Kristin Chenoweth - As I Am
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CD Details
Artist: Kristin ChenowethEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2005-04-05
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- It Will Be Me
- Word of God Speak
- Because He Lives
- Abide in Me
- Borrowed Angels
- There Will Never Be Another
- Poor, Wayfaring Stranger
- Joyful, Joyful
- The Song Remembers When
- Power
- Just as I Am
- Upon This Rock
- Taylor, The Latte Boy [*]
Music reviews of As I Am
Music Review: Kristin's Christian Collection
Rating: 3 Stars
I had heard great things about Kristin Chenoweth well before I ever heard her sing. I remember her getting lots of good press for her performance in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and, later, WICKED of course. But even though I officially live close enough to New York to consider heading in to see a show, I never did catch either of those productions. I finally did get to see her on a EVENING AT THE (Boston) POPS special on PBS though and remember being suitably impressed. She was genuinely sweet and funny--and when she pulled out all the vocal stops, well, WOW!
Her first solo effort, LET YOURSELF GO (the one with two different covers) had her in full-out Broadway mode. (I was about to say "Broadway DIVA mode," but that's just it, she's not really all that diva-esque in her manner or affect.) That kind of music may or may not be your thing, but when it's done right, you've got to admit it's darn impressive. She was very much in her element on that one, so it came as a surprise when she switched over to a side interest, Contemporary Christian Pop, for her second solo outing, AS I AM.
I'd never fault performers for wanting to reveal different aspects of their art or themselves to their fans, but on your sophomore effort?? Is that really wise? Well, I guess if you count the cast albums Chenoweth had appeared on, AS I AM is not really SOPHOMORE effort--maybe more like a "summer session extra credit" or something. And even though I'm pretty secular myself, my reservations about this record have little to do with its subject matter. It's more that Christian pop is, first and foremost, POP. If you weren't paying attention to the words, you'd think it was just slick, commercial pop music--which it is, essentially.
There are, in fact, a few songs on the record which really are not specifically Christian in their orientation, like the opener "It Will Be Me," which seems to be your standard profession-of-love song. This expression of the ultimate love and loyalty COULD conceivably be interpreted as being sung from the point-of-view of Christ or a Christ-like figure and not just a mere mortal, madly in love. But I think that a bit of a stretch. This one's really just secular. But musically and emotionally, it pretty much is of a piece with the rest of the record. Unless you're focusing on the lyrics, you're scarcely going to notice what's Christian and what's secular here.
One rather "poppy" trait MOST of the songs share, in fact, is that very few of them tax Ms. Chenoweth's much vaunted vocal prowess much. Of course, it's not necessary for a great singer to lay on the ornamentation on every track--just the opposite, in fact. Still the neophyte listener here would never guess that Kristin Chenoweth is an impressive coloratura soprano when she wants to be. But maybe in a Contemporary Christian context strutting your vocal stuff might seem too PROUD or something. The title of one track, "Power," suggests that it might be the show stopper we know her to be capable of, but it turns out it's her attempt at a Christian rock song and all chops go to the guitar--and the gospel flavored back up singers. The one track where she lets loose with a few dramatic, operatic swoops is "Upon This Rock," the CD's official closer (before the bonus track, "Taylor The Latte Boy"). She's duly impressive on that number(and evocative of the young Kate Bush), but unfortunately, it's just not that great or memorable a song.
I never understand how a CD that was never issued with a different track list (and fewer songs) can claim that one of its tracks is a "bonus," but in this case, I'll buy it. "Taylor" wills strike some as a sop to her Broadway fanbase. It does stand out from the rest in that regard. It's got that showbiz pizzazz that the poppier, Christian tunes here foreswear. And after all that (probably quite genuine, but still kinda ho-hum) humility, it's kind of refreshing.
If Kristin Chenoweth can't quite sing EVERYTHING, she can sing quite a lot. She certainly can do justice to glossy pop (or glossy Christian pop) quite handily. She acquits herself well, for the most part here. And aside from "Taylor," there are one or two other shining moments here. When she does something a little more "trad," like "Wayfaring Stranger," you start to wonder what she might be able to pull off with a collection of old style hymns.
Description of As I Am
Television viewers know her as The West Wing's opinionated deputy press secretary Annabeth Schott, while Broadway aficionados are familiar with her Tony-winning work in Wicked and the revival of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, as well as the successful 2001 American Songbook anthology, Let Yourself Go. But on this eclectic collection of traditional and contemporary gospel anthems and related songs, songstress Kristen Chenoweth claims a bold return to her spiritual roots. Her chameleonic, crystalline soprano lights up the beloved title track standard and the Gaither's modern inspirationals "Because He Lives" and "Upon This Rock" with a deft, Broadway-bred sense of drama. Yet her voice remains supple enough to impart country charms to "It Will Be Me," "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" and Amy Lee Grant's "There Will Never Be Another." One-woman pop songwriting empire Diane Warren offer Chenoweth a typically melodramatic showcase on the spiritually generic "Borrowed Angels," while the unfortunate "Joyful, Joyful" once again proves Ludwig van still doesn't need any lyrical help with "Ode to Joy," thank you. The album's bonus cut, "Taylor, the Latte Boy," closes out the album on an upbeat note of playful, romantic innocence. --Jerry McCulleyBroadway & Vocalists CDs
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