Review: Wizards Of Waverly Place – Original Soundtrack

Wizards Of Waverly Place – Original Soundtrack/Various Artists
2009, Walt Disney Records
Wizards Of Waverly Place is one of the hottest television properties Disney owns these days, so it’s no surprise that they’ve chosen to release a soundtrack from the show featuring such young stars as Selena Gomez, Aly & AJ, KSM, Drew Seeley and Raven-Symone. Wizards Of Waverly Place features twelve tracks that are from or inspired by the hit show, many of them Rock and Pop classics with the word magic in the title that have been re-interpreted to varying degrees of success. Wizards Of Waverly Place was released on August 4, 2009.

Series star Selena Gomez has four songs on the soundtrack. Opening with Disappear, a highly produced bit of Pop fluff, Gomez displays a strong, pleasant voice amidst heavy hooks. This is a legitimate Pop hit outside of the teeny bopper set the show is aimed at. Magical is another legitimate Pop hit. Gomez shows off a lot of texture in her voice here and a quirky side that is endearing. Up next is a cover of Pilot’s Magic that’s updated for today’s Pop sound. I can’t say I’m a big fan of this version but it isn’t too far off the mark. The other Gomez track is the series theme song, Everything Is Not As It Seems. If you listen to any sort of Pop radio you already know this one.

Up next is Steve Rushton covering Jeff Lynne/Electric Light Orchestra’s Strange Magic in a faithful cover with incredibly harmonies. This was my favorite cover on the disc, and Rushton shows real talent as a vocalist. Honor Society takes on The Cars’ Magic and loses in a Karaoke club bit of blandness. The vocalist here just doesn’t have the panache or quirk of Ric Ocasek and ends up sounding mechanical. Mitchel Musso digs into The Police’s Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic to much the same effect found on the previous track. The vocalist displays little personality and is so ensconced in vocal effects and pitch correction software we may never know what his voice really sounds like. This rendition is bland in spite of the upbeat chorus. KSM gives a fair rendition of Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride, providing enough attitude and oomph to make the song believable and fair harmonies to boot.

Meaghan Martin draws Olivia Newton-John’s Magic and delivers a flat, highly-processed reading that simply doesn’t work. The energy and vitality of the original make this unlistenable by comparison. Andrew Seeley (of High School Musical fame) takes on America’s You Can Do Magic in a version designed and produced to do well on Pop Radio. There are more vocal effects here than you can wrap your head around in a re-envisioned Pop/Dance package. Raven Symone chips in with Some Call It Magic, a decent but not highly memorable pop tune that will likely play well on Radio Disney and not elsewhere. Aly & AJ hit gold covering The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Do You Believe In Magic. There has always been something of a bubblegum quality to this song, and that spirit isn’t lost here, but the vocalists have wonderfully textured voices that highlight the duality of the song. While vocal effects are probably endemic on anything Disney touches, the voices of Aly & AJ sound like they might just be real, and the energy here is high.

Wizards Of Waverly Place is a mixed bag. Highlights include Aly & AJ, Andrew Seeley, Steve Rushton and the irrepressible Selena Gomez. The choice of including covers of classic songs either soars or crashes and burns, depending on the artist/song. Some of the artists included here just don’t have the voice or personality (either that or it’s been produced out of them) to carry the songs they’ve been assigned. The album will do very well with the Radio Disney set, and some of the songs are legitimate Pop tunes that will do well on commercial radio. This is one of those albums where the ability to download just the songs you want may be advantageous.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Wizards Of Waverly Place at Walt Disney online. You can purchase Wizards Of Waverly Place at Amazon.com, or you can download the album from Amazon MP3 or iTunes.

Review: Benjamin R - The Other Side Of Nowhere

Benjamin R - The Other Side Of Nowhere
2009, Benjamin R

Robert Selvaggio plies his musical trade under the name Benjamin R, these days. The Florida native is a singer/songwriter who took a professional detour into the production booth after an Indie release he boarded got significant praise for its sound. One thing led to another and before he knew what was happening Selvaggio was producing projects for the likes of Jewel, Eagle Eye Cherry and Puddle Of Mudd. After seven years in production, Benjamin R decided to take a step back, build his own studio and work on his own material. Aside from an ill-fated snow boarding trip that ended in a broken wrist, Benjamin R worked tirelessly to produce The Other Side Of Nowhere, a collection of 11 of the many songs he's written over the years.

Benjamin R reminds me of an extremely mellow version of The Cars' Ric Ocasek crossed with late-career Tom Petty, in a mish-mash of slick geek pop crossed with grizzly Pop/Americana. The Other Side Of Nowhere makes a very slow start, not really hitting stride until the fifth song. Not Gonna Let You Go grabs the listener with a catchy Americana arrangement with distinctive Pop hooks. Benjamin R keeps it up with Fool Myself and its vaguely urgent emotional qualities. Time Is Running Out brings to mind some of George Harrison's more Pop-oriented Folk/Rock. Benjamin R hits the heights on I Don't Need This Anymore and This Time (I Hope You're Happy). The two songs could track the same relationship at different stages, with Benjamin R realizing he just can't stay in this relationship anymore in the former, and recapturing that realizing after falling off the relationship wagon some time later in This Time. Letter has a couple of awkward moments lyrically, but has a distinctive Celtic/British feel that will draw you in.

Benjamin R spent a lot of time producing music for others, knowing that an outsider can often find the hidden gems in music that the folks who write it and live with it can't always see. Like many producers he may not feel this applies to him, leading him to produce his own album. While Benjamin R is well-renowned behind the boards, a doctor should never treat himself and a producer should never self-produce his own solo-effort. There are some strong songs here (particularly the second half of the album), but the lack of creative tension leaves some of that potential in the studio instead of bring it out on The Other Side Of Nowhere. It's a decent album in its own right; I was just left with an impression that it could have been much more.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Benjamin R at http://www.benjaminrmusic.com/. You can purchase The Other Side Of Nowhere as either a CD or a download at www.cdbaby.com/cd/benjaminr.

Review: The Apostrophe S - No Nature In Space (demo)

The Apostrophe S – No Nature In Space (Demo)
2008, Prisms And Chisels Inc.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s mix a post-punk approach with a new wave melodic sound and just a touch of psychedelia to create a sound that sounds a bit like a lot of people and exactly like no one I know. Influences include Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Weezer, The Pixies and The Cars. No Nature In Space is the band’s first full-length demo, mixing high energy with Lo-Fi antics. Let’s check it out.

Garage rock. Lo-Fi. Call it what you want, but there's a certain attraction to the raw form of Rock N Roll that is practiced by bands everywhere on their way to finding a sound. Some bands manage to stay within that sound and carve out their own niche, or a hybrid between Garage and something else. The rest of the bands that stay in the garage range never quite find the right mix of sound and style to declare themselves. The Apostrophe S is a band that is searching for that sound and style. There is an almost ambivalent feel that comes from their demo, No Nature In Space, as if there are strong desires for different directions in the band. The first breakthrough comes on Skeletons, the 6th track. Skeletons mixes a reggae sound with that lo-fi mystique behind one of the better vocal performances on the album. There is life and energy to the song that has been somewhat muted on the first five tracks. Ode To The Sea goes for a minimalist ballad that relies on subtle progressions and an almost ethereal air that reminds me a bit of The Rheostatics. Other songs of interest are Until I Find You, 423 and Untitled.
Assuming the mix of songs is somewhat progressive for time, it sounds like The Apostrophe S is searching successfully for their sound. I am not sure that they've found it yet, but it sounds like they've got a couple of possible directions that at least sound promising. Right now this is a good bar band, but perhaps not one you'd invite to a party, as there is a bit of a melancholy feel to a lot of their songs.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Apostrophe S at www.myspace.com/diamondvan.