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Various Artists - The Polar Express Soundtrack
- In the spirit of Christmas, one turns to classic Christmas movies to gain the spirit and mentality. Adults have films like A Christmas Story or White Christmas. Unfortunately for children today, they have The Polar Express. Although the movie lacks some spirit, the soundtrack shows some promise. Classic songs sung by their original artists are accentuated by the work of Alan Silvestri.
Josh Groban’s track, “Believe,” has become a Christmas radio classic. The message is beautiful and stands up well without the movie to support it. The airy jingle and the mentioning of a train in the lyrics are just enough to connect the two. “When Christmas Comes to Town” deserves a cover from popular artists and it would be played on the radio, but the duet comes off really cute because of the two children singing. The best instrumental track has to be “Suite from The Polar Express” and it really shows the great composition of Alan Silvestri.
The addition of six classic songs sung by artists like the Andrews Sisters, Perry Como, and Frank Sinatra makes the album seem a time capsule. The two standouts have to be the Andrews Sisters’ “Winter Wonderland” and Kate Smith’s “Silver Bells.” Both tracks are classic songs, but not often heard by those two artists on the radio. The harmonization from the Andrews Sisters and the strength from Smith are nuances that you don’t hear from modern versions. All the classic tracks are crisp and stereo friendly.
I personally have a problem with the involvement of Tom Hanks in both the movie and the soundtrack. It is unnecessary for Hanks to play several roles with the same exact voice. The first track, “The Polar Express,” and “Hot Chocolate” come off as pretentious, Hanks sounds like he thinks that he’s good, when he’s the part that throws off the two tracks.
The film version of The Polar Express is quite different from the book, but the central message is the same, the theme of believing in Christmas. The music of Alan Silvestri is well done and the classic music added is greatly appreciated.
Track List:
1. The Polar Express - Tom Hanks 3:23
2. When Christmas Comes to Town - Matthew Hall and Meagan Moore 4:06
3. Rockin' on Top of the World - Steven Tyler 2:34
4. Believe - Josh Groban 4:18
5. Hot Chocolate - Tom Hanks 2:31
6. Spirit of the Season - Alan Silvestri 2:32
7. Seeing Is Believing - Alan Silvestri 3:44
8. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Frank Sinatra 2:33
9. White Christmas - Bing Crosby 3:03
10. Winter Wonderland - The Andrews Sisters 2:41
11. It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Perry Como with the Fontaine Sisters 2:37
12. Silver Bells - Kate Smith 2:37
13. Here Comes Santa Claus [Right Down Santa Claus Lane] - Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters 3:02
14. Suite from The Polar Express - Alan Silvestri 6:02
Reviewer: Michael Pascua
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 7.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 24-Dec-2008
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