Lilo & Stitch
Alan Silvestri
" Lilo & Stitch shows once again top Disney production value "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
This is what a Disney movie needs to be all about. While I simply haven't seen the film (makes sense for starting a review like this doesn't it?) it mixes the right kind of tricks. A devious but equally irresistible monster with humans, mix that with water and you have Gremlins. Again not making sense but Lilo & Stitch was nonetheless a success with the fans. Now a question that bothers me, was the soundtrack album equally that successful with the fans? Don't know and this I'm truly guessing.
It is packed with golden oldies but I don't see Elvis fans buying this because it offers nothing new for them. Equally I don't see regular fans purchasing the score because it brings so little score in the end. So, that leaves only the die hard Silvestri fans and those actually wanting to spend their money on it after seeing the film. Or it has to be about the kids nagging to get that score in their possession. Yeah, I see little junior with his white cape and cool hair with gel taking a spin of "Hound Dog". Easily it can, proving the king isn't dead or at least his magical touch. Anyway making my point clear that only fans will buy it in the end.
I'm no fan, I mean I'm a big fan of Silvestri but even I had reservations on Lilo & Stitch. Still I got it and from now on I can say it is good normally speaking but not good greatly speaking. Perhaps I was expecting so much of it, leaving always room for whatever disappointment.
85% of this album is represented by songs. Of it, 5 songs are The King's property and this makes me wonder why. The Elvis fans already own the songs and rule out big chances of this album hitting top sales. "Heartbreak Hotel", "Devil in Disguise" and "Hound Dog" are in everyone's possession by now I presume?
Of the other songs, all give a sense that they were chosen with the right intent for the person listening. "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" is a fun piece that gets more colour through the choir, even if they and the lead singer speak things that even Stitch wouldn't understand. "Burning Love" is what I call a light female Elvis song because it gets close to Elvis reality sometimes. Only "Ardiente Amor" is slightly weaker, being a Spanish version of track title number 3 and not capturing the same feel or style.
But here is the problem. "Ardiente Amor" is replacing a score track that was discovered on the American release. So to clarify things, the American release holds 3 score tracks, the European 2. And it has the ingenious fact it replaces an actual track instead of being added to it. Ah we score fans must really be poor pathetic losers if we even can't receive this.
Of the score we can equally be brief because that is basically the running length of the album. "Stitch to the Rescue" is the best of the two (yes not three), capturing a rather surprising blast motif a la Father of the Bride (no I'm not kidding) and some good heroic fanfares of the main theme in pleasurable order. "I'm Lost" is rather normal. One short fanfare, building action motifs directly from Volcano and Eraser and a non climatic end, proving that this wasn't the last track on the CD at all (hooray we pathetic losers).
Altogether, it is again more of the same. I know the score could have entertained me more if there was simply extra music of Silvestri available. A 38 minute album is even a big disgrace considering there's so much room for extra material. But of course we know by now the deal around Walt Disney releases. Walt Disney Records has done what they shouldn't have, meaning they lost the path they made so successfully years ago. The Lion King is not the right way to commercially release an album and Dinosaur and Atlantis is. And if you want to put songs on it, you at least could have filled the album with more score. It doesn't make Lilo & Stitch bad but it doesn't make it great either. After all, it doesn't repay your investment, something the promo does more.
Score: ***
Songs: ***
Tracklisting
1. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & N Shore Children's Choir + (3.27)
2. Stuck on You: Elvis Presley (2.24)
3. Burning Love: Wynonna ++ (3.09)
4. Suspicious Minds: Elvis Presley (3.23)
5. Heartbreak Hotel: Elvis Presley (2.13)
6. Devil in Disguise: Elvis Presley (2.20)
7. He Mele No Lilo: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & North Shore Children's Choir + (2.28)
8. Hound Dog: Elvis Presley (2.15)
9. Can't Help Falling in Love: A*Teens +++ (3.06)
10. Stitch to the Rescue * (5.54)
11. I'm Lost * (4.36)
12. Ardiente Amor: Café Quijano ++ (3.09)
* Soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri
+ Produced by Alan Silvestri & David Bifano
++ Produced by Dann Huff & Wynonna
+++ Produced by Mark Hammond
Total Length: 38.50
It is packed with golden oldies but I don't see Elvis fans buying this because it offers nothing new for them. Equally I don't see regular fans purchasing the score because it brings so little score in the end. So, that leaves only the die hard Silvestri fans and those actually wanting to spend their money on it after seeing the film. Or it has to be about the kids nagging to get that score in their possession. Yeah, I see little junior with his white cape and cool hair with gel taking a spin of "Hound Dog". Easily it can, proving the king isn't dead or at least his magical touch. Anyway making my point clear that only fans will buy it in the end.
I'm no fan, I mean I'm a big fan of Silvestri but even I had reservations on Lilo & Stitch. Still I got it and from now on I can say it is good normally speaking but not good greatly speaking. Perhaps I was expecting so much of it, leaving always room for whatever disappointment.
85% of this album is represented by songs. Of it, 5 songs are The King's property and this makes me wonder why. The Elvis fans already own the songs and rule out big chances of this album hitting top sales. "Heartbreak Hotel", "Devil in Disguise" and "Hound Dog" are in everyone's possession by now I presume?
Of the other songs, all give a sense that they were chosen with the right intent for the person listening. "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" is a fun piece that gets more colour through the choir, even if they and the lead singer speak things that even Stitch wouldn't understand. "Burning Love" is what I call a light female Elvis song because it gets close to Elvis reality sometimes. Only "Ardiente Amor" is slightly weaker, being a Spanish version of track title number 3 and not capturing the same feel or style.
But here is the problem. "Ardiente Amor" is replacing a score track that was discovered on the American release. So to clarify things, the American release holds 3 score tracks, the European 2. And it has the ingenious fact it replaces an actual track instead of being added to it. Ah we score fans must really be poor pathetic losers if we even can't receive this.
Of the score we can equally be brief because that is basically the running length of the album. "Stitch to the Rescue" is the best of the two (yes not three), capturing a rather surprising blast motif a la Father of the Bride (no I'm not kidding) and some good heroic fanfares of the main theme in pleasurable order. "I'm Lost" is rather normal. One short fanfare, building action motifs directly from Volcano and Eraser and a non climatic end, proving that this wasn't the last track on the CD at all (hooray we pathetic losers).
Altogether, it is again more of the same. I know the score could have entertained me more if there was simply extra music of Silvestri available. A 38 minute album is even a big disgrace considering there's so much room for extra material. But of course we know by now the deal around Walt Disney releases. Walt Disney Records has done what they shouldn't have, meaning they lost the path they made so successfully years ago. The Lion King is not the right way to commercially release an album and Dinosaur and Atlantis is. And if you want to put songs on it, you at least could have filled the album with more score. It doesn't make Lilo & Stitch bad but it doesn't make it great either. After all, it doesn't repay your investment, something the promo does more.
Score: ***
Songs: ***
Tracklisting
1. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & N Shore Children's Choir + (3.27)
2. Stuck on You: Elvis Presley (2.24)
3. Burning Love: Wynonna ++ (3.09)
4. Suspicious Minds: Elvis Presley (3.23)
5. Heartbreak Hotel: Elvis Presley (2.13)
6. Devil in Disguise: Elvis Presley (2.20)
7. He Mele No Lilo: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & North Shore Children's Choir + (2.28)
8. Hound Dog: Elvis Presley (2.15)
9. Can't Help Falling in Love: A*Teens +++ (3.06)
10. Stitch to the Rescue * (5.54)
11. I'm Lost * (4.36)
12. Ardiente Amor: Café Quijano ++ (3.09)
* Soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri
+ Produced by Alan Silvestri & David Bifano
++ Produced by Dann Huff & Wynonna
+++ Produced by Mark Hammond
Total Length: 38.50