TO LISTEN TO CLIPS FROM BRANDON'S DEBUT CD OR TO PURCHASE IT, CLICK HERE
What the critics are saying about Brandon's debut cd:
"One of the year's Top Ten."
>> Adam Feldman, Time Out New York
"His emotion in these songs is raw and powerful, and the softer he sings, the more one wants to lean in to listen."
"...All The Things You Are is lush and lovely, That Old Black Magic is gently seductive, and Schmuckler & Mahler's That's When I Miss You is simply heartbreaking."
"...Cutrell's trademark is his wit, and this album is, for the most part, the aural equivalent of Cutrell's trademarked mischievous grin."
"Ray Fellman's arrangements are smart and original, highlighting qualities in the music that shine new light on their meanings."
"For those who enjoy hearing great songs sung beautifully, this album is a must-buy."
>> Jenna Tesse Fox, BroadwayWorld.com
"An incisive delivery of All The Things You Are provided Cutrell's true high spot. Singing in an angelic head voice, Cutrell fused traditional art song refinement with cabaret intimacy and did it beautifully. Similar qualities were also displayed in a medley of What'll I Do? and Where Do You Start?"
>> John Hoglund, CabaretExchange.com
"...the invigorating Halley's Comet by Chuck Coleman brings all his skills together and the band sounds great here, especially top drawer guitarist Louis Tucci and the kick of Bruce Doctor's drums."
"On the contemporary side, two songs by New York-based songwriter Michael Holland (Everything in the Whole Wide World and Firefly IX) are well done. The performances smartly evoke a certain sense of uneasiness as thoughts and feelings collide, with the singer sounding very present."
"The song that fits Brandon like a glove, on disc and in person, is Tim DiPasqua's gem, You. He handles its self-analysis beautifully, navigating through its series of questions about what an individual might achieve in the future, answered alternately with a "No" or "Maybe Not" while expressing the worth of the real priority: a loving relationship."
>> Rob Lester, TalkinBroadway.com
About the cd...
Brandon Cutrell's debut CD is an eclectic mix of the brash and new, as well as innovative arrangements of some of the most treasured compositions ever set to paper.
Over the past few years, Brandon Cutrell has become a force with whom to be reckoned in the world of New York cabaret, and this CD will tell you exactly why. From his lush, haunting rendition of the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein classic, All the Things You Are, to the inventive and exciting rhythm of Billy Joel's Summer, Highland Falls, this is a recording that keeps the listener entranced, while at the same time pining to hear what's coming next.
Uniquely, Brandon's CD celebrates many of the brightest new composers writing today. Their themes are contemporary and unique, but the craftsmanship of their work speaks for itself. Michael Holland's Firefly IX celebrates the joys of Fire Island, while Tim DiPasqua's You, which has become Cutrell's signature song, examines the artist and his muse.
But no matter how far he wanders into the adventuresome and thrilling world of modern composition, inspired interpretations of standards such as That Old Black Magic, What'll I Do and Where Do You Start stand as testament to their timelessness.
Brandon doesn't merely sing this music, he embodies it and lives it with you, the person on the other end of the stereo or the headphone. Be it Johnny Mercer or Harold Arlen, or contemporary writers like Todd Almond or Chuck Coleman, not a track is anything less than original.
Brandon's music is also available on iTunes.