Heading East
On Amazon.com Heading East earned a consumer review of a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.
This is from "Show Music":
Leon Ko and Robert Lee's HEADING EAST (Dink Records 1999; 73:46) is a fascinating, exhilaratingly ingenious work. Celebrating the Asian-American experience while attempting to erase prejudices within Oriental cultures by illustrating how much they have in common, Heading East traverses 150 years of history within its framework of a grandfather attempting to make his grandson aware of how much progress has been made -- and how much more needs to be. If this sounds like a somber treatise on race relations, it is anything but.
Ko's music ranges from Oriental sounds through traditional showtunes, bluegrass and contemporary rhythms, providing an appealing variety of genres for Lee's shrewd lyrics. Those characters first and foremost as human beings, in numbers such as "A Long, Long Way Back Home," "Yankee Boy," "Thanksgiving/Family Traditions," and "Stay Out of San Francisco!". This concept album is extremely entertaining, even if it runs out of steam a bit before it ends, it has much to admire and seems worthy of a production.
The cast is headed by Paolo Montalban, from the recent The King and I revival and TV adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, who sings with panache. Others in the talented cast include Jason Ma, Christine Toy Johnson, Fay Ann Lee, Ralph Pena, Cindy Cheung, Ching Valdes/Aran, and Ming Lee. This recording is highly recommended.
My review of Heading East, as it appears on www.amazon.com :
| This is a great new
musical |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from Wisconsin, USA June 21, 1999 |
| This musical has some of the best singers you can find. The vocals are
absolutely amazing. Paolo Montalban (Timothy/Siu Yee) Does an outsanding vocal
performance. If your not already a fan of the Mortal Kombat Conquest: the series star, who
also portrayed Prince Charming in the 1997 "Cinderella" with Whintey Houston and
Brandy, then you will be now. Paolo has an above the mark vocal talent. The music is very
new, which is in itself refreshing. Musicals seem to be droning the same sounds lately,
but this is a breath of fresh air. The storyline is wonderful. Its about time someone
brought notice to the Asian community. Its light-hearted, and touching, sometimes
humorous...This is definately a must buy! |
Other Reviews that appear on www.amazon.com for Heading East:
| Very entertaining and
informative! |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from New York City June 24, 1999 |
| I really enjoyed the music and the story line. I also learned a lot about
the history of asians who came to the U.S.A. I hope to see this show in Broadway someday!
Kudos to all the artists who made this possible. |
| Great music &
lyrics-you feel the emotion in this rendition |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from New Jersey August 15, 1999 |
| This musical tells the experiences of Asians moving to America. It
describes the struggle of maintaining one's culture while trying to fit in to a new one.
It would be great to see this produced on stage or as a TV movie (PBS or A & E - are
you listening?). The singing on this CD is excellent - the story comes to life and you can
feel their pain and triumph! Particularly noteworthy is the performance by Paolo Montalban
- his voice is clear, melodic, and powerful. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this
young talent! |
| excellent musical a
must have for musical fans of broadway! |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from San Francisco Bay Area CA September 14, 1999 |
| I ordered this recording because Paolo Montalban was one of the lead
vocalist and I wasn't disappointed. I think it's great production and my only complaint is
there wasn't a larger information sheet on this CD. I would love to introduce this CD to
the public at large, so they can enjoy this for not only the musical content but the
actual information on the asian american experiences of chinese, but other asian groups!!!
I highly recommend this to everyone! |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from Chicago September 23, 1999 |
| I thoroughly enjoy this new musical. If you want to hear Paolo Montalban
sing again, this is the album to buy. His voice is absolutely amazing: sexy and powerful.
I listen to the duet 'Much like You' by Paolo and Fay Ann Lee over and over again and
never get tired of it. The mother(Ching Valdes/Aran)'s unique voice in 'Only Home' is
refreshing too. I look forward to seeing this on stage. It will be a lot of fun. |
| Superb Talent,
Refreshing, a Must for Music Lovers |
| Reviewer: A
music fan from Sacramento, California October 22, 1999 |
| When I first heard this CD, I found it surprisingly refeshing. It gave a
history of the Asians' struggles during the gold-rush years, yet it was light-hearted
enough to make it enjoyable for the listener. It's a history lesson and a sound track that
should eventually lead to a Broadway play! Everyone did a wonderful job, but I have to say
that Paolo Montalban was outstanding. His voice was clear with just the right amout of
fluctuation to communicate the feel of each situation. I would advise anyone interested in
this type of music to try it. |
To hear sound clips from Heading East, Click Here