Best known as runner-up in the BBC’s ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’, West End star Helena Blackman releases her debut solo album ‘The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein’, celebrating her ongoing association with this legendary musical theatre writing duo. The composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II worked together in popular shows as THE SOUND OF MUSIC, SOUTH PACIFIC, OKLAHOMA! and THE KING AND I.

‘Helena Blackman: The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein’ will be released on 14 February 2010. In this album Helena Blackman is joined in two exclusive duets by the number one classical charting singer Jonathan Ansell (singing together “I Have Dreamed” from THE KING AND I) and her fellow West End star Daniel Boys (singing “People Will Say We’re in Love” from OKLAHOMA!).

Having captured the nation’s attention and the unfailing support of Andrew Lloyd Webber on ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’, Helena subsequently headlined the acclaimed UK tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC, and starred in the West End première of Stephen Sondheim’s SATURDAY NIGHT. Her many other theatre credits include Dorothy in THE WIZARD OF OZ and the title role in GYPSY. Helena Blackman has took part of different West End concerts, as ‘Michael Bruce: A Little Less Ordinary’ that celebrated the music of the young composer Michael Bruce in November 2009 at the Apollo Theatre.

‘Helena Blackman: The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein’ is produced by Neil Eckersley & Paul Spicer, musically produced and supervised by Mike Dixon, with musical direction by David Randall and orchestrations by Michael Bruce. Recorded at Angel Studios in December 2010, the recording is released by Speckulation Entertainment.

The tracklist of ‘Helena Blackman: The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein’:

1. I Have Confidence
2. What’s the Use of Wondrin’?
3. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair
4. It Might as Well be Spring
5. If I Loved You / Something Wonderful
6. I Enjoy Being a Girl
7. I Have Dreamed (with Jonathan Ansell)
8. Some Enchanted Evening
9. Love Look Away
10. People Will Say We’re in Love (with Daniel Boys)
11. The Gentleman is a Dope
12. Climb Every Mountain