DisneyMania Review,

DisneyMania Review
Page 2 of 2

Colors of the Wind: Ashanti
Ashanti is certainly making her presence known in the hip-hop community, which has earned some serious Top 40 airplay. She deserves it; she has a great sound that compliments this song very well. Some of the keyboards sounds I didn’t care for, I would have loved more of a straight piano sound, similar to Alicia Keys. The synthesizer chosen is a little too early nineties for this version in my opinion. The Drums and Bass fit well, and give it some soul. Say what you will about the movie Pocahontas, but it gave us some amazing songs, and this version of it is enjoyable; I say a simple B

I Wan’na Be Like You: Smash Mouth
Smash Mouth takes this Sherman Brother Classic, and one of my favorites and makes it their own. A surfer sound, and the distinct sound of this pop group provide us with a fun eclectic song. Smash Mouth produced this song themselves and chose to combine surf guitar, with turntables, a ukulele, throw in a few oobie-doo’s for good measure. The result is a fun little song; I give it a B+

Part of Your World: Jessica Simpson
This song clearly displays the vocal talent of young star Jessica Simpson. She really has a good sound that is very Disney, I could believe that voice being a character not just covering one. For over a decade, I have been subjected to hearing girls sing this favorite. This time around, I found a favorite; a beautiful rendition earning an A

I Just Can’t Wait to Be King: Aaron Carter
When I first saw Aaron Carter on the list of artist, I must admit I cringed. My past experiences with his songs have provided laughter, but not really admiration or any enjoyment, other then me enjoying laughing. I was pleasantly surprised with this song, I think this is a perfect fit. His voice fits, it has a fun beat, for a fun song. A good cover of a great song; this wannabe king earns a B

Can You Feel The Love Tonight: S Club
Who is S Club? Well, thanks to the Internet I now know more then most in America. This British Pop group provides a very easygoing and unimpressive cover of a song that has so much opportunity. After first listening, I thought that perhaps they took a karaoke background and added a few vocals with some simple harmonies. This song did nothing for me; barely earned a sympathy C-

Hakuna Matata: Baha Men
One hit wonders, the Baha Men provide us with a Jamaican Jam that replaces witty warthog humor with this guys personal plight about being a shallow youth. It was a little too much of a motivational speaker with some steel drums. Nice try with the Testimonial guys, but the only redeeming value of the song is the fact that it is Hakuna Matata. No worries guys, I am sure we will be watching your Behind the Music on VH1 real soon; you only earn a C

The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room: Hilary Duff
This is another Radio Disney Jam, Hilary Duff has a nice voice. It is a fun song a fresh take on one of the most memorable attraction songs. I like the fact that they kept the lyrics, didn’t change them, and even sampled some sound bites from the original song. The additions in the chorus were very catchy. While not a favorite this song made me smile; I say B-

Beauty and the Beast: Jump 5
Jump 5 is a group of teens that primarily sing Christian songs for Sparrow Records in Nashville. I know from some friends in the industry that Sparrow’s President Peter York is set on this group being a success. When I saw the picture in the linear notes of kids I am use to seeing hanging out at the food court in the mall, I was hesitant. They won me over, a very up-tempo version of this classic ballad. Part of me wishes that they allowed a new diva take a shot at this song, but these artists truly shined here; I say a strong B

Kiss The Girl: No Secrets
At this point in my listening I was admittedly a bit bubble-gummed out. I felt my view might be skewed. But after some time and a few more listens to this song, I was soon convinced that the Spice Girls are still making music. There is a good guitar riff, in the middle of a lot of fluff and some very repetitive harmonies. The song never seemed that repetitive before, and the style seemed about 5 years too late. Sorry girl, but there is a Secret to making good music, and I fear you don’t know it; A generous C

Reflection: Christina Aguilera
Let me make it clear that this is one of my favorite songs from Modern Animation. I think that this song from Mulan is beautiful and Christina uses her amazing voice to bring this moving song to life. I didn’t care for it on this Disc. Seems a little out of place, seeing all the other songs were recorded fairly recently for this new disc of cover tunes. This was recorded years ago and was released when the feature came out. Kind of seemed silly to me. I am sure that Christina had no choice in this song being included. I see this as a simple bonus track, which is nice to have if you didn’t have it on another disc, but out of place in general. While I may not care for the placement; I give the song itself an A

Circle of Life: Ronan Keating
I am not too familiar with Ronan’s other work but I did enjoy his voice here. This song is simple and safe. Not great but not horrid. I wasn’t really moved positively or negatively. I found myself kind of plugging it into the soft rock category. A choir comes in towards the end and I didn’t get goose bumps like I normally do when a full choir joins a solo artist (see Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror.) A basic tune that could use some work; but still earns itself a B

In General the disc is a good collection of some fun songs. If you like pop music and Disney music I would encourage you to make it a part of your collection. I have found that it has grown on me as time passes, that is always a good sign. If you have kids from 4th grade to 8th grade and they have any interest in Disney Music, this might be a good purchase for them. At the end of the day, it comes down to this…If you were in my car while we were listening we would definitely skip a few tracks, but I am sure that this would be a part of the play list as we made our way down I-5 to The Disneyland Resort. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. Remember it’s all about personal tastes, and this CD satisfied mine.

Want to give this disc a listen for yourself, we have this and many other Disney Favorites available at The LaughingPlace Store

Discuss It

-- Trent Lewis

When Trent Lewis is not at The Disneyland Resort, or logged on to LaughingPlace.com, he finds his time being spent in many other areas of life. He is a Student, a Waiter, and an Intern. He has enjoyed both Disney and Music for nearly 23 years. He has a background in music, having used his limited vocal talents in various fashions. He also has worked on a few projects in radio, in his hometown Los Angeles, where he has lived his entire life. He currently is a part of the team at LaughingPlace, working specifically with LaughingPlace Radio. He can be reached via email at [email protected]

 

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