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ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Josie And The Pussycats (Epic)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Pssst... How old are ya? Do you remember Josie and the Pussycats? The cartoon band, not the new movie band. Remember "long tails and ears for hats - guitars for sharps and flats" and all the adventures those cute little feline rockers got into? Well, I can't tell you a thing about the movie because I haven't seen it -- though I can tell you they cast some absolute babes in the three main roles -- and I probably won't till it comes to video, but I can tell you a few things about the soundtrack.
First of all, the rumors that actresses Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson and Rachel Leigh Cook did their own singing are just rumors after all. The voice of Josie (and, if my ears are correct, all three girls) belongs to Kay Hanley of Letters To Cleo, and she's backed up by a band that includes Matthew Sweet on bass. Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows joined chief songwriter/producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in creating the tunes to bring the Pussycats to life. Most of the songs are instantly forgettable, which is not a trait of top shelf bubblegum music, but a few stick to the bedpost overnight, especially "Come On," though even that one only has one extra day of flavor. They rock the hardest on a cover of the classic, "Money." (Don't think Pink Floyd, think "that's what I want, yeah.") They kick the tune pretty hard, actually, so turn it up loud for that one.
Then turn it back down really fast, because there's a fictitious boy band, cleverly called DuJour, that we're served two consecutive helpings of. I suppose if you've seen the movie these songs are a scream. I can't really tell you much about the second one. Sorry. Musta hit the skip button after suffering through the first one, but that brought me to the finest moment of all: the Josie and the Pussycats theme song, basically left as it was with only a wall of distortion and volume to update it. Sweeeet. A minute forty-three of gonzo-gum to seed the new generation and show them what bubblegum sounds like. (N-Stync: No, Track 13 of this thing: Yes.)
If you're trying to measure it against the original Pussycats, hey, get real. That stuff was fun, but it wasn't Lennon/McCartney. Neither is this. It's updated mindless gum, the update being a punkish metallic edge to the still empty headed lyrics, and it's still fun and you can still bop up and down to it with your bangs flopping over your eyes to cover the vacancy sign. Don't be ashamed, we all go out of body for awhile when we listen to stuff like this. It's fun! That's what it's for. Dance, kids!
© 2001 - DJ Johnson