Martine McCutcheon - Musicality (2002)

After a successful spell treading the boards as Eliza Doolittle on London's West End, an album of classic show tunes seemed a fairly natural move for Martine McCutcheon. Ever since she first broke into the charts with Perfect Moment in 1999, she demonstrated that she was far more influenced by the likes of Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand than she was Madonna and Janet Jackson. There's been a glut of these kinds of albums over the last few years, from Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams to Westlife. McCutcheon clearly has a great fondness for the material here, and she has a big, expressive voice, but unfortunately the pedestrian arrangements on this album render it another dull and unsatisfying effort. Also, the choice of material ranges from predictable ("White Christmas," "There Are Worse Things I Could Do") to bizarre (Does anyone really need to hear McCutcheon's take on "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from The Lion King?) Some bright spots save the record from being a complete waste of time. "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart" is an enjoyable romp, and a slowed-down take on "The Winner Takes It All" benefits by not attempting to recapture the magic of the original vocal, instead remodeling it as a Celine Dion-esque power ballad. But overall this is a second dud in a row from McCutcheon after the bland "Wishing." If she hopes to recapture the success of her debut, a serious rethink is in order.