Infinite Joy: The Songs of William Finn (Live at Joe's Pub)

Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known for In Trousers, the award-winning Falsettoland, and the criminally underrated A New Brain. This CD includes excerpts from all those shows along with some rare gems and even some tantalizing bits from the upcoming The Royal Family of Broadway. Performed with Vadim Feichtner at the piano, the versions are sometimes wacky (in "The Baseball Game," Stephen DeRosa sings all the roles as if auditioning for an amateur production of Falsettoland), but they're always beguiling. Guests include Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, and Mary Testa, and Finn himself handles a few tunes. While he's not a traditionally good singer (think craggy enthusiasm), the least you can say is that he knows the material inside out. As with all good live recordings, this one makes you wish you had been there. --Elisabeth Vincentelli