Karen Luschar’s new album, “It’s Love” features 14 tracks from a recent performance at Lincoln Center.
By Anthony J. Machcinski
Observer Correspondent
Using a lifetime of passion and love for performing as her inspiration, Bloomfield resident Karen Luschar has released her much-anticipated third CD “It’s Love.”
“I just realized that a lot of the songs that I sing revolve around love,” said Luschar, explaining how the CD began. “I just wanted to look at (love) from many different ways.”
Recorded live at Lincoln Center, the new CD brings 14 of Luschar’s best live performances to listeners at home.
Narrowing down to just 14 songs was no easy task for the Bloomfield resident.
“When I started to do this show, I started typing out names of love songs I could think of,” Luschar explained. “I came up with 450 and that was just a drop in the bucket. There are thousands of songs written about love. It’s just a theme people love to sing about.”
Luschar’s CD explores a wide spectrum of the experience of love.
“Whether you’re in the midst of falling in love or losing love, it’s still the subject of love,” Luschar explained. “It’s looking at love from all the different angles because songwriters have written about love more than any other subject.”
She continued, “This is a show that can look at love from enduring the years, hopefulness, frustration. It encompasses many feelings.”
Luschar’s career in music started at the tender age of 2 and developed with aspirations of performing on Broadway. Over the course of her career, Karen has been able to achieve her dream, performing on the Great White Way and global venues spanning from Canada to Japan.
“I have been fortunate to follow that dream and get to Broadway,” Luschar said. “When you plant a dream in your heart and in your mind, it’s so great – that feeling — when it comes to fruition.”
Luschar credits her mother – a dancer and a violinist – for pushing her toward her dream.
“She was nice enough to start me singing and dancing when I was very small,” Luschar said. “I knew (performing was) what I wanted to do. I wanted to dance and I wanted to sing.”
Luschar’s experience from a lifetime of performing certainly shows in her latest work on “It’s Love.”
Unlike some artists who can over-perform a song, Luschar’s experience allows her to put her creative take on a song while maintaining the song’s true meaning and style.
Luschar’s adaptation of “My Sunny Valentine” showcases that exact trait.
While the song has been covered by many A-list stars including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and Michael Buble, Luschar’s version ranks among them.
While Luschar takes a more Broadway approach to the song – as opposed to Buble’s crooning version – the singer still brings out the meaning to the song and conveys the love created by the song.
Luschar also performs a brilliant version of the Barbra Streisand hit “My Man,” which is featured on the “It’s Love” CD.
Luschar stays true to the Streisand version of the song, standing toe-to-toe with the hit singer’s full-bodied sound while not over-singing the body of the song.
With her third album now in the books, Luschar continues to perform across the nation, but always is looking towards the future.
“I want to perform more overseas,” Luschar said. “There’s one company that has been talking about the idea of bringing me over and I hope that happens. I’d really love to do that.”
Luschar said that above all, she’d love to take her shows to France and England, especially her World War II-themed show “Singing for Victory.”
“I was there a year ago and I feel very drawn to that show and I feel it’s very viable there,” Luschar said. “When I traveled through France, I told people about the show and the war is still very imprinted in those people’s lives. I’d love to perform that there.”
For more information on Bloomfield’s resident Broadway singer Karen Luschar, visit her website at www.KarenLuschar.com. Her newest CD, “It’s Love,” can be found on her website, and can be found on Amazon and CD Baby later this month.
