Release Date: June 19, 2012
Label: Razor & Tie
Time: 75:24
Music and Lyrics: Michael John LaChiusa
Main Singers: Mary Testa, Andrew Samonsky, D.C Anderson, Julia Murney
1. Act One Opening - 3/5 - The first thing I did was check to make sure I didn't actually put on my Ragtime soundtrack. Really, this song is so derivative of Ragtime's style. It is essentially a quick a summary of the musical. (Which, if you're curious, is about the first person to successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
2. There Is Greatness In Me (Pt. One) - 4/5 - I have never heard of Mary Testa before this musical, but she sounds like she's imitating Pattie LuPone. Her voice, accent, and distinctive vibrato are almost right on. The song is comical; Testa's character tends to get confused and blabber on in a humorous fashion. Everyone is asking her to pay the rent, overdue bills, stuff like that. Pretty good.
3. There Is Greatness In Me (Pt. Two) - 3/5 - The only reason this gets one point lower than its predecessor, it's because it is really the same song without the dialog of the former. Her voice starts to wear thin at the end of the song, but that's understandable, because it's a difficult song.
4. Letter To Jane/The Tiger - 3/5 - This reminds of an odd exchange between Meg Giry an Christine Daae from Phantom of the Opera. It has the same feel as too good friends reminiscing like they do in Phantom. The same tone as well. 'Tis a strange track.
5. Charity - 4/5 - The bums come around to sing a rousing, funny song about how charity is a cop out. The middle section has a really neat acapella section. A humorous song. Testa then reprises "There Is Greatness In Me". Let's hope this is not a pattern.
6. Glorious Devil/The Waters - 4/5 - If I didn't know any better, I'd think Stanley Bahorek was at one point the Emcee from Cabaret. He could definitely pull it off. The song talks about how the first person to go over the Falls died of suffocation (because of their humorously-named dog Oopsie-Daisy). Not a catchy song, but it is quite funny.
7. The Barrel/Cradle or Coffin - 3/5 - The first part of the song is about Testa's character building the barrel to go over the Falls in. It ends on a really strange note and doesn't sound quite right. The second part of song is about her asking herself whether it will work or not. At the end she ends the barrel "The Queen of the Mist", hence the title of the musical.
8. Types Like You - 3/5 - A lilting little number about how Samonksy's character is having doubts about Mary's character's decision to go over the Falls. He thinks that she will die. She doesn't. This number doesn't really stand out in the album. It's your standard "I sing one song, you sing another, then we combine them" song. Just meh.
9. Do The Pan - 4/5 - When you think of a stereotypical Broadway tune, you should think of this piece. It's bouncing and syncopated and just all around good fun. The tune is reminiscent of "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain. It then switches to a scene in a bar with Testa and Samonsky's character where they are arguing about selling merchandise. Really. It's just a typical back and forth. An average part of the song. Then back to the original bouncy part, and all ends well (except for President McKinley, who is assassinated at the end of this song).
10. Floating Cloud - 5/5 - A beautiful duet between Murney and Samonsky. Simply stunning. The harmonies are perfect, the mood, everything is wonderful about it. The only problem is that it's too short, only 2:34. The best piece on the album so far.
11. Laugh at the Tiger - 2/5 - This is fall after the peak. The previous song was wonderful, and this is just not. You can't even hum it. If I heard the word "hater" one more time, I was going to flip. Just bad.
12. On The Other Side - 3/5 - A solo for Samonsky. Pretty average. His voice is thin and stretched at parts and a little odd, but it goes away pretty quickly. Another flat song.
13. Act One Finale - 4/5 - Basically a rehash of "Act One Opening". Very Ragtime-esque. The ending is a little strange. You hear Niagara Falls getting louder and louder while the chorus tries to sing over it. Very odd, indeed.
14. The Quintessential Hero - 3/5 - A generally confusing number. At first, you think the song takes place after the fall off the Falls. But then, some reporter asks "You went over the Falls two years ago, but you never told us the sensation!" It was weird. I assume then there is a flashback, and then it pops back into the present (I think). It's just a mess. The music is okay, but not showstopping.
15. Million Dolla' Momma - 4/5 - A comical little piece with a person imitating Testa's character. This piece has smutty lyrics and it's jarring but fits with the rest of the piece. A catchy little tune. Samonsky's voice is a little strange, but it's mainly for the piece.
16. Expectations - 4/5 - A quaint little solo for Samonsky Nice rhymes. A "safe" song.
17. Bookings (Pt. One) - 4/5 - A song about how Testa's character's story is uninteresting and has been repeated in the same way for a long time now, but she's still trying to make money off of it. The music makes the song interesting and easy to listen to.
18. Break Down The Door - 5/5 - A happy little march. Murney can definitely hit some high notes in this piece with ease. A nice change of pace from the strange syncopations and keys of the previous pieces. Definitely a high point.
19. The Green - 2/5 - Another strange tune by Testa. She seems to be shouting instead of singing. Really weird. The last line "And have a nice day" is really strange and out of place. Perhaps it makes sense when you watch it.
20. Bookings (Pt. Two) - 3/5 - They took out the company and now it's basically Testa, which isn't bad, but it's not good either. It's slower than the first part. You could call it a dark reprise, but only slightly.
21. Postcards - 5/5 - A very interesting piece. It starts with a very dark reprise "There Is Greatness In Me". It then seems as though the cast, talking in typical modern day dialect, will describe all the attempts other people have made to go over the falls. And failed. This piece is a very wonderful piece. Thoroughly entertaining. The ending is a tad depressing. It talks about how Testa's character died a pauper.
22. The Fall/Act Two Finale - 4/5 - The first part talks about how Testa's character has no regrets about the whole thing. It then turns into another reprise of "Act One Finale". All the while, Testa's character is recounting her thoughts when she was going over the Falls. The only reason for it gets a 4 instead of a 5 is that Testa's voice hits some really weird notes throughout the piece, and they just don't seem right. The whole piece ends softly and beautifully.
Conclusion: This album has some high and low points, but most of the songs are pretty good. Although, only about 2 or 3 of the tracks stick out, I would recommend this album to listen to at least once.
3.9/5
