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Tidal (US)
October 8, 2015



Tori Amos: 5 Albums That Changed My Life

by Tori Amos & Samuel Adamson

The Light Princess is the hit musical based on the Scottish fairytale by George MacDonald. Premiered in 2013 by the Royal National Theatre in London, the critically-acclaimed production was written by Samuel Adamson and directed by Tony Award-winner Marianne Elliott, with original music and lyrics by none other than treasured singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Fusing Adamson's marvelous story adaptation with Amos' distinctive and powerful songwriting, The Light Princess is a triumphant musical fairytale about grief, rebellion and love that has been embraced by audiences and critics alike. The original cast featured a stellar list of players, orbiting around fresh-faced leading lady Rosalie Craig, whose electric performance led The New York Times to declare, "a star is born." Following much demand, the original cast recording of The Light Princess is finally being released tomorrow, October 9. In addition to the full cast recording, the new album features several never-before-heard versions sung by Amos herself. For this special edition of 5 Albums That Changed My Life, Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson picked five of their favorite musical cast recordings.



Jesus Christ Superstar
Original London Concept Recording

Both the originality and daring of this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical shine out in the concept album and that's why we've chosen it over other recordings. It feels of its time, but still fresh, youthful and energetic. All the pop and rock elements of the score dominate in the killer electric guitar lines and full-throttle performances of Murray Head as Judas and Ian Gillan as Jesus.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Original Broadway Cast Recording

Angela Lansbury's Mrs Lovett is charming, terrifying and hysterically funny all at once. Anyone studying musicals should look at the first twenty minutes of Act II – musical theatre storytelling at its finest. Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations of Stephen Sondheim's epic score are sumptuous.

Caroline, or Change
Original Broadway Cast Recording

This is a magnificent, intricate through-sung score by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner. The songs and sequences hardly ever do what you expect them to, but always what the story demands. Tonya Pinkins is outstanding as Caroline, especially when all her anger and frustration at the injustices she has endured are unleashed in the aria "Lot's Wife".

In the Heights
Original Broadway Cast Recording

An invigorating musical about making your way and the importance of family and community. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Usnavi is such a brilliant character -- lovable, energetic and sentimental, a dreamer unafraid to wear his massive heart on his sleeve. It's a proper star performance. Great score.

Merrily We Roll Along
Original Broadway Cast Recording

This show has been rewritten and recorded several times since its premiere but the OCR, recorded the day after the show closed on Broadway, is the best. All the pain and joy of the young company's experience in the bloody bear-pit of theatre can be heard. They put everything in to it, and "Our Time", an anthem of hope and possibility, rips you wide open.

[source]

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