Do I Hear A Waltz? Track 3

6 Apr

I’m back with more random ramblings about music I like. This is the third of these posts, so please take a peek at the previous posts- here & here– to fully understand my eclectic tastes. Today’s pair of albums is no different- though a bit less rock n roll…

Norbert Leo Butz– Memories & Mayhem

Memories & Mayhem

First up is the debut album from Norbert Leo Butz, “Memories & Mayhem”. Butz is best known for his award winning performances on Broadway in shows like Wicked, Catch Me If You Can, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels among others. I’ve been enjoying him as a part of shows that I love for years. Always gives a great performance- think about Fiyero… can we say YUM? Yes, we can. Anyways… so I recently had to go somewhere at an unusual time for me and caught Butz on a show on my fav Broadway station discussing this album that was recorded live at 54 Below, he even sang a song off of it. And it was that last that caught my attention and I picked up the album.

The first thing I love about this album is that though he is best known for Broadway musicals- there are no songs from musicals on the album. Tracks from Van Morrison, The Civil Wars, Alicia Keys, and Tom Waits dominate the recording, peppered with simple commentary. Butz has a tenor vocal range, but much of what is presented here utilizes that range with a dirty scruff growl attached. Pretty damn sexy. (Yes, I am apparently biased to the dirty sexy growl stylings of male vocalists. Bite me.)

The album itself is a collection of pieces that invoke memories- for Butz they included lost loved ones, past lovers, and then a collection that reminds him of his daughters and his wife. A touching collection. Performed by a very good artist- solid vocals, accompanied by simple yet beautiful music, held together with heartfelt comments. This cd has played nonstop in my car since I got it. And yes, I sing along. Badly.

If you like simple vocals or Broadway or just want to add a little variety to your rock collection, I recommend this album. It makes a lovely palette cleanser for long and difficult days. Or just a lovely album to play around the house.

Mother of the Bride

I’m embarrassed to admit that last fall I fell in love with a series starring Brian Austin Green… *facepalm*. But Wedding Band was a lot of fun. There’s a wedding band, fronted by Green’s character Tommy, and their misadventures… I liked the show so much that I actually went on itunes and picked up some of the covers- they were just too much fun! I’m pointing out this “group” because sometimes you just need a whacky cover- they owned every song, made it completely their own. While I’m not a fan of alterations to song, if you admit it’s a cover and you own it… I’ll give it a chance. This is a wedding band I would enjoy seeing at a reception!

Sadly, the series got cancelled after season 1- despite a flurry of guest stars. Apparently, it couldn’t garner a solid audience. Which is too bad- I had a lot of fun watching the trials and tribulations of some wannabes.

The music is entertaining and while I generally don’t support covers… these have become playlist favorites in my collection.

Normally, this series of posts collects three albums together but I didn’t have much luck deciding what the third album would be. I’m in love one artist but she hasn’t finished her album yet. And nothing else jumped out as awesome enough to me this time. Oh well… next time.