When I grow up, I'm going to be Audra McDonald.

Of course, there are a few problems with that plan, but darn it if I'm not going to try.

If you haven't heard of Audra McDonald and you 1) like good singers and/or 2) like musical theater and/or 3) appreciate good music, you are missing out. Allow me to enlighten you with a review of one of her many contributions to the music scene: Build a Bridge.

This album, released in 2006, features songs by artists as diverse as Burt Bacharach, John Mayer, Neil Young, and Randy Newman, all performed to perfection by Audra McDonald. Her solo voice is impressive in not only its physical range (she's got the high notes and the low notes, all the time), but also its emotional expression. For example, she sings "Bein' Green" (yes, Kermit's song) with such heart that you feel like important life decisions are being made, and follows it with "Tom Cat Goodbye," where the anger toward a cheating husband is very clear, and then changes to "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," which is so forlorn that you wonder how she made it through the recording.

Yeah--this album not so much for the depressed. It's extremely mellow. Which isn't a bad thing--not at all. It's just a fact. If you're already feeling really mellow and you simply must listen to this album, then I suggest you put "Wonderful You" on repeat, because it is a very happy, peppy song. In fact, it almost seems out of place on this album filled with heart-wrenching pieces. It's kind of a breath of fresh air.

I love this album even though it has such a sad tone. Audra McDonald's voice is endlessly listenable. Do yourself a favor and check her out.