Album Review: Lucie Arnaz Tells Everyone “How I Got The Job” On Her New Album LIVE AT THE PURPLE ROOM

Heigh Ho, dear lovely rainbow tribe, welcome back to Bobby’s CD sandbox where we offer our broken-down breakdowns of new music releases. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

This week’s album entry in the BobbyFiles comes from the one, the only Lucie Arnaz. And that’s where this review could stop my angels, with just her name and the title of her latest music album, LIVE AT THE PURPLE ROOM. Anyone who was conscious in the 1970s was aware of Lucie as an eminently talented teen on her family’s hit show for 5 seasons. There’s where she triple threaded the triple-threat needle of acting, singing, and dancing (she learned to tap dance for the show), alongside her teen heartthrob brother and her demure housewife mother, all while honing her natural comic chops, and that’s all that needs to be said about that portion of her legacy, all because, in the ensuing years, she has added many more threads to the quilt of a life well spent in show business, and that’s what her cababret/concert show - HOW I GOT THE JOB is about. Recorded live in performance at the Purple Room in Palm Springs, this new album is one of the best cabaret “in concert” albums of the last decade or more. Wisely, Lucie has chosen to record the entire show, talkie bits and all, so one can really get the sense of the work, fully, and hear her audience’s reactions to her skillful storytelling. Dividing the show into two discs to accommodate the 27-ish tracks, one “could” skip through to each song if one wanted, but trust little Bobby when we implore one not to… at least not the first half dozen times you listen to this one. But as much of a joy as it is to hear Lady Lucie tell her theatre stories, it is the songs where she really shines.

Accompanied by her music director/arranger, the legend Ron Abel, and kicking off with a mashup of THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS & A LOT OF LIVIN’ TO DO, you immediately hear her full, rich voice, still with real star power in it - so much more than “Lounge” quality. The fact she’s not been on Broadway MORE is a crime, though she has done pretty well with 5 shows “On the Street” and 5 more Broadway tours to her credit. The journey she sets up for the live audience is the journey the listener will go on with this album. She does great crowd work throughout, especially when she discovers an old Catholic Girls’ School pal in the crowd and they, off the cuff, get big laughs singing their Catholic Girls' school song - Hilarious. With a fine performance of POOR EVERYBODY ELSE from SEESAW, her first, first national tour, the thought occurs that Lucie has very much maintained her voice down through the years. Not to be an indelicate gay, but the lady is not a kid. Nevertheless, her vocals are limber and musically adept on all fronts, and this song is an early standout in this collection, followed by two great tributes to her time as Annie Oakley in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, which she performed at the massive Jones Beach Amphitheatre where the show literally floats up to the theatre on pontoon boats. YOU CAN’T GET A MAN WITH A GUN is a true BELT number which she attacks with gusto and a terrific countrified accent. The second ANNIE song, I GOT LOST IN HIS ARMS, is a young girl’s love song now sung in Lucie’s mature voice, making it a dreamlike harkening to the past. Abel’s musical support here is spot on and, as the song ends, you hear him saying to her, “Beautiful, beautiful… that was beautiful.” And when Ron Abel tells you something about anything music… you know you’ve done a great job. The first standout on disc two is WHO’S THE MAN, where Lucie (who starred in the West End Production of the musical version of THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK) takes on a song she didn’t sing. This is actually “The Devil” Daryl Van Horn’s jazz love song to himself. Hilarious and an “All Man” song, she sells like it was written for her... snappy lyrics too. Speaking of jazz, with  NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT (from her time with Tommy Tune touring in MY ONE AND ONLY) we get the lovely verse intro that is not often heard, and then she drops into the jazz/blues strut of the number. Ron Abel’s arrangement is, indeed, perfect jazz. On the DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS' song WHAT WAS A WOMAN TO DO? she seems positively made for David Yazbeck's lyrics, as she wraps her mouth around those mouthfuls so adeptly.

Those are some of the highlights that we really enjoyed in this collection, but, in truth, we could go on and on about each-and-every song ad infinitum (Bobby knows Latin words, too!) … We will conclude, though, with the final song of Lucie’s act, NO TIME AT ALL from her most recent Broadway job, PIPPIN.  As she says on the album, she took on this role, flying trapeze and all, at 63 years of age and had a blast doing it. Going by her performance of this time-honored Stephen Schwartz standard, she must have been a terrific Berthe (the title character’s granny). Every word is acted just as she would have in the theatre, in character, and performed to perfection, the little character pops in her throat, adding texture and fun. A Great number to wrap it up… And now Bobby’s review…Throughout this album are songs Lucie sings in just this way - the way she did when she played the role. Lucie’s singing voice is that of a Broadway belter, but more than that, Lucie Arnaz is an actor. She is an interpretive artist who uses her imagination to cultivate emotions around the material she must perform, delivering that work in real, potent, and accessible ways that touch her audience more deeply than just eyes and ears. To make this artistry apparent on an audio recording is a major accomplishment, and although she had the help of a live audience and Mr. Ron Abel, the heart of her show is her art, one that she has practiced for more than half a century, and whatever her inherited legacy may be, this work is hers and demands attention. Well, Lucie, Bobby paid attention and we’re so glad we did because we give LIVE AT THE PURPLE ROOM a resounding … 

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

You Can See And Hear Everything About Lucie Arnaz On Her Webbysite: HERE

Jump Into The Amazon & Stream This One For Yourself: HERE

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