Hal Cazalet and Sylvia McNair. (Recital).(Review)

[] "THE LAND WHERE THE GOOD SONGS GO: THE LYRICS OF P. G. WODEHOUSE" Music by Kern, Porter, Gershwin, Novello. Blier, piano. Harbinger Records HCD1901 (Empire Music, dist.)

"I'm not just an opera singer," Sylvia McNair recently told OPERA NEWS, "I'm an in-between singer. I'm happiest straddling both sides of the fence." These Broadway and West End musical numbers from the Teens and '20s fall smack into that transitional period when American and British musical-comedy singing was still heavily informed by nineteenth-century operetta styles, and they are a perfect fit for McNair. P. G. Wodehouse is best-known today for his comic novels, the "Jeeves" series in particular, but many forget that he was also one of the first great musical-comedy lyricists. His lengthy collaboration with Jerome Kern may not have tapped the deep emotional reserves that Kern later explored with Harbach, Hammerstein, Harburg and Fields, but it yielded plenty of gems of a lighter nature.

McNair is joined on this disc by tenor Hal Cazalet, who happens to be Wodehouse's great-grandson. Cazalet, who shares duets with McNair and alternates on solos, has a strong, charismatic sound reminiscent of the young Barry Bostwick, and it's perfect for these witty yet old-fashioned numbers. Accompanist Steven Blier (who also arranged some tracks) has a real affinity for this kind of material and whips it all up into a pleasing froth. One track, the original 1918 version of "Bill," is nicely sung by Lana Cazalet -- another Wodehouse descendant.

Most songs on this disc have melodies by Jerome Kern, and they carry with them the nostalgic veneer of the fox-trot era. They were undoubtedly right at home on piano rolls and parlor music stands. "Tell Me All Your Troubles, Cutie" ...