Best Soundtracks
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
3 Moana
Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess & the Frog) and produced by Osnat Shurer (Lifted, One Man Band), Moana sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As a 30-something who grew up in the age of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s and had (still has) a collection of all the original Walt Disney classics, I can be hard to convince in this age of CGI...but "Moana" is perfection...and so is the soundtrack. I'm not a big "Hamilton" fan, but I can appreciate Miranda's considerable talent - and it shines in this soundtrack. No, it doesn't "sound" like the rest of the soundtrack - but who says it's supposed to?"
"Her father is the village chief and she feels drawn to the ocean that surrounds their beautiful, tropical Polynesian island of Motunui. If you purchase the audio CD version, the lyrics are listed inside the booklet, along with the character who sings them. Some of the songs are energetic and full of adventure whereas others reflect the darker tone when Moana and Maui are faced with their main task. Auli'i Cravalho has a beautiful voice and does an amazing job with all of the songs, my favorite being "How Far I'll Go," which can be heard multiple times on the soundtrack. The score is a lot of fun too and we enjoy figuring out which part of the movie the current song is from."
"If the music isn't stuck in your head yet from your kids constantly watching and rewatching the movie, it will be by the time you're done listening to this in the car for the tenth time."
"I purchased this so my daughter could listen to the soundtrack on our Echo since she loves the movie."
"We leave this in my car every day and my kids want to listen to it every time we get into the car."
"Not neccessarily my favorite, but my two four year old grandaughters love it."
"I bought it shortly after seeing the movie for the first time and have been listening to it non stop."
"Daughter loves the movie and singing all the songs."
Best Movie Scores
To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon""Fooled Around and Fell in Love" Elvin Bishop 4:35. 6. "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" Rupert Holmes 4:37. 11. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell 2:29. Total length: 44:35. If this doesn't put a smile on your face and get your toes tapping- see a cardiologist-or a mortician."
"Its soundtrack. It's music that people of all walks of life will love- in fact, when's the last time you can say you've played tracks like "Hooked on a Feeling" or "Come and Get Your Love" at full blast? producer Kevin Feige and Dave Jordan) have re-mastered the tracks in a way to make the tracks sound as if they're being played through an old tape deck, to keep the feel of the tracks. If this were any other film, tracks such as "I Want You Back" or "O-o-h Child" being on the soundtrack would come off as passé, but here, it makes perfect sense, given the film's themes and nostalgic feel. Starting off the tracklist on an energetic note with Blue Swede's cover of "Hooked on a Feeling" and ending with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", the tracklist is consistent- a rollercoaster of high energy uptempo rockers ("Cherry Bomb", "Spirit in the Sky"), smooth ballads to even things out ("Fooled Around and Fell in Love", "I'm Not in Love"), and funky pop classics ("I Want You Back", "Come and Get My Love"). In the context of the film, they work equally as fantastic- watching our heroes get ready for war to the sounds of "Cherry Bomb", watching Quill get down and boogie to "Come and Get My Love" over the opening credits, watching Quill fly his way back to his ship in his battle gear to the funky sounds of "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"."
"Having the digital version available on Amazon Prime is fantastic."
"The CD arrived in perfect condition and I was able to use it in my car and on my laptop."
"I saw the movies and had to have both cds, volume 1 and 2."
"I was a teenager in the 70's and this music was part of my high school experience."
"I'm really happy with it; the image and sound quality are fantastic, and it costs a lot less than most new vinyls."
"I loved the soundtrack when I heard it in the theater and I still enjoy listening to it away from the movie."
Best Movie Soundtracks
To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon""Fooled Around and Fell in Love" Elvin Bishop 4:35. 6. "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" Rupert Holmes 4:37. 11. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell 2:29. Total length: 44:35. If this doesn't put a smile on your face and get your toes tapping- see a cardiologist-or a mortician."
"Its soundtrack. It's music that people of all walks of life will love- in fact, when's the last time you can say you've played tracks like "Hooked on a Feeling" or "Come and Get Your Love" at full blast? producer Kevin Feige and Dave Jordan) have re-mastered the tracks in a way to make the tracks sound as if they're being played through an old tape deck, to keep the feel of the tracks. If this were any other film, tracks such as "I Want You Back" or "O-o-h Child" being on the soundtrack would come off as passé, but here, it makes perfect sense, given the film's themes and nostalgic feel. Starting off the tracklist on an energetic note with Blue Swede's cover of "Hooked on a Feeling" and ending with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", the tracklist is consistent- a rollercoaster of high energy uptempo rockers ("Cherry Bomb", "Spirit in the Sky"), smooth ballads to even things out ("Fooled Around and Fell in Love", "I'm Not in Love"), and funky pop classics ("I Want You Back", "Come and Get My Love"). In the context of the film, they work equally as fantastic- watching our heroes get ready for war to the sounds of "Cherry Bomb", watching Quill get down and boogie to "Come and Get My Love" over the opening credits, watching Quill fly his way back to his ship in his battle gear to the funky sounds of "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"."
"Having the digital version available on Amazon Prime is fantastic."
"The CD arrived in perfect condition and I was able to use it in my car and on my laptop."
"I saw the movies and had to have both cds, volume 1 and 2."
"I was a teenager in the 70's and this music was part of my high school experience."
"I'm really happy with it; the image and sound quality are fantastic, and it costs a lot less than most new vinyls."
"I loved the soundtrack when I heard it in the theater and I still enjoy listening to it away from the movie."
Best TV Soundtracks
Christmas At Downton Abbey is the official festive collection from the much loved, award-winning television series, Downton Abbey.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't buy things just because they are associated with a favorite program and I admit I was a little skeptical when I saw a Christmas album associated with Downton Abbey. Whether the music or singing style is associated with the era depicted in Downton Abbey is still debatable. It brought back wonderful feelings and memories of window shopping as a kid, the Christmas music they played on speakers at night in my little town, Christmas plays at school, and the music we had in our own home growing up (even though it was late 60's - 70's, we had old stuff). I think even very young generations can create their own memories with this classic collection, though not everyone will appreciate the theatrical style in places."
"Christmas at Downton Abbey is an intelligent blend of traditional carols and classical Christmas music. I appreciated McGovern's fresh interpretations without doing violence to familiar tradition, while Overden's operatic voice was clear and beautiful."
"You do not need to love Downton Abbey to love this CD."
"I'm a fan of historical drama in movies and television, especially anything from the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)."
"My wife loved Downton Abbey; the final episode could not have been better."
"Great to have especially when driving back home for Christmas."
"I loved that it has two discs, the first having performances by Downton Abbey Cast members."
"This was purchased as gift so the actual cd has not been played yet, however the download has been lovely indeed and I must thank Amazon for this bonus when you buy new cds from them."
Best Japanese Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's exactly what I wanted."
"As a preface, this does not include the new songs they added in Persona 4 Golden."
"If you've played the game and enjoy the music and you like to collect CDs, then by all means GET THIS!!"
"This was supposed to arrive Mar."
"It has most of the songs from the game, plus quite a few that I don't remember hearing being played in game, and they're all great!"
"You're considering this purchase because you love what you hear in-game."
"I'm a big fan of the persona series and this soundtrack is a must for persona fans.It also came in collecter friendly conditions."
Best Music
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
Best R&B
"Hamilton" - which transferred to Broadway following a sold-out run at The Public Theater in NYC - is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then avoid this album at ALL COSTS. Soon your family will start experimenting with this album and know Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are more than just a trivia question from the Got Milk commercial from 1993. I'll leave it at this: I enjoyed this album enough to: -sing along with it. -move along with it. -make plans to fly out to Broadway to watch and support this show. -most importantly: find out more about Alexander Hamilton beyond the 1993 Got Milk commercial. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have."
"This excellent cast album has it all: songs about desire, triumph, love, heartbreak, power, obsession, family, cheating, status, happiness and loss. After an eight year absence from visiting NYC, Hamilton has inspired me to book a plane ticket and a ridiculously expensive hotel room in the Big Apple just to see this show in the Fall."
"It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced."
"I've been immersed in American musical theater my entire life and work in it full-time now."
"Totally met all my expectations. Took the advice from friends to do your research."
Best Arabic Music
Le pas du chat noir gives the clearest indication yet of the work of Brahem as composer and features a spacious "chamber music" that resonates with the freshness of improvisation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very nice and gentle."
"If you like classical Indian music, classical guitar or more restful music, I would really strongly recommend both Sahar and Le Pas du Chat Noir."
"I was hooked after hearing the first few sound bites of this album, and I've been listening to it every day for months."
"This is just gorgeous music."
"This album is what music is all about."
"beautiful and mysterious."
"where classical becomes modern and visa versa."
"This is my first listening of Brahem."
Best Tahitian Music
As teenagers, Ledward and his twin brother Nedward Ka'apana and cousin Dennis Pavao formed the Hui 'Ohana, one of the hottest groups of the 70s and 80s and now legendary among Hawaiian musicians.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good deal for my #1 Hawaiian music group."
"I've heard this CD on the radio, but "in person"....wow."
"And if you are ever on the Big Island, while Kalapana has been pretty much wiped out by Madame Pele, the end of the road now features more great Hawaiian music from more local musicians playing often at Uncle's Kava Bar - see you there!"
"They recently reissued the group's first five albums on CD, and I'm not sure if it's because the masters don't exist, but I'd rather listen to the vinyl, which is superior sounding."
"This is some down home, funky falsetto, get with the poke and poi action traditional Hawaiian fare from DEEEEEEP in Hawaii (back when sweet 'ole Kalapana and Kaimu were still above the lava - auwe!)."
"It was a treat for us to enjoy watching this group do these same songs live on the Big Island when they first got started."
Best Disney Music
Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess & the Frog) and produced by Osnat Shurer (Lifted, One Man Band), Moana sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As a 30-something who grew up in the age of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s and had (still has) a collection of all the original Walt Disney classics, I can be hard to convince in this age of CGI...but "Moana" is perfection...and so is the soundtrack. I'm not a big "Hamilton" fan, but I can appreciate Miranda's considerable talent - and it shines in this soundtrack. No, it doesn't "sound" like the rest of the soundtrack - but who says it's supposed to?"
"Her father is the village chief and she feels drawn to the ocean that surrounds their beautiful, tropical Polynesian island of Motunui. If you purchase the audio CD version, the lyrics are listed inside the booklet, along with the character who sings them. Some of the songs are energetic and full of adventure whereas others reflect the darker tone when Moana and Maui are faced with their main task. Auli'i Cravalho has a beautiful voice and does an amazing job with all of the songs, my favorite being "How Far I'll Go," which can be heard multiple times on the soundtrack. The score is a lot of fun too and we enjoy figuring out which part of the movie the current song is from."
"If the music isn't stuck in your head yet from your kids constantly watching and rewatching the movie, it will be by the time you're done listening to this in the car for the tenth time."
"I purchased this so my daughter could listen to the soundtrack on our Echo since she loves the movie."
"We leave this in my car every day and my kids want to listen to it every time we get into the car."
"Not neccessarily my favorite, but my two four year old grandaughters love it."
"I bought it shortly after seeing the movie for the first time and have been listening to it non stop."
"Daughter loves the movie and singing all the songs."