Barbara Cook's Broadway

Barbara Cook's Broadway

<I>Barbara Cook's Broadway</I> doesn't actually document this magnificent singer's engagement on the Great White Way, but instead a Lincoln Center show compiling her favorite musical-theater tunes. Cook includes material from two of her signature shows: "Till There Was You" from <I>The Music Man</I> and a superb four-song suite from <I>She Loves Me</I> (though she doesn't do "Ice Cream"). The rest ranges from standards ("A Wonderful Guy") to underestimated pieces ("His Face" from <I>Carnival</I>). Like Rosemary Clooney before her, Cook has maintained her standing as a singer by reinventing herself from ingenue to supremely elegant and precise stylist. Just listen to her unexpectadly dark-edged version of "The Gentleman Is a Dope" and you'll see how a brilliant interpretive singer can out wring new meaning out of the most familiar material. It's not all about belting, folks. <I>--Elisabeth Vincentelli</I>