I love getting albums to review that are completely new to me. Most often than not, they are musicals I’ve been aware of for a while, or are new-to-digital releases of existing cast recordings. My next listen was almost completely new, save for the fact I have reviewed several CDs featuring the work of lyricist Robert Gould before. So I was looking forward to not only hearing some new music by composer Rob Eyles, but also to more great lyrics by Bob Gould.

For those who haven’t heard of either of these two gentlemen, here’s a recap. Rob Eyles is a graduate of The Guildford School of Acting and made his West End debut playing Ray in Dreamboats & Petticoats (Wyndham’s Theatre). Other stage credits include the leading role of Jan in the English premiere of 14-18: A Spectacular Musical (Nekkerhal, Mechelen), Around the World (Mint Theater, NY/Sadler’s Wells) and James Waltham in The Wind Road Boys (Gala Theatre, Durham). He recorded the role of Larry on the concept album for the new musical The Happy Hooker and played the role of Bernie in Night Surf (a short film based on a story by Stephen King). He has also been active writing and performing his own work.

In collaboration with Christopher J. Orton, Robert Gould has co-written the musicals Based On A True Story (a workshop production of which was presented at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2010), My Land's Shore (which received a workshop production at RADA Studios in 2013), and Grace Notes (a finalist in the Leicester Square Theatre New Musical project in 2014). With Joe Sterling, he has co-written the musical Roundabout, as well as some songs for the album Somewhere In My Mind – the Songs Of Joe Sterling. An album of songs with Bob Gould’s lyrics, Words Shared With Friends, was nominated for a 2014 Broadwayworld Album Award as Best Compilation Album.

Eyles and Gould began writing together in 2014 and in October 2015 they staged a sell-out concert of their songs at The Pheasantry, entitled "I Wasn’t Thinking At All", following this with another successful concert at The Pheasantry in June 2016 to launch their As Long As I Have Music album. They have written the musical A Pebble For Aaron (a finalist for the inaugural Stiles And Drewe Mentorship Award) and are currently working on a musical based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, The Wonderful Musician, and songs from both these musicals are featured on this 10 track CD release.

This is a very listenable album. There’s so much talent here - not just in the songwriters, but also in the performers and the great production on the album - the orchestrations are spot on. From the opening number, which is a showcase for Gould’s superb lyric writing ability, to the last, which is one of my favourites on the album, the emphasis is clearly on quality rather than quantity. I really enjoyed 'Losing Him', which is a great vehicle for Shaun McCourt’s vocals as well as being a well-written, soaring musical number. Disney-Style Romance is a nice number along the lines of the great 'Portrait Of A Princess', and works pretty well.

Whilst I didn’t find anything particularly memorable on the album, it’s still very worthy of a listen. The vocal arrangements on some of the tracks are stunning, and Gould’s lyrics are always apt and never sound contrived or forced. Certainly a partnership to watch in future.

7

Ian Gude