Best Musical Soundtracks & Scores
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"When else does lively and engaging history get you singing about "when are these colonies gonna rise up?" Lots of hip-hop, rock, a little classical, ballads, and a touch of Motown--wonderful music that make history feel like it is happening right now. As history, you know how it ends, of course, but the feeling is so immediate, I actually found myself holding my breath to see if these colonies would win against the global superpower and cried when they did. There are no weak performances, but I want to give a shout out to Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr.as Aaron Burr, and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler."
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"When else does lively and engaging history get you singing about "when are these colonies gonna rise up?" Lots of hip-hop, rock, a little classical, ballads, and a touch of Motown--wonderful music that make history feel like it is happening right now. As history, you know how it ends, of course, but the feeling is so immediate, I actually found myself holding my breath to see if these colonies would win against the global superpower and cried when they did. There are no weak performances, but I want to give a shout out to Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr.as Aaron Burr, and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I won't go on and on about it because I assume that anyone looking to buy has heard clips of it before, but needless to say--it's absolutely worth it. The booklets detail the cast and crew, full lyrics for each song, and inspirational elements, which were very interesting. Some were more obvious (Ten Duel Commandments taking inspiration from Ten Crack Commandments), but some were more subtle (Cabinet Battle 1 containing elements of The Message), and it was great to be able to sit down and listen and think about what Lin-Manuel Miranda was thinking when he composed his songs."
"There are some songs I haven't let them listen to at all (there's enough great music they don't miss it), and some songs (while educational) I limit the frequency. I'm able to pick the songs we listen to over and over again, like Non-Stop, Schuyler Sisters, 10 duel commandments, Meet Him Inside, Guns and Ships, Dear Theodosia...) So parents, get educated with the music and lyrics, read through them if you need to, so you can guide your children's education in regards to this musical."
"I was SO excited to see a version listed as "edited" and "clean", although I knew it would most likely still contain the "softer" words that most people don't mind. I realize that there is an artist's vision involved here, but as deeply as Mr. Miranda is involved in every aspect of this show and the outreach it has created for educators, I would have thought he would have acknowledged that his show needs to be presented differently to be acceptable to many people, and to educators who have to answer to parents."
Best Broadway & Vocalists
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"When else does lively and engaging history get you singing about "when are these colonies gonna rise up?" Lots of hip-hop, rock, a little classical, ballads, and a touch of Motown--wonderful music that make history feel like it is happening right now. As history, you know how it ends, of course, but the feeling is so immediate, I actually found myself holding my breath to see if these colonies would win against the global superpower and cried when they did. There are no weak performances, but I want to give a shout out to Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr.as Aaron Burr, and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler."
Best Exercise Music
Songs include Baby Beluga, Biscuits in the Oven, Oats and Beans and Barley, The Banana Boat Song (Day-O), Thanks A Lot, To Everyone in All the World, All I Really need, Over in the Meadow, This Old Man, Water Dance, Kumbanad, Joshua Giraffe and Morning town Ride. An illustrated sing-along book that is published separately is a nice companion to this first track, giving young listeners visual images of the song's narrative. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A childhood favorite of mine that I am now sharing with my child."
"My daughter loved Raffi, and her now 2 year old daughter does too."
"What a wonderful book, made me buy the music right away!"
"There is only one song on the CD that is not my favorite, "Joshua Giraffe", but I still highly recommend this for your little ones."
"my little ones favorite cd."
"Our favorites are "Baby Beluga" and "Joshu Giraffe" for uplifting fun, and the "Thanks A Lot" song is simply lovely because of the lyrics and the fact that it is the sleep song."
"Raffi has such a soothing voice and my son will sing along and dance (when we are not in the car of course)."
Best General
This is a production rife with odd pairings: English actor Daniel Day-Lewis joining up with the Mohawks; James Fenimore Cooper adapted by Michael Mann; disparate composers Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman teaming up.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is THE BEST MOVIE SOUNDTRACK EVER!"
"I haven't re-watched the movie to try to figure out what is missing or what seems off."
"Out of all the tracks I've been listening to, The Kiss, Cora, and Massacre/Canoes are my favorite bits of score."
"Love this album."
"Original music is priceless."
"My favorite track is "The Kiss"; we recently saw a very talented violinist named Christian Hebel perform this work live, which introduced me to the score as a whole."
"Perfect condition."
"I have never seen the movie and just bought this for the music."
Best Classic Broadway Vocalists
The warm, crooning tones of Perry Como are sure to lend a little extra Christmas cheer to this season's festivities. This collection brings together many of his classic seasonal recordings and some tracks even collectors will be delighted to find, including "Some Children See Him," recorded in 1954 but left off The Perry Como Christmas Album .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These songs reflect all that I remember of Christmas, when Christmas was still Christmas!"
"Nice variety of songs -- in particular, I like Perry's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.""
"Perry is the voice of my childhood singing these Christmas songs."
"Good old Perry Como and his songs ."
"Always liked Perry."
"Perry Como is one of those singers who just captures the magic of Christmas with the traditional songs sung perfectly."
Best Traditional Vocal Pop
It's the most successful musical of all time, the best-selling cast album ever-and now it sounds better than ever!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was fortunate to see aproduction of the play and was thrilled to do so..Have been in love with it ever since i saw it...I love everything about it.."
"The music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is so soulful and beautiful it is hard to find anything negative about the opera."
"This is the best version of this amazing opera."
"An incomparable performance by Sarah Brightman."
"Although I love the 25th anniversary rendition much better than this original cast performance, that version would not be around without this one."
"If you like Broadway musicals, then Phantom of the Opera is one to see."
"Not much to say, the music speaks for itself."
"Saw it for the First Time Ever Last Saturday It Was Fantastic!!!"
Best Cabaret Vocalists
The album also topped many critics' "albums of the year" lists and gathered major music awards in the process, including eight Grammy Awards.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Her voice sounds even better than ever in this format. The combination of her voice and this music, along with the spaciousness of the sound, make for a great SACD."
"I highly recommend this CD if you love female vocalists - jazz, pop, country western - and to be introduced to a singer who will certainly make her mark on the music scene for years to come."
"Very talented, great voice and great songwriting as well."
"This record is perfect for laying on the floor on a warm afternoon with the sun shing through the window."
"A must have SACD for every Jazz collection!"
"Listened to this CD 50 times minimum."
"I love the mix of tunes on this album -- and Nora sings every song from her heart."
"One of my favorite vinyl records."