If/Then Cast Recording

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IdinaBellFoster
#50If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:17pm

Ljay, it's not just you. The higher notes on a few songs (Always Starting Over, Some Other Me, Love While You Can) there's a hint of a rasp on the higher notes.


"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards

ljay889 Profile Photo
ljay889
#51If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:33pm

Yes! Those are the notes I'm referring to.

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IdinaBellFoster
#52If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:45pm

It doesn't bother me too much in 'Always Starting Over", just because it's her big 11 O'Clock number & it's a desperate moment. But it took me out of the other songs for a second, I'm a bit shocked they used those vocals tracks...


"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards

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fingerlakessinger
#53If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:29pm

For me, I think it adds to the recording. In these days, I am pretty sick of hearing clean, polished, robotic voices on tracks. Idina has a very distinct, raw voice. Yes, she can be inconsistent, but I think there is something special about it. I love the slight rasp.


"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."

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Mr. Nowack
#54If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:44pm

I too love the rasp. It gives you a sense that she's actually a real person!


Keeping BroadwayWorld Illustrated

YouWantitWhen???? Profile Photo
YouWantitWhen????
#55If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:23pm

For me, it conveys some of the emotion of the songs. In "Learn to Live Without" she sounded the same way on Letterman, with her voice breaking on the end note. I thought it was somewhat intentional.

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haterobics
#56If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:23pm

In another reality, she sings them with no rasp.

YouWantitWhen???? Profile Photo
YouWantitWhen????
#57If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:28pm

If/Then Cast Recording

carolinaguy Profile Photo
carolinaguy
#58If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:33pm

There was a comment from the composers that some of the tracks were recorded on a Sunday night after the performance and some were recorded on the following Monday. They stated that some of the Sunday night tracks had a rawer, more raspy feel and they liked that feel and used them deliberately.


I'm sending pictures of the most amazing trees/You'll be obsessed with all my forest expertise

ljay889 Profile Photo
ljay889
#59If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 8:28pm

Her vocals were nearly flawless when I saw the show on opening night. I just think she sounded better live than on this recording.

slmlbl Profile Photo
slmlbl
#60If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/4/14 at 11:40pm

The If/Then Soundtrack is currently in the top ten albums on iTunes. Not show tunes. Albums. That's a pretty remarkable testament to Idina as I can't recall seeing a Broadway Cast Recording break the iTunes albums chart...

Saw the show today and actually loved it.
My fave comment came from the couple behind me that was very confused
"I think it's the sequel to Rent and that's why we're confused because we didn't see that"

YouWantitWhen???? Profile Photo
YouWantitWhen????
#61If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:07am

It has the same rank on Amazon right now - I saw it as high as 8.

TheaterGal3
#62If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:21am

I like the raspy sound I've heard on some of the songs. The night the album was released it was #5 overall on iTunes. Thought that was pretty cool. Love While You Can is one of my favorites on the cd. I remember liking it during the show, but didn't realize how much.

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ljay889
#63If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:26am

Looks like the orchestra was expanded quite a bit for the recording. The orchestrations really do sound exquisite.

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BroadwayGirl107
#64If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:31am

I think the raspiness in Idina's voice is just PERFECT. I'm so happy Idina's voice was captured like this on a recording. I was so disappointed when the Wicked OCR came out and they had done so much to doctor her voice that you lost all those imperfections in her voice that make her so emotional to listen to.

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binau
#65If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 3:16am

Now that the recording is out can we all agree the show isn't the disaster that some think it is?


"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022) "Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009) "Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000

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promisespromises2
#66If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 4:34am

^To me it just reinforces what I've heard people say in person who saw it: The actors were amazing, the singing is amazing, but the story is blah.

I didn't like the story at all and found the show to be boring at times but I love the cast recording because I think the whole cast sounds fricken fantastic.

Updated On: 6/5/14 at 04:34 AM

YouWantitWhen???? Profile Photo
YouWantitWhen????
#67If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 11:17am

There is a Vevo video of "Learn to Live Without." Is this is precursor to a single being released?
Learn to Live Without

someone.else's.story2 Profile Photo
someone.else's.story2
#68If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:20pm

Just want to add to the camp who enjoys rasp and imperfections on recordings. I consider these acting choices since the clearly could have been fixed.


Still waiting on my copy to arrive from Amazon and reading the reviews here, I am getting excited!


“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” ``oscar wilde``

YouWantitWhen???? Profile Photo
YouWantitWhen????
#69If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:31pm

If you bought online, you can use Auto-Rip to download it to your computer.

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haterobics
#70If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:34pm

I love Auto-Rip, although I doubt Amazon would like the way I use it. If/Then Cast Recording

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WickedGinger
#71If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 5:28pm

I just wanted to add to the conversation… I think Idina sounds fantastic, as I knew she would. Listening to the soundtrack has made me more excited about seeing the show on 18th June.

The real pleasant surprise was Anthony Rapp. He sounds fantastic and I just can't get 'You Don't Need To Love Me' out of my head. I just love the following lyrics:

Let me be your emergency contact,
Your occasional plus one.
Your excuse to take a sick day
When the forecast calls for sun.

I also really like Best Worst Mistake.

Just wanted to single Anthony out as no one seems to be talking about him. All in all I just love the CD.

phan24 Profile Photo
phan24
#72If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/5/14 at 11:26pm

I saw the show last week and really enjoyed the concept and music and of course Idina, but what bothered me the most was the lyrics. It seems like Brian Yorkey from Next to Normal is a completely different guy, there are some pretty embarrassing lyrics in this score, anyone else bothered by some of them?

"...so this is what I say:" from Love While You Can seems just so forced and fake.

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uncageg
#73If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/6/14 at 4:22pm

Finally picked it up today. Loved the music live and loving it recorded. I am currently listening to it on 12 speakers in a showroom on the 26th floor overlooking the south, east and north of NYC. It is making for a nice afternoon at work! I just stopped what I was doing and looked out of the windows during "A Map of New York". It was pretty cool.


Just give the world Love.

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pushdabutton
#74If/Then Cast Recording
Posted: 6/6/14 at 10:44pm

I'm very excited since I just got my CD from Amazon in the mail today!

I'm seeing the show in 2 weeks!