Reviews by Deseret News staff writers of recent film soundtracks and rock recordings:MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS; "The Commitments" (MCA). * * * 1/2; "The Five Heartbeats" (Virgin). * * *This may seem like a frivolous comparison, but in a way the two films "The Commitments" and "The Five Heartbeats" are a bit like the "The Monkees" TV series, since they are also fictional singing groups composed of actors who were thrown together for the respective films. Amazingly, the results are better than you might think.
"The Five Heartbeats" soundtrack is made up of a mix of new songs written for the movie and others sung by the Dells, U.S. Male, etc. As you might expect, there are considerably fewer songs on the album than were in the film (also the case for "The Commitments" soundtrack).
The title group, led by writer-director-star Robert Townsend, does well on "Nothing But Love" and "In the Middle," with a boost from pros like Billy Valentine and Demetrius Harvey.
Considering all the help Townsend called upon, it should be no surprise that the album is as bouncy and entertaining as the film.
Even so, it is no match for "The Commitments" - made up entirely of old songs performed by young actors who were cast by writer-director Alan Parker.
Talk about energy! Lead singer Andrew Strong, backup singers Angeline Bell, Maria Doyle and Branagh Gallagher and the rest of the band throw such life and verve into "Mustang Sally," "Take Me to the River," "Chain of Fools," "Destination Anywhere," "Treat Her Right" and nine others that they defy you to keep from getting up and dancing.
Strong occasionally sounds like Joe Cocker, especially on "Try a Little Tenderness." And in the film, he occasionally looks like John Belushi doing Joe Cocker. But that isn't a complaint.
The kicker here is that all these kids are Irish, proving that soul music easily crosses the boundaries of nationality. One listen to "The Commitments" and you'll feel it just as deeply as these folks obviously do.PAULA ABDUL; "Spellbound" (Captive/Virgin). * * *
As pop's then-newest princess, Paula Abdul won hearts and dazzled the eye in 1989 and 1990. Her blockbuster debut album, "Forever Your Girl," boosted substantially by her fleet-footed vim and classy videos, spawned a rare four No. 1 songs.
"Spellbound," her entertaining sophomore effort, has at least that many potential chart-toppers. Maybe more. Sweet ballads, dance tunes (of course), electronic wizardry and Abdul's patented pep make this one radio-ready goldmine.
The huge hit "Rush Rush" - a tender, lovestruck change of pace for her - is well supported by such fare as the topical, danceable pop of "The Promise of a New Day"; "Vibeology" (vibe-ahl-ogy), a patchwork techno-epic that's sort of a dance-"Thriller" for the '90s; the loud and sassy "Rock House" (think "rock" and "house" music); and another winsome ballad, "Blowing Kisses in the Wind."
Abdul is not the sole creator here, of course. Her distinctive little-girl voice and perky personality are the focus, naturally, and she helped pen four of the 11 tracks. But the Family Stand's V. Jeffrey Smith, Peter Lord and Sandra St. Victor wrote and produced most of them, undoubtedly giving "Spellbound" its sheen and unified sound. Don Was also produced a song ("Alright Tonight," by John Hiatt, of all people to find on a Paula Abdul album). And we even get a song from Prince (alias "Paisley Park"), one that takes his abbreviated English song titles to their extreme. The tune's title? "U."
In an age when big, BIG voices, polished to perfection, abound (divas Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lisa Stansfield, Oleta Adams, et al.), Abdul's pipes may not seem the likeliest fount for No. 1 singles. But stir up a few confectionary tunes, dust them with technological magic and serve them up on MTV and there's no doubt about it: America's going to be "Spellbound" for the next several months.