HOW THE WEST WAS READ Vol. II

These Western short stories were commissioned for this cassette volume and edited by prize-winning author Robert J. Randisi. One would assume that such fare requires only performers as wooden as those in the popular TV and cinematic oaters. Not so, for there are more shifts and resonances in these fine pieces than the narrators can handle. While Lee Marshall and Kitty Brooks are perfectly adequate, they're far from stellar. Brooks limits her vocal resources by combining a hint of the West with a vacuous suburban softness. One can easily imagine her selling Tupperware in Wyoming. Marshall does a full stop at almost every comma, parsing his phrases without much attention to the character of what he's reading. Y.R. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 00]