Album of the Day

David Byrne's first solo Top 10 album, AMERICAN UTOPIA further explored the optimistic themes of the singer-songwriter's “Reasons to Be Cheerful” multimedia project. The collection was supported by a world tour whose cutting-edge technology and inventive choreography lent itself well to the theater, and the show was adapted as a stage musical in late 2019. “I realized a Broadway setting would likely be a different audience than the concert crowds I was used to,” noted Byrne of the show – which also includes solo and Talking Heads songs. “I thought to myself that this new context might be good – it might actually help to bring out the narrative arc a little bit more.” The Tony-nominated AMERICAN UTOPIA ON BROADWAY spawned an Original Cast Recording that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.