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

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 3:45 Min.

For the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Amanda Seyfried duets with co-star Dominic Cooper on this cover of the vintage ABBA hit.

REVIEW:

Benefiting from a sparkling melody, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper demonstrate great vocal chemistry on this tune.  To some degree, this track is unfairly overshadowed by other tunes off the same album.  As heard on “One of Us,”  there’s no question that Amanda Seyfried’s voice sounds just as stellar as co-star Lily James.  To Dominic Cooper’s credit, he holds his own with Seyfried.  This underrated duet is definitely worth consideration as a download. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               8 Stars

Note: This tune benefits from a better pop melody than Seyfried & Cooper’s “Lay All Your Love on Me” duet on 2008’s Mamma Mia! soundtrack.

SUMMARY:                         RUNNING TIME: 3:57 Min.

Courtesy of Apollo Four Forty, this energized disco remix of composer Jack Elliott’s original TV theme appears on the 2000 Charlie’s Angels movie soundtrack.

REVIEW:

Serving as a closing credits theme, Apollo Four Forty’s hip reboot is music’s equivalent of an adrenaline rush.  In that sense, hearing Jack Elliott’s familiar TV instrumental getting some fresh life is cool. The problem is that this remix’s obnoxious high-pitch instrumentals may rapidly grate on one’s ears.  Hence, due to sheer repetition, its four-minute running time drones on far longer than it really should.  Still, “Charlie’s Angels 2000” is ideally suited for workout playlists — and possibly long road trips. 

BRIAN’S 10-STAR RATING:                 6 Stars

SUMMARY:                             RUNNING TIME: 4:44 Min.

This mid-tempo song is among the ‘inspired-by’ tracks appears as Track # 9 off Jon Bon Jovi’s 1990 Blaze of Glory soundtrack for the Young Guns II movie.   

Note: If purchased as a download, this song may end with a Kiefer Sutherland (as ‘Doc’ Scurlock) dialogue clip meant as the intro for Track # 10: “Dyin’ Ain’t Much of a Livin’.”  

REVIEW:

Melding rock, R&B, and gospel, “Bang a Drum” adds some welcome variety to Blaze of Glory. Compared to the flashiness of the title track (and a few of the album’s ballads), this tune tends to get lost in the shuffle, as far as which tracks stand out most. Yet, the contemporary sound of “Bang a Drum” presents this album’s most underrated effort, no matter if it’s meant as classy filler. This song is worth checking out.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:            7 Stars

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 5:35 MIN.

Sung from Billy the Kid’s point-of-view, it’s the title song for Jon Bon Jovi’s soundtrack for the 1990 Young Guns II film.  The song is heard over the movie’s closing credits. In addition to a music video released in late Summer 1990, the song later appeared on Bon Jovi’s 1994 best-of Cross Road album.

Note: A download might not include the song’s album intro, which consists of a tense audio clip dialogue exchange between Kiefer Sutherland’s ‘Doc Scurlock’ and Emilio Estevez’s ‘Billy the Kid.’ The intro may instead turn up in the closing seconds of the previous track: “Miracle.”   

REVIEW:

It’s an instance where the title song really is an album’s masterpiece.  This tune’s magic endures, as every necessary creative element (i.e. dynamite lyrics, a catchy melody, the guitar work, and Jon Bon Jovi’s vintage vocals) hits the target. If anything, “Blaze of Glory” is Young Guns II’s legacy, as this track easily holds up thirty years later. Bon Jovi’s rock hit immortalizing Billy the Kid could fit into any number of potential playlists, including workouts. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                9 Stars

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 2:34 MIN.

This poetic ballad is among the ‘inspired-by’ tracks appearing on Jon Bon Jovi’s 1990 Blaze of Glory soundtrack for the Young Guns II movie. 

REVIEW:

It’s a shame that the track doesn’t actually appear in the film, as “Blood Money” offers classy depth re: the crumbling friendship between Emilio Estevez’s ‘Billy the Kid’ and William L. Petersen’s ‘Pat Garrett.’  As a welcome contrast to the album’s flashier rock songs, this underrated tune is well-played by Jon Bon Jovi.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               7½ Stars

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 2:24 MIN.

This up-tempo barroom-style ditty is among several ‘inspired-by’ tracks appearing on Jon Bon Jovi’s 1990 Blaze of Glory soundtrack for the Young Guns II movie.    

REVIEW:

All too short and easily forgettable, this dance hall track is merely album filler.  Though the song has a fun contemporary vibe, listeners won’t be missing much if they skip “You Really Got Me Now.”   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  4 Stars