Great variety, outstanding collection
Karl Becker | Iowa, USA | 05/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Disregard your opinion of both this movie and Jim Carrey when considering buying this album: the songs on here represent a wide range of sounds that create a great vibe. If you're familiar with the movie, this CD will cause some flashbacks to the movie, since a lot of this music was used in the movie in a big way. However, people who hated the movie (or Jim Carrey himself) won't find Carrey present on any of the tracks.The album overall has an African feel, but it's very mainstream and most people will be able to get into the groove: none of the songs are too difficult for someone not familiar with tribal music to digest.The soundtrack begins with a compelling remake of "Spirits in the Material World" by Pato Banton, with Sting, the original singer, joining in. A very quality remake, and it's very nice to see the original singer come onboard. Track 2, Blues Traveler's remake of "Secret Agent Man," is similarly a pretty good remake of the original, keeping the original feeling intact. It's much cleaner sounding because of modern recording technology, but it's still fun to listen to, like the original. It seems a little less dramatic than the original, though, and more tongue-in-cheek.The Goo Goo Dolls "Don't Change" is personally my least favorite song on the album, as it sounds a lot like most of the Goo Goo Dolls's material. However, it's a good transition inbetween Secret Agent Man and Mr. Mirainga's "Burnin' Rubber." Burnin' Rubber is a fun little indie rock number. Nothing earth-shattering, just a fun little number.Boll Weevil, by Presidents of the United States of America, is exactly what they do best: make a funny, seemingly-throwaway song into a really good jam. A really funky bass starts the song, which sticks with the song to the end. It's the exact same recording that's on PotUSA's self-titled debut album.After PotUSA's silly tune, White Zombie comes in with tribal drums and hard, hard guitar. This keeps the energy of the album going.The Reverend Horton Heat play their patented song on an african-tinged lyrical tune - it sounds a lot like the Reverend's other albums.The remake of Here Comes the Night keeps the funk alive, with a little scatting in the middle thrown in for good measure. Again, this remake is done well, keeping the original flavor well intact, but refreshing it with a little modern-day sound.Montell Jordan brings party music to the album with Jungle Groove, complete with synthesizers and deep background vocals. It's always a good party with Jordan, and he doesn't disappoint. Ife is an upbeat song that is very recognizable from the movie: it's played when Ace is hurting in the tent with the woman. Upbeat and positive, a great song that will cheer you up from a bad attitude.My Pet, by Matthew Sweet, and It's Alright, by Blessid Union of Souls, are both moderate pop rock songs that move along. My Pet sounds a bit like the Foo Fighter's "Big Me" at the beginning... it could just be the singer's vocals somewhat similar to Dave Grohl's, however. It doesn't rock nearly as hard as most Foo. Ace in Africa closes the album, as it does the movie when it plays over the end credits. It's an instrumental that reminds you this album is supposed to be about africa.Every song on this album is a very good representation of the individual artist's tendencies: each artist is very much in their own element on every song, none of them trying to do something that seems awkward. Because of this, every song feels very good, and the album's variety is a huge strength: it feels like a mix CD that a friend would make."
Marvelous!!
Robin Goodfellow | Land of the Fairies | 07/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is great. I watched the movie today {but it wasn't the first time} and listened to this cd today. I think a nice song on it would be "Don't Change" by The Goo Goo Dolls. After listening to "Here Comes The Night" and "Jungle Groove"and watching the movie, it made me feel like taking a holiday to Africa just to see what it's reaaally like. {It's probably not too different from what it looks like}. Another good song is "Boll Weevil". I very much recommend it because it is INSPIRING AND WONDERFUL. At first, "Burnin' Rubber" sounded kinda weird, but it turned out being OK. The best part started on that song with a hard guitar after, "I'm burnin' rubber all over the whole woooorrrlllddd!!!!" I thought "Blur The Technicolor" was going to sound like another one of White Zombie's songs called "Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks and Cannibal Girls" which is featured on the Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack, but it was different.{Don't listen to anyone who disses any of these songs}. Order this soundtrack today, and if you don't have the movie, get that too. It's neat."