Lilo & Stitch: The Album

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

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 music fans? Don't know and 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 to the foreground. So, that leaves only the die hard Silvestri fans and those actually wanting to spend their money on it after seeing the film and not taking anymore the children's nagging to get that cool score. Yeah, I see little junior with his white cape and cool hair with gel taking a spin off "Hound Dog". Easily it can, proving the king isn't dead or at least his magic touch. Anyway making my point clear that only fans know what the album offers so they can enjoy it.

I'm no fan, I mean I'm a big fan of Silvestri but even I had reservations on the purchase of Lilo & Stitch. Still I got it and from now on I can say it is good normally speaking but not good greatly speaking. Perhaps because I was expecting so much of it that I'm a tad disappointed which isn't fair since it is good to enjoy, even the songs that dominate 85% of this album are appropriate. Of it, 5 songs are The King's property and make 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' being classics in their own right. 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 color through the choir even if they and the lead singer speak things I wonder if Stitch would even understand them. 'Burning Love' is what I call a light female Elvis song because it gets near to reality sometimes. Only 'Ardiente Amor' is slightly lesser, being a Spanish version of track title number 3 and not capturing the same feel or style, even if it contains a bit more spunk in the proceeding. Of the score we can equally be frank because that is its running length on the album. 'Stitch to the Rescue' is the best of the two, 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 lesser if good, giving us one short good fanfare, building action motifs directly from Volcano and Eraser and a non climatic ending, proving that this wasn't the last track composed by Silvestri in the film.

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 a farce because they could have placed so much more music on it and eventually this leads to better sales, because a lot of fans (of Silvestri and mainstream film music aficionados) would have given it a chance for sure. Still, the album is covering 5 oldies giving the exact replica of the film but hardly anything else because the Elvis fans will not spend money on something they already possess. Add to that the duo mixing of dialogue of Lilo in track 2 and Stitch in track 5 and you have got Lilo & Stitch, an animated album like we have seen countless of before. The score is appropriate but simply too light in minutes to warrant special attention at. Walt Disney Records has done what they shouldn't have, meaning losing the path they made so successfully years ago. The Lion King is not the way to commercially release an album but Dinosaur and Atlantis are. And if you want to put songs on it, you at least could have filled the album up with more score. It doesn't make Lilo & Stitch bad but not enough to give the regular fan the feeling he is spending his money on something that will repay it with the experience while listening to it.

Score: ***
Songs: ***

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu & North 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 & NS 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

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Alan Silvestri ===