Category: Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic

SUMMARY:                                       RUNNING TIME: 4:49 Min.

“Own the Night” was recorded by Chaka Khan for Miami Vice’s first TV soundtrack, which was released in 1985.

REVIEW:

Chaka Khan’s vocals are the best element of this pop/R&B hybrid.  Make no mistake, though: both the mid-80’s-style melody and suggestive lyrics belong to Miami Vice’s gritty-and-glittery storytelling.  Conveying a world-weary prostitute’s point-of-view, “Own the Night” offers okay listening, but its dubious context doesn’t make this song a keeper.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        6 Stars

SUMMARY:                                        RUNNING TIME: 3:49 Min.

For the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, actresses Meryl Streep & Lily James (as Donna Sheridan) and Amanda Seyfried (as daughter Sophie) cover ABBA for this lullaby-like track. 

REVIEW:

Accompanied by a piano-driven melody, this elegant tune is stellar.  The vocal harmony shared between Streep, James, and Seyfried is ideal for an angelic contemplation of ‘Donna’ and ‘Sophie” bonding one last time through motherhood.  With “My Love, My Life” as the soundtrack’s most inspired tune, it’s a gem worth keeping, with or without the film. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          9 Stars

SUMMARY:                                    RUNNING TIME: 2:48 Min.

For the 2018 film sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, co-stars Lily James (as a young ‘Donna’) and Hugh Skinner (as a young ‘Harry’) duet on this cover of the vintage ABBA hit.

REVIEW:

Though the spur-of-the-moment sequence in which this song appears makes too little sense, Lily James & Hugh Skinner compensate with a playful, almost goofy duet.  The upbeat track’s appeal is also attributable to the melody’s catchiness.  Though Skinner isn’t nearly as polished as James, their vocal chemistry offers a fun ‘show tunes’ listening experience. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      6 Stars

SUMMARY:                        RUNNING TIME: 5:29 Min.

For the 2018 film sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, actress Meryl Streep goes solo on the album’s concluding track. 

REVIEW:

Frankly, what artistic performing talent doesn’t Meryl Streep possess?  Streep’s vocals are in fine form, but the tune itself leaves something to be desired.  While the song’s tone is reminiscent of Carly Simon’s moody 1997 album, Film Noir,  the lyrics are just odd without some prior context.

Case in point: the song’s rainy day-in-the-life storytelling seems intentionally ambiguous. Is Streep’s ghostly Donna Sheridan perhaps reflecting on the day before her imminent demise (or maybe a terminal diagnosis)?  The narrative’s repetitive uncertainty of details (i.e. as if she is in a fog remembering a specific day’s events) might make one wonder.  Or is the song meant more as a metaphor about a contented life and even taking for granted one’s familiar daily routines?  In that sense, pondering this tune’s meaning becomes almost a needless distraction.   

Still, Streep imbues this downbeat tune with the right touch of elegance – she, however, can’t overcome how the murky context of “The Day Before You Came” supposedly ties into the film.  If anything, this enigmatic track is too bleak a contrast to the album’s bubbly vibe.

Note: There’s also an anachronism that suggests the lyrics were possibly touched up for the film. Streep’s Donna refers to not missing a single episode of House of Cards — yet, this TV series wouldn’t have existed at the time of the film’s setting. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  6½ Stars