Various Artists - Chicago

The movie version of Kander and Ebb's Chicago was long in the making, but it's well worth the wait. Director Rob Marshall's main change was to turn the classic musical numbers into fantasy sequences, but of course this isn't obvious on CD. Most importantly, the arrangements are bursting with life while being true to the show's spirit, and the casting is simply inspired. Catherine Zeta-Jones actually started her career on the British boards (she was in The Pajama Game and 42nd Street), so her turn as slinky Velma Kelly isn't that surprising; Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart is more of a leftfield choice, but she shows she can handle the singing demands with pizzazz. The real revelation may well be rapper Queen Latifah, who belts out "When You're Good to Mama" with a marvelous affinity for the material. OK, so the R&B reprise of "Cell Block Tango/He Had It Coming" by Queen Latifah, Macy Gray, and Lil' Kim fails to convince, while Anastacia's "Love Is a Crime" is just blah (rest easy, purists, it's over the end credits). On the other hand, the CD provides two bonuses: "Class," which was cut from the movie, and "I Move On," a great duet written by Kander and Ebb for the final cut. It's really easy to mess up film adaptations of Broadway shows. Happily, Chicago proves it can be done right. --Elisabeth Vincentelli Amazon.com

 Amazing work of art
This music is so faithfully performed by the very talented ensemble that it brings back the 1920's vividly. Each song reflects a specific style of the music popular at the time. After listening to this CD I had to see the movie (which was also terrific) and then I had to buy the sheet music. Usually I simply enjoy a CD and move on. This one reached me. March 23, 2008

 Very good!
The cd is very good. There are only songs, no speaking parts really, even ones that precede certain songs. There are a couple of songs that are not in the movie or that were inspired by the movie. The first time you listen to it if you haven't read the fine print it kind of throws you for a loop. I highly recommend it for all who love the movie! February 8, 2008

 Excellent music for a movie
I truly loved the music with the movie is excellent. I was very impressed of the singing of the movie stars. January 28, 2008

 They Got It Right!!
Rob Marshall and company got it exactly right in transferring Chicago to the screen. Though I was not a Renee Zellweiger fan, she changed my opinion with her total tartiness here (and she was terrific in Cold Mountain), she dances competently, and sings the role wonderfully. Katherine Zeta Jones was perfect as Velma Kelly. The rest of the cast are marvelous too....Queen Latifah coudn't have been better cast. Though I have never been conviced of Richard Gere's acting ability, he pulls off the role of Billy Flynn admirably, even his singing and dancing work effectively. They brilliantly wrote a screenplay to encompass most of the stage show, where songs were cut, they needed to be. A well deserved Oscar winner for effectively bringing a musical back to the screen!! October 19, 2007

 A pretty good movie based on a musical.
This is a really good movie musical! It seemed that, within the last ten years, movie musicals have started to suck. This one was actually quite good. I saw many celebrities that I never knew could sing, like Richard Gere. What I liked most about this show is that, instead of randomly bursting into song, the songs were performed separated from the events of the show; they served more like commentary. It reminded me, somewhat, of the movie of Cabaret, which restricted the songs to the stage and served as commentary. This is an excellent soundtrack, and the songs are very jazzy. Some of my personal favorites are "All That Jazz", "Cell Block Tango", "We Both Reached for the Gun", "Mr.Cellophane", and "Hot Honey Rag." I recommend this CD and its movie to all. June 13, 2007

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