Search - Various Artists :: Music From the Motion Picture Josie And The Pussycats

Kay Hanley delivers extremely catchy, melodic pop-punk.

Bill M. | MA, USA | 08/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This soundtrack simply features songs from the two fictious bands in the movie, most predominantly "Josie and the Pussycats". In reality, this band consists of Kay Hanley (of the Boston-based band Letters To Cleo) singing over a tight trio of guitar, bass, and drums. No orchestras, no over-production, no fancy synths: just simple yet well-written, melodic pop/punk. The writing and production notes include big names like Babyface, Matthew Sweet, and Adam Schlesinger (who I think won a Grammy for his music in "That Thing You Do"). And there's even a cover of the theme song from the original cartoon show. My only complaint is that Kay is mentioned nowhere on the outside of the CD; almost everything is credited to "Josie and the Pussycats". That's cute and all, but I don't know why they just didn't write "vocals by Kay Hanley" or similar on the front or back cover, even in tiny letters. The other musicians are credited, but there's no indication in the entire booklet of who did which tracks.Keep in mind that this is a movie soundtrack, so there is inevitably more than one artist featured on the CD. This brings me to the second band from the movie, the ficticious heart-thob boy band "Du Jour". The two tracks of theirs sound extremely stereotypical and lame, but that's exactly the point. Anybody who's seen the movie (or knows what "Du Jour" means) will get the joke. They intentionally portray a flash-in-the-pan fluff band in the movie. And the lyrics to "Back Door Lover" include some funny X-rated puns.So aside from these two tracks, the rest of the album is rather consistant in its style. You might find yourself humming to the really catchy hooks all day long. Needless to say, this soundtrack has become a near permanent addition to my car's CD holder."

Nice fun CD to have in your collection

Josh Jones | 01/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you loved the Josie Movie then I pretty much figure you will love this soundtrack. Although, I find myself skipping over the Dujour songs everytime I hear it, it's a great CD!

Kate does a great match up with Rachel's voice! It's unbelievable, but the echoing is annoying. I would say that this is rock CD.

Here's the break down:



1. 3 Small Words

This song is really good. It's about a girl waiting for a guy to tell him that he loves her but he's too late. Currently, I am trying the tabs on my guitar.



2. Pretend to Be Nice

The beginning is funny and good. I don't like the weird way they say 'Pretend to Be Nice' it's been sythasized some how and it's weird and annoying.



3. Spin Around

It starts out slow like the next song but then This song makes you want to get up and go. "Spin around and around..." makes you want to get up and Spin. It makes me dizzy thinking about it. The lyrics don't make much sense to me though, oh well.



4. You Don't See Me

This song is sad and makes me think of one of my friends who has the same problem. It's perfect for Josie thinking of Alan! It's sort of mopey and slow though and I sometimes skip over it. Some of the lyrics don't make sense.



5. You're a Star

I love this song! I think it should be the theme of the movie. "Slam the door and let's tear down, the walls," that line is real good. It's a very energetic and uplifting song. They should have used for the theme of the movie because it's telling you be different and that's what the movie was about!



6. Shapeshifter

I can just imagine some guy dissing on a girl as soon as she turns her back. This song is so true! "If you thinks that cool, whatever dude," is a weird line and they keep repearting it. It gets a little annoying. Especially the "whatever" at the end.



7. I Wish You Well

This reminds me of Skater Boy from Avril Lavigne. It's a little slower than the other songs and kind of boring. "Couldn't you see through the sweat and tears? I took my bows as you confirmed all my sadest fears," is an odd line in the song. It don't really understand the point of this song, and it's definetly not one of my favorites.



8. Real Wild Child

AAAAH! No! We're going in a time machine! I hate the original 'Real Wild Child' and this one is much better, thank god! In the movie, it's the music behind a big fight scene and it fits it well. It's the original lyrics but the music is much faster.



9. Come On

This song is more mature than the others. It has the same feel to it but, "I don't wanna be a girlfriend, I'm just looking for a real good time alright, can you guarnteed me satisfaction, needs some action, gonna get it tonight," isn't something they shouldn't put in a song for this age group. The music is good though, the lyrics need to tone it down.



10. Money (That's What I Want)

Here we go back in the time machine! This is also better than the original. The music is close to the original and the lyrics are the same. The way they scream, "MONEY!" and "LOTS OF MONEY" is really interesting and different than the original that I can recall.



11. Dujour Around the World

I heard on the comentary that these were the corniest lyrics they could think of and came up with them in like 5 minutes. I could believe that. This song is really dumb when you listen to the words, "ride on your motorbike with dujour," man, these lyrics will make you laugh. Identical to a typical boy band.



12. Backdoor Lover

This is the song they played in the beginning of the movie and it always make me think of the beginning of the movie. As usual, typical boy band lyrics. Another very thought provoking song that's a little mature.



13. Josie and the Pussycats

This song is a great re-make of the original. I think it should have been in the beginning of the soundtrack though. The guitars and stuff are great in this. The lyrics are adjusted from the original with more stuff of the times now. this song is really good, i really like it. It's at the end of the movie for the credits though.



Well, that's my review for the CD. Josie and the Pussycats is my favorite movie, and if you love the movie, you will love this soundtrack. I find my self popping it into my computer off and on but not listening to it 24/7."

MEEEEOOOOW!!

Josh Jones | Carrollton, GA | 03/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok--I'm a HUGE fan of teen-oriented movies. So basically, when I saw the previews for "Josie and the Pussycats," I was overjoyed. Its really uncommon to see a heterosexual 18 year old guy who loves Pop music and teen flicks, but I'm right here in the flesh! The music on this soundtrack ROCKS!! When I heard "3 small words" on the preview, I fell in love! But the music sounded really familiar. Reason being: Kay Hanley (lead of the now extinct band Letters To Cleo) sings the voice of Josie! I don't own a Letters to Cleo album, but I have the Jawbreaker soundtrack, and its packed with their tunes. The "Josie..." soundtrack is now my favorite CD. Its awesome. Not a single complaint! Every song on this CD is just....WOW! My favorites are 3 Small Words, Spin Around, You Don't See Me, Real Wild Child, and Josie and the Pussycats. The Dujour songs are actually not bad at all. By reading other reviews, I thought that those 2 songs would really suck, but I like 'em!! To like CD, you don't have to be a fan of Josie and the Pussycats. You don't even have to enjoy the movie. All you have to do it enjoy great music."