REVIEW: The Gershwin's PORGY AND BESS New Broadway Cast Recording

So I just got my copy of the new Broadway cast recording of The Gershwin's PORGY & BESS featuring Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, and David Alan Grier, and all I can say is WOW! PS Classics always makes beautiful recordings (FOLLIES sticks out in my mind), but this is one of the best cast recordings I have heard in a long time.

For starters, the vocals are gorgeous. Every single cast member sounds amazing and I couldn't hear a single note that didn't sound absolutely perfect. Obviously McDonald and Lewis' vocals are perfection, but what really got to me was that they were not by far the best voices on the recording (as I expected would be the case). Everyone in the cast's voice sounds as good as any of the leads, which is something I can't think of happening frequently, especially in a big show like this.

Standout tracks for me are "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," and "I Loves You Porgy," but honestly the whole recording is gorgeous and I feel like this is one of those albums that you can't just listen to a few tracks. You need to listen to the whole thing.

The album can be purchased now on PS Classics and will be released on May 22nd through other retailers like Amazon and iTunes.

PS Classics Announces PORGY AND BESS Tracklisting

PS Classics has posted the tracklisting for the upcoming cast recording for THE GERSHWIN'S PORGY AND BESS, being released on May 22nd. The recording features Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, David Alan Grier, Nikki Renee Daniels, and more. The tracklisting is as follows:

Disc One:
1. Overture
2. Summertime
3. Roll Them Bones
4. A Woman Is a Sometime Thing
5. Porgy’s Entrance
6. Crap Game
7. The Killing of Robbins
8. Gone, Gone, Gone
9. My Man’s Gone Now
10. Leaving for the Promised Land
11. It Takes a Long Pull to Get There
12. I Got Plenty of Nothing
13. I Hates Your Strutting Style
14. "Picnics is all right..."
15. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
16. Oh, I Can’t Sit Down

Disc Two:
1. It Ain’t Necessarily So
2. What You Want With Bess?
3. Oh, Doctor Jesus
4. "I was powerful sick..."
5. Street Cries
6. I Loves You, Porgy
7. The Storm Approaches
8. Oh, The Lord Shake the Heaven
9. A Red Headed Woman
10. Oh, Doctor Jesus (Reprise)
11. Clara, Don't You Be Downhearted
12. Summertime (Reprise)
13. The Death of Crown
14. There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon
15. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess?
16. Oh Lord, I’m on My Way

David Alan Grier and Cast of PORGY AND BESS Perform on Fallon

Here is a video of David Alan Grier and the cast of PORGY AND BESS performing "It Ain't Necessarily So" on Jimmy Fallon's Broadway Week. It's a great performance and I personally really want to see this production. Or at least get a recording.