Chicago- 2002 Motion Picture Soundtrack

Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Song Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

Chicago
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This was orignally a musical by the ingenious Bob Fosse. This show is set in the 1920's and is based around a vaudeville performer named Velma Kelly and a chorus girl named Roxie Hart. They both end up in murderess row for killing people. Velma kills her sister and husband and Roxie kills her unfaithful lover. They have to fight for fame and win over the court so they can escape the galleys. This movie has a killer cast that is loaded with talent. Starring the actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger, and Queen Latifah.

Overture/And All That Jazz- 10/10- The overture is very unique, ironically there is no songs in the overture that are actually in the show excet for the hot honey rag, the song playingis a song that Bob Fosse wrote for the show but was cut before the show went up. All That Jazz is a classic in any musical theater book. This song was done very well. Catherine Zeta-Jones has a a great voice for Velma and the whole song is very catchy. The ensemble part is also done very well. Everything about the song is sultry and starts the whole show off to a very good start.

Funny Honey-7/10- This song is really funny. I love the jazz feel that is combines ragtime. The lyrics are really funny, she really doesn't like her husband and his part in the song is really funny. John C. Reilly is an amazing actor and who knew he could sing? The play-off during this song is really witty, the ending is very nice and both parts were played well, it's just a little weak and it gets boring sometimes.

When You're Good to Mama-8/10- The band in this song is awesome. The whole instrument part is very interesting to listen to. Queen Latifah has got a huge voice and this is the perfect role for her. The lyrics are really witty during this song, I think that the lyrics are what bring this song together because otherwise it would be boring. Queen Latifah does a lot with this song and makes it very memorable.

Cell Block Tango-11/10- I don't think that I can say enough about this song. It makes me really happy to listen to. This song is just a perfect example of the saying "hell hath no fury like a woman's rage". Not only that but the dancing makes it the most amazing song ever. The monologues are the best though. They are hilarious, and although this song is the extremity of this rage all women have at one point felt this rage. Catherine Zeta-Jones has the best for this song, you can almost feel the anger in her voice. What I like most about this song is the dance and the end, I like when they pull the red scarfs out to symoblize that they killed the men, it is a really creative song, and I think the best in the show.

All I Care About-8/10- The beginning of the song is a little strange, I like all of Billy's songs they really make me think of the twenties. They are upbeat fun songs that get songs stuck in your head. This song is extremly ironic because all Billy Flynn cares about is money so it makes the song really funny. Richard Gere played this part very well. When he starts stripping during the movie, I think that I almost died. The song was overdone but in a good way it brought out the satire in the song and really captured the show.

We Both Reached For the Gun-9/10- This song is really funny, especially when you watch the performance. It's a very unique song. The music part of this song is very interesting, the lyrics are at points really interesting, but this song is only good when in performance or if you have seen the performance in the movie, because otherwise the only impressive thing is the speed and Richard Gere's high note at the end.

Roxie-8/10- This song is nice. It's strange, but also really funny. There isn't a lot of difficulty in the notes but to perform it correctly is the key. Renee Zellweger did amazing, from her voice to her the way she moves really captures the song and the essence of Roxie, it makes the song really good.

I Can't Do It Alone-7/10- This is another song that is better while watching the performance, because it is all based on the dancing. The music is fun and upbeat and the singing is really good but other than that the song isn't any good without the dancing.

Mister Cellophane- 9/10- So who knew that John C. Reilly could sing? I didn't, but he has a very, very good voice. He is the perfect Amos. This is a very famous song and he did it justice, he sang it perfectly. I love this song. It gets stuck in your head though. His performance of this song is really good too. Just the way he did and said everything made this song convincing and perfect.

Razzle Dazzle-6/10- So I have to admit, I don't like this song. This is a very popular song and it's a classic but for some odd reason it doesn't catch me. I also have to admit, I did like it in the movie because it made the song make sense, but just listening to this song plain puts me to sleep. Richard Gere also did this song very well so it made the song a lot better in my mind. The song is really repetitive and not big and flashy like some of the other songs, which is really ironic because the name implies that it might have a little more razzle dazzle but it's just not that exciting.

Class-8/10- This song is not in the movie but on the cd. This song is really funny, the lyrics witty and the music dramatic considered what they are saying. It makes you laugh but it deals with a lot weird topics that aren't usually talked about it. The funny thing is that it's totally true.

Nowadays (Roxie)-7/10- I like Roxie's version of this song, it's short but I like the music and the way she sings it. At the end it goes into her audition so that's why it sounds different but I like the whole song in general. It makes the whole show make sense.

Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag-8/10- You need to see the performance to like this song, but just from listening to it you can still get a feel for it. The singing is really good, and I love the song in general and the instrumental part is really fun, I love listening to the band play it makes you want to live in the twenties, but you can't fully appreciate this song on a cd.

I Move On- 8/10- This song is not in the show but it's in the movie and it has the theme from hot honey rag in it. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger sound really nice together. They make a really good team.This song is on the cd because it was written for the two actors and isn't actually in the movie but it is a good song in general it's like the show.

After Midnight-9/10- This song is very sultry and I love this style of music, the soft jazz that gives you goosebumps. Even though it is all instrumental and was probably used as background music it's still good music. The noises some of the instruments make is really cool and it makes me happy to listen to this music. It was written very well, it is just like the show and it has awesome harmonies.

Roxie's Suite- 9/10- This is a song of just instrumentation. It was used as background music and was written by Danny Elfman. Both of his pieces are really nice beacuse they are modern but old fashioned at the same time. They are both really nice and sultry jazz. There isn't much you can say about these songs other than that they are really good.

Cell Block Tango-0/10-This song is a rendition of the song from the show with Queen Latifah and Lil' Kim and Macy Gray. This is a horrible song!!! The song was good as it was and it shouldn't have been changed. This a disgrace to Bob Fosse to change this song as much as they did and then call it the same song. I can't stand this song. I don't know how you can go from jazz and standard music to rap and hip hop but it doesn't work so don't try it. Don't listen to this song if you like the original it will only give you a rage for the song just like the women in the original song have rage for the men in their lives.

Love is a Crime-5/10- This was a song that was written for the soundtrack and it is sung by Anastacia. This song is not like the show at all but it's a good song in general but it doesn't go along with the show at all so it doesn't really fit in with the show.

Real Teen Rating~ B+ : Check it out sometime.