CLOSE TO YOU: BACHARACH REIMAGINED Cast Recording Now on Spotify; Concerts Set for NYC, LA

By: Sep. 26, 2016
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Ghostlight Records has announced that Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined from Kyle Riabko is now available from Spotify and other streaming services.

Riabko - star and creator of the hit West End show Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined and the earlier acclaimed Off-Broadway version What's it All About? Bacharach Reimagined - will bring his extraordinary Burt Bacharach arrangements to solo concerts and album launches this fall in both New York and Los Angeles.

First he will headline two shows in New York at Joe's Pub at The Public on Monday, October 17 at 7:00 PM and Tuesday, October 18 at 9:30 PM. Details and tickets are at JoesPub.com. Then he will perform two shows in Los Angeles at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5 at 8:00 PM. Details and tickets are at TheWallis.org.

For all shows he will accompany himself on guitar performing his celebrated versions of such classics as "Alfie," "I Say A Little Prayer," "Walk On By," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," and many more. A special new video trailer of the album is now available here.

Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined revitalizes the catalog of the iconic American composer for a new generation with Riabko's visionary interpretations on the genre-spanning catalogue of Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David and others. The show was hailed as "one of the year's 10 best" by The New York Times and Burt Bacharach himself said "Kyle has done something truly unique. It's brilliant. It's a very fresh take on my music and it's a huge tribute to me." The album also features special bonus tracks of Kyle's never-before-heard original demos, which formed the basis for the project. The 28-page booklet includes a note from Riabko, liner notes, production and studio photography and opening night photos of Bacharach with the cast. Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined is produced and arranged by Kyle Riabko with David Lane Seltzer of Entertainment 360 serving as executive producer. To order, visit www.sh-k-boom.com/close-to-you-bacharach-reimagined.

The recording features over 30 hits as performed by Riabko and the other incredibly talented young singers and musicians who made up the cast of this magical show. The album showcases beautifully-reimagined versions of classics such as "Alfie," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Walk On By," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," "The Look of Love," "What's New Pussycat?", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Don't Make Me Over," "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "A House Is Not A Home," and the enduring title track.

Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined was hailed as "an exhilaratingly fresh new spin" by the London Independent, "highly imaginative" by The Daily Telegraph, "the hippest and hottest musical night in town" by The Stage and "ferociously clever" by The Daily Mail. When the show originally opened in New York, Entertainment Weekly raved that "Riabko is the wonderfully appealing star. It's completely swoon-worthy and super-groovy." New York Magazine called the show "a stunning new musical. It's a revelation and it's fantastic." According to The Washington Post, "the fun, youthful vibe of this show brings a new flavor to Bacharach's timeless classics."

Burt Bacharach appeared at the show's opening night in the West End, and said, "This is star musicianship. Kyle is a beautiful singer and one hell of a guitar player. This is truly a gift. It's a love letter to me."

Kyle Riabko is a singer, guitarist, composer and actor who grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Before starring on Broadway in both Spring Awakening and Hair, Kyle released a full-length album of original music on Columbia/Aware Records and spent his teen years appearing as an opening act for a wide range of artists including: B.B. King, JAmes Brown, John Mayer, Keb' Mo', Buddy Guy, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5, among others.

After appearing in various film and television roles, Kyle created and starred in an earlier incarnation of the show at New York Theatre Workshop and The Menier Chocolate Factory under the title What's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined. The production received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Revue, an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and four Lucille Lortel Award nominations, including ones for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Kyle.

The album features Kyle Riabko (vocals, guitars, keyboards, ukulele), Daniel Bailen (vocals, electric bass, upright bass, cello, guitar), Greg Coulson (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Anastacia McCleskey (vocals), Stephanie McKeon (vocals), Renato Paris (vocals, keyboards) and James Williams (percussion).

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

Sh-K-Boom with its imprint Ghostlight Records has become the leading independent force in Original Broadway Cast Recordings - building a library of over 150 records in the last 16 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway's brightest stars. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight has won three Grammy Awards (for The Book of Mormon, In the Heights and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical) and is a frequent nominee, most recently for the OBCR of the 2015 "Best Musical" Tony Award nominee Something Rotten! Other notable recent releases include the 2016 "Best Musical" Tony Award nominee Bright Star by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the 2014 "Best Musical" Tony Award winner A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, the 2014 "Best Score" Tony Award winner The Bridges of Madison County, Disney's Newsies, Pippin and Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, adding to a catalogue that includes OBCRs of Next to Normal, Hair, Legally Blonde, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Everyday Rapture, Passing Strange, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Drowsy Chaperone and many more Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The label has also released solo albums from some of Broadway's biggest names: Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott, Adam Pascal, Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Alice Ripley, Christine Ebersole, Melissa Errico and Ben Vereen. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theatre composers with their extensive relationships with Michael John LaChiusa (First Daughter Suite, Giant, See What I Wanna See, Little Fish) and Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Love's Labour's Lost, The Fortress of Solitude), as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Pasek & Paul, Joe Iconis, Ryan Scott Oliver, Shaina Taub, Dave Malloy, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk and Adam Gwon. The label recently created a new joint publishing venture with Razor & Tie to represent songwriters that fuse theatrical and pop music. Sh-K-Boom Entertainment is a producer of the acclaimed film version of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. For more, visiting www.sh-k-boom.com.



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