Throughout the ages, we’ve all at one point or another have watched and more than likely fallen in love with a timeless Disney classic. It was always something about them, the style, the substance and of course that olde faith Disney magic that made us enjoy them as much as we did or still do. But for me, there was also that one other factor above all, the music. I was always attached to the music from the movies and who can deny that the scores and themes from countless Disney flicks were fantastic. Who can forget such magical songs from movies such as Aladdin, Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, just to name a few. Countless themes that every one of us have hummed during our day-to-day, sung in the showers or simply played back those scenes on the movies over and over for ourselves or perhaps even for a younger generation.
And while I’ve always been captivated by Disney’s music, I’ve never owned a single soundtrack. Nope, never, well that is until 3 weeks when I was wandering around the local Target store and had found myself checking out the music section. I happened to see a picture of Tinkerbell on the cover of a CD wondered what the heck that was, so I went over to check it out. That was the first time I had ever heard of “We Love Disney”, a collection of Disney songs from several of their movies. So I was what the heck, I like Disney music, I’ll give this a try and I’ve been hooked ever since.
We Love Disney (2015) is a collaboration between Walt Disney records, Verve Records, and MCA Music, which brings together a stable of loved classics from the Disney movies throughout history; some new, some old, all good. A mixture of multiple music genres such as R&B, Rock, Pop and Country, all with a fantastic degree of success to the point where it shouldn’t be dismissed as merely a children’s soundtrack. Seriously folks, adults as well as children will love this arrangement of tunes.
Now these aren’t the same original songs and are instead updated versions that are performed by various artists such as Ne-Yo, Fall Out Boy, Jessi J, and Ariana Grande just to name a few. And while you would think that these tracks are aimed at the younger audience, you’d be wrong to assume that. While my two children have enjoyed the soundtrack, constantly playing several of the same tracks over and over, I’ve found myself enjoying it. Perhaps even more than children. For example, there are a few tracks such as Fall Out Boy’s I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) – From “The Jungle Book” and Ne-yo’s Friend Like Me – From “Aladdin” that are upbeat and rocking, as well as slower paced yet just as pleasing such as Gwen Stefani’s “The Muppet Movie” and Jhene Aiko’s In A World Of My Own/Very Good Advice – From “Alice In Wonderland“.
I’ll be the first admit that I didn’t expect this album to be as good and diverse as it is, and that’s a good thing. From track one to track 15, my inner-child took over me and hasn’t stopped. I listen to several tracks throughout days, mostly due to the fact that the music is so uplifting, if I’m having a bad day, it makes me feel that much better. And I’m sure that once you listen to a few of the tracks on this album that you’ll feel the same way.
Full Track List:
01. Friend Like Me (From Aladdin) – Ne-Yo
02. Part of Your World (From The Little Mermaid) – Jessie J
03. Can You Feel the Love Tonight / Nants’ Ingonyama (From The Lion King) – Jason Derulo
04. The Rainbow Connection (From The Muppet Movie) – Gwen Stefani
05. Zero to Hero (From Hercules) – Ariana Grande
06. In a World of My Own / Very Good Advice (From Alice in Wonderland) – Jhené Aiko
07. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) (From The Jungle Book) – Fall Out Boy
08. Colors of the Wind (From Pocahontas) – Tori Kelly
09. Spoonful of Sugar (From Mary Poppins) – Kacey Musgraves
10. Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat (From The Aristocats) – Charles Perry
11. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (From Cinderella) – Jessie Ware
12. Let It Go (From Frozen) – Rascal Flatts & Lucy Hale
13. It’s a Small World – We Love Disney Artists
. It’s Not Easy Being Green (From The Muppet Show) – Brenna Whitaker
15. A Whole New World (From Aladdin) – Yuna
"When you wish on a star...."
If you’re a fan of Disney movies or honestly just fun, yet pleasing music, then there’s definitely something for you in We Love Disney. And seeing how we’re reviewing this around the 2015 shopping holiday, I’d be remiss not to recommend this for a music lover in your life, either as a present or even a stocking stuff. You can listen to this album while at home, enjoying a moment for yourself, listening to it with your family and friends to enjoy a fun filled time or just as easily enjoy this while driving to and from work, as I do.
And if there’s anything negative to take away from the album, well that would be simple; there’s only 15 tracks to love. I can’t wait to see the next “We Love Disney” album.
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The stuff that only the house of mouse can deliver - 9.9/109.9/10
