The Broadway and cabaret scene.

Ann Hampton Callaway: Signature, N-Coded Music 4227

Christine Andreas: Here's to the Ladies, PS Classics 208

Jessica Molaskey: Pentimento, PS Classics 205

Michael Feinstein With the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Concord Jazz 4987

Bernadette Peter Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, Angel, 34969

Keith Lockhart, Boston Pops Orchestra: My Favorite Things, RCA Victor 63835

Barbara Carroll: One Morning in May, Fynsworth Alley 0621432

Original Cast Recording: The Last 5 Years, Sh-K-Boom 4001

CDs by well-known Broadway and cabaret performers have recently come on the market that pay tribute to singers, composers, and even genres of song from earlier eras. Several were in celebration of the Richard Rodgers centennial.

Two of better CDs are tributes to great singers of the past both onstage and off. Ann Hampton Callaway pays homage to jazz singers of the 40s and 50s in Signature. She covers the classic renditions of Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Anne doesn't imitate so much as sing in their inimitable styles. In Tenderly, for example, she captures Sarah Vaughan's sultry tones, while in "Is That All There Is?," she recreates Peggy Lee's disillusionment. Her female characterizations, however, come off better than the male. (Who can imitate Sinatra?) Ann has several fine musicians backing her up including Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Freddy Cole, and the New York Voices. Ann seems to be having fun as she pays a debt of gratitude to all those who came before her. The sound is close-up, but natural, and there is good balance between the singer and musicians. But I can't help comparing these renditions to the originals and asking why we needed this. Ella's Mr. "Paganini" is one of the most spontaneous recordings ever made. I encourage you to find the original, available on many updated Verve compilations.

While Ann pays tribute to these artists by celebrating their style, Christine Andreas, in Here's to the Ladies, selects trademark Broadway numbers identified with performers ranging from Mary Martin to Barbara Streisand to Julie Andrews. The question is not whether Christine can out-belt Barbara on "His Is The Only Music That Makes Me Dance" from Funny Girl, or reach a higher note than Julie on "I Could Have Danced All Night". The point is that these memorable Broadway songs provide a showcase for Ms. Andreas' talent. Christine Andreas rose to (Broadway) stardom in the 20th anniversary revival of My Fair Lady, then wowed critics as Laurie in a fine 1980 revival of Oklahoma, and most recently, played the female lead in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Her colorful, flexible vocal instrument is matched only by her passion. She is sexy, provocative, and forceful--bringing everything needed to remind us of why each of these songs achieved fame when they were introduced. Occasionally her glorious renderings overshadow the song's meaning. In "Some People," originally belted by Ethel Merman in Gypsy, she is more confident and optimistic than frustrated and angry. And the arrangements, while beautifully played by a 45-piece orchestra, aren't always cutting-edge. But with the soundstage of a medium-size Broadway theatre, I encourage you to sit back and enjoy one of the most thrilling releases of the year.

Jessica Molaskey's Pentimento is a tribute to great songs of the depression era. The most musically interesting of these CDs, Jessica and her consummate musicians make these songs new without ever compromising their meaning. Both her husband and father-in-law, John and Bucky Pizzarelli, play guitar and ukulele. John also supplies the arrangements and occasional vocals. Continuing the family affair, Martin Pizzarelli is on bass. Ray Kennedy is outstanding on piano. The word pentimento refers to an underlying image in a painting. Jessica knowingly looks beneath the surface of these lyrics to discover new layers. In "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" and "I'm Just Wild About Harry," for example, she turns novelty songs into things of beauty. If Jessica appears a little understated in her vocals, it's probably because she approaches her vocal instrument as one of several in this musical collaboration. (I heard this ensemble live at Michael Feinstein's Regency in New York City and the recording captures the intimacy and interplay among the soloists and musicians.)

A high-profile CD comes from the inimitable Bernadette Peters. In Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, the lovely leading lady covers 13 R&H tunes ably accompanied by a full orchestra under the direction of Jonathan Tunick. Bernadette is appropriately sassy in "The Gentleman is a Dope" and delivers a unique female perspective in "There is Nothin' Like a Dame." Bernadette's live albums capture the excitement of her performances. This may a fine album for Rodgers & Hammerstein fans, but I prefer seeing Ms. Peters live on stage.

Another Rodgers tribute comes from Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in the form of My Favorite Things. My favorite thing is the opening track called "Main Title." This is the music that accompanied the credits in the film version of Oklahoma. Orchestrated differently than the overture to the original cast recording, it is the type of lush treatment Hollywood gave to The King and I, The Sound of Music, and other R&H classics. (Interestingly, the Broadway Angel CD release of motion picture soundtrack features an overture that sounds like the original Broadway orchestration. So this is a unique opportunity to hear the aggrandized Holllywood version.) More a Rodgers than Rodgers and Hammerstein tribute, other niceties include music from Rodgers jazz ballet "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (On Your Toes) and "D-Day" from Victory at Sea. But the CD is marred by three vocal selections that are simply not top-notch. And the recorded sound, while pretty, is homogenized and doesn't create any particular soundstage.

Michael Feinstein has helped prolong the life of the American Popular Song. And he does so again by selecting a dozen of the most elegant masterpieces such as "Laura" (from David Raskin's film score), "How Deep Is The Ocean," "Stormy Weather," and Jerry Herman's "I Won't Send Roses." My favorite is the opening track, Jerome Kern's "The Folks Who Live On The Hill," which Michael turns into a six-minute melodrama. Michael's vocals are set against the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The idea may have been to have as lush an orchestral setting as possible, but the sound is often bloated. When the orchestra tries to sound jazzy, it feels reminiscent of Arthur Fiedler and Boston Pops in the 50s. Despite these shortcomings, many will find this release sweet and listenable. Michael is in fine voice.

On a smaller scale, more fine musicianship comes from Barbara Carroll, a consummate pianist whose only commercial handicap is that she is a woman. When I first put the CD (One Morning in May) on, I heard a refined Oscar Peterson and other influences. Accompanied by a rhythm section and other acoustic instruments, featuring a couple of original songs (by Ms. Carroll), great standards like Ellington's "Come Sunday" and Peggy Lee's "I'm in Love Again," this is great music-making. A pleasant surprise.

Finally, there is the cast album of The Last 5 Years. More a song-cycle than a musical score, the immensely talented Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz break your heart as they trace the evolution and collapse of a couple based on the real-life marriage and divorce of its composer, Jason Robert Brown. While some of the lyrics are a bit too personal for my taste, Mr. Brown is one of today's most talented theatrical composers. He's already won a Tony Award for this Broadway musical Parade. The CD is splendidly recorded with clear and clean voices with instruments placed right behind the singers. Congratulations to everyone associated with this album including director Daisy Prince and Executive Producers Billy Rosenfeld and Kurt Deutsch.

(George A. Wachtel is a life-long theatergoer and president of Audience Research & Analysis, a market research company specializing in the entertainment and the performing and visual arts.)