James Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Juliet Haffner, Regis Iandiorio, Tony Kadleck, Barere, Elena, Blackwell, Virgil - Elton John And Tim Rice's Aida (1999 Concept Album)

Following hot on the heels of their enormously successful collaboration for The Lion King, Elton John and Tim Rice have once again culled their talents to create another Disney contemporary musical, based this time on Verdi's opera Aida. The album, recorded by some of the biggest talents of pop, country, and R&B, features songs from the stage show, which recounts the well-known tale of a love triangle further complicated by slavery, royalty, and the armed forces. John duets to great effect with country crooner LeAnn Rimes, the enchanting Janet Jackson, and the lovely Lulu of To Sir with Love fame. Lush and lively, the soundtrack hits a hoot of a (decidedly not highbrow) high point with the infectious pop of the Spice Girls warbling the merits of undergarments on "My Strongest Suit" ("Always wear underwear/Anytime, anywhere"). Lenny Kravitz funks things up with "Like Father Like Son." Shania Twain's husky emoting makes a fine pop ballad of the brief "Amneris' Letter." "Not Me" chronicles the goodness of love as Boyz II Men coo dreamily, their harmonies nestling into John's sumptuous score. --Paige La Grone Amazon.com

I would order from you again.

Product arrived in a timely manner in new condition, still wrapped in plastic. Thank you. January 27, 2007

Loved it!!!

I'm so impressed with this album for several different reasons.
3) It's Elton John
2) I loved all but two of the songs!
1) I usually hate the original broadway cast albums and movie soundtracks. They don't do the songs justice. They usually have chopped up versions of the songs and include unnecessary dialouge.

I'd love to see every musical (broadway or movie) done this way!
I appreciate the b'way versions, but I don't want to listen to them in my car... September 7, 2006

good variety and feeling

This is a very good CD. "Written in the Stars" is an extremely emotional song, and it is my favorite on the album. I would like to see the show on Broadway, but I have to say I don't think it can be too much better than this CD June 24, 2004

Sour Concepts

It takes so much to try to get a musical to make its way upon Broadway. Sometimes you really need to understand how to make it really happen within the passion of the storytelling music. In that case with Elton John, he nearly seemed to make it with Aida. While the music for Broadway always seems to have at least something completely mgaical and a dash of power in it. Sometimes, you really need to understand it, to make it happen, and others don't see it from the start. Although Elton John has had great music for years, at least once in a era, something goes a little flat.

The 1999 Aida, was not a studio album from Elton, but a preview from what was happen on Broadway. The various artists record contains so many different artists in the record including Tina Turner, Boyz II Men, Dru Hill, and the upcoming Heather Headley. Before Heather made it as a singer, she made it right here in Aida, on this record. The only decent song that was a hit was Written In The Stars, which Elton performed with Leann Rimes. The song was also the last song Elton cracked Billboard's Top 40. Still, there really wasn't a lot of enjoyment within most of the record, and it fell into a sleeper. Considering that Elton is already planning on making another smash musical on Broadway, hopefully he'll do better with the concept record.

When it does come to making it on Broadway, it isn't really anything exciting, unless it truly is a smash, and Aida is a smash on Broadway, just not the record. Still, if you're a die hard fan of Aida, buy this record. Otherwise, it could be a hitless miss. June 29, 2003

Living Elaborate Lives...

Aida was Elton John and Tim Rice's baby, providing a concept soundtrack album before even setting the stage on fire, the tracks are generally sweeping show ballads.
Elton teams up with several lovely and talented ladies, in LeAnn Rimes, Janet Jackson, and Lulu. "Written In The Stars" could be a vocal gladiator battle, the way LeAnn and Elton sing it. Janet and Lulu prove themselves as more mellow duet partners.
Kelly Price makes "The Gods Love Nubia" her own, the song is tied up in soul with her voice being smooth as silk. The far too short "Amneris' Letter" shows off Shania Twain's voice to perfection also. Pop culture phenomenon the Spice Girls turn "My Strongest Suit" into the most obvious pop stomper of this set. Another strong point is Heather Headley's solo "Elaborate Lives". A rich ballad, Headley recently embarked on an R&B singing career with the track "He Is". The legendary Tina Turner provides a fiery perfomance, her track being the powerful "Easy As Life" with Angelique Kidjo.
Duds are also present, Sting and Dru Hill's tracks are admitted stinkers. James Taylor, Boyz II Men, Sherie Scott, and Lenny Kravitz also deliver perfomances on the album. This album is well put together, with strong tunes and a short-list of superstars presenting them. A fun buy. November 2, 2002

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