This debut album from the West End performer is elegantly put together and makes the listener feel as though they are in the room as the performance is happening.
Recorded live during his performance at the Cadogan Hall in London last year, Jamie Muscato’s album highlights the type of music that means the most to him as well as a chance to reflect on the roles that he has got to play so far in his career.
Formed of a mixture of musical theatre, soul and with a hint of rock just thrown in there for good measure. But as well as the songs themselves, the listener feels as though they are experiencing the concert live, with preservation of dialogue from the night of the performance also captured. This ensures that you get a deeper understanding of why he has selected the songs that he has, offering extra insight and interest.
Right at the heart of the recording is renditions of songs from shows that he has been part of – including a powerful rendition of ‘Freeze Your Brain’ from Heathers the musical and a selection of songs from Moulin Rouge! The Musical (which saw him reunite with Tanisha Spring). This captures just how diverse he is as a performer.
But this doesn’t mean that there aren’t surprises along the way, particularly when he asks ‘Have you ever wondered what a Disney song would sound like if it was written by Busted? Well, I have, so here’s this’ – just before he breaks into an incredible version of ‘Part of Your World’ which is rock infused and shouldn’t work but the boldness and curiosity that Muscato shows in. creating it means it works brilliantly. In addition, I wasn’t expecting Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ on here or a more jazzy version of The Jackson 5’s ‘I want You Back’ – yet this diversifies Muscato’s appeal perfectly. He certainly hasn’t pigeonholed himself here.
Sometimes with a live recording of a concert the sound and transitions can seem a little bit off – but this is not the case here. The listener can pick up every single note and lyric effortlessly. This is really evident of Muscato’s duet with Laura Jane Matthewson, performing ‘First Date/Last Night’ from the show Dogfight – in which you can really pick up how well their vocals work together. Meanwhile, ‘Shallow’ performed along with Tanisha Spring from A Star is Born gives a real sense of the emotion and the depth of the commitment that both performers have in bringing the emotion to the performance.
There are so many highlights to be found here and perhaps on each listen you will pick a new favourite. Muscato delivers raw energy and power on ‘Raise a Little Hell’ from Bonnie and Clyde and ‘Roxanne’, while ‘No One Knows Me) Like the Piano highlights the soulful nature to his vocals.
Overall, this is a real treat of an album that is easy to listen to time and time again. Highly recommend.
By Emma Clarendon
Jamie Muscato Live 2024 is available to listen to now.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️