First off: Bill Whelan is a genius. As a fan of the original 1995 production, I remember purchasing this album in 2000 with the hope of hearing a fresh new recording of one of my favorite shows, and boy oh boy was I in for a surprise. I really appreciate the creative changes they made, and the Lion King fanboy that was me in 1999 was ever so excited to hear Tsidii Le Loke in her second (and ultimately last…) major broadway appearance. The African Irish Lion King Riverdance Mashup really intrigued me. At present, this music brings me such wonderful nostalgia.

Bill Whelan is known for his technically intricate melodies and diving into unknown tempo/time dimensions. Highlighting this is the title track Riverdance, which I believe is the end of Act 1. The song beckons us in with an Irish siren, heeding us to listen. The singers presumably give the dancers a quick break before the Act 1 Finale Dance Spectacular that is about to happy. Listen below:

Riverdance from Riverdance 2000 Original Broadway Cast Recording

The alternations of tempos and time signatures is quite detailed and, for me, it’s very fun to try to keep up with the downbeats. This song is classic Bill Whelan.

In Act 2 they invited Tsidii Le Loka, of Lion King fame, to write and perform music. It added a much different style to the second half of Riverdance, but it kept with the theme of togetherness and connecting to the global community through dance and music, etc.. Loka’s solo, Amanzi, brings a personal touch to the Riverdance score with her unique songwriting style. Her music is so refreshing and I wish there was more media available of her music. Listen below:

Amanzi from Riverdance 2000 Original Broadway Cast Recording)