husband-guitararist John Pizzarelli.

Ten days later, and further downtown, Luba Mason brings her COLLAGE tour to New York (with The Ed Alstrom Trio) with performances at The Metropolitan Room (www.metropolitanroom.com) at 34 West 22nd St. Performances are November 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th, at 10:00 PM.

And finally, on the evening of November 26th, Victoria Clark will devote two full-length shows at the Kaplan Penthouse to FIFTEEN SECONDS OF GRACE. Ticketing details and show times are still being set; we’ll post more here as we know it!

Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham’s new musical I LOVE YOU BECAUSE caught on like that last year. This year, it’s THIS ORDINARY THURSDAY: The Songs of Georgia Stitt. A stream of glowing reviews have been pouring in since last April; just last Sunday, Steven Suskin gave it a rave at Playbill.com, hailing, “The songs are rich and deep and intelligent, demanding instant repeat listening. Musically, Stitt holds her own with an original voice and a sometimes surprising turn of melody; her lyrics are personal, intricate and rewarding. Among the best of the best is Carolee Carmello's ‘Life Is Not a Camera’ (which is in the same rarefied class with ‘Finishing the Hat’ and ‘My Husband Makes Movies’), Faith Prince's ‘I Get to Show You the Ocean,’ and Susan Egan's ‘This Ordinary Thursday.’ Everybody gives especially good performances, the songs glimmer and shine. THIS ORDINARY THURSDAY contains 12 songs, and leaves you wanting not only more songs but a Georgia Stitt musical as well.”

Meanwhile, the wonderful Luba Mason, whose debut album COLLAGE, was another of our albums to emerge with little fanfare, but to inspire a loyal and vocal following, is currently touring the country with “The Collage Concert,” to great acclaim. We caught up with Luba between engagements in LA and Chicago; you can read the interview, and learn more about her concert and upcoming dates, on Luba’s home page.

Of its star, Simon wrote, “Audra McDonald gives a performance as perfect histrionically as it is vocally. She rides the rollercoaster of Lizzie's budding and dashed hopes, of her shattering despair and shining transformation with the assurance of the consummate artist, with vocal coloring and emotional penetrancy to elicit our tears of compassion and ultimate joy with equally unfussy truthfulness. And she gets exemplary support from Steve Kazee's swaggering yet sensitive Starbuck, Christopher Innvar's slowly simmering File, and the incomparable John Cullum's understatedly heartwarming H.C.

All the others, directed by Lonny Price, make flawless contributions. Backed up by Jonathan Tunick's masterly orchestrations, expertly played under Paul Gemignani's unerring baton, this 110 IN THE SHADE emerges as one of those rare discs that repeated rehearings can only, inexhaustibly, enhance."

Meanwhile, speaking of Playbill.com, they were the first to break the story that we’ve begun recording the first solo album by Tony Award-winning actress and singer Victoria Clark. The first sessions were yesterday, and she was – needless to say – extraordinary. Look for a fall release, and more details as we have them.

And speaking of releases, look for our new recording of 110 IN THE SHADE to begin websales here at PS Classics on Tuesday. The Tony nominations found 110 IN THE SHADE the most honored musical revival of the season; we think our new recording – with its splendid cast and gorgeous orchestrations -- will tell you why!

“The 12-song CD spotlights Georgia Stitt's various talents, meaning not just her music and/or lyrics, but also her work as arranger or conductor on some tracks, and more often than not as pianist. There is talent and attention to detail everywhere, with lots of details to attend to - these aren't simple little ditties. Character songs that paint emotional pictures, most are lyrically and musically dense, some telling stories. The material is intrinsically powerful and dramatic and doesn't need to be oversold, but I can imagine that much here will prove popular in concerts and cabaret acts now that they are out on CD to hear.

“The charming and upbeat 'I Get to Show You the Ocean' was written for baby daughter, Molly, to describe the pleasures of being in the water. This sunny number is brought to life with bounciness and glee by Faith Prince. With the long but very satisfying title song, Susan Egan shows immense warmth and captures an appreciation for life's big and small moments. Veteran arranger Don Sebesky contributes a rich tapestry of sounds for 'Life Is Not a Camera,' and Carolee Carmello is a marvel here, turning in a masterfully moving performance of a wife whose obsession with the art of his work - he's a photographer - comes at a cost. This excellent song so well executed brings the same kind of pathos and anguish felt by characters in musicals such as Nine and Sunday in the Park with George.

"Kelli O'Hara, Sara Ramirez, Lauren Kennedy, Matthew Morrison, Andréa Burns, Jenn Colella, Will Chase, Cheyenne Jackson and Tituss Burgess ... sounds like a fair chunk of recent names on musical theater posters or the discussions on All That Chat. They're all here sounding strong with strong material."

The other two reviews in so far were more brief, but no less enthusiastic. At Midwest Records, Chris Spector raved, “Writing with the stage sensibility but the accessibility of the 70's femme singer/songwriters, Stitt and her pals offer a juicy experience for fans worried about the future of the American songbag and whether it will be in good hands or not. A solid set that offers new vistas of songwriting to last.” And at Next Magazine, David Hurst chimed in, “Georgia Stitt writes songs that are beautifully crafted gems about life, love and the normalcy of everyday things. It’s an auspicious debut.”

Speaking of debuts, one of our best-received debut albums, from 2004, was Luba Mason’s COLLAGE. In Time Out New York, James Gavin raved, "Luba Mason, the sultry ice-blond costar of The Capeman and Jekyll & Hyde, is as alluring on her new CD as she is on Broadway.  Born of Slovak parents, Mason has a tart, muscular voice with a brain behind it, and a lot of bristling Eastern European passion. She brings out the edge in both Tom Waits’s tender apology ‘Take Me Home,’ and in an unsentimental country-rock arrangement of ‘Mr. Bojangles.’ In Mason’s hands, [Ruben] Blades’s Spanish translation of ‘The Look of Love’ sounds even sexier than the original.” Luba has now decided to take COLLAGE on tour, with dates beginning in San Francisco (at The Exit Theatre, at 156 Eddy Street) on June 21-23, at 8 PM. Tickets are available at www.TicketWeb.com, or call (866) 468-3401. We’ll continue to update this site as Luba’s tour unfolds.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to preorder now, we can direct you to CDUniverse.com and to Amazon.com.

In the meantime, Jessica Molaskey’s newest CD, SITTING IN LIMBO, hits stores on May 8th, but it’s now on sale here at PS Classics. Last Friday, in The New York Times, Stephen Holden called it “a profound pop-jazz album that connects traditional American pop with the present in a way that has never been done before.” We also think it’s a pretty extraordinary album. Jessica and her husband, John Pizzarelli, are performing during the month of May at the Café Carlyle in New York; they’ll also be celebrating the CD release with a special performance and signing at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway in Manhattan on May 23rd at 6 PM.

“Director John Doyle's revival of Stephen Sondheim's forever-timely 1970 musical not only strips the staging practically bare, it also does away with the orchestration, putting individual instruments in the hands of the actors instead. Think of it as Broadway unplugged. The blueprint worked for last year's revival of another Sondheim classic, Sweeney Todd, and for its Grammy Award-nominated cast album. Sweeney producer Tommy Krasker returns for COMPANY, with similarly spare yet intense results that question whether Sondheim material ever needs grandiose treatment to soar. Raúl Esparza is a suave, big-voiced Bobby, the single New Yorker looking for inspiration to commit in the lives of his "good and crazy" married friends. When he sinks to the piano and alternately plunks and belts out show closer "Being Alive," possibly the bitterest and sweetest cataloging of monogamy ever penned, the lean formula feels even meatier than the traditional alternative.”

Meanwhile, we’ve begun websales for both our new Broadway cast recording of COMPANY, and the new GrooveLily CD, A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, from the creators of STRIKING 12. COMPANY hits stores on February 20th; as for A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, you’ll have to wait a touch longer to buy it in stores, till April 10th, so why not just get it here?

And speaking of stores, we’re following our memorable instore performance and signing for GREY GARDENS at Barnes & Noble last month with two Barnes & Noble instores this month. On Wednesday, February 21st, at 6 PM, at the Barnes & Noble at 66th & Broadway in Manhattan, Charlotte Rae will be performing selections from her newly re-released SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER, answering questions, and signing CD’s. Two days later, on Friday, the 23rd, at 5:30 PM, the cast of COMPANY will be at the same store to perform and sign.

Meanwhile, the next GrooveLily CD, A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, will go on sale exclusively at our website next Tuesday, February 6th. It’s a melodic treasure-trove – and an absolute original, drawn from songs and suites the smart-pop trio created for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream last year. The album won’t hit stores till April, but come February 6th, you can get it here!

And finally, we’re looking to make our new cast recording of COMPANY available here on February 6th as well. Because it’s a co-production with our colleagues at Nonesuch, the manufacturing and distribution is being handled on their end, so we can’t yet say with certainty when the CD will be arriving in our offices. If it looks like there’ll be a day or two delay, we’ll be sure to post that as soon as we know. The album will hit stores nationwide on February 13th; it’s 18 tracks, and 66 minutes, and we’re extremely proud of it.

Meanwhile, the first reviews in for Charlotte Rae’s SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER have been as enthusiastic as we were when Charlotte brought the project to us. Mark Lowry’s review in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram especially tickled us: “The invaluable PS Classics label, which chronicles American popular song, has reissued this 1955 album (its first time on CD) from the great cabaret singer who later became known as Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life. Consisting of mostly comedic songs, some of which were written specifically for her by the likes of Sheldon Harnick (‘Backer's Audition’) and Marc Blitzstein (‘Modest Maid’), Songs is a must for those who love that performance era that predates the oversinging that weighs down a lot of Broadway vocalists. Highlights such as Cole Porter's ‘When I Was a Little Cuckoo’ and Vernon Duke's ‘The Sea-Gull and the Ea-Gull’ are delightful enough to make Tootie, Natalie and even Jo grin." Just last week, Rob Lester penned this marvelous interview with Charlotte at Talkin’ Broadway; it’s worth a look.

Finally, in the spirit of holiday cheer, two years ago we had the fun of unveiling the new GrooveLily CD, STRIKING 12, in time for the holidays. We’re now readying the next GrooveLily release, and although we’ll miss the holidays by a month, we thought we’d sing its praises here. Entitled A LITTLE MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MUSIC, it consists of original songs and suites from the unique production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in which GrooveLily co-starred last spring at Paper Mill Playhouse and the McCarter Theatre. The CD will get an early web release here at the PS Classics website in February 2007 (to coincide with a GrooveLily concert at the McCarter) and be available in stores the second week of April. Brendan Milburn of GrooveLily described the CD at one point as “some of the most lyrical, lovely, groovy, rhythmically complex and unfettered music we've ever made"; we’ve heard it, and he’s not being immodest – just accurate! It’s a unique, magical treat that we’re proud to be unveiling here at PS Classics.

Meanwhile, in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle, Robert Hurwitt had this to say about I LOVE YOU BECAUSE: "Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman's recent off-Broadway musical is a loose take on Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice,' reconfigured as a tuneful, witty love story for New Yorkers of the post-'Sex and the City' age. It's a promising debut, an NYU graduate thesis project brought to life by a remarkably upbeat, melodious cast. Salzman and Cunningham's wit percolates engagingly through an impressive variety of pop, blues and ballads, including a hilarious patter song on the actuarial tables of love, loss and dating on the rebound and a 'Sesame Street'-style charmer on friends with benefits." I LOVE YOU BECAUSE has proven one of our best-received CD's; if haven't yet picked up a copy, maybe the other glowing notices on our What's New page will convince you.

In addition, we’re proud to announce that STRIKING 12, by the smart-pop trio GrooveLily, opened off-Broadway yesterday, and in today’s New York Times, Charles Isherwood noted, “The most important ingredient for a successful musical, it has long been acknowledged, is a first-rate score, and this one is terrific. The lyrics are alive with wit and humor, and they don’t shy away from surging emotion either. The music is rhythmic pop founded on a rich vein of melody." He found the show “more artfully crafted and engaging than virtually all the standard-mold musicals coming our way these days.” If you haven’t gotten down to the Daryl Roth Theatre yet, there are less than seven weeks left till (as the song goes) “The Last Day of the Year.” And if you still haven’t picked up the CD, our biggest webseller, you can do so here.

At Q Media, Shawn Revelle implored, “Believe in the power of true love again with I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, the wonderfully romantic, new off-Broadway musical. Salzman and Cunningham’s delightful score is both beautifully melodic and lyrically original.” And at Broadway’s Biggest Hits, Chris Curcio gave it an “A,” cheering, “What a refreshing listen I LOVE YOU BECAUSE is. The cast is bright and talented, adding meaning and gusto to the wonderful songs by Joshua Salzman with lyrics by Ryan Cunningham. Look for this talented team to be a major new voice in the contemporary musical theater scene."

“A major new voice in the contemporary musical theatre scene” is what might have been (and no doubt was) said over forty-five years ago about Charles Strouse when his first show, Bye Bye Birdie, landed on Broadway. We’re delighted to announce that the next edition in our ongoing Songwriter Series (co-produced with the Library of Congress) will be CHARLES SINGS STROUSE. Drawn primarily from demo tapes and live appearances, the CD will include several signature tunes (“Put On a Happy Face,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “Tomorrow”) by the Tony Award-winning composer of Birdie, Applause and Annie, but will also include rare selections from such little-known works as Bojangles, Pound in Your Pocket, Hunky-Dory, Lady for a Day and Marty. Charlotte Rae’s SONGS I TAUGHT MY MOTHER, our songwriter tribute IF I SING, and CHARLES SINGS STROUSE will all go on sale here at PS Classics on November 14th.

STRIKING 12 embraces old-fashioned romanticism with a healthy dose of modern-day cynicism. The same could be said for our latest release, I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, which got a rave today from Matthew Murray at Broadway Stars. Calling it “a sparkling comedy, on par with the best Broadway has offered in the last couple of decades,” he cheered, “Now that PS Classics has released the show's wonderful cast recording, more people will hopefully be exposed to this delightful modern romance, which introduced to theatregoers the songwriting gifts of Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham.” Matthew likened the show (in “style, originality, and pure cunning”) to “On the Town, Guys and Dolls, and Wonderful Town, those quintessential musical comedies as much about the passionate love of New York City as about the passionate love between people.” He concluded, “It's hard to imagine I LOVE YOU BECAUSE being better than it is.”

“This 1984 musical paints with sound, re-creating Georges Seurat's painstakingly dotted canvases in pulsing, quivering melodies. It seems fitting, then, that a fresh recording should capture new colors and textures. The album emerged from a London production that moved recently to the West End. Presented on two discs, the recording is more complete than the original Broadway cast album, delivering more dialogue and longer sections of several musical scenes. What truly distinguishes the effort, though, is the depth of emotion each performer reveals in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's meditation on the frustrations, sacrifices and hard-won triumphs of artistic life.

Daniel Evans' baritone buzzes with intensity as Seurat plunges ever deeper into the world of his monumental painting ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte,’ while Jenna Russell's amber-hued soprano conveys the conflicted frustration and admiration of the artist's model and girlfriend. The production uses reduced orchestrations for five players, expanded to eight for the recording. Spare yet precise, these pointillist daubs of piano, strings and woodwinds fill in the aural canvas.”