Rock of Ages OST Soundtrack Review

By Shaun Munro /

While Catherine Zeta-Jones, with her success on Chicago, was always going to be a slam dunk here, her rousing rendition of Hit Me with Your Best Shot is wonderfully spirited (and in the film, even more so), while Russell Brand is also none-too surprising a success, given his sublime work as Aldous Snow on Get Him to the Greek. He fits the group like a glove, and a duet of sorts with Alec Baldwin for Can€™t Fight This Feeling is at once peculiar and hilarious (you€™ll get it when you see the film). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE4liuV9poo&feature=related Of course, it isn€™t just all about the A-list film stars. Singers Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta are given considerable spotlight here, racing through two breezy duets in Waiting for a Girl Like You and a medley of More Than Words/Heaven. The medley can often make or break a musical that derives existing music, and here they mostly succeed thanks to their liveliness and tendency not to linger on anything for too long. Mash-ups of Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock €˜n€™ Roll and We Built This City/We€™re Not Gonna Take It are especially good fun. Hough later brings Mary J. Blige into the fold for two very brief jaunts through Harden My Heart and Shadows of the Night, as well as expectantly strong backup work on the likes of Here I Go Again (which also features a brief, hilarious chiming in from Paul Giamatti), Any Way You Want It, Every Rose Has Its Thorns and the climactic Don€™t Stop Believin€™.Perusing the track list might cause one to wonder exactly what Undercover Love is, and further inspection will prove mystifying without seeing the film first. While avoiding spoiler specifics, it reflects the film€™s attempt to satirise vapid boy bands, and is probably more effective on screen than on the album, as we have a visual and thematic reference to go along with what might otherwise seem incongruous alongside 19 bonafide rock classics It all leads up to that final song, which has been re-popularised from the likes of The Sopranos to renditions on reality TV shows, and of course, Glee €“ Don€™t Stop Believin€™. Easily the most complete and soulful take of the 20 toe-tappers, it pushes the film to a jubilant emotional peak, and simply, will have you leaving the cinema in a good mood (probably). Rock of Ages won€™t be regarded alongside the great musical soundtracks, but just like the film, it knows exactly what it is and entertains accordingly. Singing voices are surprisingly consistent, pushing the stronger ones to the forefront, and keeping the lesser ones €“ that€™s you, Giamatti €“ well back in the wings. Does it give you a reason to put away those old albums? Absolutely not. But for fans, it might be a nice little indulgence. The Rock of Ages soundtrack is out now in the US and released in the UK on June 18th.

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