The new LIVE recording by Composer Randy Edelman: “Around the World in 80 Minutes” seems to put its arm around you and whisper “in troubled times music does help.” His music envelopes you like a warm blanket. Heartened and inspired by his ever growing audiences while performing in New York City and London over the last two years, Randy believed a live album might be essential so that the memories would never have to grow dim….The album will also thrill a legion fans…those who have loved the musician’s many career highlights and alchemical triumphs, and who follow the hungry ghost of authenticity.
The 21 track victory begins with the exalting and humanizing guidance for the underdog and a prayer for peace and support at the end of a frenzied day in our ever violent and confounding world, yet it waltzes with existential wonder. Its gentle, timeless vibe sets the tone for an entire album of beautiful music, and is being released on Tribeca Records on March 15th, 2024.
Known for his sensitive romantic ballads where love bleeds into loneliness and happiness is tinged by heartache he includes the songs: “You” (covered by The Carpenters), “Isn’t it a Shame” (covered twice by Patti LaBelle and hip hop sensation Nelly), “The Laughter and The Tears” (covered by Dionne Warwick and Nancy Wilson), “If Love is Real” (covered by Olivia Newton-John), and “Uptown, Uptempo Woman” his own charted recording. The romance is not just mundane, unforgettable interludes between seconds, and hours that only silence can redeem. They are either heart wrenching stories that are sometimes unpredictable shadows that circle and taunt our deepest emotions, or profound feelings of vulnerability and unconditional admiration. In all cases they are beautiful.
Randy’s lyrics are an art form in itself. His words lean into past memories with grace and eloquence. “The Woman on Your Arm”, the last song covered and recorded by Bing Crosby, and the monster hit covered by Barry Manilow “A Weekend in New England” are also on the album. It seems unimaginable that one man wrote all of those songs covered by so many iconic artists and yet he did. He also included on this album his recent recorded hits, “Pretty Girls”, his Billboard charted post pandemic anthem“Comin’ Out the Other Side” and a newly written, never before heard anywhere “Not By Any Conventional Means” (which will appear on a brand new album set to release later this year).
Behind closed doors (literally) Randy spent years as a mad solo genius feverishly composing over 100 film and TV soundtracks. The most epic movie scenes have little dialogue but move forward through powerful visuals buoyed by powerful musical scores. Randy includes excerpts of his comical scores inclusive of My Cousin Vinny, While You Were Sleeping, Ghostbusters ll, The Mask and many more. He also performs his dramatic scores sampling Dragonheart, the great Civil War movie Gettysburg, The Bruce Lee Story, XXX and Last of the Mohicans which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. It takes a lot of creativity to write truly original music while breathing life into a film, and Randy’s scores remain rich and vibrant.
Randy is undoubtedly one of the world’s most celebrated pianists, fiery, confident, and supercharged with spiritual and intellectual ecstasy. He sets music aflame both in tranquil and agitated states. He delivers the keys with a dream-like glamour, an almost otherworldly cadence adding emotional depth that was composed in blinding technicolor.
This classic album is endlessly fascinating like a canvas of radiant coloration and quirky textures. This record sparkles with electric memories and taut histories. Spiraling ever upward throughout this album you can witness the mysterious power of music defying description in words.
Review by Ginger Evan
