‘Full Monty’ Album Something to Behold

*** 1/2 “THE FULL MONTY,” original cast album, RCA Victor. Now settling in for a long Broadway run, this Americanized musical version of the movie sounds terrific on disc. (It’s due in stores Dec. 12.) Composer-lyricist David Yazbek’s best pop hooks and brash, gleefully crude lyrics owe equal and equally honorable debts to Frank Loesser (“Scrap” recalls the waitresses’ lament in “The Most Happy Fella”) and the grinning-satyr Brit-pop of XTC (a band with whom Yazbek has worked). There’s a disposable pastiche number or two, but just as effectively as his rousers, Yazbek delivers two honestly felt ballads: “Breeze Off the River” and “You Walk With Me.” This Broadway newcomer’s the guy to beat for best score come Tony Awards time. And despite its libretto flaws, “Monty” could bump-and-grind its way to Best Musicaldom.

*** “BROADWAY FIRST TAKE, VOL. 2,” Slider Music. You’re a potential backer, in a Manhattan townhouse, while a tunesmith--Burt Bacharach, say--pounds away at your piano and some well-trained studio singers do their thing with promising songs from an upcoming Broadway musical. That’s the low-keyed vibe of these demo recordings. Months before Broadway audiences hear them, these songs (some eventually cut) from “Promises, Promises” (1968), “Flower Drum Song” (1958) and, near the demo era’s end, “La Cage aux Folles” (1983) were recorded for exploitation purposes. So exploit ‘em, already.

*** 1/2 “THE FANTASTICKS IN JAZZ,” the Trotter Trio, Fynsworth Alley. Formerly with the Varese Sarabande label, Bruce Kimmel started the Fynsworth label when V.S. changed its focus. Among its tasty early releases is this lovely jazz trio treatment of the evergreen Harvey Schmidt-Tom Jones score. (It’s enough to make up for the film version.) Order via the Internet (https://www.fynsworthalley.com) and you get a bonus track (“A Perfect Time to Be in Love”). Minus that extra track, it will be available in stores in February.