I know there are big Wicked fans who worship Rachel Tucker (she played Elphaba on Broadway and West End) but I know the kind of big belter voice that is needed to be Elphaba so I could already imagine what kind of voice Tucker has even though I had never heard her sing before.
Sure enough, she has that Idina inspired big throttle, and it’s appealing, for sure. Her album, ‘On The Road,’ is a good listen. It shifts from Broadway karaoke to some inspired tracks. We don’t really need from her a version of Bette Midler’s arrangement of ‘Miss Otis Regrets’ but sure, why not. And her duet with Lee Mead of ‘You Matter To Me,’ is okay, competent for sure, but eh? I actually liked her version of that other Waitress song much better : the tender ‘She Used To be Mine.’ And the song from Wicked she covers. ‘No Good Deed’ works in this context. Tucker’s album has a slight country feel, and that for sure gives it a bit of character – there’s a great down-to-earth feel to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Castle On a Hill’ here. All in all, this album will please her fans. For me, it seems just a bit green.