Smooth as silk!
Having seen Nathan Gunn on the stage of the Metropolitan three times I fell in love with his voice and stage presence from the first. I bought this CD out of curiosity -- could that great baritone pull off pop music? The answer for me is an enthusiastic yes. Baritones can be so "thick" that they can't stretch across musical type. But Gunn not only show a remarkable range, but actually makes the music not only melodic but often very soft and sweet -- not typical qualities for baritone voices. He can sell a song like no one else yet the selection choices were curious as I couldn't quite get how the majority fit the theme of the title song "Just before Sunrise." Yet, they were haunting, often catchy and generally alluring. And I love it when popular composers more obscure pieces are highlighted by masters like Gunn. I enjoyed this CD more than "American Anthem" (his first.)

An honest try, but this is pretty square
You never know when classical crossover will work and when it won't. Nathan Gunn's voice is as suave and creamy as Thomas Hampson's, and he's nowhere near as mannered as Hampson often is when he attempts Broadway tunes. But somehow this CD doesn't strike sparks, in large part because Gunn is rhythmically stiff and emotionally square. When Broadway's "Grey Gardens" star Kristin Chenowerth jumps in for a few bars, one winces at the contrast between her natural feeling for pop and Gunn's bland imitation. I listened to the whole album, but one sample -- Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" --was embarrassing enough to kill all pleasure. Gunn has become the poster boy for "opera singers who go to the gym," but he doesn't play on his sexy media image. If anything, he should. These flat renditions need a lot mroe sexiness than he gives them with vocalism alone.

Opera singers should stay away from showtunes and pop songs
I LOVE musical theatre and I LOVE Opera. Unfortunately, opera singers usually cannot do musical theatre justice. There are very few opera singers that can sing musical theatre (Rise Stevens in her prime, Rodney Gilfry and Dawn Upshaw).The rest should stick to what they are trained to do. Gunn has a beautiful voice and he clearly knows to how convey feeling and emotion in this singing. However, his voice is simply too operatic for pop/showtune/standard repertoire.

Mismatch
Lovely voice, but the song selections on this CD do not do it justice. I should have read the reviews before I made this purchase.

Just Before Sunrise
Gene has a wonderful voice, very strong and clear. However, I don't really care for his selection of songs. Just not as enjoyable as I had expected.