Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) PRESENTS the sixth installment in “Broadway Our Way,” with Michael McElroy’s arrangement of “I Don’t Need A Roof” from Big Fish.
In the sixth video in this continuing series BIV director and founder, Michael McElroy, showcases BIV’s most tender sound with “I Don’t Need A Roof”, from the musical Big Fish. Introduced by composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa, this all-female arrangement features the lush, soulful vocals of Crystal Monee Hall along with the seamless blend of eleven of BIV’s women. Allowing us to see into his process, Mr. McElroy offers, “From the moment I started thinking about [this song] and figuring out my way in musically to maintain the simplicity of the original, and yet find the BIV sound, I knew I wanted it to be all female voices. That felt right to me. It’s one of my favorites I’ve ever arranged. I’ve always loved this song. Kate Baldwin who sang it in the original cast version left an indelible impression on me. I remember seeing the show on Broadway and hearing her sing this song to Norbert’s [Leo Butz] character (her husband). There was something about the story and the simplicity of the plea that truly affected me. So when I was looking at songs to chose this one automatically popped into my head.”
As soloist on this arrangement McElroy again turns to the talents of Crystal Monee Hall. “Crystal and I met when I rejoined the cast of Rent in 2007. Her musicality is simply extraordinary. She can make a song her own and still maintain the original integrity. She is one of those rare singers that has her own voice but does not sacrifice the song. This song is in the style of Kirk Franklin. He has a small ensemble of singers so the unison sound is incredibly important. So much of the beginning of my arrangement is with all the women but in one voice. We worked a long time on the feel and those special touches that pay homage to the Kirk Franklin style – all the breathy quality and aspirated H’s at the beginnings of words with vowels.”
For fans of the B.O.W. series, there is great news to share! On May 22nd, at the Sheen Center in New York City, BIV will be performing a concert of the already released songs along with four more spectacular arrangements still to come. Broadway Our Way will be presented at 7:30 pm. For tickets and more information on this event, visit www.Sheencenter.org. And, the even better news is that none of us has to wait until then to enjoy more of the incredible talents of BIV. On Monday, January 23rd the Sheen Center will present its ongoing series, The Art of the Duo, featuring BIV members singing various styles. On January 23rd, Marva Hicks and Clarke Thorell will be singing an all-Jazz program. And on January 30th, members Lisa Lynne Mathis and Chris Dilley will provide an evening of Inspirational music. All curated and hosted by Michael McElroy. Welcome to 2017. Wonderful music lies here and ahead.
