Search - Various :: Cadillac Records (Music From the Motion Picture)

Blues for a younger generation

Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 12/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Cadillac records" is the soundtrack to the new movie about Leonard Chess who co-founded Chess Records, the pre-eminent blues label of the Fifties and Sixties. As such, the soundtrack is dominated by the Blues, with a few Jazz tunes.



The movie stars Beyoncé as Etta James and she gets to perform a few Etta James songs; a nice restrained reading of "At last", "Trust in me", "All I could do is cry", the retro doo wop-sounding "Once in a lifetime" (an original song and rather nice), and "I'd rather go blind" (the latter oversung in my opinion, sounding rather like an American Idol wannabe's attempt to impress Simon Cowell). Much has been made by a number of critics about her subpar vocals on these songs, but I feel she actually does quite well (except for that lone clunker I mentioned), much better than she does on her latest disc, but I digress.



Mos Def plays Chuck Berry and he sings "No particular place to go", "Nadine", "Maybellene", "Promised land" and "Come on". Jeffrey Wright sounds very convincing as Muddy Waters, all gruff and soulful singing "I'm a man", "I'm your hoochie coochie man", "I can't be satisfied" as well as "Country blues" with Bill Simms Jr. Columbus Short plays Little Walter and sings the swinging "My babe" which appears again done by The King, Elvis Presley.



A few other standouts are actually new songs; the rolicking Gospel "The sound" by MaryMary, "6 O'Clock blues" by Solange and the swinging Little Stevie Wonder-channelling "Let's take a walk" by Raphael Saadiq, each originally featured on each acts latest CDs.



There are a pair of Blues/Hip Hop cuts; "Evolution of a man" by Q-Tip featuring Al Kapone which samples "I'm a man", and "Bridging the gap" by Nas (and his father Olu Dara), also previously released.



The problem with albums like these is that people will tend to compare the performances to the originals and find them coming up short. I think it is great that the Blues is being introduced to a new generation of music lovers. Looking forward to seeing the movie."

Great Soundtrack

E. Harding | N.Y | 12/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ok like the first review i hated the rap tune on end of first disc, that said i dug the soundtrack get the 2 cd set. It was far better then the single cd. Beyonce did a great job with the Etta James tunes(fav's would be trust in me and at last), I hope the movie and big names on soundtrack will bring people to blues....where it all began. Enjoy all."

No room for tea parties on South Michigan Avenue

Luigi Facotti | Chicago Il | 12/24/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I find it amazing that with some 50 years of advances in recording technology that this soundtrack is so vapid compared to the originals. Muddy Waters was a powerhouse - Chuck Berry a musical technocrat and Etta James a presence.

When Muddy Waters sang on the original Chess masters - you knew there was someone home- his performances were ANGRY and authoritative - Jeffrey Wright's performances are fit for a tea party in the UK not for the Windy City.

It's all about soul and presence not technology and Beyonce unfortunately is no comparison to Etta James although her own compositions are good"