CD Review: Songs from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

“Now there's lots o' things you gotta know”

A sneaky thing this. What might ostensibly look like a cast recording for the Open Air Theatre’s production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is actually a record “inspired” by said production, featuring vocals from three of its stars – Alex Gaumond, Sam O’Rourke and Laura Pitt-Pulford. What’s more, and what I find hardest to take, is the music and company backing vocals were actually recorded back in 1995! The lead vocals were done in May of this year, so well before the production had started, and with that knowledge it is hard not to feel a little cheated.

For once you know this Frankenstein nature, it’s hard to forget it. As the vocals work beautifully with the The National Symphony Orchestra’s playing, and rise up with the company of supporting vocalists, the fact remains that there is 20 years between them. Not that you’d notice, the stitching together has been done seamlessly and the CD as a whole really does sound good. And the songs are such classics that it is easy to get swept off your feet to ‘Bless Your Beautiful Hide’, ‘Wonderful, Wonderful Day’ and ‘We Gotta Make It Through The Winter’ amongst many many others.

Maybe I’m overthinking it, I mean if you didn’t know any of this then you wouldn’t ever find out without reading the liner notes. But inspired by a production that hadn’t even started, or begun rehearsals one would imagine? It smacks of cashing in just a little too cynically.

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