Entitled "Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust," the new recording will feature songs from the Disney canon and is scheduled to arrive in stores May 13. Butler will head into the recording studio Feb. 29 under the supervision of music director Michael Kosarin, who is also producing the CD. The recording will feature orchestrations by Tony winner Michael Starobin and Spamalot's Larry Hochman.
In a statement Butler said, "I've wanted to do an album for a long time, and with the success of Xanadu, the timing seemed right. Recording the Xanadu recording for PS Classics was such a joyous experience, we decided to continue our relationship on my solo album. I knew I wanted to keep the album personal and intimate, and in thinking of songs that made me smile, or had a theme of hope or optimism that I felt was so important, I kept coming back to songs that were Disney-related. I love so many of the Disney themes – when I'm sad or stressed, I know I need a dose of Disney! The challenge for me was to see if I could rediscover the Disney catalog in a very personal way, because for me, Disney World isn't about the rides, it's about the message."
Among the songs that will be heard on "Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust" are "Baby Mine," "I'll Try" (from "Return to Neverland"), "This Only Happens in the Movies" (a song from a proposed sequel to "Roger Rabbit") and "God Help the Outcasts" (from "Hunchback of Notre Dame). The latter was suggested by several fans after Butler invited her admirers to help pick one song for the CD.
"Right now," Butler adds, "'I'll Try' may be my favorite song on the album. We even took the album title from a lyric in that song. Like a few other tracks on the album, 'I'll Try' is about losing faith, which I think is something everyone can relate to. I have always wanted to be childlike — which is different than childish. A child believes in magic. Anything can happen, they aren't jaded yet. To believe in good, even when you see evil in the world, is something I struggle with. That's what I love about 'I'll Try.' It recognizes that it's hard to have faith, and all you can do is make a choice to try."
Prior to Xanadu, Kerry Butler was most recently on Broadway as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She portrayed Penny Pingleton in the original Broadway cast of Hairspray, and her other Broadway credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Eponine in Les Misérables and Ms. Jones in Blood Brothers. Off-Broadway she was seen in Bat Boy The Musical, The "I" Word, Prodigal and The Folsom Head. She was also part of the cast of the musical The Opposite of Sex, which premiered in San Francisco. For more information about PS Classics, visit www.psclassics.com.
