VERSIONS, VOL. 6: “I Am Yours” by Jonathan Reid Gealt
Lately, I’ve been feeling like Versions needs to get on a happy kick – a lot of the songs I’ve been analyzing of late have leaned on the sadder side of the scale, so this time around I’m goin’ the other direction, Pharrell-style (Only, y’know…without the help of a dancing Lupita Nyong’o). So in this installment of Versions, I’ll be looking at one of my favorite, most joyous original musical theatre songs out there (perhaps only second to Kerrigan-Lowdermilk’s “Freedom,” which I wrote about here): Jonathan Reid Gealt’s “I Am Yours.”
One well-known version is one by Dee Roscioli (above), a regular in the NMT scene and known for her killer pipes (I find her version of K-L’s “Holding On” off their Live album particularly beautiful). While her talent is clearly evident in this performance – especially once she hits that high note — for me, her rendition pales in comparison to that of Emily Kay Shrader’s (below):
By now, you all know the drill: I stumbled upon the song somewhat recently on YouTube, and instantly loved what I heard. The song, about declaring one’s love for that special someone, is all the more endearing when sung by someone as young as Ms. Shrader is here. Her youth is what gives the song its vitality. When you’re young and in love for the first time, everything you do and say is earnest and naïve all at the same time, and unabashedly so. This is exactly what the song calls for, and Ms. Shrader’s performance gives it to us in spades – and then some. Her vocals are so impressive, it compelled this writer to actually purchase the song off Gealt’s album, Thirteen Stories Down!
(Ms. Shrader is just one of many examples of my ever-renewing faith in the future of Musical Theatre, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her name in lights one day.)
Whichever version you like best, I hope this post has at least made your day a little brighter, just as Mr. Gealt’s song does. And hopefully, as it gets you on your happy kick, you won’t get sick of putting it on repeat, like that other song.
This gif definitely makes me happy.
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