There's nothing quite like putting on a Concept Album for the first time. We don't have this really in any other media. We don't get to see the first draft of a book, the first roughs of a film or the first doodles of an artist. With a concept album, we get to experience something that might, just might, one day become a hit Broadway Musical. This release is just that - a Concept Album for a new musical called Samson & Delilah - A Love Story, written by Ron Yatter.

Newly married lovers, and American Idol stars, Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo perform in the title roles. The songs are a unique combination of classic legit theater and pop/rock, creating a new musical sound that tells the epic, tragic love story of the biblical couple from two different worlds. Delilah, the beautiful young Philistine, falls in love with the mighty Samson, but when overcome by misguided jealousy, she betrays the man she loves.

Though they both launched to stardom after appearing in different seasons on American Idol, it was in the Broadway revival of Hair where Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo met and fell in love. The composer, Ron Yatter, you will probably not have heard of. He's a New York Agent, a former William Morris agent, and I'm not aware of any other work that he's done in this field.

Let me first say I enjoyed this album. It's an easy listen, both in terms of the performances and the material. DeGarmo has always been a favourite of mine, ever since her American Idol days, and I would have loved to have seen her on stage in the various roles she has done since. I'm new to Ace Young, but he has a great voice. I didn't get much emotion from either of them on the recording. I felt the songs were delivered too much in a pop way for me, which I guess is cool for a concept recording, but you do have to remember that you are trying to sell a story here too. I love DeGarmo's voice - it's extremely versatile. 'Who Are You' and 'The Fire of Life' show this to great effect. One track that did stand out for me was 'We Soar Through The Sky' - their voices blend faultlessly - as they do on 'Let This Night Go On Forever'.

Where this recording falls down is unfortunately in the material. It's pretty much completely forgettable, and nothing in it makes me yearn to hear more, let alone see it on stage. It doesn't sound like a score that would ever make a successful musical, even though the story is pretty much perfect. It is also let down by average arrangements performed almost totally electronically.

As ever with Broadway Records, the production quality is top rate, as is the informative booklet. For that, and the listen-ability of the recording, I'm scoring it as below...

6

Ian Gude