In 1996 Jose Llana performed one of the most beautiful renditions of “We Kissed in a Shadown” on the revival of The King and I. It was his Broadway debut. In 2015 he returned to the show, this time as the King, and in 2016, two decades after his debut on the Broadway stage, he's released his first solo album. And it's a long time coming, because Llana’s smooth tenor voice is a marvel that deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.
Debut albums can be tricky, though and Llana, perhaps shrewdly, uses Altitude as something of a résumé in musical form. Instead of burrowing down on styles you'd expect him to perform, the 13 (only 13, alas) song album covers a range of genres and periods presenting an argument for Llana's vocal and stylistic versatility.
Llana is certain and confident enough of his ability to choose songs which work for him, even when the seem not to coalesce with each other. We move from bluesy pop with "Icarus" to familiar pop with "Thinking Out Loud" and traditional theatre with "Marry Me A Little". It’s a good choice in a way, at 40 years old Llana still isn’t as appreciated as he ought to be, so for those who’ve never heard him this is an excellent entry point to see how many genres he can scale. Still, when he sings a note perfect rendition of “A Puzzlement” it’s hard not to wish this was a 20 song album of soaring standards pushing his voice to the fullest.
For a Jose Llana fan, some of the songs are familiar – a composite of his "I Have A Dreamed" / "We Kissed in a Shadow" solos from The King and I, two of the songs from Here Lies Love. But even if you’re a fan don’t feel the album isn’t worth getting, it’s instructive and pleasant in its way to hear the range of songs alongside more unusual ones. Still, it's the musical theatre centre where the album soars. Most essential on Altitude are the three most diverse Jose’s. The aforementioned "I Have Dreamed"/ "We Kiss in a Shadow" join two other songs as the highlights. The first is "A Puzzlement" where Jose sings as eponymous King in The King and I and the other "Chip’s Lament (My Unfortunate Erection)" from 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the latter in particular a charming indication of his comedic ability. More than that though, it’s on this number that Jose recalls an uncanny Judy Kuhn-esque quality to his voice. It does not seem to age. Just like Kuhn’s ability to move from Cosette in 1980s to Fosca in 2013, where the voice develops but retains its sprightliness; it’s the same with Jose. There’s nothing forced, or effete and childish about his rendition and it’s that resilience and gorgeous timbre that’s the most winning aspect of this rendition.
One might quibble at the song choices. In our interview with him he admits to thinking George Seurat a dream role so how marvelous it would have been to hear him sing "Finishing the Hat". But it’s a debut album and the album itself is a treasure, an encumbered 45 minutes of this gorgeous, soaring voice. I only hope that this album and Jose’s return to Broadway signals a renaissance for this excellent voiced actor. As the entertainment world still lags behind in the roles offered and available for Asian actors, Jose’s voice rings out clear as a bell, and just as evocative. We should all be listening to it.
