Category: Digital Songs & Albums

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 3:44 Min.

Actress Amanda Seyfried performs this piano-driven ABBA cover to conclude Mamma Mia!’s 2008 soundtrack. 

REVIEW:

It’s moody and low-key in an old-fashioned nightclub sort of a way.  As performed by Amanda Seyfried, this self-reflective epilogue is reminiscent of a Broadway solo.  The gentle piano melody is terrific, as Seyfried’s soft vocals exude a wonderful charm making this tune a keeper.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           8 Stars

Note: Even better is Seyfried’s similar rendition of “I Have a Dream” from the same album.  It’s a gem!

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SUMMARY:                               RUNNING TIME: 3:51 Min.

Covering ABBA, actresses Meryl Streep & Amanda Seyfried perform this mother-and-daughter ballad from Mamma Mia!’s 2008 soundtrack. 

REVIEW:

Describing the poignant bond between mother and a now-grown daughter, it’s perhaps the most eloquent track off the Mamma Mia!  album.  As a duet, Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried’s gentle chemistry is excellent.  “Slipping Through My Fingers” is highly recommended for any favorite soundtrack and/or pop playlist.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 9 Stars

Note: Streep’s “The Winner Takes It All” ballad is among other winners off this same album.

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SUMMARY:                           RUNNING TIME: 2:57 Min.

As a trio, in solo turns, and with back-up help, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, & Pierce Brosnan cover this ABBA tune for 2008’s Mamma Mia! soundtrack.  Amanda Seyfried makes a late contribution (including on the chorus), and evidently Meryl Streep does, too, on chorus.

REVIEW:

The amateurism of Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan fits the song’s corny lyrics – keeping in mind that their characters waxing middle-age nostalgia aren’t supposed to be polished vocalists.  Colin Firth’s presence stands out more, as he imbues this tune’s storytelling with some welcome poignancy.  Even better is how Skarsgard, Brosnan, and Firth surprisingly mesh as a trio – the end result is good as it could have been hoped for. 

As for Amanda Seyfried’s contribution, her assigned lyrics are slightly silly, but she adds welcome energy late in the song.  “Our Last Summer” is among the soundtrack’s weakest efforts, but the tune is still likable enough.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           6 Stars

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SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 4:46 Min.

Released as a single separate from the Skyfall soundtrack album, Adele performs the title tune for Daniel Craig’s 2012 James Bond film.  The song subsequently scored multiple accolades in the U.S. and the U.K., including the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.   

Adele co-wrote this song with Paul Epworth, with orchestration from J.A.C. Redford.

REVIEW:

Judging by its slew of top awards, “Skyfall” is presumably the best-ever James Bond theme song.  Including her songwriting talents, the classiness Adele exudes on this track can’t be overstated.  Her sultry vocals rival that of Shirley Bassey, who holds the record of generating three Bond title songs.  Yet, short of John Barry’s original Bond instrumental, is Adele’s song now the definitive Bond song?  Or is it overrated among other Bond themes?

During its initial release, this song wisely didn’t overstay its welcome unlike Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic (i.e. hearing Dion’s pop ballad on the radio seemingly every five minutes for months on end).  Still, Adele’s “Skyfall” is borderline overrated.  This reality is mostly attributable to Adele’s vast star power.  Had any lesser performer rendered the song’s moody lyrics, this track wouldn’t likely have attracted nearly as much attention.  Suffice to say, Adele makes the song sound better than it really ought to — for instance, by deftly incorporating the movie’s title.

In terms of the last forty years, the short answer is that, yes, Adele’s “Skyfall” is indeed the best Bond tune.  The Bond movie franchise has enjoyed numerous big-name theme songs, but so few become a radio phenomenon, let alone claim awards. Going as far back as Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only” and Duran Duran’s “View to a Kill,” their 80’s airplay was considerable, but neither one resonates like Adele’s tune does. 

However, one could make persuasive claims for Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” and/or Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” besting Adele’s song in long-term staying power.  As dynamite of a download as “Skyfall” is, it isn’t yet necessarily the best-of-the-best among Bond themes.         

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8½ Stars

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SUMMARY:                             RUNNING TIME: 4:17 Min.

After the cult favorite success of Caddyshack (including Kenny Loggins’ radio hit, I’m Alright), Caddyshack II would recruit Loggins eight years later for a sequel to his own song.  First released on 1988’s Caddyshack II movie soundtrack, the energetic “Nobody’s Fool” would later resurface on The Essential Kenny Loggins album in 2002. 

Identifying the song with Caddyshack II is a lyric early on about going “back to the shack!”  Another lyric slyly serves  homage to Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb and his Zen philosophy re: golf about how one must “learn to be the ball.”   

REVIEW:

The catchy up-tempo melody revving “Nobody’s Fool” to life is unmistakably Late ‘80s rock, as Loggins evidently has a blast with this song.  Unlike the hip-swiveling, laid-back slacker charm of “I’m Alright,” Loggins cuts loose (pardon the expression) on “Nobody’s Fool,” in the same fast-tempo style of his seminal ‘80s soundtrack hits, like “Footloose” and Top Gun’s “Danger Zone.” 

Having rented the putrid Caddyshack II not too long ago, there’s no mistaking that “Nobody’s Fool” is this disappointing rehash’s only asset.  Hence, the song is well worth adding to a road trip or workout playlist. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               7½ Stars

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