Release Date: April 10, 2012
Label: Ghostlight Records
Time: 50:18
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Jack Feldman
Main Singers: Jeremy Jordan, John Dossett, Capathia Jenkins, Kara Lindsay
1. Overture - 4/5 - Quite upbeat. Surprisingly short for an overture. Very pleasant to listen to.
2. Santa Fe (Prologue) - 2/5 - Not to be confused with the amazing song with the same name from a different musical, this piece is weird. Jeremy Jordan's voice cracks intentionally during the course of the song, which I thought was a peculiar. The faked New York accent is very grating, and it feels very angsty. Not a great start to an album.
3. Carrying the Banner - 4/5 - I like this song. It's peppy, very neo-Broadway, and kind of funny. This is the way the album should have started. I actually chuckled at some of the lyrics in this song. A good beginning. Let's hope there's more.
4. The Bottom Line - 2/5 - Nothing interesting to see here. This song is mainly here for plot advancement. Nothing novel about it. Only about 50% of it is actual singing. Blah.
5. That's Rich - 3/5 - The cliched introduce-the-female song. Catchy, bland, not very exciting. The whole song is really just one large, beige, boring, pun.
6. I Never Planned On You/Don't Come A-Knocking - 3/5 - This song is confusing. The first part of the song is Jeremy Jordan doing his best Ewan McGregor impression, the second is him still singing but to a strange chorus of girls who come out of nowhere. I guess you have to see it to understand.
7. The World Will Know - 3/5 - The revelation song. In the beginning, it sounds promising, but fails to deliver. Also, the accents are still there, sounding as fake as ever.
8. Watch What Happens - 3/5 - Kara Lindsay's voice strongly reminds me of Kristen Chenowith. A quirky song with syncopation out the wazoo. Interesting, with a touch of humor.
9. Seize the Day - 4/5 - This is the by-the-book showstopper. It starts of slow, gradually builds into a whole ensemble romp, complete with a dance break. Surprisingly, it's not half bad.
10. Santa Fe - 3/5 - Oh look, we're here again. A little better than the prologue. His voice still does that cracking thing. Also, it seems like his accent is getting in the way of his diction. The only thing better than the prologue is that the ending is very solid and resolute.
11. King of New York - 4/5 - I remember seeing this song performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I really liked it and nothing has changed: it's very catchy, something you can really snap your finger to. The only real problem is that 80% of it is tap-dancing, so you can't really whistle it.
12. Watch What Happens (Reprise)- 3/5 - I preferred it a bit more when it was just the girl singing, but what are you going to do. It's boring and doesn't stand out in the album at all.
13. The Bottom Line (Reprise) - 4/5 - A great villain song (though Disney is pretty good at that sort of thing). Dark reprise of the original song, though short, it's a good addition to the album.
14. Brooklyn's Here - 4/5 - We seem to be on a roll here as far as good songs. A rousing rebellion song. Similar to "Do You Here The People Sing?" from Les Miz, this song is all about the rallying.
15. Something to Believe In - 3/5 - A boring ballade that breaks the mood of the album. Since they took out the love interest in the musical, I have no clue who he's singing to. It seems to be the reporter, thought that doesn't make much sense.
16. Once And For All - 5/5 - It seems like they're all singing about murder. Very fast-paced, interesting, anger-filled, and overall, the best song on the entire album.
17. Finale - 4/5 - This piece is also a by-the-book finale. It starts off slow and quiet and quickly ramps up to the entire cast singing a reprise of "King of New York". Feels like the end of the album. Warps up nicely.
Conclusion: I am no fan of Disney musicals, but this one is pretty okay. It's better than some others I've heard (*cough*Tarzan*cough*)
3.4/5
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