It’s the new year, and Broadway Records are already setting the shelves a-light with new releases. I’ve had no less than 3 through to review recently, with more planned, so thought it was about time to listen to the eclectic mix of recordings they have on offer this time. First on the virtual CD player is a recording of Bulldozer - The Ballad of Robert Moses...

Bulldozer - The Ballad of Robert Moses is the new rock musical written by Peter Galperin and starring Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis, Molly Pope, Wayne Wilcox, Ryan Knowles and Kacie Sheik. It features a four-piece rock band and spotlighting Master Builder Robert Moses’ evolution from a young idealist fervent with a desire to build the greatest city in the world to a power-insulated enemy of the people, corrupted, lost and alone. A staggering story of fantastic accomplishment and personal defeat intertwining intimate themes of love and loss with the great social issues that gripped the 20th century urban environment, Bulldozer: The Ballad of Robert Moses charts the rise and fall of one man, the young woman who loved him, and the great human toll that was paid to build the New York City of today.

I didn’t know anything about this musical or the back story until I received this recording from Broadway Records, and it’s fascinating. Robert Moses conceived and built much of New York City, and even ran it for over 4 decades. He was drawn to the automobile and all things modern, credited with progressing the car-culture we have today, and some blame him for the anti-pedestrian nature of many of our urban areas. He flattened entire neighbourhoods in New York (usually the poor ones) to make way for building and highways. His undoing was ultimately when he wanted to tear down the archway in Washington Square Park.

This was a recording that didn’t really strike me on first listen, but on subsequent plays, it really grew on me. There’s a simplicity to the songs that work, and it’s great to have a recording where you can hear all of the lyrics clearly. It would have been nice to have more idea of the story on the CD, because apart from the brief history of the man detailed in the booklet, there’s no real idea of how the story progresses.

Constantine Maroulis is great here, and has a voice with just enough rock to make the songs work well. I enjoyed 'Straight Towards The Sun' and 'Everyone’s Got Something To Hide' very much. Perhaps my favourite track here is 'You Can’t See' - Molly Pope giving a great delivery.

A pleasant listen, and a great backstory. Another Broadway Records triumph.

8

Ian Gude