By Cait Brennan, Nov. 20, 2014.
Kristin Chenoweth | Coming Home | Concord Records | 
Kristin Chenoweth has graced the stage for years, but she’s never graced us with a proper live album 
until now. Recorded in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Okla., (at the Kristin Chenoweth Theater, no less), this career-spanning collection of pop, folk and Broadway favorites crackles with the sparkling wit, good humor and boundless energy of her stage performances.
“I Could Have Danced All Night” starts it off, and truer words were never sung. Chenoweth offers up strong new versions of “For Good” and “Popular” from Wicked, and visits other Broadway showstoppers along the way, including “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables and “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” from Phantom of the Opera. It’s not all show tunes, though; Chenoweth does a particularly lovely version of Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow,” digs back into the 19th century for Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More” and digs out a totally left-field take on the Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer’s disco duet “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough).”
If it seems like Chenoweth is bringing an extra layer of emotion here, she is. The entire performance was recorded in front of an audience that included family and lifelong friends, and that added resonance packs a wallop. The concert was also filmed for broadcast on PBS in late November as well as release on DVD.
Misterwives | ReflectionsEP | PhotoFinish Records |
Misterwives’ Mandy Lee’s powerhouse voice will smack you around and make you like it. Lee and 
cohorts Etienne Bowler and Will Hehir make up the core of Misterwives (a play on “sisterwives”), and though they’ve been together only a little over a year, their indie pop/dance/ska sound has already earned them a substantial fan base. Their energetic and fun six-song debut, Reflections, is likely to build on that considerably.
The title track is an irresistible indie dance stomper, with Lee’s soaring voice over a killer beat and (though, let’s face it, a little bit incomprehensible) chorus. Better still, though, is “Kings and Queens,” with Lee spouting mile-a-minute staccato lyrics over gorgeous analog synth riffs and great rhythm breaks.
The EP showcases some nice downtempo material too, like the elegiac “Coffins” and the chanting, swirling “Imagination Infatuation.” Lee, who studied songwriting and opera at a specialized performing arts school growing up, puts both skills to work, to great effect.
Misterwives’ full-length album is in the works, but for now, with its joyous melodies and great vocals, Reflections is the perfect thing to keep the seasonal blues away.