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My review of Heading East, as it appears on www.amazon.com :
HEADING EAST- Paolo Montalban
This is from "Show Music":
Leon Ko and Robert Lee's HEADING EAST (Dink Records 1999; 73:46) is a fascinating, exhilaratingly ingenious work. Celebrating the Asian-American experience while attempting to erase prejudices within Oriental cultures by illustrating how much they have in common, Heading East traverses 150 years of history within its framework of a grandfather attempting to make his grandson aware of how much progress has been made -- and how much more needs to be. If this sounds like a somber treatise on race relations, it is anything but.
Ko's music ranges from Oriental sounds through traditional showtunes, bluegrass and contemporary rhythms, providing an appealing variety of genres for Lee's shrewd lyrics. Those characters first and foremost as human beings, in numbers such as "A Long, Long Way Back Home," "Yankee Boy," "Thanksgiving/Family Traditions," and "Stay Out of San Francisco!". This concept album is extremely entertaining, even if it runs out of steam a bit before it ends, it has much to admire and seems worthy of a production.
The cast is headed by Paolo Montalban, from the recent The King and I revival and TV adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, who sings with panache. Others in the talented cast include Jason Ma, Christine Toy Johnson, Fay Ann Lee, Ralph Pena, Cindy Cheung, Ching Valdes/Aran, and Ming Lee. This recording is highly recommended.
| This is a great new musical |
| Reviewer: A music fan from Wisconsin, USA
June 21, 1999 (This one is from Me... Andrea)
|
| This musical has
some of the best singers you can find. The vocals are absolutely amazing. Paolo Montalban
(Timothy/Siu Yee) Does an outsanding vocal performance. If your not already a fan of the
Mortal Kombat Conquest: the series star, who also portrayed Prince Charming in the 1997
"Cinderella" with Whintey Houston and Brandy, then you will be now. Paolo has an
above the mark vocal talent. The music is very new, which is in itself refreshing.
Musicals seem to be droning the same sounds lately, but this is a breath of fresh air. The
storyline is wonderful. Its about time someone brought notice to the Asian community. Its
light-hearted, and touching, sometimes humorous...This is definately a must buy! |
Other Reviews that appear on www.amazon.com for Heading East:
| Very entertaining and informative! |
| Reviewer: A music fan from New York City
June 24, 1999 |
| I really enjoyed
the music and the story line. I also learned a lot about the history of asians who came to
the U.S.A. I hope to see this show in Broadway someday! Kudos to all the artists who made
this possible. |
| Great music & lyrics-you feel the emotion
in this rendition |
| Reviewer: A music fan from New Jersey
August 15, 1999 |
| This musical
tells the experiences of Asians moving to America. It describes the struggle of
maintaining one's culture while trying to fit in to a new one. It would be great to see
this produced on stage or as a TV movie (PBS or A & E - are you listening?). The
singing on this CD is excellent - the story comes to life and you can feel their pain and
triumph! Particularly noteworthy is the performance by Paolo Montalban - his voice is
clear, melodic, and powerful. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this young talent! |
| excellent musical a must have for musical fans
of broadway! |
| Reviewer: A music fan from San Francisco
Bay Area CA September
14, 1999 |
| I ordered this
recording because Paolo Montalban was one of the lead vocalist and I wasn't disappointed.
I think it's great production and my only complaint is there wasn't a larger information
sheet on this CD. I would love to introduce this CD to the public at large, so they can
enjoy this for not only the musical content but the actual information on the asian
american experiences of chinese, but other asian groups!!! I highly recommend this to
everyone! |
| Reviewer: A music fan from Chicago
September 23, 1999 |
| I thoroughly
enjoy this new musical. If you want to hear Paolo Montalban sing again, this is the album
to buy. His voice is absolutely amazing: sexy and powerful. I listen to the duet 'Much
like You' by Paolo and Fay Ann Lee over and over again and never get tired of it. The
mother(Ching Valdes/Aran)'s unique voice in 'Only Home' is refreshing too. I look forward
to seeing this on stage. It will be a lot of fun. |
| Superb Talent, Refreshing, a Must for Music
Lovers |
| Reviewer: A music fan from Sacramento,
California October
22, 1999 |
| When I first
heard this CD, I found it surprisingly refeshing. It gave a history of the Asians'
struggles during the gold-rush years, yet it was light-hearted enough to make it enjoyable
for the listener. It's a history lesson and a sound track that should eventually lead to a
Broadway play! Everyone did a wonderful job, but I have to say that Paolo Montalban was
outstanding. His voice was clear with just the right amout of fluctuation to communicate
the feel of each situation. I would advise anyone interested in this type of music to try
it. |
