Golden Days – New Album By Kerry Ellis & Brian May
Golden Days – Kerry Ellis & Brian May Album
Golden Days is the new album by Kerry Ellis with Brian May. It is released on the 7th April through Sony Entertainment but Musical Theatre Musings has been given a copy to listen to ahead of the public release!!
The album is compromised of 13 tracks which includes 5 original compositions. 2 of these new songs are by Brian May including ‘It’s Going to Be Alright (The Panic Attack Song) and 3 by Ellis and May, including the opening track; Love is A Rainbow, The Kissing Me Song and Roll With You. It also includes some new rock arrangements of some of May and Ellis’ favourite songs as well as reinterpretations of songs from their live act which vary from the Traditional (Amazing Grace) to musical theatre (If I Loved You) to pop (Story of a Heart).
In 2010 Ellis and May released Anthems and I was lucky enough to see their concert version of this album as well as see Ellis several times since in her concert with Louise Dearman and her role as Alice in Wonderland. There is no doubting that her stuff with May has its own unique sound.
The track list on Golden Days is as follows:
- Love In A Rainbow (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
- Roll With You (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
- Golden Days (Brian May)
- It’s Gonna Be All Right (The Panic Attack Song) (Brian May)
- Amazing Grace (John Newton, Trad, Arr Brian May)
- One Voice (Ruth Moody)
- If I Loved You (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rogers)
- Born free (John Barry, Don Black)
- Parisenne Walkways (Phil Lynott, Gary Moore)
- I Who Have Nothing (Carlos Donida, Mogol, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
- The Kissing Me Song (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
- Story of a Heart (Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson)
- Can’t Help Falling In Love (Hugo Peretti, Lugi Creatore, George David Weiss
Kerry Ellis has one of those voices which can clearly sing anything however her voice is at it’s best when she is singing rock, backed up by Brian May on electric guitar! The arrangement of I Who Have Nothing fits this brief perfectly. The Kissing Me Song however has a nice soft rock/country feel to it and this is the song that I found myself nodding along to with its catchy hook!
There were a few of the songs that do sound samey however overall there is a nice variety on the album and due to the original music it is different to so many other musical theatre singers albums out there. It is therefore an interesting addition to an album collection for any musical theatre fan as well as the legions of Kerry Ellis’ fans and those that like May and want to hear his original music.