The Wild Thornberrys

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Engineer: Clark Germain; Dave Darlington; David Tickle; Joe Ferla; Michel Sanchez; Mike Patterson; Richard Chappell; Robert Musso; Shawn Sullivan
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Producers: George Acogny, Jonathan McHugh. Personnel: Aaron Barrett (vocals, guitar); Paul Simon (vocals, electric guitar, nylon-string guitar); Dan Regan (vocals, trombone); Scott Klopfenstein (vocals, organ); Chrissie Hynde, Tyler Jones (vocals); Neil Taylor (guitar, slide guitar); Guy Chambers (guitar, keyboards); Adam Seymour, Kevin Armstrong (guitar); Vincent Nguini (acoustic guitar); Joao (Tombo) Mota (electric guitar); Romero Lubambo (nylon-string guitar); Mamadou Diabate (kora); Javier Anguera (saxophone); Paco Ib��ez (trumpet, flugelhorn); Antonio Pallares (trombone); Bernie Worrell (Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Douglas Carr (keyboards, programming); Ira Coleman (acoustic bass); Michel Alibo (electric bass); Carlos de la Garza, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Steve Gadd , Martin Chambers (drums); Kamil Rustam (programming, keyboard programming); David Clayton , Danny Browne, David Naughton, Gabor Csupo, Jim Brumby, Mike Mangini , Richard Flack, Simon Richmond (programming); Andy Duncan (drum programming); Adriana Simon, Tessa Niles, Claire Worrall (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Ronald Prent; Dan Vickers; David Tickle; Jos� Pe�a; Michel Sanchez; Shawn Sullivan; Steve Power; Tchad Blake; Brian Tench. Recording information: Battery Studios Mobile, Botswana, South Africa; Daddy's House Recordings, New York, NY; Eden Studio, London, England; Ekongolo, France; Hit Factory, New York, NY; La Taguara; Larrabbee West, LA; Mayfair Studios; Mojo Studios, New York, NY; real World Studios, England; Right Track Recording, New York, NY; Sear Sound, New York, NY; Sting's Living Room (Somewhere In Wiltshire); Tower Of Power, London, England; TRAK; World Class Audio, Anaheim, CA. Arrangers: Gonzalo Benavides; Guy Chambers; Michel Sanchez. The soundtrack to Nickelodeon's feature film The Wild Thornberrys, based on their cartoon series about a family of explorers, features an apt and surprisingly hip mix of world music, teen pop, hip-hop, and globally-inspired rock. Chief among the highlights are contributions from some of the collection's biggest names, including Paul Simon's mellow, amiable "Father and Daughter," Dave Matthews and Ang�lique Kidjo's duet "Iwoya," and Hugh Masekela's "Motla le Pula (The Rainmaker)." Peter Gabriel contributes two tracks, a new remix of "Shaking the Tree" featuring Shaggy and "Animal Nation," a quirky new track that suggests that a children's album by Gabriel could be a treat. Aside from appearing on "Shaking the Tree," Youssou N'Dour also appears on "Don't Walk Away," a meditative duet with Sting that is pleasant but doesn't fit with the rest of the relatively energetic soundtrack, particularly the tracks that surround it -- Reel Big Fish's "Monkey Man" and the Baha Men's frenetic "Accident." Overall, though, The Wild Thornberrys does a pretty good job of weaving diverse tracks like P. Diddy, Brandy, and Bow Wow's "Dance With Us," the Pretenders' "Get Out of London," and Wes' "Awa Awa" together into a fairly cohesive album. Sita's "Happy" and Nick Carter's "End of Forever" provide the daily minimum requirement of teen pop, but overall the soundtrack ends up as one big happy musical family that just might spark kids' interest in more eclectic sounds. ~ Heather Phares To go along with the jungle motif of this Nickelodeon-produced animated feature, we're presented with a soundtrack album full of African-flavored pop. Who better to lead that particular charge than Paul Simon, whose GRACELAND helped pave the way for Afro-pop crossover in the US. His "Father and Daughter" is a gentle but spirited song about the parent-child bond. A pairing of jamband hero Dave Matthews and African diva Angelique Kidjo ("Iwoya") makes more sonic sense than one might suppose. Ska-punks Reel Big Fish offer a rather ill-advised take on the Specials' "Monkey Man," but a smart pair of Youssou N'Dour collaborations (one with Sting, one with Peter Gabriel) soon set things right. The Pretenders' "Get Out of London" doesn't have much to do with Africa, but it's one of their better latter-day tunes and a pleasure to hear. Ultimately, this disc cleaves pretty closely to the Anglo pop aesthetic, but the introduction of African elements throughout is strong enough to add a nice touch of exoticism.

Uncut (3/03, p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[Simon] can still turn a lyric and craft a tune like an unlikely deft demi-god..."

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