Various Artists: The Muppets Most Wanted (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Details
Genre: PopPros:
The shining moments are really worth digging up ("Something So Right,"I'll Get You What You Want")Cons:
The covers are cute fillers for kids under thirteen. Plus, the scene clips sounds like bad audio rips from the film.Jim Henson’s puppet gang proves on latest soundtrack that they are still wanted
Jim Henson’s puppet gang proves on latest soundtrack that they are still wanted
When the Muppets delve into song, they usually focus on silly theater and kid-tertainment. It’s been their formula since Jim Henson brought the furry creatures to primetime with The Muppets Show back in 1976 and then to the big screen with 1979’s The Muppet Movie. After firing up a slew of box-office runs and with Disney calling most of the executive shots, the Muppets seem to be hip again. On Muppets Most Wanted, the sequel to their 2011 blockbuster The Muppets, the movie soundtrack are staying true to what fits while also integrating more Disney sorcery into the mix. The soundtrack opener “We’re Doing a Sequel” and the Constantine/Ricky Gervais duet (“I’m number one, you’re number two/We’re criminals at large, but I’m larger than you”) maintain the chipper charm of yore. Returning to the table as musical supervisor, Bret McKenzie – one-half of comedy duo Flight of the Concords – brings a slate of pop-trendy songs to the set. “I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu),” an instant favorite, glimmers like Bruno Mars on disco a la “Treasure.” Nevertheless, Miss Piggy easily wins the spotlight with the piano-driven, string-soaked power ballad “Something So Right.” Her vocal isn’t as screechy per her usual, so there’s a bit of a relief there. Still there’s much to celebrate with Miss Piggy’s heartfelt performance, as she sings across Bee Gee balladry: “Sow how can something so right feel so wrong tonight?/After all we’ve been through/Why do I feel I don’t know you?” Factor in a soaring chorus and a brief Celine Dion cameo and you’ve got an instant Oscar nod. Simply ignore the cover tunes (Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger, Los del Rio’s “Macarena”) unless you’re hungry for a quick cheesy laugh.
