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Alan Menken - Enchanted
- When Enchanted originally came out, people were a little hesitant that a non-animated musical was emerging from Disney. Fortunately the movie was a great addition to the Disney family. The soundtrack to Enchanted is a mix of performances and compositions by Alan Menken and is a tongue-in-cheek look at classic animated Disney films. Each song a lighthearted jab at classics.
The songs that Amy Adams perform are beautiful, from the composition to the witty lyrics. “Happy Working Song” is basically a hybrid of Snow White's “Whistle While You Work” with a little bit of Mary Poppins’ “Spoonful of Sugar”. The lyrics give the work song a modern twist with references to mildew, toilets and garbage pails. The mix of styles in “That’s How You Know” are great with that slight Caribbean feel hearkening to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Some of the tracks work better with visuals and great acting from Amy Adams, but the message is cute.
The two non-Amy Adams and James Marsden songs that were used in the film, “So Close” and “Ever Ever After,” are also decently produced. “So Close” is nowhere near Disney songs like “Beauty & The Beast” or “A Whole New World,” but it gets the message across. Carrie Underwood’s execution in “Ever Ever After” is quite saccharine but it was a very positive way of ending the film.
The order of this album is where it fails. Instead of placing the music in some sequential order, the vocal parts are first, followed by instrumentals, and then finished with the song “That’s Amore” by James Marsden. The order is confusing and it really doesn’t make sense that “That’s Amore” is last.
Disney hasn’t had a true musical in the vein of classic Disney since Tarzan in 1999. Enchanted is a beautiful return to the classic style with a modern twist. If the album was ordered correctly, in a sequential manner, it would have been amazing, but even in its broken form it is a fun mix of musical performances and instrumental compositions.
Reviewer: Michael Pascua
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 8-Jan-2009
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