I have been a fan of Deborah Gibson since her debut back in the 80s.  I have been following her and her music and broadway musicals.  I think she is amazing.  I dont know much about the other people on this album but as you can imagine, I bought it mainly because of Deborah.  I think this CD is amazing and I look forward to more music by Deborah soon :)
                            Read more...
                        

                            
The spirit of the legend of Zorro is stronger than ever! This recording stays true to the Spanish theme and distills the essence of the story musically with a symphonic score for the noble-born characters and a more folksy, mariachi-inspired sound for the townspeople. Seasoned pros such as Deborah Gibson, Kaye Ballard, Broadways' Sean McDermott and Menudo-veteran Ruben Gomez interpret songs from the musical. And if that weren't enough, look for two bonus tracks produced by none other than Tony Moran!
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Z - THE MASKED MUSICAL (Getzeed Productions 89762; 67:58) is the concept recording for Robert W. Cabell's adaptation of the legend of early California's Robin Hood, Zorro. Lavishly produced, the album features ex-Menudo heartthrob Ruben Gomez as the lead character, Robert Blades as Diego, Zorro's less adventuresome alter ego, Deborah (nee Debbie) Gibson as his (their?) love interest and Kaye Ballard Phyllis Newman, Christian Noll, Sean McDermott, Marc Kudisch, Jeff McCarthy, Michael DeVries, and Lynn Halverson singing cameo roles. Cabell's idea to give songs for the Spanish nobles and peasants contrasting sounds - symphonic for the former, mariachi for the latter - is a good one, although I'm no sure his straightforward approach to this story is quite so successful, because it doesn't allow for variety in the score. As Antonio Banderas illustrated in the recent Zorro film, a little tongue tucked firmly in cheek doesn't hurt the effectiveness of the legend. But Cabell has some effective and attractive melodies (his lyrics have a number of predictable rhymes) that make this well produced album quite listenable.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
England's Musical Mag MASQUERADE:  In the light of the recent Zorro movie it seems an opportune time to release a musical based on the daring exploits of the hero of the oppressed Californian peasants. And that is just what Robert W. Cabell has done with Z - The Masked Musical. Cabell has adopted quite an unusual approach to the project, marrying two diverse musical styles with pop flavored show tunes sitting side by side with music with a strong traditional Spanish feel. A sort of Frank Wildhorn meets the Gypsy Kings. But on the whole the experiment is surprisingly successful.  Personally, I found that the Spanish influenced songs worked better but that may be because I am not a major fan of the more poppy side of musical theatre material. Consequently I felt that songs like the swaying "Sweet Siesta", the sultry "Dance of Love" and the vivacious "Fiesta Amor" had much more to offer than the ballads. Oh there are a couple of worthwhile offerings ("Ivory Tower" and "Just Close Your Eyes").  Z-The Masked Musical is a concept album but one of the highest quality, beautifully recorded with a fine cast and nicely packaged. The lead roles are performed by Robert Blades (a relation of Ruben Blades of The Capeman fame perhaps?), Deborah Gibson and Ruben Gomez in a first class manner well supported by a large and impressive chorus and some talented musicians.  Z-The Masked Musical is a classy, enjoyable and entertaining album. It is released on GZD-89762; for more information on the project why not visit web site www.z-musical.com
                            Read more...