CD Review: Micky Dolenz – A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll

By Fred Velez

If you missed seeing Micky Dolenz during his residency at 54 Below this past summer, then his new CD, ‘A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll’ is the next thing to being there. Recorded live at the 54 Below night club located underneath the historic Studio 54 in New York City, the ambient sound of clinking glasses and plates makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the club as you watch Micky Dolenz on stage performing. Micky even jokes about the situation as he points to a patrons’ plate and says, “Are you going to eat that?”, which brings to mind the supper club sounds on the track ‘Don’t Call On Me” from the Monkees ‘Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd’ album.

The entire show is presented on the CD and digital download, and is slightly edited in order to not only include all the songs performed but also all the stories Micky tells as introductions to the songs. The stories add to the audio intimacy of the CD, many of them funny and others very poignant, especially the story of Micky meeting and eventually proposing to his wife Donna during the chaos of 9/11. Micky charms the crowd with stories of meeting the Beatles, about his mother and father and acknowledges all the song writers who wrote the great Monkees tunes. The choice of songs for the show are all excellent, showcasing Micky’s musical theater acting ability in songs like ‘Don’t Be The Bunny’ from ‘Urinetown’ and ‘Mr. Cellophane’ from ‘Chicago’. The Monkees and Broadway tunes blend well in both the show and on the CD. The CD/show ends with Micky’s poignant performance of ‘Pure Imagination’ from the ‘Willy Wonka’ movie.

If you weren’t able to see Micky Dolenz during his 54 Below residency, then the CD/Digital Download of ‘A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll’ makes you feel like you’re there. And if you did attend the shows, the recording is nice souvenir to relive this lovely, intimate evening with Micky Dolenz.

Micky Dolenz with Fred Velez and his fiance Linda Walsh at 54 Below CD signing party.

Link: Micky Dolenz – A Little Bit Broadway A Little Bit Rock & Roll

Fred Velez, 2015

Fred Velez is the author of ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’ and the Monkees’ Holiday themed CD ‘A Little Bit Christmas’.