Christine Andreas

"The Carlyle Set" by Christine Andreas
by Adam Hetrick
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Monday Dec 12, 2005

With her latest album The Carlyle Set, Christine Andreas takes the listener on a dazzling musical journey. Sexy, romantic, witty and introspective this set is pure musical bliss.

Having received glowing notices for her turns in the Broadway Revival of "My Fair Lady," and later in Frank Wildhorn’s problematic "The Scarlet Pimpernel" – Andreas’ talent transcends her character roles. Having performed several cabarets at the Café Carlyle and the Algonquin’s Oak Room – she ranks among the best of the cabaret world – reminding us of cabaret’s ability to be a classy, romantic and distinctive affair.

The soaring opening ;What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" is ravishing. The sweeping arrangements carry Andreas’ voice on a spinning cloud of song finally concluding with a sexy finish that is both unexpected and perfectly interpreted. The musicians and their masterful work make an ideal pairing for Christine Andreas. It truly only takes the first minute of the piece to set up the rich and textured environment for what is to come. "What If We Went to Italy" is pure wistful heaven, tinged with dreamy longing it is yet another masterpiece of many on the album.

"It’s Got to Be Love’s" introduction is a sparkling and not only beautiful beginning, but it provides a crystalline subtext for the song. Andreas is smart and head over her jazzy heels in this take. It isn’t always so that an artist is capable of handling ballads and up-tempo material with the same kid-gloves and makes it interesting. It is a great credit to the excellent work from all parties involved that the listener is consistently engaged.

"In a Sentimental Mood" is a throwback to smoky cabaret days of a bygone era. The track couldn’t be more perfect if it sounded as though it came from an aged phonograph. Andreas wraps the listener is a velvet night that one hopes will never end. Her recreation of "Show Me" is jazzy with the appropriate balance of strength and a musical agitation. The remote and haunting "How Insensitive" is smartly paired with the knowing ache of "I’m a Fool to Want You" – it winds and twists through your mind as though you’ve been up all night pining away. "He Loves Me" (reduced from She Loves Me") couldn’t be more full of silly sensual fun -- Andreas is ecstatic and thrilling here. As the album concludes, two more fabulous tracks are yet to come. "At the Ballet" (from "A Chorus Line") is refined into a solo here. A daring choice but one that makes you wonder why it ever was written as a trio because Andeas’ acting is so fine that the piece is a master-class in song interpretation.

Proving that she has no fear of introspective and revealing material, Andreas finishes "The Carlyle Set" with David Frishberg’s "Listen Here." It seems to encapsulate the meaning of each song from the set. The highs, the lows, the longing, the loving and the thrill of experiencing it all are wonderfully depicted. With "The Carlyle Set," Christine Andreas lingers in your thoughts and ears – ultimately landing in your heart. It is a stunning combination of the finest singing, song interpretation and musicianship available today.