Early in the lyrics to “I Have Found,” from The Royal Family of Broadway, Broadway’s own Lisa Howard passionately belts, “... hyperbole is not what makes the world go round.” That musical moment, profoundly sums up much of what this radiant debut album is all about, because it’s what William Finn’s character-driven songs are invariably about. The co-star of Mr. Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Howard is a special vocalist who can belt with the best of them or gently whisper a chilling phrase on this collection of Finn’s songs that is worthy of serious attention. Occasionally, she invokes the brassy comic timing (and wacky chutzpah!) of Alix Korey or the girlish innocence (on a ballad) of a younger Bernadette Peters in her misty mode. Filled with smiley-faced ditties and deep sentiments, the album, released on Ghostlight Records, is an amalgam of introspective journeys into the human spirit penned by one of contemporary musical theater’s most interesting and respected composers.

While there is a sameness to some of his songs, Lisa Howard is such a skilled interpreter of the heart that this album fits like a glove. The lively opening, “Listen to the Beat” (The Royal Family of Broadway), sounds like the perfect splashy opening number for a musical. Howard just shines like few others on Finn’s pensive ballads, like the trenchant “Sailing” from A New Brain.

Other standouts include warm readings on “When the Earth Stopped Turning” from Elegies: A Song Cycle and even on the lively, more brassy romp, “Hold My Baby Back” from Romance in Hard Times. Both are thrilling and about as rivetingly interpreted as a show tune can get. In these two selections, Howard goes for the intended meaning and gives her own take to it all. The results are nothing less than wonderful. Another exceptional standout is ”I Don’t Know Why I Love You” (a duet with Derrick Baskin) from The Royal Family of Broadway.

The fourteen-piece band is excellent, and orchestrations by Carmel Dean, Eugene Gwozdz and Michael Starobin, among others, are top drawer. And yes, that certain sameness is present on some selections. However, Lisa Howard has a style and a sound that only gains in substance with very cut, making this a memorable disk.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
June 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org