The Three Tenors, Three Mo’ Tenors. The Irish Tenors. The Three Sopranos. The Countertenors. “Can you lend me a ten-er?” And now, The American Tenors. Yes, The American Tenors is the latest, but probably not the last, incarnation of this rented-mule–whipped idea. Frank McNamara, the man behind The Irish Tenors, has pulled together three talented relatively unknown tenors from a nationwide talent search—Daniel Montenegro from the West Coast, Nathan Granner from the mid-West, and Mauricio O’Reilly from the East Coast—and has showcased what might be the best of the new generation of American tenor voices. But as enjoyable as the album is, and timely too for national feel-gooding, it does seem quite exploitative. But why quibble? It at least introduces us to new operatic talent within these hallowed shorelines.

This disk contains an excellent cross-section of songs from the canon of the Great American Songbook (plus a couple Italian songs and one Mexican song) that do show off the lyric tenor voice well; however, I must admit I don’t normally believe that songs from musicals, movies, or other light fare translate well to the stylings of the operatic voice. (One exception to this is Thomas Hampson. His recordings reveal a voice and careful style that treat the American Songbook gently and wonderfully; he, however, is a baritone and we’re dealing with another animal here.) I can happily report that the songs, chosen and for the most part arranged by McNamara, do well by the tenors and the orchestra, some pieces faring better than others.

A quick scan of the songs on the disc show a leaning toward the songs of Richard Rogers and one other interesting thing: Granner is showcased with two solo songs whereas Montenegro and O’Reilly get one each; this, dear reader, is no coincidence.

The disk’s opener, "With a Song in My Heart", a Rodgers and Hart composition from "Spring Is Here", is a great, happy love song with a big, glad sound and fanfare-ish horns to boot. It’s a great way to begin this confident disc. The next song, however, "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", is a real highpoint on the disc. Granner sings beautifully, catching all the nuances of the song. This song provides a start for what is to come from him on the rest of the album. His voice is well showcased by McNamara’s expert arrangement and the song is given a beautiful treatment all around. Perhaps, the next choice from the vast American repertoire is most indicative of the voices possessed by the three tenors. Granner begins "The House I Live In" with a downright gorgeous voice; strong, confident, full, not to mention full of feeling. Montenegro is next with a verse sung in a lower register and his voice is not as strong, and I came away from his rendition aware of a voice not fully formed or if so, not capable of strong projection. O’Reilly’s voice is quite good and has a distinctly different timbre than Granner’s, but to my ears, O’Reilly does not hold command all elements of the song as fully as Granner does. The other thing about O’Reilly is his strong accent, which you might not expect from an “American” tenor. He was born and raised in Mexico and more recently moved to New York. I don’t hold his accent against him in anyway, of course, except to say that it is something that is a bit difficult to get used to. To be fair, this probably just my own ear used to hearing flat American accents singing American songs. O’Reilly’s voice is nonetheless quite enjoyable and it is always interesting to hear the different colors produced by Granner and O’Reilly. "Shenandoah" is a beautiful song written by that prolific composer “Traditional.” Granner launches heartfelt and headlong into the song with a voice dripping with remembrance and longing. His voice is as beautiful to hear as a flower in bloom is to see.

There’s no reason to give a song-by-song account of the disc, but a few more examples might prove useful. Montenegro serves up "Be My Love" for his solo effort. Although there is nothing wrong with his voice, per se, the song would have been better sung by Granner or O’Reilly. I do have to say that this rendition nearly exemplifies why I’m normally prejudiced against operatic styling of songs from the American Songbook. What I specifically mean by this is that an operatic voice can, if not carefully controlled, change the intrinsic nature of the song, whereas an operatic voice properly regulated and controlled can breathe nuance, fresh interpretation, and new life into wonderful songs. Jim Nabors anyone? Written by Agustin Lara, "Granada" is O’Reilly’s showcase, which shows off his voice (and diction) to its natural advantage. On the disc, O’Reilly doesn’t seem to get as many chances to stand out and frequently he appears to be vocally supported by Montenegro and Granner. O’Reilly’s voice is quite good and strong, but it lacks the fullness and projection of Granner’s. Other than Granner’s second solo effort, "If I Loved You", from Carousel, the other high water mark on the disc is the medley from West Side Story. Each tenor is able to shine on his own, and they support each other exceptionally well, plus the orchestra offers up first-rate sympathetic support. Montenegro delivers his best performance in the medley; the arrangement works perfectly for his voice here.

On only a few occasions the orchestra overpowers the tenors. This is inexcusable as the orchestral recording appears to have been made in Poland while the vocals were recorded separately in Ireland. Mind you, the songs are well mixed, but to have the orchestra infrequently overpower the soloists should only ever be a problem in a live recording. This is just a small quibble about an otherwise well-produced disc. One serious problem was the lack of anything meaningful in the liner notes. Just one paragraph on how the three American tenors were chosen from a nationwide talent search.

Overall, the disc is quite enjoyable; it is already quite popular in the crossover classical market. I can’t wait to hear more from them, especially Granner whose voice is clear and full, radiant and confident. He’s that good. If I may draw a parallel, he takes on his parts in these songs, solo and ensemble, rendering them with a personal feeling that makes them all his own without falling into the dangerous precipice of sentimentality, in a way I can only equate with Frank Sinatra who owned every song he ever sang. Granner, although sharing the microphone with his compatriots, sets standards every time he sings. I hope he’ll record a disk of Aaron Copland’s complete Old American Songs because his voice is perfect for this repertoire, not to mention operatic roles on the stage. I would have given the disk three and a half stars, but Granner is such a standout, that the disc earns four.

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The American Tenors

The American Tenors

Released: March 4, 2003
Origination Year: 2003
Time: 55:19
Tracks: 16
Produced by: Frank McNamara
Engineered by: Gary Grey
Mastered by: Mark Wilder
Style: Studio
Format: CD
Enhancement: N/A
Label: Odyssey Records
Website:
www.americantenorsmusic.com

With A Song In My Heart
Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair
The House I Live In
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
Shenandoah
You'll Never Walk Alone
Amazing Grace
Torna a Surriento
O Sole Mio/It's Now or Never
Be My Love
Granada
West Side Story (Medley)
America the Beautiful
If I Loved You
Funiculi, Funicula.