Broadway Soul underscores Kyle Taylor Parker’s bold creativity and vision
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A self-defined jazz and soul music geek, Kyle Taylor Parker starred in the original Broadway casts of Kinky Boots and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.
His latest musical project – Broadway Soul, Vol. 1 – marries his love for both musical theatre and soul. The concept originated in the YouTube series ‘Soul Sessions’ where Taylor Parker and composer Joshua Stephen Kartes would take Broadway standards and re-imagine them through the lens of soul, jazz and gospel. ‘In arranging the album I wanted to create something that put my soul on display and empowered the listener to celebrate their own unique spirit,’ says Taylor Parker. ‘A 10 track mixtape of Broadway tunes remixed as soul grooves seemed like the perfect vehicle for that mission.’
One has to admire Taylor Parker’s brazenness in his song selection. The album spans well-established Broadway (Show Boat, Anything Goes, West Side Story, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera), more contemporary rock/pop musicals (Rent, Next to Normal), and those with more R&B flavour (The Wiz, Hairspray).
Each song certainly takes a few bars for the ear to acclimatise. Yet Taylor Parker treads the line carefully between pulling apart the material, but also respecting the integrity of the original melodies. The ultimate strength of the piece is that the reworkings all seem congruent with the lyrical content. As Taylor Parker explains: ‘When arranging a tune I always go to the lyric first and ask myself ”What’s the message?”, ”What does it want to be?” that way the arrangement is in line with the spirit of the song.’
West Side Story‘s ‘I Feel Pretty’ is reworked into a funk-stomping anthem of pride, inspired by James Brown’s ‘Say It Loud’. ‘Think of Me’, a quasi-aria from The Phantom of the Opera, is turned into an almost unrecognisable disco jaunt that is thoroughly convincing.
‘I’m Alive’ from rock-musical Next to Normal is given a cool, laidback groove with scintillating keys. The emphasis shifts from a defiant, rebellious number (performed in the show by an angsty teenager) to a quietly confident wink from Taylor Parker. Rent’s pop/rock ‘Out Tonight’ sounds like a Drifters’ cut from the vault while an Erykah Badu-inspired ‘Anything Goes’ sees Cole Porter’s lyrics put to a trippy neo-soul arrangement. ‘Ol’ Man River’ from Show Boat – an African-American standard – is mashed-up with Sam Cooke’s seminal ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ to moving effect.
‘Do You Hear the People Sing’, a rousing song of revolution from the first act of Les Misérables, proves the most compelling interpretation. It begins as a calm, quiet reflection from Taylor Parker who takes slight melodic detours with just a piano accompanying him. The backing vocals sing the original melody, allowing space for Taylor Parker to add his embellishments. Tiffany Mann shares vocal duties and sings with searing conviction. Stripped of its theatrical bombast, it is charged with a contemporary relevance.
