New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Gourmet Records) - When it comes to show business, Grammy Award-winner
Jesse Cutler has seen it all-the good, the bad and the ugly. But through 40 years in the entertainment industry, as singer, musician, composer and arranger, he has somehow managed the remarkable feat of surviving it all in surprisingly good shape and with his integrity and humor in tact. Both Cutler's new CD, aptly named Test of Time (Gourmet Records, 2008), and his upcoming autobiography, StarLust: The Price of Fame (Morgan James, 2008, with a foreword by Letterman's Paul Shaffer), explore one man's creative fortitude through the 'sick and sin' of show biz's fame game. Fortunately, for this consummate guitarist and Grammy winner, it always goes back to the music, and Cutler's latest offering, Test of Time, stands up.
The CD's hooky lead-off song, 'The Man Nobody Knows,' could very well be Cutler's theme song. He's been in the music business since he was a teenager. He was signed to Mercury Records at age 13 with his band the Young Executives, went on to produce a total of 29 albums, perform in the original Godspell band off-Broadway and on Broadway for 800 performances, see his albums break the Billboard Top 100 and go gold and platinum; he posed as the centerfold for Playgirl and, with his million-selling Disco Diet, presaged the advent of disco. Still, he's not a household name.
'The Man Nobody Knows' leads effortlessly into Test of Time's other 21 original cuts, which include several fearless-and ageless-ballads with 'Hear Here' and 'California Nights' and an array of catchy pop tunes like 'Moonlight' and 'Back to Kansas' made substantive by Cutler's gravelly voice. But the disc also demands equal time for showcasing jazzy rhythm and blues on 'Live On,' the down-and-dirty rock 'n' roller 'People' and the memorable 'Father and Son.'
'World Keeps on Turning,' 'I Can't Breathe' and 'Innocent Love,' all originally recorded in the '70s, feature Cutler's Godspell band mate Paul Shaffer on keyboards, while the late jazz trumpeter Don Ellis can be heard on 'Live On.' And the hits just keep coming. Cutler's love for mixing it up comes through loud and clear with the electronic disco pulse of 'Automatic Man,' while 'Middle of the Mountain' is worthy of a month of gospel Sundays. Ultimately, this eclectic collection demonstrates the type of strength and versatility that can only come from a seasoned pro adept at moving forward while honoring the past. And Cutler's Test of Time will most likely do just that.
Cutler was inspired to release Test of Time as a companion to his forthcoming autobiography, StarLust: The Price of Fame, an intimate self-portrait. From posh private parties studded with celebrities to the bright lights of Broadway as a musician in the original Godspell to the allure of Tinsel Town in the 1980s and '90s, Cutler saw his star rise and fall and rise again. In StarLust Cutler reflects on his long and successful career, the risks he took and those he didn't. It's an insightful and timely look back on 40 years of playing the fame game.
Test of Time and Cutler's autobiography are imbued with the sounds and culture of the changing times, the effect a mirror of Cutler's life in and out of the spotlight. 'StarLust and Test of Time,' he says, 'paint the same story of survival in a fiercely unforgiving world.'
