His CD "Razing A Nation" originally came out on an indie label a few years ago with a cover that looked slightly worse than your average cheap bootleg. The cover turned me off so much that the cd stayed in our pile of new cds for about 4-5 months. When I finally got around to giving it a listen it was like hearing Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" for the first time.
It blew me away.
That disc instantly became one of my all-time favorite CDs by a Jersey artist and it remains one of the top two CDs we have ever received at Upstage Magazine by an artist we had never heard of before (the debut album by Jason Shain being the other).
Thankfully Not Pop Records has rescued this wonderful disc and given it new life and new, MUCH IMPROVED packaging. Arlan had a release party for the new CD at the Saint in Asbury Park on March 15th and proceeded to play the entire disc. It was interesting seeing Arlan perform solo again as lately nearly all of his shows feature his large orchestra with a setlist comprised of newer songs. Arlan may be a bit tired of playing the songs from "Razing A Nation" but they not only deserve a wider audience they are as fresh today as the day the CD first came out years ago. Fortunately for Arlan the CD was ready around the same time as Shannon McNally was returning to the area so he was able to have her join him on stage for the two songs she did backing vocals for on the record.
There's not a weak track on the disc with highlights including the anti-war song "Sign Up", "Change" and "Drifted Town" (both which include Shannon McNally on backing vocals), "Impossibly Lonely" and "The Ballad Of A New Lone Ranger".
The record should be available in local stores, but you can turn to http://www.notpoprecords.com or http://www.arlanfeiles.com for more information.
If you're a fan of singer-songwriters, this CD needs to be in your collection.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
