Product Description

New tracks from Brooke Valentine, Beyonce, Keith Sweat and a collaboration by Ray J and R. Kelly will lead the soundtrack for the made-in-Chicago film 'Roll Bounce'. Valentine's Jazze Pha-produced cover of the '70s favorite 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' featuring Fabolous and YoYo will be the set's first single. Beyonce tackles Rose Royce's 'Wishing on a Star', while Keith Sweat puts his stamp on the Intruders' 'I Wanna Know Your Name'. Ray J and Kelly contribute the new song 'Quit Actin', while Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams reworks Al Green's classic 'Let's Stay Together.' Sanctuary. 2005.

.com

When a pop song soundtrack truly captures the essence of a movie, you know a lot of care went into the cut selection. It's a cinch that something like a Cameron Crowe soundtrack is always going to pass the test, but what a delightful surprise that Roll Bounce offers such a charming and witty set that's entirely in keeping with the movie's own enchanting spirit. The mix is about equally divided between straight period tunes (Roll Bounce unfolds in and around the '70s roller-disco craze) and updates of classics from the era. The old numbers are all winners that, again, seem chosen with loving consideration both for appropriateness to the scenes they accompany as well as for the attention they deserved (though may not have received) at the time. In addition to Chic's ubiquitous "Le Freak," lesser-known '70s gems include the funky soul of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Superman Lover," and the wistful groove of Bill Wither's languorous, superproduced ballad, "Lovely Day." Some of the updates: an overly-boogified version of Kool and the Gang's "Hollywood Swingin'" with Jason Kay of Jamiroquai doing his best Kool impersonation. To keep the contemporary crowd happy, Keith Sweat is represented with the lush ballad "I Wanna Know Your Name." And there's a hotter-than-ever cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" from Michelle Williams. Beyonce also makes an appearance with her loving cover of the ethereal, "Wishin' On a Star." The least successful "update" is a distinctively 21st century reimagining of the disco mainstay "Boogie Oogie Oogie," which gains little from the combo of house-rap and crooning by Brook Valentine, Fabolous, and Yo Yo. But in essence, Roll Bounce is a terrific mix of old, new, and some stuff in between that makes a perfect companion to the film.--Ted Fry