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September 2001 Vol. 5 No. 10
 
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Artist Various Artists
Title Crazy/Beautiful
Label Hollywood Records
Reviewer Mary Ellen Gustafson
Rating
The Soundtrack from "Crazy/Beautiful" moves back to the typical in soundtrack fare. I haven't seen the movie and don't have a clue what it's about, so I can only review the music as I hear it. I don't know if any of these songs are actually in the movie or are tacked on at the end over the credits. This particular album is sixteen tracks done by different artists that sound fairly different from each other.

Track one, "Ten La Fe" by "Mellow Man Ace" is a hip hop song in Spanish with a good beat, a decent rap and a melodical, female chorus break now and again. "Who Am I?" by "Lily Frost" starts out with a sweet voice accompanied by acoustic guitar. After the first verse the pace picks up and a full band joins in. "Who Am I" is the repeated chorus with some pretty good backing instrumentals.

"To Be Free" by "Emilianna Torrini" has just a tiny bit of a Spanish sound in the instrumentals. It's a medium paced song, performed by someone with a sweet voice, with some good harmonies/echoes and a catchy beat. Finally I recognize a band! "Wait" by "Seven Mary Three" (Gee they show up on a lot of soundtracks! The first time I ever heard them was on a soundtrack...). The song relies on heavy guitar chords and a typical beat. It's an okay song, but I've heard better from this band.

The next song is more of a ballad, again with a Spanish undertone. "Every Time" by "G. La Bey" is a pretty good song if a little slow for the type of instrumental accompanying it. With "La Reina Del Lugar" by "Serralde" the lyrics are in Spanish, but up to this point it's the best song on the album. The vocalist is very good, the Spanish guitar sound is awesome and even though I can't understand the words I know it's very emotional.

"Shattered" by "Remy Zero" does not impress me. I like the instrumental on this song, which again features Spanish guitars, but I'm not too crazy about the vocal. It's too slow and seems to lack conviction. The vocal doesn't have an especially interesting melody either. On the other hand, "Delinquent Habits (featuring Michelle)" singing "Boulevard Star" puts some action in a song. This is a rap song with some great female vocals over part of the rap and is super catchy. The rap is done in English and Spanish and there's a damn good DJ sampling on this one as well.

Lo and behold, "Fastball" shows up on the next track singing "This Is Not My Life." I haven't heard anything about these guys in forever. Of course that doesn't mean anything - I can't track every band! This is another catchy, faster song that integrates elements of old Beatles' songs and brings them into the new millennium. I really like how this song was done. I guess you'd call the next track rock/salsa with rap. There are some super heavy guitar riffs, catchy percussion and mega-fast rap during the verses. "Sumpin' " by "The Pimps" is different from pretty much all the other songs, but if you're into heavy rock with rap you'll like this one!

"Alright" by "Osker" is pure bad ass punk very reminiscent of the Offspring. It's fast, fun, has a good beat, not quite all the lyrics are understandable, and it's short! "Sleep" by "The Dandy Warhols" is slow, melancholy and slightly depressing, but I still like it. I can't quite explain what the hook is, but this song is SO much better than the other slow songs on this album. "She Gave Me Love" by "The Getaway People" has some spoken word at the beginning and is a funky/bluesy kind of song. There's nothing in particular to make this track stand out, but it's pretty good anyway.

Starting with a sweet sounding piano is "I Want To Believe You" by "Lori Carson and Paul Haslinger." Lori has a very high, sweet singing voice you can barely hear. This is definitely a ballad and has a more orchestral sounding instrumental. It's just a tad too sweet for me, but it's pretty. "Perfect" by "Maren Ord" sounds a lot like a folk song at the beginning, starting with acoustic guitar. Once the full band joins in things go rock and it's really a decent rock song with a great melody and a very good female lead vocalist.

Last but not least is "Siempre" by "La Bey." With a little synth, a lot of percussion, Spanish lyrics and a cool echo vocal lagging behind the lead vocal it's a pretty cool song. I'd say it's a decent end to an eclectic mix of music, which is exactly what this soundtrack is. If you saw the movie and liked it, if you're into the kind of musical mix I've described, or if maybe you're looking for something a step off the beaten path, you might want to check this one out.


© 2001 AMZ/music-reviewer.com
Robert R. Lewis