Just Before Sunrise

It is a rarity that in our lifetime we stumble across someone as talented as Nathan Gunn. He has that 'little something extra' that is so often quoted from "A Star Is Born." The quote is actually from a columnist who wrote years ago but she had the right phrase. This guy is pure talent! His voice has a range that soars through the rafters with great depth and clarity. Each syllable is quite distinct and his delivery amazing. This album is a culmination of many nights on the road and touring. He is on the perfect tract, as I believe the public wants and needs genuine talent. Nathan Gunn has got that and more. I truly enjoyed this CD very much and have been listening to it ever since I bought it. I am looking forward to hearing more from Nathan Gunn as I am sure we have not heard the last.

I was stopped dead in my tracks as I listened to this masterful CD which was the perfect choice for Nathan Gunn to introduce himself to the world outside opera. His voice is silk and strong and every song is better than the one before. If you can't hear how good his voice and these songs go together you should give it another chance. Buy this CD and if you have a true musical ear you will rejoice in listening to Just Before Sunrise. I can't wait till he does a follow-up CD with more standards, ballads, and whatever surprise he has up his sleeve.

Prospective buyers, or those who've already purchased, "Just Before Sunrise", should log on to Nathan Gunn's website and listen to his podcasts. His very personal narrative sequeing between song excerpts is very engaging. Especially insightful are the biographical details of the authors, composers, and accompanying artists he uses, all of which highlight his motives and musical/artistic choices.

Having seen Nathan Gunn on the stage of the Metropolitan three times I fell in love with his voice and stage presence from the first. I bought this CD out of curiosity -- could that great baritone pull off pop music? The answer for me is an enthusiastic yes. Baritones can be so "thick" that they can't stretch across musical type. But Gunn not only show a remarkable range, but actually makes the music not only melodic but often very soft and sweet -- not typical qualities for baritone voices. He can sell a song like no one else yet the selection choices were curious as I couldn't quite get how the majority fit the theme of the title song "Just before Sunrise." Yet, they were haunting, often catchy and generally alluring. And I love it when popular composers more obscure pieces are highlighted by masters like Gunn. I enjoyed this CD more than "American Anthem" (his first.)

You never know when classical crossover will work and when it won't. Nathan Gunn's voice is as suave and creamy as Thomas Hampson's, and he's nowhere near as mannered as Hampson often is when he attempts Broadway tunes. But somehow this CD doesn't strike sparks, in large part because Gunn is rhythmically stiff and emotionally square. When Broadway's "Grey Gardens" star Kristin Chenowerth jumps in for a few bars, one winces at the contrast between her natural feeling for pop and Gunn's bland imitation. I listened to the whole album, but one sample -- Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" --was embarrassing enough to kill all pleasure. Gunn has become the poster boy for "opera singers who go to the gym," but he doesn't play on his sexy media image. If anything, he should. These flat renditions need a lot mroe sexiness than he gives them with vocalism alone.