Having absolutely loved the film (and the novel, but that's irrelevant in this case!), I saw no harm in buying the soundtrack for Bridget Jones’ diary. I had an Amazon voucher, and nothing to spend it on therefore it seemed like the best solution! It certainly was! I’m a big, big fan of soul music, and Aretha Franklin is certainly an all time favourite of mine. Her originality is fantastic, and her voice is absolutely outstanding. So, when I heard she was on the CD it was an added bonus. When you’re watching a film, you never really listen to the soundtrack (unless you're watching a musical, and then you can't really help it, can you?). After knowing what the songs are on Bridget Jones now, I look out for them every time I see it, but otherwise you never realise what’s playing in the background and just block the music out. This album is a chance to enjoy the fantastic range of music in the film.
I’m a big fan of Gabrielle, and I had this already on her greatest hits album. This is one of the very few that were actually written for the movie, and if you listen to the words of the song they really associate well with the film. It really relates with the film, and what Bridget did/felt. What I like about this song is it’s constant sound of drums in the background. They rarely change pitch or tempo, and stay the same throughout the song.
Also, having Gabrielle to sing the song is an added bonus! Her husky voice really makes the song one that you can cry along to, whislt trying to sing! This is one of the best tracks on the album, and it has a fantastic tune to it. A great start!
10/10
2 – Respect – Aretha Franklin
You always have to have an oldie on a soundtrack, and there are quite a few of these on the album. Aretha Franklin first released respect in 1967, and still today it’s a song everyone loves. It’s a very soulful song, and a trumpet plays a big part in the music, especially in the gaps of singing. Then the trumpet is played louder and it becomes somewhat jazzy. It’s certainly one of the one’s you can really dance to.
Aretha’s strong voice really makes this a song that can be appreciated for what it really is – a classic. Also, some of the words really fit into the movie, and you can see why it was chosen, as it was played when Bridget was leaving her job after sleeping with her boss and finding him with another woman! I think that’s the time she wants “just a little bit of respect”!
10/10
3 – Geri Halliwell – It’s Raining Men
Geri Halliwell was very lucky with this song. If she’d have releases it herself, no way would she have reached number 1 after her short break from the music business after releasing Lift Me Up. Geri hasn’t got the best of voices, but Raining Men doesn’t really require a good voice, just someone who has the talent to do something spacific, and Geri certainly has that. It seems the composers want to be make you excited, as they always raise the pitch and the tempo from very slow/low to very fast/high. Every time Geri says "Raining Men" it’s raised.
I like this tune, and it’s really good to put on from time to time when you’re bored, or when you want to dance, or even have a good laugh, but not one of my favourites.
8/10
4 – Robbie Williams – Have You Met Miss Jones?
I really like this song. It’s not Robbie Williams at all, and it’s so different to what he usually does. To me he’s trying his best to be like Frank Sinatra. Obviously this isn’t a bad thing, but it’s more like a contestant off Stars in Their Eyes at times. It’s a very old song, and Have You Met Miss Jones? is extremely jazzy, with its trumpet always playing softly in the background. Like Sinatra again, at times it’s like Robbie’s speaking to us, and then he starts to sing.
Robbie shows he has talent here, rather than always releasing a single that’s cheesy pop, and this is a good song for him to be singing and a good sound off the album.
8/10
5 – Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
What you’ll find about Bridget Jones’ Diary soundtrack, is its al to about independent and tough women, and seeing I love these sorts of people and these sorts of singers, it’s a godsend for me! This is certainly a classic from the 70’s. What I find strange about it is, the chorus is very different to other parts of the song. Even Chaka Khan’s voice is more like an echo in the chorus.
You’d probably class this as a jazzy song. It’s one you can dance along to, but also you can sit down and enjoy it with a drink as well. That’s what I define Jazz as.
8/10
6 – Pretenders – Don’t Get Me Wrong
Chrissie Hynde is a very talented writer, and she hasn’t let herself down on this song. It’s very 80’s and very softly sung, but the music is much sharper. Hynde’s also makes a big difference to the song. You enjoy, not only the music, but her voice as well. Her voice is so unique, that you could just listen to her for hours. Most of the time the tempo and pitch stay the same throughout the song.
Don’t Get Me Wrong is one of the many classics from the 80’s and it’s certainly a classic on this album as well!
9/10
7 – Sheryl Crow – Kiss That Girl
Very little singers have that quality to have such a unique voice that you know it’s them singing the minute you hear it. Liza Minneli, Gabrielle, Aretha Franklin are some of the very few, and of course Sheryl Crow. This song is again very much like one of the Pretenders. Rock/pop combined to create a really catchy tune. With a very different sounding beginning, one that sounds like a DJ’s attempt it carry’s on to become a very Sheryl Crow song.
The songs words are also relate to the film. Every time Kiss That Girl is said, one of the instruments stops playing for the pitch to be lower. Sheryl Crow has succeeded to be original once again, and this is not the best off the album, but still a good song.
7/10
8 – Shelby Lynne – Killin’ kind
This is a very different song to the others on the album. It starts off slow and the carries on faster. It also has a very constant tempo throughout, and the sound of the guitar really comes out. I’d never heard of Shelby Lynne before I heard this song, so I didn’t know what sort of singer she was going to be. When I heard her voice I really liked it. It’s soft, but it can go high, which is the perfect gift.
Killin’ Kind is a very enjoyable song, and I really enjoyed it. It’s one of those songs you can just always listen to and never get bored of. One you can put on anytime, anywhere.
8/10
9 – Dina Carrol – Someone Like You
This is one of those typical love songs that you say are so cheesy and awful, but you love and want to cry with secretly. Dina Carrol has a strong voice, and when a singer like that sings a song so soft like this one, there’s always something so touching about it. Someone Like You is the kind of song that would be yours and you partner’s song. The one that makes sense with your relationship. Dina Carrol has that gift to sing high pitched and then go back to a soft soul singer.
This is one of my very favourites on the album. It’s got everything I ask for from a song. A true tearjerker!
10/10
10 – Robbie Williams – Not On This Earth
This song is much more like a Robbie track. From the beginning, you can tell it’s going to be more pop and easier – more like Robbie! I’m not saying this is a bad thing (again!), because the song is catchy, and really nice to listen to. Robbie’s voice is perfect for the song again, and again in some parts he talks rather than sings. Robbie seems to be one of the little amount of singers who can achieve this and pull it off.
The song is very cheesy, but it really has a catchy feel to it. You do see yourself singing along to it, and sometimes that can be annoying! Not one of the best songs on here, but it’s very different to the others, and it’s more like a track off Robbie’s album rather than one off the soundtrack of Bridget Jones. Good and different. Sometimes different is good. This time it’s good!
8/10
11 – Andy Williams – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Another classic to add to the list! I used to think Cant Take My Eyes Off You was one song and I Love You Baby… was another! But in actual fact they are the same song, but in different places in the song! In a way this makes it like Bohemian Rhapsody. It changes its pitch and tempo many times, and it does seem that it’s two songs combined into one in many parts of the song.
Having what feels like two songs in one is brilliant to me, and considering I love – what I thought was the two – songs. A brilliant song to add to the oldies list, but just a bit short!
9/10
12 – Rosey – Love
You always find that there’s a song on any album, be it soundtrack, whatever, but there’s always one song that’s so much different to the other lot. One that isn’t at all alike, and has it’s own feel. This is like a cross between pop and rock, and although there are songs that are rock/pop, this one’s a mix of two, and it creates a totally different song.
This is probably the one I least like. It hasn’t really got a catchy element to it, and although it has a good singer, and good words in places, it’s not really my kind of thing. A bit too boring and bland; a matter of taste.
6/10
13 – Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye - Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)
Aint No Mountain High Enough is on volume 2 of the soundtrack, so I was pretty bumbed about that. But, I was glad to see Diana Ross on it, and this is certainly a favourite of mine. With its different instruments, like bells and a tambourine, it has a somewhat Christmassy feel to the song. It was played at the Christmas part of the film as it shows the people who picked the songs have done a good job.
Marvin and Diana have that motown voice that makes any song, with any beat work, and they’ve managed to make a good song into a brilliant one, just with their voices. Very little artists can do that. Certainly a lovely song to dance to with a lover, and also lovely to mourn over!
10/10
14 – Shelby Lynne – Dreamsome
There was something very much that sounded like Eva Cassidy in this song. Very soft, but a strong voice. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Dreamsome was very much like Eva’s songs. It has a very relaxing feel, and it’s the sort of song you can listen to whilst eating, or whilst relaxing. It really has a good beat to it, and the tempo is constantly slow throughout.
The flute is played in parts of it, and it really makes you feel the song, if you catch my drift. It makes you actually feel what she’s singing and not just listen to her. A good song, that you’ll enjoy any time of the day!
9/10
15 – Patrick Doyle – It’s Only A Diary
This is the most different out of all of them. It has no singer, and it’s just a piece of classical music, composed. It’s really odd because even though there are no words, I surprisingly enjoyed it. I’m not a fan of classical music, but this is different. Softer, not as abrupt, and with it’s tempo rising and dropping each minute it’s nice to have a change. I think the harp is the instrument you notice the most.
The harp is a very quiet and soft instrument, and with the violins it blends in to make a really chilling sound. It’s perfect for the opening scenes where it’s used, and even if you’re not a fan of classical music, it can still be enjoyed!
8/10
16 – Alisha’s Attic – Pretender Got My Heart
This song is like a story, and Alisha’s Attic resembles – in my opinion – Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights song. It’s a very cold song, and the singer is actually very much like Kate Bush. It’s not really a song that you can put a label on. You can’t call it pop or rock, or soul or jazz. It doesn’t really have a label; it’s just a song that can be enjoyed.
Most of it, is like the last track, with not much words, and only the singer saying something whilst a load of people are saying “oooh, ooh!” It sounds silly, corny and cheesy, but it’s not. It’s different, but it’s quite good!
8/10
17 – Jamie O’Neal – All By Myself
Obviously Jamie O’Neal can’t beat Celine Dion with singing this song (even though she was the original artist), but she’s pretty good at it. She’s hasn’t got as strong as a voice as Celine Dion, but she still manages to pull it off. All By Myself is a classic that you play on the player when you’re lonely. It’s a really good song though, and the only sad element is the words. Add different words and it would seem a really happy song!
It shows the artist is talented, because anyone who can sing the long “mooooore” in a talented way is a talented person! This is one of those tracks you just love because it is what it is. Some songs are just a must to own, and this is one of them!
I was surprised to see this on the album because I don’t remember hearing it in the movie, and I was also surprised to see it was “featuring” Craig David, because usually that means, that person is a big element in the song, but seeing it begins with words “Craig David” it seems otherwise! I really liked this song when it was released a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t one that I’d go to a shop and buy, because even though I enjoyed it, it wasn’t really something I’d buy at that time.
Now, of course, I would buy it, because with its dance tune and DJ talent, that’s the sort of music, I go for these days! This is a different kind of song to the others so it’s a nice change. It’s a really catchy tune as well!
10/10
19 – Aaron Soul – Ring, Ring, Ring.
This is another one I don’t remember hearing from the movie, but I do remember it out a couple of years and I remember not really liking it that much.I don’t mind this song, but it will probably be the one I least listen to on the album. Not because it’s the last track, but because it doesn’t really appeal that much to me, because it’s very much like something off Nelly’s album!
It’s got a nice variety of instruments that really makes the song blend in the right way, but it basically doesn’t appeal. Although others might enjoy, I doubt anyone who likes the rest of the album, will like this. Not bad.
7/10■ Conclusion ■
I rarely ever buy soundtracks, but I rarely ever like songs in a movie, so it’s no wonder I bought this album. I did buy it because I had a voucher, and the money that paid for it didn’t come out of my back pocket, and to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have bought it otherwise. But, saying that, that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, because if I had heard it before I bought it, I would have forked out a £10 for it, it’s so original and my sort of album, with such a range of songs, and also a variety of choice that it's worth any amount of money.
I rarely buy albums because I can never catch on to a tune I’ve never heard before. I tend to go for greatest hits or a mixture of different artists. That’s why I think I liked this album so much – because it had a range of songs that I knew already and loved. I think anyone who liked a range of jazz/soul music would enjoy this album. It doesn’t only feature these, but like most soundtracks, it features lots of different kinds. From rap to soul, to jazz, to pop, to rock, to all of them combined this album has them all, and it would be stupid for you to miss them!£9.99 from Amazon. Buy It!
onto the cover of this 19-track soundtrack), bringing hope to lonely souls all over the country and a word of warning to smug marrieds everywhere. For what should ...
Bridget Jones's Diary -
Britain's favourite singleton, Bridget Jones, has finally made it to the big screen (and
... more
onto the cover of this 19-track soundtrack), bringing hope to lonely souls all over the country and a word of warning to smug marrieds everywhere. For what should ...
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY
This original soundtrack for the film BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY features 19 tracks, including
... more
Aretha Franklin's Respect, The Pretenders' Don't Get Me Wrong, and Aaron Soul's Ring, Ring, Ring.This international version contains five songs not included on th...
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