The Drifters Girl - Original Cast Album (Review)

An Olivier-nominated musical, The Drifters Girl tells the story of the iconic vocal group and their pioneering manager Faye Treadwell – who oversaw The Drifters’ fluctuating line-ups and competition from counterfeit groups. An exciting but flawed show, the weaknesses in the book are largely forgiven when the cast – led by Beverley Knight as Faye Treadwell alongside Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Adam J Bernard, Matt Henry, and Tarinn Callender as The Drifters – begin to sing.

The original cast album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, serves as a brilliant outlet for these soulful and commanding voices – if occasionally lacking the intensity of the live performances.

In many cases, musical director Will Stuart uses the original arrangements as a framework around which additional orchestrations and backing vocals are added. The soundtrack begins with an opening medley that brilliantly blends ‘Hello Happiness’, ‘Kissin’ in the Back Row of the Movies’, and ‘There Goes My First Love’ – three of The Drifters’ mid-’70s hits. ‘Fools Fall In Love’, a 1957 hit for The Drifters, is coloured with doo-wop harmonies and a gorgeous denouement, with a crooning, charismatic lead vocal from Matt Henry. Wanogho-Maud duets beautifully with Henry on ‘In the Land of Make Believe’, while the richly-voiced Callender rips through ‘Come On Over to My Place.’ Several of the more orthodox renditions (‘There Goes My First Love’, ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’, ‘When My Little Girl is Smiling’) may not stand up to the source material, but are enjoyable nonetheless.

All of Beverley Knight’s numbers feature distinctly new arrangements, from a minimalist ‘Follow Me’ to the feisty ‘Nobody But Me’. She thrills on two showstoppers: Firstly, an aching ‘I Don’t Want To Go On With You’ which segues into a devastating reprise of ‘Stand By Me’; secondly, a version of ‘Harlem Child’ (a Drifters deep-cut from 1975) repurposed as a gospelly power ballad wherein Treadwell promises to make a better life for her daughter.

The other radical rearrangement, and a highlight alongside Knight’s numbers, is ‘There Goes My Baby’ (1959), co-written by Treadwell’s husband George. Reimagined here as a ballad with angular, electric guitar, Adam J Bernard exhibits gorgeous finesse and beautiful falsetto.

You can buy tickets to see The Drifters Girl here.