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Halo 2, Vol. 1

Further proof that the 15-year-old male is the nexus of contemporary popular entertainment, this anthology of music from and "inspired by" the sequel to the earth-conquering Halo saga also showcases how capably the video game industry can trump even Hollywood's vaunted production values. The original synth-heavy underscore by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori is filled with enough brooding, mock-Goth atmospherics, and pulsing exotica of indeterminate ethnicity to give the Hans Zimmer stable a run for their money, while a slate of (mostly) worthy rock star guest turns give it a welcome edge. Legendary axe-slinger Steve Vai's sinewy riffing punches up the reworked main theme and "Never Surrender," while alt.metal contenders Breaking Benjamin serve up the suitably dramatic inspired-by cut "Blow Me Away." But it's Incubus' four-part "Odyssey" suite that's the centerpiece, bridging 1970s prog and modern rock with its moody aura and evocative musical dramatics. --Jerry McCulley

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Futures

Soundtrack;

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Customer Review:

Attention, HALO fans. Grab this item immediately.

It's as good as the first soundtrack except for some rock content which i like less. But if you are a fan of HALO and ROCK treat your self with this amazing HALO 2 Soundtrack.

Pretty Bomb Diggity

Yeah i recived this cd recently it is kinda nice to relax to becuase there are no words that distract you from what you are thinking about so you can just sit there and think and relax this cd is a nice mix and while listining to it it reminds me of the many endless hours i spend playing the game when the 2nd one came out.... yeah i reccomend it

Better than Halo 1 Soundtrack

If you are a fan of game music, this is one to own. This is an area where the production quality of the old Bungie still shines though the MS haze.

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Keywords: Film; Film Music; Miscellaneous; Miscellaneous Music; Original Score; Pop; Soundtracks; Soundtracks & Film Scores; Video Game Music; Video Game Soundtrack; Vocal; Vocal Music;

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Little Women The Musical (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women concerns four sisters in post-­Civil War Massachusetts, but at times it feels as if its musical adaptation should have been called "Little Woman," so focused on a single sibling it is. Both Allan Knee's book and Sutton Foster's natural charisma and energy help constantly train the spotlight onto tomboy Jo. Yet it's not that much of a problem because Foster is strong enough to carry the show. She gets excellent support from the rest of the cast and especially cabaret artist Maureen McGovern, who as Marmee gets two beautiful ballads ("Here Alone" and "Days of Plenty") that are tailor-made for her imperial, burnished tone, and could well acquire a life outside the show. Composer Jason Howland worked as either musical director or musical supervisor on three period-set Frank Wildhorn musicals (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War), which gives him a distinct experience in dealing with the historical setting here. Although the score oftentimes veers to the bland side, Howland also shows encouraging signs of spryness ("Five Forever") and melodic confidence that at one point slyly honors Sondheim ("Astonishing"). Old-fashioned in the best possible way, Little Women makes a good complement to Wicked for those trying to entice a younger audience to the delights of the musical theater. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Futures

Cast Recording;

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Customer Review:

What Can I Say?

This was an okay musical. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't stunning either. For me the music has to be pretty or big and this one was not either of these. It seemed like they were just putting words to music for that purpose and instead of coming up with beautiful moving songs they got plain, okay songs.

Some of them were even so similar to other musicals. When Foster sings one song I laughed so hard because it was different lyrics but sounded exactly like Thorouly Modern Millie.

On the positive notes some songs were really nicely done. I loved Five Forever and Small Umbrella in the Rain. Unfortunately, some of the songs were bad enough to make me laugh when I should be engrossed in the characters deepest emotions.

Overall, it was good, but not amazing.

Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern are worth it!

The voices of the cast are really what make this a wonderful cast recording. Sutton Foster is a joy to listen to from her belting out "Astonishing" to the beautiful "Some Things Are Meant to Be". Maureen McGovern's "Days of Plenty" is incredible. The stand out songs are those three songs. While the others are not going to make musical Theatre history, they are very enjoyable. Especially "I'd Be Delighted", which is a throwback to old-fashioned musicals. If you're looking for a pretty score with some beautiful songs, Little Women is perfect!

Little Women Broadway Sountrack is One for the Collection

I am patiently waiting for the touring group of "Little Women" to come to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in Summer 2006. I am sick I missed this on Broadway. They closed it before I could get up there to see it. However; this soundtrack is quite a surprise to hear. My favorite song is "Days of Plenty" sung by Maureen McGovern. The "Little Women" classic does translate well to a musical/drama.

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Keywords: Cast Recordings; Music Theater; Musical Theater; Musicals; Pop; Show Tunes; Showtunes / B'way;

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Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits

Compare this to John Mellencamp's previous hits set, The Best That I Could Do 1978-1988, and it quickly becomes apparent how much the artist formerly known as John Cougar has grown in the second phase of his career. Following a 1994 heart attack, the songwriter transformed from cocky jukebox hero to compassionate everyman, trading in big pop riffs for sublime, politically charged songs that echo the outspoken work of Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. Spanning 25 years, this 35-track set incorporates most of the last collection along with more recent hits over two discs in nonchronological order. --Aidin Vaziri

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Limited Edition;

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Customer Review:

Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits

This is the best greatest hits CD ever. If you like John Mellencamp at all you will love this CD.

Fantastic CDs, DVD a waste

Great songs! But who came up with this clunky tri-fold cardboard case on the US edition?? Maybe they wanted a way to tuck the "bonus" DVD inside, but that I could have done without as it contained mostly the MTV videos, not concert footage. Worse, the booklet contained everything you could want to know about each song, EXCEPT the lyrics.

THE John Mellencamp Collection to own!

For the discerning record collector, deciding which albums of their favorite artists to own is usually a tough choice. For John Mellencamp fans, however, "Words and Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits", makes that choice quite simple. This is the Mellencamp collection to buy.

For a career that has spanned over twenty-five years, John Mellencamp, like most accomplished artists who can last that long, has had an onslaught of hit songs. To make matters better, they're all here - almost like hearing your own private Mellencamp concert in your living room : "Pink Houses", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Paper in Fire", "Human Wheels", "Authority Song", "Small Town", "R.O.C.K. in the USA", "What If I Came Knocking", "Cherry Bomb", "I Need a Lover", "Hurts So Good", "Jack and Diane", "Peaceful World... every piece of classic heartland rock he ever wrote, all in one place.

Go ahead and do your research. No other Mellencamp collection offers as many strong songs in one place. For all the hits in one place (and for a reasonable price), Words and Music is the one to buy. Note: Also contains bonus DVD with video footage of "Check it Out", "Rain on the Scarecrow", and "R.O.C.K. in the USA".

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Keywords: Album Rock; Bar Band; Hard Rock; Heartland Rock; Pop; Pop/Rock; Rock; Rock/Pop; Roots Rock; United States of America;

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The Dukes of Hazzard - Music From The Motion Picture

The Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack will probably prove to be much like the film: Mixing Jessica Simpson and Willie Nelson together in a Southern rock milieu will either seem genius or it'll have you cowering under Grandma's homemade country quilt. This musical journey to the land of moonshine and short shorts kicks off with Simpson (channeling Britney Spears), who purrs her way through a countrified version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin." From there, the disc settles into straightforward Southern rockville by way of Lynyrd Skynrd, Molly Hatchet, and other bands from the 1970s and '80s, the era of the Dukes of Hazzard television show. (Two notable exceptions are "Burn It Off" by the band formerly known as the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and "Soul City" by Southern Culture on the Skids.)

There's little inventiveness and few surprises in this compilation. Songs like "Black Betty," "Call Me the Breeze," and "Pride and Joy" should be so well known to fans that only the desire to have them in one place--perhaps as a sonic backdrop to your next stock-car race--would make this album worth owning. Possibly the best track in the collection is Willie Nelson's rendition of "Good Ol' Boys." It reminds one of the Waylon Jennings original, and should give serious Dukes fans a hankerin' for the TV soundtrack, which is being re-released to coincide with the film's debut. --Leah Weathersby

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Futures

Soundtrack;

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Customer Review:

To MovedbyMusic "lishaz3"

I disagree with everything this reviewer has stated. The video is basically a softcore porn with her grinding herself against some guys gentials in the bar, teasing every male in the bar by her walk and rump shaking, showing off her breasts to every male in the bar, kissing Willie Nelson and showing off her butt to him. So much is wrong with this video, that I cannot think of all of it. Even people I know think its so great. I think its horrible, why I bet some young teenage male is jacking off to it right now. Paris Hilton might have offended people with her commericals, but this video is worse. If you had a young daughter, would you let her grind up against some random guy like Jessica does in the video? I dont think so. The song is one of the worst songs ever, and one of the worst covers of all time as well. You can barely hear the words and where is Willie? He's credited but you cant even hear one word by him. Jessica is not adorable, she is sleazy as Daisy Duke. I cant wait to see what her next move is; Will a porno of her and Nick accidently hit the internet?

talentless Jessica!!!

Not a bad soundtrack overall. Jessica Simpson attempt at "These Boots are Made For Walkin'" is terrible and doesn't fit in with the rest of the soundtrack. The rest of the tracks are great. But if I want to hear "Boots..." I'll put in Megadeth's Killing is My Business...and Business is good.

Left Off WAY Too Many Songs

First of all, the movie was AWESOME - hands down best movie I've seen this year. Throughout the entire movie, I kept thinking, "I have GOT to get this soundtrack". So I get home and hop on Amazon.com, and look at it, and think, "wow, where are all the songs?" Great songs the soundtrack left out:

AC/DC "If you Want Blood"
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"
ZZ Top "La Grange"
Ram Jam "Black Betty"

And those are just the few that I can think of off the top of my head. I think the soundtrack should've left off Uncle Jesse's jokes, and put those songs in. Needless to say, I did not purchase it.

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Keywords: Soundtrack;

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