The One Night at McCool’s soundtrack might as well serve as the background music at a high school party, when teenagers are either too
entertained to pay any attention to the music or, better yet, too busy to care.
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Though some may find it intriguing that artists as varied as Joan Osbourne, the Village People and Johnny Cash are featured in the same compilation, the diversity of genres actually makes listening to the CD difficult. Several tracks are OK, but the songs don’t gel into a coherent whole. One wonders if song selection was more about the fact that many of the artists belong to Universal Records, the same label that issued the soundtrack, than about creating a quality album.
Of course, any CD is only as good as the sum of its parts. Thomas Rusiak’s “Whole Lot of Things,” contributes far less than its fair share of the total–the tune’s a complete ripoff of Smashmouth’s hit song “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby.” It has the same guitar riffs and melody–the lyrics have been changed, but the song, as they say, remains the same. The Go’s “So Hot” is unimaginative, and a loud saxophone covers the one line the singer croons over and over again.
Norwegian pop trio A-ha provides the most delightful surprise of the album with their single “Velvet.” Their 1980s hit single “Take On Me” topped U.S. charts, but the band quickly faded from the American music scene. Years later, A-ha continues to generate hits overseas and to pack arenas in Europe–and now they’re coming back with a single that might just catch America’s attention for the second time. The soundtrack is worth getting just for the A-ha tune, despite the potential earache the other tracks may cause.
One Night at McCool’s was composed and produced by Marc Shaiman. Orchestrated by Marc Shaiman, Jeff Atmaijan, Patrick Russ, and Dan Higgins.
Best Time to Listen: High school party
Track Listing for the One Night at McCool’s Soundtrack
