:: The Haunted Mansion - Music From & Inspired By The Film

The Haunted Mansion

What can you say about a movie that boasts Eddie Murphy and has a soundtrack reminiscent of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack? I say Eddie Murphy should stop making kids movies and make Coming to America 2 - but that’s just me. The latest Eddie Murphy gem, The Haunted Mansion, provides the listener with a soundtrack which has a few danceable tracks of the R&B variety; some playful songs for the kids which, unfortunately, grate no end after a few listens; and some songs that make you wonder what these guys were thinking when they said “that’s the perfect song for our soundtrack”. Amazingly this last genre is in a minority but one which rears its ugly head early. The logic in putting the worst song on the album first must be in the hope that people will forget it by the time they’re listening to the last song. What else would explain starting with an insipid cover of Stevie Wonder’s classic ‘Superstition’ poorly performed by Raven. Unfortunately the theory doesn’t hold because this song flavours the feel of the whole sound track. A few more entirely avoidable tracks include two versions of a Bare Naked Ladies track called Grim Grinning Ghosts which syncopates and harmonises itself straight into irrelevance to all but the most die hard fans. These songs make the album look pretty bad, statistically speaking, but luckily its not all bad news. The album does begin to find its feet when JACK pull out Things That Go Bump In The Night. JACK deliver a pretty upbeat pop song that’s surprisingly catchy for something with an electric piano and a drum machine (why am I always surprised?). Another pick has to be Dead Mans Party by Oingo Boingo which begins with vocal effects that may have been used in the Miami Vice sound track. The Jackson 5 are also enlisted to save the day with The Boogie Man which is definitely up there as the highlight of the album. Man with the Hex by the Atomic Fireballs rolls on next bringing with it an attitude of unconditional exuberance. The Fireballs deliver a quick and light-hearted song that will be liked initially only to really get under the skin the more it’s heard. Monster Mash by Brian O’Neal and the BusBoys follows straight afterwards with a slightly smoother and less annoying sound. Both songs will be instant favourites for the kids but can make listening to this whole album more of a chore than is necessary. Overall, The Haunted Mansion is a sound track that tries to have something for everyone. Unfortunately this approach has made it an album which has something for no one. The different genres of music, including the movie’s score composed by Mark Mancina, intertwined among each other make this a throw away album which may satisfy for a listen or two – and only if you really liked the movie. The few tracks that do make an impression are mixed in among ones that will have you reaching for the skip button. Avoid it if you don’t have kids and if you do – buy them headphones.