XXX: State of the Union [Original Soundtrack] [PA]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Producer: Jonathan McHugh; Denise Luiso; Laura Z. Wasserman; Darren Higman
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Composer: Marco Beltrami. Vin Diesel's Xander Cage was busy BASE jumping or making Asia Argento flans or something, so Ice Cube steps in for the second installment in XXX's Action! Explosion! Ramping Stuff! franchise. Samuel L. Jackson gives Cube's disgraced special forces guy a chance for redemption -- help him quell a plot against America -- and XXX: State of the Union (you have to love the title) is born. Stepping out of the Xander Xone allows for a purer read on the gunplay, speed, and fire. Similarly, State of the Union's soundtrack is less extreme sport metal/modern rock cocktail and more amplified hip-hop with rock tinges. It's still the music to a live-action video game. But XXX: State of the Union is at least a little more cohesive. J-Kwon's "Get XXX'd" is the lead single/theme song, sort of its own "Shake Ya Tailfeather." As a track, "XXX'd" is nowhere near the addictiveness of J's "Get Tipsy." But together with Petey Pablo and Ebony Eyez, he gives the Trackboyz' samey Dirty South production some zing. Ice Cube's "Anybody Seen the PoPo's?!" rides a tense rhythm, calls out Bill Cosby, and fires off a few choice lines ("Bloody-ass BBs pulled out your buttocks!"); Timbaland's production on "Here We Go" nods to the Neptunes; and "Oh No" is sharp and lyrical with strong work from Big Boi, Bubba Sparxxx, and scary-ass Killer Mike. The rapper/rocker collabo track has been an action movie clich� since Judgment Night, and State of the Union has its share. Korn and Xzibit pimp Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"; while Xzibit sounds hungry on the mike, everything else on the track -- including Jonathan Davis' vocal -- is way too sanitized. Likewise, a straight mash-up of Three Days Grace's "Just Like You" and Bonecrusher's "Wyle Out" (which also appears on its own) is a little unnecessary. And yet, both "Just Like Wylin'" and "Fight the Power" work in the context of XXX: State of the Union. Like the inclusion of Moby and Public Enemy's text-speak protest jam "MKLVFKWR," they show some creativity on the part of the soundtrack's compilers, who could've just tacked a hot single to a bunch of sound-alike drudgery. ~ Johnny Loftus Flashy and overflowing with energy, the blockbuster film XXX gave Bond-like secret agents a 21st-century makeover via the extreme-sports-loving spy played by Vin Diesel. Not surprisingly, the accompanying album matched the movie's fever-pitch adrenaline rush, with an assault of techno, metal, and hip-hop. For the 2005 sequel, XXX: STATE OF THE UNION, Ice Cube (who contributed to the earlier film's soundtrack) has replaced Diesel as the titular hero. While the movie's music leans more towards hip-hop, it retains the intensity of its predecessor. J-Kwon, joined by Petey Pablo and Ebony Eyez, opens the album with the smooth anthem "Get XXX'd," before the film's star uncorks a tune reminiscent of his N.W.A. days, "Anybody Seen the PoPo's?!" Three of the South's most playful lyricists join forces on "Oh No" as Big Boi, Killer Mike, and Bubba Sparxxx trade lines. The most intriguing collaboration on the album, Moby & Public Enemy, bears fruit as the icons collide for a wild and wonderfully irregular creation, "MKLVFKWR." With ferocity to spare, XXX: STATE OF THE UNION's soundtrack is an excellent reflection of the movie's bold, brash attitude.

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