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But the term suits more than the songs.
Ms. Bundy, a native of Lexington, Ky., is
aiming to create an entire yalternative
identity. Though shes known for her work in
musical comedies like Legally Blonde and
Hairspray, her album Longing for a Place
Already Gone owes more to
Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline than anyone
on Broadway. The 14 tracks evoke everything
from mountain music to Southern rock, and
they make a convincing case for Ms. Bundy, a
co-producer and co-writer of most of her
material, as a legitimate country artist.
Calling her Ms. Bundy, however, may be
misleading since Longing for a Place
Already Gone is credited only to Laura
Bell. Ms. Bundy explained during a lunch
interview that I dropped the Bundy with
my country music because I wanted it to be
two separate things: Theres me as a
songwriter and a country singer, and theres
me as a Broadway performer. And essentially
this album is being delivered by a
character, but shes more like me than any
of the characters Ive played. Its who I
see myself as and who I want the world to
see me as.
Theres humor and a little bit of
edginess. Its the Southern
Mae West.
She says she is seeking a realistic
balance between Laura Bell Bundy and
Laura Bell. On one hand, copies of the
album are on sale next to Legally Blonde
T-shirts at Times Squares Palace Theater,
where the musical is running. On the other
hand, Ms. Bundy incorporates theatrical
elements into her music. The song
Designated Drunk ends with a spoken-word
monologue, and for select numbers at her
Birdland concerts she used a small fan to
blow her hair in dramatic fashion. I cant
take the theater side out of myself, she
said.
Will country listeners embrace a singer
with Broadway roots? Will theater fans
accept a stage diva who is backed by pedal
steel?
Ive had people listen to the album and
say, I didnt recognize you, or That
didnt sound like you at all, she noted,
adding that one music industry professional
declared her voice too trained for country
music.
Largely, though, Ms. Bundy said reactions
from both worlds have been encouraging. Some
country radio stations have been playing her
songs. In late August WAGS-AM in South
Carolina placed the lilting ballad Fool
Moon in regular rotation. The station
owner, Jim Jenkins, said on the phone that
Ms. Bundys theater background had no
influence on him.
I dont know who Laura Bell is, he
said, but if I like a song, and its
independent, Ill play it. Fool Moon has
got the right feel for us, and I like it.
As they hope for radio support, many
Broadway performers must take a grass-roots
approach to their sideline career, often
self-financing their albums and personally
promoting them via Web sites like
MySpace and the online retailer
CDBaby.com. To gain music industry
traction, some explicitly woo their theater
fan base.
Press Index Source:
New Your Times |
