Here's to the Ladies

Christine Andreas's Here's to the Ladies is even more wonderful than her solo debut, Love Is Good. Following that collection of classy pop standards, Andreas digs further into her Broadway background by paying homage to some of the legends who influenced her. But before you say, "Oh, another tribute album," listen to her sexy "Moonshine Lullaby" or her "Some People" (both from Ethel Merman), and she'll make you forget that you've heard it umpteen times before. Her Mary Martin selections are as diverse as "I'm Flying," "A Wonderful Guy," and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." The wide range of inspirations--from Helen Morgan ("Bill") to Barbra Streisand ("Don't Rain on My Parade," "The Music That Makes Me Dance"), Angela Lansbury ("If He Walked into My Life"), and Barbara Cook ("Will He Like Me?" rather than the expected "Ice Cream" or "Glitter and Be Gay")--provides even more freshness. From belters to ballads, Andreas, producer Martin Silvestri, and a great cast of orchestrators have mined another gem. --David Horiuchi