Composer and orchestrator Lynne Shankel's songwriting debut album, Bare Naked, will feature 21 of her original tunes, including songs she wrote with lyricist Jon Hartmere for the 2012 Off-Broadway revival of Bare; the new recording arrives January 24.
The double album will feature the voices of Whitney Bashor, Katie Rose Clarke, Jenn Colella, Lilli Cooper, Melinda Doolittle, Chester Gregory, Christopher J. Hanke, Elizabeth Judd, Derek Klena, Alice Lee, Telly Leung, Caissie Levy, Lindsay Mendez, Bonnie Milligan, Patti Murin, Missi Pyle, Taylor Trensch, and Noah Zachary.
The album is produced by Shankel and Michael Croiter for Yellow Sound Label. It will be available for download on iTunes and wherever digital music is sold and in hard copy on Amazon and at YellowSoundLabel.com. The album is currently available for pre-order, and 50 percent of the proceeds from album sales will go to benefit the Tyler Clementi Foundation.
“The first nine tracks, BARE, are the songs Jon and I wrote for bare: the musical,” Shankel explains. “The next twelve tracks, NAKED, are songs I’ve written for some of my favorite people over the last few years. It’s rock, pop, a little country, a little R&B and a lot of me. The album is called Bare Naked because it’s about me looking at you and you looking at me, just as we are. No filters, no games, no pretense.
“When we were working on bare, we partnered with the Tyler Clementi Foundation for a lot of events and talkbacks. I was really moved by the work they were doing and when it came time to make this album, giving back to them felt like a very natural thing to do. All of their work in the arena of anti-bullying couldn’t be more important than it is right now.”
The release will be celebrated with a concert at (le) Poisson Rouge January 23, and will feature performances by Whitney Bashor, Katie Rose Clarke, Jenn Colella, Melinda Doolittle, Derek Klena, Bonnie Milligan, Taylor Trensch, Noah Zachary, cast members from bare: The Musical, and more. Show time is 8 PM, and tickets are on sale at lpr.com.
A track list for Bare Naked follows:
DISC 1 – BARE
1. A Million Miles From Heaven (the Bare ensemble)
2. Drive You Outta Your Mind (the Bare ensemble featuring Bonnie Milligan)
3. You Don't Know (Lilli Cooper and Elizabeth Judd)
4. Best Friend (Taylor Trensch and Alice Lee)
5. Hail Mary (featuring Missi Pyle and Taylor Trensch)
6. What If I Told? (the bare ensemble featuring Taylor Trensch and Michael Tacconi)
7. You're Not Alone (Missi Pyle)
8. Best Friend REMIX (Christopher J. Hanke, Patti Murin and the bare ensemble)
DISC 2 – NAKED
1. Anything Can Happen (Caissie Levy)
2. Too Little Too Late (Melinda Doolittle)
3. I Will Make Thunder (Jenn Colella)
4. Anytime, Anywhere, Any Day (Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena)
5. I Got Real Good (Whitney Bashor)
6. Mountain Of Sand (Chester Gregory)
7. Full Moon In July (Lindsay Mendez)
8. Drivin' With The Top Down (Alice Lee)
9. Postcard American Town (Katie Rose Clarke)
10. Brand New Day (Derek Klena)
11. You Gotta Live Your Life (Telly Leung and choir)
12. Pieces of Me (Lynne Shankel)
Visit LynneShankel.com.
