Regretting Almost Everything
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
Listen to Regretting Almost Everything
The Tony Winner Beth Leavel and Tony Nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz come together for this musical theater concept album that illuminates Lauren Taslitz’s lyrics and Danny Ursetti’s music, which tells the story of a middle aged woman, Anne, seeking more passion in marriage and adventurousness in her life with her husband, Clay.
“Anymore” opens the listen with Paul Staroba’s bouncy keys and the sophisticated strings, as Leavel’s talking and singing sets the tone for the listen, and “We Made Kids” follows with a duet about their children that’s dreamy and warm.
Further along, “It’s Normal” spotlights Blumenkrantz’s voice discussing the status quo when a marriage lasts many years, while “The Baby Likes Me Best” again spotlights Blumenkrantz’s pipes amid the stirring strings and sometimes firm keys in a tune you could dance to.
Approaching the end, the highly intimate “How Do You Measure A Marriage?” focuses on Leavel’s sublime voice as she dissects the state of her marriage, and “Blind Date”, the last track, features Mary Ann McSweeney’s playfully plucked bass amid a very comical delivery that surrounds Anne meeting Stu for the first time, who she eventually marries.
A very thorough listen that spans their children growing up, grandchildren, and eventually divorce and marrying again, the music here is thoughtful, unpredictable and cinematic. Leavel and Blumenkrantz tell the story with much poise, and it’s so vividly expressed, it sometimes seems like an audio book.
Travels well with: Voces8- Infinity; Verona Quartet- Diffusion