Alexandra Billings' debut album Being Alive is not the soundtrack to a   musical theater production, however, she delivers the music with all of the energy and drama of opening night on Broadway in front of a packed house.  Which is fitting considering Billings' award winning career as an actress and cabaret singer. Close your eyes during songs such as the opening "Rhythm/ I Got Rhythm", the cabaret style "Some People" or the comedic and jumpy "My Simple Christmas Wish" -where Billings dreams of a life of easy living, money and power- and you can almost picture the singer surrounded by the lights, costumes and sets of a large budget theatrical production.

Most of the tunes feature Billing's voice accompanied solely be the piano of Gino DeLuca, a sound that certainly contributes to the cabaret feel of the album. However, it is the larger ensemble pieces that really show off the singer's range. Her powerful voice and wide vibrato drive through Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" and then she turns around and quietly dances with saxist Eric Schneider on the following track "Goin Out of My Head", two songs from the pop music songbook that showcase Billings' abilities outside of the showtune tradition.

The only unfortunate part of the album is the closing rendition of Styx's "Come Sail Away".  Billings' treatment seems much too relaxed and contained theatrical elements that, while it might make Dennis DeYoung proud and may even fit in with the overall conception of the album, just never seemed to take off as did the original.   Compared with Billings's take on "Let the River Run", which stands up very well with the original, this was a curious choice of material.

Alexandra Billings has succeeded in creating an album that showcases her incredibly powerful voice in its natural theatrical habitat, without the actual production to cast a shadow over the proceedings.  Although there isn't a packed house waiting for it, Billings definitely deserves a curtain call.