Name: Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars
Brand: Rhino Records
SKU: 355015
Availability: OutOfStock

Unexpected Dreams

Rating

Album: Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Summertime - Scarlett Johansson
2)	Sweetest Gift, The - Ewan McGregor
3)	In My Daughter's Eyes - Taraji P. Henson
4)	My Heart Is So Full of You - Jennifer Garner
5)	Make You Feel My Love - Jeremy Irons
6)	Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) - John Stamos
7)	Little Child - Lucy Lawless
8)	Wish Song, The - Marissa Jaret Winokur
9)	Greatest Discovery, The - Eric McCormack
10)	No One Is Alone - Victor Garber
11)	Nightshift - Julia Louis-Dreyfus
12)	Golden Slumbers - Nia Vardalos
13)	Lullaby in Ragtime - John C. Reilly
14)	Good Night - Teri Hatcher

Album: Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Summertime - Scarlett Johansson
2)	Sweetest Gift, The - Ewan McGregor
3)	In My Daughter's Eyes - Taraji P. Henson
4)	My Heart Is So Full of You - Jennifer Garner
5)	Make You Feel My Love - Jeremy Irons
6)	Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) - John Stamos
7)	Little Child - Lucy Lawless
8)	Wish Song, The - Marissa Jaret Winokur
9)	Greatest Discovery, The - Eric McCormack
10)	No One Is Alone - Victor Garber
11)	Nightshift - Julia Louis-Dreyfus
12)	Golden Slumbers - Nia Vardalos
13)	Lullaby in Ragtime - John C. Reilly
14)	Good Night - Teri Hatcher

Performer Notes

This disc benefits the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Music Matters program.
Personnel: Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Garner, Ewan McGregor, Nia Vardalos, John Stamos, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Taraji P. Henson, Victor Garber, Jeremy Irons , Eric McCormack, Lucy Lawless (vocals); Paul Viapiano (guitar); Bing Wang, Lyndon Johnston Taylor (violin); Peter Stumpf, Brent Samuel, Peter Stumpf, Brent Samuel (cello); Lorin Levee (clarinet); Ann Marie Gabriele (oboe); Elizabeth Cook Shen, Brian Drake, Mark Adams (French horn); Christopher Hanulik (bass instrument); Dennis Trembly (double bass); Raynor Carroll, Ralph Humphrey, Raynor Carroll (percussion); Katie Kirkpatrick (harp); Varty Manouelian, Mark Kashper (violin); Dale Hikawa Silverman (viola); Catherine Ransom Karoly (flute); James Wilt (trumpet); Joanne Pearce Martin (piano, celesta, Fender Rhodes piano).
Audio Mixer: Asburn Bernie Miller.
Recording information: Entourage Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA.
Creators: Charles F. Gayton; Eric Vetro; Wayne Baruch.
Arrangers: Charles F. Gayton; Eric Vetro; Wayne Baruch; Brad Ellis.
Never mind the "dreams" part of the title: Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars is just flat-out unexpected, and rather unprecedented. The album is a benefit record for "Music Matters," an educational program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the idea is this: pair selected musicians from the Philharmonic with various celebrities who are singing a variety of ballads and lullabies. Since the arrangements don't feature the full Philharmonic, they're neither lush nor overblown; they're rather sleepy and spare, providing a gentle bed for actors who are, by and large, not known for their singing. Sure, there are a few actors who have done musical theater or have appeared in movie musicals -- and, in the case of John Stamos, toured with the Beach Boys -- but even so, Ewan McGregor and John C. Reilly, who both acquit themselves well, aren't the first names to pop to mind when you think of singing actors. Nor are Scarlett Johansson (a lush version of "Summertime" that escapes being sultry), Xena the Warrior Princess (Lucy Lawless), Jeremy Irons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nia Vardalos, Teri Hatcher, or Jack and Sidney Bristow (Victor Garber and Jennifer Garner), for that matter -- none are names that would entice casual listeners to give this album a chance, unless these stars wind up with performances that could fit onto the next edition of Golden Throats (also released by Rhino, as it happens). But the actors respond accordingly to the tasteful, understated arrangements, and rarely give embarrassing performances. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine