CRAIG POMRANZ - CD MY HEART DON'T SKIP A BEAT

Popis - MY HEART DON'T SKIP A BEAT:
“Craig Pomranz has journeyed for years through the lush maze of Broadway show tunes, bistro ballads and Hollywood pop. It’s a landscape he’s been exploring since he made his professional debut at the age of 10 on the vast stage of the Municipal Opera in his hometown of St. Louis, playing the young Tom of Warwick aside John Cullum in Lerner and Loewe’s “Camelot.” Later, on New York’s cabaret circuit, he further honed his appreciation of this repertoire, as well as garnering critical huzzahs for his ear-grabbing range, intuitive musicianship and vibrant interpretations. For this, his first CD, he has plowed through hundreds of songs he could easily call favorites, and put together a collection exploring in depth that enduring theme of popular music: the ecstasies, miseries, missteps and illusions of romantic love. It’s a cycle that takes us from the na?ve optimism of “Give Me the Simple Life,” bubbling over the infectious sappiness of Harry Ruby’s lyrics, to the inconsolable anguish of the seldom heard Peter Allen tune ”I Never Thought I’d Break.” Some of the numbers will be instantly familiar, such as Frank Loesser’s “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” but Pomranz, together with arranger and conductor Barry Levitt, revivifies them with freshly swinging renditions. Others are pieces that have lingered in the back of Pomranz’s mind for years. For example, there’s “A Perfect Love,” a demure underplayed Nicholas Brodszky-Sammy Cahn ballad from the little-seen MGM musical “The Opposite Sex,” made suddenly sexy with an insinuating rumba beat. Some are simply gorgeous melodies attempting to decipher the complexities of amorous emotions, such as Maury Yeston’s “Unusual Way,” to which Pomranz accompanied only by Levitt’s responsive piano, brings the grace and eloquence of a Schubert lied. While operatic passion is achieved in Laura Nyro’s “I Never Meant to Hurt you,” done simply with voice and acoustic guitar. So, if you’re in the mood to think about love (and when aren’t you?), Pomranz is obviously aiming to keep you there with a collection of songs designed to grow richer with repeated hearings.” Ron Cohen “Believe it or not, a lot of great American songwriters have written songs not about love. Mr. Irving Berlin wrote endlessly about holy days. Stephen Sondheim has written about headwear (“Finishing the Hat”) and all those great tunes about shaving and cooking. Rodgers & Hammerstein gave us songs about geography and exclamation points (“Oklahoma!”) and extreme sports (“Climb Every Mountain”). But when things got serious about making this CD and I had to sift through more than 10,000 of my most favorite songs, I discovered that I loved songs about love…songs about being in love, not being in love, falling in love, falling out of love and falling in love again…and again. This is hardly a shocking realization. However, this epiphany (I love that word, too) helped shape this collection, and I thank Barry Levitt, arranger, conductor and piano man, for helping so harmoniously to bring it to fruition. And even though Mr. Cole Porter once sternly advised us, “Let’s Not Talk About Love,” I’m going to defiantly sing about it and all its permutations, sweet, sour and nasty, and even when your heart don’t skip a beat. So what if the lyrics aren’t always grammatical? And as Kate Smith once said, “Thanks for listening.” Craig “exceptional voice…Powerful performance…came deep from his soul…mesmerizing the audience.” Music Connection Magazine 'One of New York's most critically-acclaimed saloon singers.' New York Magazine 'His four-octave voice is alternately affecting, powerful, and nuanced; one of the finest instruments in the city.' New York Post 'an aching and disarming earnestness that demands attention, nakedly emotional and artifice-free.' Rob Lester; Talkin’ Broadway 'a terrifically rangy and expressive tenor…he simmers & sizzles…a fine example of a performer maximizing the moment…” David Finkle Backstage 'an excellent singer with a clear rangy soft tenor voice that can be totally captivating.' John Hoglund Cabaret Hotline “more than just a pretty voice - Pomranz is stunning.” Oleg Kerensky (London - Stage & Television) 'a powerful voice that's lilting and pure.' The Village Voice 'he can seduce you with his sensitivity to his audience, he has them share with him personally every note, phrase and sound.' Our Town (New York) 'As a performer, he proved himself to be a “triple threat,” a “singer for all seasons,” if you will, who has clearly earned the glowing reviews he?s received' Lynn DiMenna 'At the Ritz' 'the voice is first rate-flexible and fluent in a wide octave range...a mellifluous sincerity and earnestness that is totally captivating.' Michael Shepherd (New York) 'the Tenor of the Times' GQ Magazine 'the best male singer.' New York Post 'a performance set apart by insistent gentleness which may make it appear that he sings for you.' The News World 'he doesn't just sing them -- he lets fly with an alto-tenor as polished as it is unabashed.' New York Post 'His is a full, rich voice that, tied to his personal sensitivity, engulfs the hearer and embodies the song.' New York Post 'He sings with the kind of inner purity of emotional freedom and control, coupled with the purest of tone. It is truly majestic in meaning and flow.' Daily Challenge 'It is surely a rare and enriching instrument he possesses.' Daily Challenge …thrillingly theatrical. Wayman Wong NY Daily News