SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 50 Min.
Produced in Canada (probably in 1990), this obscure cover album consists of twelve familiar movie tunes. Neither the original artists nor the individual “Movie Music” cover artists are acknowledged. The twelve tracks are:
| 1. “It Must Have Been Love” Roxette 4:26 | Pretty Woman (1990) |
| 2. “Blaze of Glory” Jon Bon Jovi 5:56 | Young Guns II (1990) |
| 3. “Hearts in Trouble” Chicago 5:00 | Days of Thunder (1990) |
| 4. “Double Back” ZZ Top 3:51 | Back to the Future III (1990) |
| 5. “On Our Own” Bobby Brown 4:06 | Ghostbusters II (1989) |
| 6. “Against All Odds” Phil Collins 3:25 | Against All Odds (1984) |
| 7. “Still Cruising” The Beach Boys 3:36 | Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) |
| 8. “Partyman” Prince 3:12 | Batman (1989) |
| 9. “Surrender to Me” Ann Wilson & Robin Zander 4:03 | Tequila Sunrise (1988) |
| 10. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” Bobby McFerrin 3:56 | Kokomo (1988) |
| 11. “That’s What I Said” MC Hammer 4:17 | Rocky V (1990) |
| 12. “Glory of Love” Peter Cetera 4:18 | The Karate Kid II (1986) |
REVIEW:
It’s reminiscent of an American Idol movie tunes night. In that sense, Best of the Movies, Vol. 2 tills from half-full to half-empty, depending upon the song. Tracks # 1, 4, 7, 8, and 9 pass muster in terms of professional karaoke and tread close in spirit to the original artists. Considering that Prince’s vocal style wouldn’t be easy to replicate, the “Partyman” performer, for instance, does a good job — yet, the impersonator briefly channeling Jack Nicholson’s Joker in its intro does a laughable job.
As for the second-tier tracks (# 2, 5-6, 10, and 12), the vocal work is decent, but the main value is their replicated themes. This album’s weakest efforts are: the rapping Track 11 which doesn’t age well, no matter its performer — and Track 3’s lyrics, which, despite its likable melody, rates among the most hackneyed love songs in Hollywood history.
At best, this glorified karaoke project might be a decent garage sale find … or to pass on as a white elephant gift.
PACKAGING:
The CD acknowledges which film each track is attributed to. No further information was available.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
