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BWW Interviews: International Singing Sensation Ramin Karimloo Talks About Bluegrass and His SRO Concerts at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

Olivier nominated for Love Never Dies, Canadian born actor/singer Ramin Karimloo will perform his cabaret act at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal April 21-22. This will mark his cabaret debut in Los Angeles, and all three performances are already sold out. Renowned on the UK stage for every role in Les Mis including that of Jean Valjean and also for the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies, Karimloo performed on the Oscar telecast in February singing 'One More Day' alongside Hugh Jackman, Ann Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and others from the cast of the film Les Mis. In our chat, Karimloo talks about career past and present as well as his love of music that includes bluegrass as well as Broadway.

BWW Reviews: Helen Reddy Makes Triumphant Return to Singing at the Canyon Club

70s pop icon Helen Reddy made a much anticipated return to singing with two concerts, one at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano Friday August 10 and then Saturday August 11 at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills. I covered the event on Saturday at the Canyon Club, and depsite hours of traffic congestion on the 101, the house was packed with overly enthusiastic fans and friends.

BWW Reviews: Robyn Spangler Honors Linda Ronstadt on New CD

What has made Linda Ronstadt so popular? She has a lovely voice, indeed, but so do many other vocalists whose voices never emanate past the rafters of a church choir. Ronstadt has always defied description. She's a true rebel. Just when you thought you could put a label on what she sang - pop, country, jazz, out of the blue she'd come up with another big surprise, like lifting her voice several octaves to perfrom Gilbert and Sullivan and The Pirates of Penzance. Then it dropped down again in elegant style as she decided to pay homage to all those lovely Nelson Riddle tunes from the big band era. And she was good, no the best, with every type of music she sang. Well, Robyn Spangler radiates such warmth and finesse as a singer ...and she has the whole Linda Ronstadt collection down pat. And it's not an imitation; she has a singularly and distinctively pretty voice. She also knows how to sing with an easy going style that makes for good listening, and most importantly pays attention to every lyric. She sings from the heart. So what we get in Why I Love Linda Ronstadt is Ronstadt's unforgettably beautiful music sung with a brand new spin by the gifted Robyn Spangler.

CD Review: Sean McDermott's 'You're Not Alone'

Fans of Broadway tenor Sean McDermott are in for a real treat with the release of his latest album You're Not Alone McDermott possesses a distinctly beautiful vocal instrument that can soar to the rafters and beyond on standards like Rodgers' and Hammerstein's 'Younger Than Springtime' or Streisand's 'Piece of Sky' from Yentl. In fact, his previous CDs My Broadway and Piece of Sky concentrated 100% on Broadway/film tunes. You're Not Alone is definitely more contemporary pop, but within the realm of clearly defined musical traditions, boasting mostly original compositions that explore the quest for love and exude the kind of musical style that is ideally suited to McDermott'sd range and bravura delivery.