Following hot on the heals of their recent trio of Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below is yet another release in the excellent series from Broadway Records - Arielle Jacobs: A Leap in the Dark. As usual I was interested to hear what this one was all about.

Currently starring on Broadway as Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin, Arielle Jacobs has been called “one of the greatest theater artists of her generation” with a “powerful voice” who “could sing her way to world peace... literally.” Her debut solo album, A Leap in the Dark - Live at Feinstein's/54 Below, is a story of dreams, hope, faith, fighting for what you believe in, and taking chances. Arielle invites you to join her as she blends story and song to tell the tale of her adventures, her highest highs and lowest lows, and the most formative moments of her life that led her to be the woman she is today. Featuring the music of Céline Dion and Sarah McLachlan along with songs from many of her favourite roles that she’s played (including songs from In the Heights, Aladdin, Wicked, Rent, Into the Woods and more).

As regular readers will be aware, I do like this series of recordings from Broadway Records, as there’s really no one else capturing these types of concert /cabaret evenings any more. They capture only a fraction of what is presented at the legendary New York club, and it’s always a pleasure to listen to. On this recording, there’s a great selection of numbers, and it’s great to hear people performing numbers from the likes of Children of Eden and In The Heights. Indeed, quite a chunk of the album is dedicated to Arielle’s time in the hit musical, and these songs are the highlight for me. I also enjoyed 'A Piece Of Sky' (always brave for anyone to take on such a definitive Streisand number) and 'Colored Lights', from the equally great The Rink, currently having enjoyed a revival in London, although they chose to cut this number for some unknown reason.

I did have a couple of minor gripes on the recording. The narrative was obviously scripted, and not quite as well put together as some of the previous shows that have been recorded, and it really needed to sound more natural than it did. I was also drawn to a number of plainly wrong notes from the band, and a very strange bass line that didn’t sit easily in a couple of the numbers, most noticeably in an otherwise stellar performance of 'The Wizard And I' (Wicked). I’ve listen several times, and whilst your mileage may vary on if this affects your listening, it’s there. What it does add is to the feeling that this is very much a live recording, and an extremely well-captured one as always by Broadway Records.

Another one well worth adding to the collection.

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Ian Gude